Three traditional English sponge puddings, made vegan
Steamed syrup sponge pudding (Domestic Gothess)
There’s something nostalgic about an old-fashinoed English sponge pudding. Soft, steaming, generously sauced and gloriously stodgy, these are the desserts that feel like a warm hug in a bowl. They’re wonderfully unfussy, too — no delicate pastry, complicated decorations or fancy ingredients required.
And the best part? You can make all those classic puddings completely vegan.
These three traditional favourites — syrup sponge, jam sponge and spotted dick — are proof that you don’t need butter, eggs or dairy to create a proper, comforting English pudding. They’re hearty, homely and exactly the sort of desserts you’ll want to eat with a generous spoonful of vegan custard.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets.
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Vegan golden syrup sponge
This has to be one of the ultimate English comfort puddings. A light but wonderfully stodgy sponge is steamed or baked over a layer of golden syrup, which slowly soaks into the pudding as it cooks.
The result is sweet, sticky and wonderfully gooey, with plenty of syrupy goodness in every spoonful.
Making it vegan is surprisingly simple. Plant-based butter (Flora has no palm oil) replaces traditional butter, while a little plant milk provides moisture and helps create a soft sponge. There’s no need for eggs — the combination of raising agents and careful mixing gives you a beautifully tender pudding.
Serve it piping hot with vanilla vegan custard, pouring cream or a scoop of dairy-free ice cream.
Vegan jam sponge
If you love a classic jam roly-poly, you’ll almost certainly adore jam sponge. This pudding is wonderfully old-fashioned: soft steamed sponge surrounding a layer of sweet raspberry or strawberry jam.
As it cooks, the jam melts into the sponge, creating pockets of fruity sweetness throughout the pudding. It’s simple, nostalgic and incredibly satisfying.
Use your favourite jam here. Raspberry is particularly traditional, but strawberry, blackberry or even a sharp plum jam would work beautifully.
For maximum comfort, serve the pudding hot with plenty of vegan custard. The combination of warm sponge, fruity jam and creamy custard is hard to beat.
Vegan Spotted Dick
This is a simple steamed suet pudding traditionally packed with currants or sultanas. A vegan version swaps traditional suet for vegetable or cold vegan block butter (again Flora is good), creating a wonderfully rich, substantial pudding while keeping it entirely dairy-free.
The dried fruit provides little bursts of sweetness throughout the soft, dense sponge, while a touch of lemon zest can add a lovely freshness. Like the other puddings, spotted dick is made for custard.
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Proper comfort food
These puddings may be old-fashioned, but that’s precisely why they’re so appealing. They’re inexpensive, easy-going and designed to be shared. Most importantly, they prove that vegan baking doesn’t have to mean giving up the traditional desserts you grew up loving.
So whether you choose sticky golden syrup, fruity jam or a bowlful of spotted dick, put the kettle on, make plenty of custard and embrace the stodginess.
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a proper old-fashioned pudding.
