On a cold winter evening, there are few treats more comforting than a warm slab of sticky toffee pudding. This vegan version checks all the boxes, and will be a hit with your family and friends!
Looking for more vegan sweets to bake this holiday season? Try our vegan snickerdoodles and vegan gingersnaps.
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Ingredients
Wondering what you need to make vegan sticky toffee pudding? Let's talk about the key ingredients that you need for this recipe.
- Dates: You can use Medjool or Deglet Noor dates for this recipe. You'll save some time if you buy pre-pitted and chopped ones.
- Butter: You can use vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Applesauce: This is used instead of eggs in the cake. You can also use 2 flax eggs if you prefer.
- Milk: Use your favorite plant milk. We used almond milk for the cake and sauce, but we'd recommend using coconut milk or coconut cream for a creamier sauce.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients for our vegan sticky toffee pudding.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until blended.
- Beat together the softened vegan butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Combine the chopped dates and milk in a small saucepan, and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. Then, tip the mixture into a bowl and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the molasses, applesauce, and vanilla along with a few spoonfuls of the flour mixture. Beat until blended. Gradually mix in the remaining flour mixture, then stir in the cooked and cooled dates.
5. Pour the batter into an 8x8-inch pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
6. While the STP is baking, make the toffee sauce. Combine the vegan butter, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla in a saucepan until thickened.
7. Blend in the milk to create a thin sauce.
8. Once the baked STP has cooled for 10 minutes, drizzle ⅓ to ½ cup of the toffee sauce on top to give this dessert a sticky top.
9. Let it stand for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve.
10. Make sure to pour additional toffee sauce on top of each slice. You can also serve this vegan sticky toffee pudding with vegan vanilla ice cream or whip up some chilled coconut cream and put a dollop on top.
Recipe FAQs
Sticky toffee pudding (or STP as it is known in the UK) has rich, caramelized flavors from the dates and brown sugar in the cake part and a very moist texture. It gets a little sticky on top from the sugars in it. Despite having a lot of sweet ingredients, this classic British dessert is far from being sickeningly sweet; it has a refreshing edge of bitterness from the molasses.
Yes, these two treats are one and the same. Sticky date pudding is the name more commonly used in Australia and New Zealand, while those in England, Canada, and the US typically refer to this dessert as sticky toffee pudding.
The natural sugars from the dates help sweeten the pudding, while the actual fruit itself lends a rich flavor and moist texture to the sponge. They're definitely an important ingredient in this dessert, so don't leave them out! Feel free to use whole dates that you pit and chop yourself or the ready-chopped ones.
Yes, most recipes include milk as one of the ingredients. Some form of liquid is needed to mix all the ingredients together. Milk works perfectly for that purpose while also adding some flavor. Since our recipe is vegan we use almond milk in the cake and coconut milk in the sauce instead of dairy milk with excellent results.
Serve
This sticky dessert is traditionally served warm during the cold months of the year, alongside homemade toffee sauce, pouring cream, vanilla custard, or vanilla ice cream.
Choose what toppings you would like best, but don't skip on the homemade toffee sauce, as it really adds to the depth of flavor in this beautiful dessert.
Store
- Leftovers: Store sticky toffee pudding well sealed under plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze sticky toffee pudding in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months
Expert Tips
- Make sure that the vegan butter is softened before you begin.
- Let the cooked date mixture cool before adding it to the batter.
- Don't overmix the batter, or the pudding may be tough.
- Want individual puddings? Pour the batter into a greased and floured muffin tin, filling the cups halfway. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Recipe
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the Sticky Toffee Pudding
- 8 ounces chopped dates
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Coconut cream or vegan vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
For the Toffee Sauce
- 1 ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond milk or coconut cream
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
- Simmer dates in the almond milk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes to cool it down before adding it to the batter.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until blended.
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. (This is the amazing flex edge attachment that I used for this recipe.)
- Add the applesauce, molasses, and vanilla to the butter mixture along with ½ cup of the flour mixture and beat until blended.
- Gradually add the remaining flour mixture and stir on low speed until well mixed.
- Pour the cooled date mixture into the batter and stir to combine.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. The pudding is baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the pudding stand on a wire rack to cool.
- While the pudding is baking, make the sauce. Combine the butter, sugar, molasses, and vanilla over very low heat until the mixture is melted and thick, then add the milk and boil for 1 minute. (The sauce will be quite thin; if you want it thicker, simply cut down on the milk or use vegan cream instead.)
- Pour ⅓-1/2 cup of the sauce on the pudding and let it stand for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve with the remaining sauce. If you'd like also serve with vegan vanilla ice cream or chilled whipped coconut cream.
Notes
- Make sure that the date mixture is only slightly warm to the touch, not boiling hot, before adding it to the batter.
- Mix the batter until it is combined but not for too long, or the pudding may be tough.
- Want individual puddings? Pour the batter into a greased and floured muffin tin, filling the cups halfway. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Make sure that the vegan butter is softened before you begin.
Nutrition
Our vegan sticky toffee pudding was originally published on Dec. 18, 2020.
Alex
This pudding is delicious! It's moist, sweet, and sticky. The smell was divine! I would totally have this again.
Emma
I'm glad that you enjoyed this, Alex!
Beth
This dessert is soft and chewy. I love the dates and the molasses in here. The sticky sauce on top is lovely. I love this sticky toffee pudding!
Emma
So glad to hear that, Beth!