Spotted Dick
This British dessert builds suet, currants and orange into a satisfying meal you can have ready in about 50 minutes. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 5 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for pan and saucepan. At easy difficulty across 5 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the suet, currants, sugar, lemon and orange zest.
- Pour in 150ml milk and mix to a firm but moist dough, adding the extra milk if necessary.
- Shape into a fat roll about 20cm long. Place on a large rectangle of baking parchment. Wrap loosely to allow for the pudding to rise and tie the ends with string like a Christmas cracker.
- Place a steamer over a large pan of boiling water, add the pudding to the steamer, cover and steam for 1 1/2 hours. Top up the pan with water from time to time.
- Remove from the steamer and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve sliced with custard.
You'll use: Pan · Saucepan · Steamer
Watch how it's made
Hosted on YouTube — pressing play loads content from YouTube.
Ingredient substitutions
- Self-raising Flour
- 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
What to serve with Spotted Dick
- Smoky Lentil Chili with Squash Vegetarian
- Fish pie Seafood
- Beef Wellington Beef
- Toad In The Hole Pork
Tips & common questions
How long does Spotted Dick take to make?
About 50 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 5 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
Try 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Spotted Dick vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Recipe data for Spotted Dick via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.