The Authentic Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding Recipe

For generations of Canadians, Murray’s Restaurant was synonymous with comfort food and family traditions. From Montreal to Toronto, Ottawa to Sudbury, their steamed fruit pudding graced tables from Canadian Thanksgiving through Mother’s Day, becoming a beloved seasonal dessert that combined British heritage with Canadian warmth.

When the last Murray’s location closed in 2009, this treasured recipe seemed lost forever—until food columnist Johanna Burkhard shared it in The Montreal Star on November 2, 1994. Today, we’re bringing you this authentic recipe that has been tested and perfected by home cooks for over 30 years.

What Makes Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding Special

This isn’t your typical North American pudding. In British tradition, “pudding” refers to a wide range of desserts, and this steamed fruit pudding is essentially a warm, moist cake infused with rich mincemeat, served with a luxurious vanilla custard sauce. The magic lies in the suet (or butter), which melts during steaming to create an incredibly tender, moist texture that’s impossible to achieve through regular baking. Here, you will find the recipe for the sauce, which is sometimes referred to as a “custard sauce.”

The Complete Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

• 75 ml (⅓ cup) 2% milk
• 1 large egg
• 250 ml (1 cup) mincemeat (Robertson’s preferred)
• 125 ml (½ cup) fine breadcrumbs (Panko works well)
• 75 ml (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
• 50 ml (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 50 ml (¼ cup) vegetable suet, butter, or beef suet

Equipment Needed

• 1.5L pudding mold or heat-proof bowl (Pyrex works)
• Parchment paper
• Aluminum foil
• Kitchen string
• Large pot with steamer insert or upturned plate
• Pastry blender (if using butter)

Traditional Stovetop Method

1. Prepare the wet mixture: Whisk milk and egg together, then stir in mincemeat until evenly blended.
2. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add fat: Stir in suet, or cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
4. Combine mixtures: Add the mincemeat mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. The consistency should resemble thick muffin batter.
5. Prepare for steaming: Grease your pudding mold well. Pour batter into the mold. Cover with parchment paper, then aluminum foil, pressing foil around sides. Tie securely with a string, leaving a 2-inch overhang.
6. Steam: Place the mold in a large pot with enough boiling water to reach two-thirds up the sides. Cover pot and steam for 2¼ hours, checking water level every 20-25 minutes and adding more as needed.
7. Test for doneness: The pudding is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Serves: 6

Quick Instant Pot Method

For a modern twist that cuts cooking time dramatically:

1. Follow steps 1-5 above for preparation
2. Place the covered pudding basin on the Instant Pot trivet
3. Add 2 cups of hot water to the pot
4. Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes
5. Allow natural pressure release

This method produces identical results in a fraction of the time!

Ingredient Substitutions and Tips

Suet Options: The original recipe calls for beef suet, but vegetable suet (like Atora brand) or butter works equally well. I’ve tested all three and couldn’t detect any difference in taste or texture.

Mincemeat: Robertson’s is ideal, but any quality mincemeat works. Murray’s originally used the Rose and Laflamme brand, which is no longer available.

Scaling: This recipe doubles beautifully. Use a 2L mold and add one hour to steaming time.

Individual Portions: For restaurant-style presentation, use individual pudding molds—steam for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot or 1.5 hours traditionally.

Serving and Storage

Serving: Serve warm with hot vanilla custard sauce (Murray’s original recipe available separately), fresh cream, or whipped cream. Garnish with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar for elegant presentation.

Storage: Cool completely, then wrap tightly in parchment paper and foil. Keeps 2 weeks at room temperature or up to a month refrigerated.

Reheating: Steam again for 30 minutes, or microwave covered at 50% power for 5-7 minutes until heated through.

The Story Behind the Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding Recipe

Murray’s Restaurants held a special place in Canadian dining culture. This recipe came to light when a devoted reader contacted Johanna Burkhard’s “What’s Cooking” column, desperate to recreate the dessert that had become a family tradition.

Since that 1994 article appeared, countless home cooks have successfully recreated this pudding. Even before the restaurant’s closure, many found their homemade versions indistinguishable from the original. The key difference? Murray’s steamed individual portions, while the home version uses one large mold, the taste remains identical.

Understanding Suet in Traditional British Puddings

Suet is the secret to authentic British steamed puddings. This hard fat (found around cattle kidneys) has a high melting point, allowing it to create steam pockets as it melts, resulting in the signature light, moist texture. Vegetable suet, developed for vegetarian cooking, performs identically while being more widely available.

Don’t let “steamed pudding” intimidate you—it’s simply a traditional cooking method that produces incredibly moist, tender results impossible to achieve through conventional baking.

If you are thinking of making this and other steamed puddings, we have created a roundup of the 8 Best Dessert Pudding Steamers to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Steamed Fruit Pudding Frequently Asked Questions

The recipe

Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding (Traditional Method)

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This is the actual (i.e. direct from the source) recipe for the iconic Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding that was served each year during the cooler months in the restaurants in Montreal, Quebec and Ontario, Canada

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English Canadian

Calories: 189

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x?

• 75 ml 2% milk may be fat free or non-dairy
• 1 large egg
• 250 ml Mincemeat I use Robertson’s, but I have used other brands when Robertson’s was not available
• 125 ml fine bread crumbs I use Kikkoman Panko
• 75 ml all-purpose flour I use unbleached wheat or oat flour
• 50 ml granulated sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 50 ml Atora Vegetable Shredded Suet  you may use butter or beef suet in the same quantity

Equipment

• 1 Pudding Mould or heat-proof bowl such as Pyrex
• 1 string to attach the foil to the bowl
• 1 Aluminum Foil to cover the pudding mould while steaming
• 1 Parchment paper to place in between the pudding and the foil

Method

 

1. In a bowl, whisk together milk and stir in mincemeat until evenly blended
   250 ml Mincemeat
2. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt
   125 ml fine bread crumbs
3. Add the suet, or cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives to make fine crumbs
   50 ml Atora Vegetable Shredded Suet 
4. Stir in the mincemeat mixture until combined
   250 ml Mincemeat
5. Pour into a well-greased 1.5 l pudding mould or heat-proof bowl
6. Pour in boiling water to reach two-thirds up
7. Take a large sheet of aluminum foil and a piece of parchment and cut them large enough to cover the bowl fully with some overhang. Place the parchment (I spray it with cooking spray on both sides to avoid sticking) under the foil and press the foil around the sides of the bowl
8. Tie a string around the foil to reduce the moisture getting into the bowl. Leave no more than about two inches of overhang of foil and parchment
9. I use a pasta pot that has a removable strainer that I can use to extract the bowl when the pudding is fully steamed. You can use string, silicone grabbers or a foil sling
10. Cover and steam for about 2.25 hours, adding water (check every 20-25 minutes) to maintain the level or until the tester comes out clean
11. When ready, cut the string around the bowl. Wrap well and store in the refrigerator (pudding can be made ahead and frozen)

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 342mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.5mg

Video

Notes

To reheat, place the pudding back in the mould and cover it with a lid or foil tied with string. Place in a pot with boiling water (in the same direction as above) and steam for one hour or until hot. Place the pudding in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it, and microwave it at Medi­um (50 percent power) for five to seven minutes or until hot.

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Here are some pudding steaming tips from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (one of my go-to recipe sources)

Read our recommendations for Pudding Steamers.

Final Thoughts

This Murray’s Steamed Fruit Pudding recipe represents more than just a dessert—it’s a connection to Canadian culinary heritage and the comfort of family traditions. Whether you choose the traditional steaming method or the modern Instant Pot approach, you’ll create a dessert that has warmed Canadian hearts for generations.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and reliability. Once you master the basic technique, you’ll have a go-to dessert that’s perfect for cold-weather gatherings and special occasions. Most importantly, you’ll be preserving a piece of Canadian restaurant history that might otherwise have been lost forever.