A healthier sticky toffee pudding made with better-for-you-ingredients and made into individual portions for ease and a shorter baking time. They’re just the right level of sweet and really easy to make.
Cold rainy weather calls for something warming, cosy and comforting. I think it’s safe to say this healthier sticky toffee pudding ticks all those boxes! Serve warm with my three ingredient drizzle for the ultimate dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings this winter.
In case you’re not already familiar with it, sticky toffee pudding is a classic British dessert that consists of a moist, dense sponge cake made with dates, covered in a rich toffee sauce. It’s a popular and indulgent dessert known for its sweet and sticky texture.
The pudding itself is typically made by blending dates with flour, eggs, sugar, and butter to create a sweet and moist cake. After baking, it’s served warm and topped with a generous amount of toffee sauce, which is made from butter, sugar, and cream. The sauce is often heated and poured over the pudding just before serving, creating a warm and gooey dessert that is both sweet and comforting.
Why I love this healthier sticky toffee pudding recipe:
This is my healthier take on a sticky toffee pudding. I used oat flour instead of plain flour and only used 1 tbsp of added sugar in the form of date syrup. I did this to add a deep/dark colour to the pudding more than anything else as the whole dates work perfectly on their own to add enough sweetness. I also used some tahini (in the pudding itself + the drizzle) as a healthier source of fat.
I prefer making individual sticky toffee puddings as I think they look so much prettier/more appetising when served. It also means I’m less likely to overindulge and go back for seconds ? I find it difficult to stop eating anything with dates, so this is a good way to keep my appetite in check. Making individual portions also means they’ll need less time to bake in the oven. Great for saving electricity, plus it means I don’t have to wait longe before I can enjoy them (I can be very impatient when it comes to waiting for desserts to bake, I just want to dig in asap!).
They’re best served warm, but you can enjoy them at room temperature as well. To make these healthier sticky toffee puddings more indulgent, you always have the option of serving them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, although I find they’re indulgent enough. Especially with the three ingredient drizzle on top.
As well as being vegan, this healthier sticky toffee pudding is also gluten-free (make sure you use gluten-free oats), nut-free and dairy-free.
What you need to make this healthier sticky toffee pudding recipe:
Dates – I love using Palestinian Medjool dates. They have the best combination of taste (caramelly) and texture (soft & fudgy). You can use other dates – if they’re on the drier side, you may need to add a little more milk when cooking them to achieve the same consistency.
Tahini – runny tahini works best when it comes to baking/using in desserts. I always buy Lebanese tahini as it’s made the authentic way and has the best consistency.
Coconut oil/butter – I find that a combination of tahini and coconut oil gives the best texture. You can use butter/dairy-free butter instead. Or you can substitute with more tahini for an even healthier option.
Date syrup – as I mentioned before, I used this to add colour more than anything. You can use another form of liquid sweetener like maple syrup, rice syrup, honey, etc.
Milk of choice – to add moisture to the mixture.
Cinnamon – this adds more warmth & depth to the flavour.
Baking powder – to help the pudding rise a little as it bakes in the oven.
What you need to make the drizzle for this healthier sticky toffee pudding recipe:
This is probably the easiest drizzle/sauce you’ll ever make! You only need three ingredients – tahini, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. That’s it! The combination of those ingredients creates the taste and consistency of a salted caramel sauce with less sugar and more healthy fats. You can also use a date syrup instead of the maple syrup to enhance the date flavour. Other liquid sweeteners will also work like agave, rice syrup, etc.
This healthier sticky toffee pudding recipe is:
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
- Gluten-free (if using gluten-free oats)
- Healthier than you average sticky toffee pudding recipe
- Great for dinner/Christmas parties
Healthier Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
- 110g Medjool dates
- 160ml milk of choice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter/dairy-free butter
- 1 tbsp date syrup or maple syrup
- 75g oat flour*
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the drizzle
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp date syrup or maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan.
- Add the dates and milk to a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Mash the dates with the back of a wooden spoon until you have a smooth paste.
- Take off the heat and mix in the tahini, coconut oil and date syrup.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Fold in the date mixture and mix until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Divide between 4 lightly oiled mini basins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Make the drizzle by mixing the tahini, date syrup and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Pour over the mini sticky toffee puddings and enjoy! Store in the fridge in an air-tight container. You can reheat in the oven or the microwave if you prefer to enjoy them warm. They can last up to a week in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can you use another flour instead of oat?
Hi Diana 🙂 Plain flour should work, but I haven’t tried it myself. You may need to add a little less.
This looks so delicious. I absolutely love sticky toffee pudding. Could I eliminate the coconut oil to make this oil free by chance or is there an oil free replacement?
Hi Jessica 🙂 You could use more tahini or sub with applesauce. I haven’t tried it without the coconut oil, so I can’t say for sure if it will turn out the same.
The servings indicate 4 but the instructions divide the batter among 3 tins. I’d like to confirm the # of servings and calories per serving. Thank you.
I just made it and so happy with the results especially considering it’s healthier, I will be making these again for Xmas!
Can this be turned into a cake?
Hi Ashwini 🙂 It should work in a cake pan, although I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure how it’ll turn out. You may need to adjust the bake time too. Let me know if you do try it in a cake tin instead.
Do i have yo use tahini? Or would almond butter work?
Hi Milly 🙂 you can use a runny almond butter xx
Hi . I love all your recipes. They are too good. Please may I know if I can use steel cut oats to make the oat flour or the regular rolled oats ?
Hi Sumaiya 🙂 Thank you! Yes, any oats will work as long as you blend them into a fine flour.
Beautiful puddings. Love that they’re individual puddings.
I prefer making and serving individual sized desserts! Thank you Sam 🙂
They’re lovely! Not too sweet and I liked how little time they needed in the oven. The drizzle was really nice too
Hello! We made this last night in a round cake pan. Blended oats to make oat flour, milk was almond, and. It was so perfect we didn’t even end up making the drizzle. Refrigerated perfectly overnight and delicious today as well! So thrilled to find an amazing gluten free, dairy & egg free recipe, somehow refined sugar free, and it doesn’t require chocolate. (I’m pregnant and avoiding all caffeine).
Can I make this in a big pan instead of individual servings? What is the recommended pan size and cooking time?
Hi Teesha 🙂 You can try this cake recipe instead https://nadiashealthykitchen.com/healthy-date-and-walnut-cake/
It’s basically the same, but I doubled the measurements and used a square 8″ cake tin. Let me know if you try it 😀 xx