I’m relatively new to the Christmas pudding game – my family tend to stick to cold prawns and trifle for Chrissy lunch. But I know that Christmas puddings are essential in many Aussie households come December 25. And, I also know that they take lots of time and even more effort to make (soaking the fruit 3 months in advance? I don’t think so!). So, a supermarket Christmas pudding seems like the next best thing.
I was lucky enough to be sent a huge mountain of Christmas puddings from the three big Aussie supermarkets: Coles, Woolies and ALDI. And you bet that I taste-tested them all. Don’t worry, I got the whole office involved, so there would be no bias (or lack of pudding experience).
How we taste-tested the supermarket Christmas puddings
We tasted each pud without any of the labels on them, and gave them a rating out of 10.
The supermarket Christmas puddings have been split into three categories: best matured pudding, best chocolate pudding and most inventive pudding. We based the scores on three criteria: taste, appearance and level of Christmassyness. And, we didn’t use any toppings or sides, like ice cream or double cream, so our palates could solely focus on the pudding.
Here’s our definitive ranking, from BEST to WORST:
Woolworths Gold Collection Chocolate & Hazelnut Pudding (600g), $15
Woolworths Gold Collection Christmas Caramelised Biscuit Pudding (600g), $15
Coles Christmas Chocolate Pudding (500g), $8
Woolworths Christmas Chocolate Sponge Pudding (500g), $8
ALDI Curated Collection 30 Month Matured Christmas Pudding (800g), $19.99
Coles Christmas Toffee Date and Ginger Pudding (500g), $8
Coles Christmas Matured Pudding (700g), $7.50
ALDI Curated Collection Chocolate Caramel Deluxe Pudding Bombe (277g), $5.99
Woolworths Matured Christmas Pudding (100g), $3
Sneak peek! We also tested supermarket Christmas cakes – watch out for our review of them! (Photography: Jade Coull)
Best matured Christmas pudding
Coles Christmas Matured Pudding – 6.1/10
Woolworths Matured Christmas Pudding – 3.6/10
ALDI Curated Collection 30-month Matured Christmas Pudding – 6.8/10
Unsurprisingly, matured puddings turned out to be an acquired taste within the BHG team. As it turns out, warmed pud with steamy bits of fruit doesn’t get much excitement. Still, we tried and tasted, and we had varying results.
The Woolworths matured pudding ended up with the lowest score out of the whole list, with a 3.6/10, with descriptions of ‘very sad’ and ‘tastes eggy’. In first place for matured puddings was ALDI, with a very boozy and moist version of the traditional Christmas dessert.
Winner: Aldi with 6.8/10
Curated Collection 30-Month Matured Christmas Pudding (800g)
from $19.99, ALDI
Best for: a boozy sweet treat
The main descriptors of the ALDI matured Christmas pudding were ‘very heavy on the alcohol’ and ‘delicious and boozy’. If you love a dessert that feels like you’re doing a shot, then this pudding is for you. Although it’s the most expensive out of all of the Christmas puddings, it was moist, the fruit was juicy and it definitely hits the spot!
Best chocolate Christmas pudding
Coles Christmas Chocolate Pudding – 7.2/10
Woolworths Christmas Chocolate Sponge Pudding – 7/10
ALDI Curated Collection Chocolate Caramel Deluxe Pudding Bombe – 5.1/10
Chocolate pudding is what everyone was most excited for, and it was a free-for-all. These three puddings had the most buzz about them, especially the ‘Chocolate Caramel Deluxe Pudding Bombe’, which sadly fell very short of expectations. The caramel centre was not the ooey-gooey deliciousness that everyone hoped for, and the pudding itself was just a bit bland.
The Coles and Woolies puddings were very similarly rated, and indeed, they both looked and tasted almost identical. It was the fudgy sauce that pushed Coles to the top, though, with the best description of it ‘tasting like Macca’s hot fudge sauce’.
Winner: Coles with 7.2/10
Coles Christmas Chocolate Pudding (500g)
from $8, Coles
Best for: a fudgy, decadent dessert
If you’re a chocaholic, then this Christmas pudding should be at the top of your shopping list. Indulgent and tasty, Coles really pulled through with a pudding that was rich without being sickly sweet. It was recommended by several taste-testers to add a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, to take this 7.2/10 to a 10/10.
Most inventive Christmas pudding
Coles Christmas Toffee, Date, and Ginger Pudding – 6.3/10
Woolworths Gold Collection Chocolate & Hazelnut Pudding – 8/10
Woolworths Gold Collection Christmas Caramelised Biscuit Pudding – 7.6/10
Christmas puddings have quickly evolved in the last couple of years to include fun, fancy flavours that appeal to all. For Nutella and Forrero Rocher lovers, there’s choc-hazelnut, and for cosy Christmas comforts, you’ve got caramelised biscuit or toffee, date and ginger.
The winner of this category was Woolworths, with an 8/10, and it won the whole tasting competition. Not only did it taste absolutely scrumptious, but this was a pudding anyone would happily display on their Christmas table, with a pour-on sauce and a sprinkle of hazelnuts on top.
Winner: Woolworths with 8/10
Woolworths Gold Collection Chocolate & Hazelnut Pudding (600g)
from $15, Woolworths
Best for: a dessert everyone will want to try
For a dessert you would love to give to friends and family on Christmas Day, Woolworths has the ultimate Christmas pudding. A moist, chocolately cake with a healthy dose of chocolate sauce and hazelnuts, you’ll feel like you’ve bought a cake from a bespoke dessert chef.
Taste-testers of this cake described it as ‘the Christmas version of a Woolies mud cake’. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will!
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Rachel Iorfino
Senior content producer
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