A classic carrot pudding with a creamy dipping sauce, just like grandma used to make. This old fashioned carrot pudding recipe is one of those recipes that has been passed from generation to generation, and will always be part of our holiday traditions.
Carrot pudding is one of those recipes that has been made in my family for generations. My grandma would always make it at Christmas, her mom made it before her, and my mom carried that tradition on. I realized now that I have kids of my own, it was time to take up the mantel and make carrot pudding myself.
Earlier this year we bought my parent’s house, and they moved out of state. Whenever they come into town they stay with me, but otherwise we don’t see them a lot. They live in a very rural area, that you can’t easily fly to.
It is the first time in my married life my parents haven’t lived in the same state as me. In fact, they have pretty much been within an hour of me for as long as I can remember.
So this new dynamic has made planning the holidays a little trickier. See, my husband’s family lives nearby. For the 13 years we have been married, we usually just split time on holidays between the two sides. This means two Thanksgiving dinners, and usually we have Christmas Eve at one house, and Christmas day at another. But now things have changed.
My mom isn’t here to make sure we have a party, or that all of our favorite traditional foods get made. It has meant I am focusing on creating memories with my kids more, and coming up with new ways to celebrate.
The one thing I didn’t want to change are some of the traditions I hold dear. Especially traditions that have to do with food.
We have a lot of food traditions in my family. My great grandma on my mom’s side was a candy maker, and she would make things like caramel, fudge, toffee, and cream centers at Christmas. In my family growing up we made those, and Corn Pops, and of course, this classic carrot pudding.
As a kid, I was not a fan of carrot pudding. I mean, it is made of potatoes and carrots, and raisins. Not exactly what I would consider your normal pudding ingredients. And because my kids are still little, and do not have a lot of appreciation for it, I have not ever made it for them at Christmas. But my mom was here for Thanksgiving and she brought some with her, and I realized this is a tradition I don’t want to let die.
Plus, the carrot pudding is great. So fun, so tasty, and makes me feel like my grandma, who passed a few years back, is there with us. So even if my kids won’t eat it, I will continue making carrot pudding. And I wanted to get the recipe on my site so that I would never lose it.
This recipe is a classic. And it is very good. But one thing that is so fun about it is that it can be customized. You can use a lemon flavored dipping sauce. Or use pear or apple too. Etc. You can have fun with it, and create your own carrot pudding traditions!
If you want more great recipes try these:
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Pecan Pie
- Lemon Butter Salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Traeger Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grandma’s Carrot Pudding
Ingredients
Pudding
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup grated potatoes Russet
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice
- 1 cup flour
- 1 TBS cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
Sauce
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 quart water
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Pudding
- In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together.
- I just use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and let it do the work for me.
- Add carrots, potatoes, raisans, and chopped nuts into the bowl, stirring by hand.
- In a separate bowl sift flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt together, then stir into the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Grease either 2 quart jars or 3 pint jars, and fill with pudding.
- Steam in a large steam pot for 3 hours if using the quart jars, or 1 and 1/2 hours if using pints.
- You can also use a Baked Pudding Moldif you don't want to steam the jars.
Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring continually until smooth, and warm.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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val says
Sweet potatoes or ordinary ones?
Thanks,
V
Rachael says
Ordinary potatoes. Sounds crazy but it tastes great.
Kristine says
I’ve actually done half sweet potatoes before. Both ways are yummy!
Michelle says
Do you cover the jar with anything? Lids, parchment paper or tin foil or just uncovered? Should I expect the pudding to rise when cooking?
Becki says
I grew up with carrot pudding and have tried to pass it on but my children have refused. So I only make it when my siblings are around so I don’t end up eating the whole pudding myself. We have two different sauces, a nutmeg sauce and a lemon sauce. We also top it with whip cream. I plan on trying your sauce the next time we have it.
Rachael says
Those sauces all sound so awesome. Yum! Nutmeg. Amazing.
Reva says
I ate carrot pudding from my grandma Willey! I had her recpie, but am unable to find it, so thsnks for posting this similar recipe ! She also made a brandy sauce for it! Oh so good!
Penny says
Don’t have a steamer. Any other way to cook it
Vaunda R Giberson says
Slow cooker
Shirley Vitcovich says
We use chopped dates instead of raisins as prefer taste and texture. No nuts and cloves instead of allspice.
Our traditional sauce is bourbon (as little or much as one likes). Beat yokes 2 eggs. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 cup melted butter. Whip whites, fold in then add alcohol. Warm pudding then smother with sauce. We must serve this tummy warmer during the Holidays every year! My 50 year old children already asking about, about their turn?but love them?
Sue says
How long do you cook it if you buy the mold ? Do you just pu in a pot with water on the bottom ? Do you cover the pot?
Vicki Black says
This is almost identical to our families, but we add a half cup of fruit juice. In the last few years, it hasn’t been nearly as good. We wonder if it’s because of the horrible changes made to shortening to make it healthier, but terrible to use. Or maybe it’s a change in how we cook it in a new double boiler. Seems to be uncooked no matter how long we steam it.
Rachael says
The addition of the fruit juice sounds awesome. Hmmm I wonder why that is, my family still makes it for Christmas every year and I haven’t noticed a difference.
Debora Harper says
If using a pudding mold how do you steam it….and if I use a coffee can cover with foil how much water and what temperature
Judi Edwards says
Hot would you recommend steaming this version in a Slow Cooker. I would like to steam the pudding in “soup cans” as gifts. Thanks for your advice. PS… this recipe is almost identical to our late Aunt Helen. She would prepare a stove top canner and cook on a wood stove! So Tasty.
Beth says
My Grandma Edna Mathews used butter to cream with sugar. We use raisins and dates. The sauce is a “hard sauce” with brandy. Fabulous!!
Rachael says
Sounds fantastic. Yum!
NEAL JORGENSEN says
Two things. My mother put it in a lard bucket (metal can with a tight lid and a handle) covered it with water and boiled it.
The sauce at our house was a grape sauce made with home canned grape juice with frozen lemonade concentrate. The sour taste really set the pudding of well
Vaunda R Giberson says
I cooked mine in a slow cooker. And we used a vinegar sauce.
I would put it in the slow cooker for about 3 hrs. This year I want to make it in the instant pot.
Darlene says
Oh my! This is the first time I’ve seen a very near identical carrot pudding to the one i grew up with in Canada! My grandma was British and came from a poor family. We made this every year – with a sauce identical to this one you posted! Yum! Thanks for the memories!
Rachael says
My pleasure. It is one of our favorite family recipes.