Christmas Rum Sauce

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/26/22
Delicious Christmas rum sauce recipe

The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings

A traditional British Christmas pudding is an essential part of the festive lunch. But what should you serve with it, as there are a variety of sauces to choose from?

A Christmas rum sauce is thought of as a classic for this pudding, especially if the dessert already has rum added to it. The hints of spices in the sauce marry so well with the fruits in the pudding that some would say this is a match made in heaven.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons/55 grams) unsalted butter

  • 2 ounces (55 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups (470 milliliters) whole milk

  • 2 whole cloves

  • 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1/2 stick cinnamon

  • 2 ounces (55 grams) fine sugar

  • 5 tablespoons dark rum

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Delicious Chistmas rum sauce recipe ingredients
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  2. Slowly melt the butter over a low heat, then add the flour. .

    Slowly melt butter with flour
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  3. Raise the heat slightly and beat the flour into the butter using a wooden spoon to create a thick paste (also knowm as a roux). Cook for about 1 minute, taking care to make sure the paste does not burn.

    Beat flour into butter
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  4. In a separate saucepan, put the milk and spices and gently warm through, but do not boil.

    Milk and spices
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  5. Lower the heat on the butter and flour. Strain the warmed milk over the pot with the paste.

    Lower heat
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  6. Using a hand whisk, vigorously whisk the sauce until it's smooth, thick, and glossy; this will take at least 3 minutes, maybe even a little longer if you aren’t vigorous enough. While whisking, do take care to move the sauce around on the base of the pan to prevent it sticking, or worse, burning.

    Vigorously whisk sauce
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  7. Once you have a lovely smooth sauce, add the sugar and whisk again until the sugar has dissolved completely. Lower the heat and allow the sauce to cook, stirring it from time to time. If the sauce feels too thick, it is at this point you can thin it down with a little milk to your desired consistency.

    Add sugar
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  8. Finally, add the rum and stir again.

    Finally add rum
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

  9. If not using immediately, let the sauce cool completely, cover, and refrigerate.

  10. Once you're ready to serve, pour the sauce over your Christmas pudding, or have it on the side in a heatproof gravy boat or jug.

    Pour sauce over Christmas pudding
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska 

Tips

  • The sauce will keep for a few days and just needs a gentle reheating on the stove-top, or even in the microwave. Do not let the sauce boil though or you will burn off some of the rum flavors. Should the flavor diminish in any way, just add a few drops of dark rum to enliven it. 
  • This recipe can be cooked without spice and by changing the alcohol for something better suited to your pudding. The variations are endless. 
  • As there is alcohol in this sauce, it is not suitable to serve to children. Instead, we recommend serving a little ice cream or custard sauce to the wee ones.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
196 Calories
9g Fat
20g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 196
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 26mg 9%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 102mg 8%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 127mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)