There are so many sweet treats to indulge in at Christmas time, but a rich, moist, fruit-laden pudding has to be one of the most comforting. And Australia’s very best Christmas pudding has just been revealed!

The supremely lucky taste-testers at Choice had the enviable task of crowning the best puds in the land, blind tasting and reviewing 18 different puddings. They tried brands from the larger supermarkets like Aldi and Coles as well as some smaller brands. And the pudding which came out on top may just surprise you!

What makes a great Christmas pudding?

According to the Choice experts, here’s what make a good pud:

• Lots of fruit
• Moistness
• Flavour
• Spiciness
• Maturation

The Choice taste testers reheated the puddings in the microwave according to the directions on the packs before they began chowing down. They tasted the puddings blind, without knowing the brands, and assessed things including the appearance, quality of finish, moistness, flavour, aroma, texture and quality of the mixture.

The judges also looked for good shape, weight, balanced fruit, spice and alcohol flavours, even distribution of good-quality fruit ingredients and how well the pudding held its shape after cutting.

They scored the puddings based on the Choice Expert Rating, made up of 90% sensory attributes (appearance/quality of finish 30%, flavour and aroma 25%, mixture quality 25%, moistness/texture 20% and 10% nutrition (determined solely by the Health Star Rating).

Choice recommends products with a Choice Expert Rating of 70% or more.

Without further ado, here are the results!

1. Coles Luxury Christmas Pudding, $12

Expert rating: 84%

Coming out on top was the very affordable Coles Finest Luxury Christmas Pudding. Here’s what the experts had to say:

“Very moist but doughy”.

“Rich and generous with fruit and nuts, good as a special occasion pudding”.

“Looks good”.

“Open texture which crumbles very easily on cutting”.

2. The Traditional Plum Pudding Co Handmade Plum Pudding, $36

Expert rating: 78%

Coming in at second was the Traditional Plum Pudding Co Handmade Plum Pudding.

“Very fruity and good flavour”.

“Looks like a traditional pudding: good colour, aroma, fruit and nuts evenly throughout”.

3. Newcastle Pudding Lady Traditional Christmas Pudding, $31

Expert rating: 74%

And in third place was the Newcastle Pudding Lady Traditional Christmas Pudding.

“Moist, very sticky”.

“Evenly moist in fruit and pudding, pleasant aroma, colour and texture – would be happy to serve this”.

“Holds together on cutting for presentation”.

4. Woolworths Matured Christmas Pudding, $7

Expert rating: 68%

5. Adamstown Pudding Kitchen Traditional Pudding, $27

Expert rating: 66%

6. Pudding Lane Classic Christmas Pudding, $32

Expert rating: 66%

7. The Pudding People Traditional Christmas Pudding, $35

Expert rating: 66%

8. Woolworths Plum Pudding, $4.50

Expert rating: 66%

9. David Jones Traditional Pudding, $34.95

Expert rating: 64%

10. Aldi Kringle & Co Plum Pudding, $4.39

Expert rating: 63%

11. IGA Signature Collection 6 Month Aged Traditional Christmas Pudding, $15

Expert rating: 62%

12. TFC Australia Traditional Steamed Christmas Pudding, $21.99

Expert rating: 62%

13. Silver Penny Puddings Traditional Christmas Pudding, $46

Expert rating: 59%

14. Coles Traditional Pudding, $4.50

Expert rating: 56%

15. Pud For All Seasons Traditional Plum Pudding, $31

Expert rating: 56%

16. Aunt Betty’s Christmas Plum Pudding, $13.99

Expert rating: 55%

17. Coles Christmas Festive Matured Pudding, $7

Expert rating: 49%

18. Itha’s Puddings Traditional Pudding, $32

Expert rating: 47%

Do you have a favourite brand of Christmas pudding? Let us know in the comments below!