Perfect for filling your mince pies this Christmas, this homemade vegan mincemeat is full of fruit, spice and brandy. Packed with festive flavour this is mincemeat is easy to make and tastes incredible.
Ever since I was a small child I have loved eating mince pies at Christmas.
For me their spiced fruit filling is synonymous with everything festive.
But shop bought mincemeat (the name for the filling inside a mince pie) often falls short.
Making my own mincemeat has been a real game changer. Not only does it taste incredible it is also vegan-friendly.
I love this mincemeat recipe because it's
- spiced with festive flavours
- has a boozy kick to it
- great for gifting
- vegan-friendly
- totally delicious.
What is mincemeat?
Mincemeat is the sweet, spiced, fruit-filled filing for mince pies. It often contains alcohol - such as brandy - and is an essential part of Christmas for most people in the United Kingdom.
Traditionally mincemeat was made with meat, suet, dried fruit and spices. Over time it has evolved and now no longer contains meat.
Many recipes do however contain suet so if you are vegan or vegetarian it’s always worth checking the ingredients.
Making it vegan
- Leave out the suet - although you can get vegetable suet, I prefer to make my mincemeat with vegan butter.
- Vegan brandy - brandy is usually suitable for vegans but as always, not all varieties are the same and sometimes animal ingredients are used. If you’re not sure you can check on the Barnivore site. Use apple juice for a non-alcoholic version.
Storage
Homemade mincemeat will keep for months if stored in a cool dark place in sterilised jars. Once opened store in the fridge and eat within six weeks.
If you are planning to use it immediately to make mince pies then you don't need to sterilise your jars.
How to sterilise your jars
If you want to store your mincemeat, rather than using it straight away, it's important to sterlise your jars first to keep it fresh.
You can use Kilner-style jars, with a clip lid and rubber seal, or a jam jar with a screw top lid. Either way they'll need to be sterilised first.
Glass jars can be sterilised in several different ways.
- Oven - wash with hot soapy water, rinse and put in a low oven (140°C/120°C (fan)/275°F/gas mark 1. Heat for 20 minutes. Sterilise lids or rubber seals in a pan of hot water.
- Dishwasher - run the jars, lids and seals through a dishwasher at the maximum temperature. You’ll need to plan ahead with this method as your jars need to be hot and dry when you fill them.
- Saucepan - place in a large saucepan and cover with water, bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then keep warm until ready to fill. Sterilise any lids or seals separately.
- Microwave - wash well and rinse, then microwave on high for 45 seconds, until hot and bone dry. Remember not to put any metal clasps or lids in the microwave though!
Fill cold jars with cold food and hot jars with hot food to avoid them shattering.
This is a brief overview of how to sterilise a jar - for more details read more about sterilising jars.
Great for gifts
Jars of homemade mincemeat make great gifts.
Why not decorate your jar with bits of ribbon and a festive label including ingredients and the date you made it.
Recipes that include mincemeat
Once you've made your mincemeat here are some suggestions for using it:
Ingredients
To make this vegan mincemeat you will need:
- eating apples
- mixed dried fruit eg sultanas, raisins, currants
- candied peel
- light brown sugar
- oranges
- lemons
- almonds
- mixed spice
- cinnamon
- ginger
- nutmeg
- vegan butter
- brandy (optional), use apple juice for non-alcoholic version
Equipment
You will need:
- weighing scales
- measuring spoons
- saucepan
- grater
- juicer
- glass jars eg kilner jars (see note above about sterilising)
How to make vegan mincemeat
1. Place all the ingredients, apart from the brandy, into a saucepan.
2. Heat gently for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegan butter has melted and everything is well combined.
3. Allow to cool then stir through the brandy.
4. Transfer to sterilised jars, seal and store in a cool, dark place.
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Homemade vegan mincemeat
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- grater
- juicer
- glass jars eg kilner jars
Ingredients
- 4 eating apples grated including peel
- 800 g mixed dried fruit
- 100 g candied peel
- 300 g light brown sugar
- 2 oranges zest and juice
- 2 lemons zest and juice
- 50 g chopped almonds
- 4 teaspoons mixed ground spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch nutmeg
- 200 g butter
- 6 tablespoons brandy or apple juice
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients apart from the brandy into a saucepan.
- Heat gently for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegan butter has melted and everything is well combined.
- Allow to cool a little then stir through the brandy.
- Transfer to sterilised jars, seal and store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended to be a guide only.
- This recipe makes roughly 2kg mincemeat, enough for 36 mince pies with a little leftover.
- Always sterilise your jars before filling. Add hot filling to hot jars and cold to cold jars to avoid the glass shattering.
Nutrition
Pin vegan mincemeat for later
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N Bufo
“ 4 teaspoons mixed ground spice”? Which spices exactly? There’s no such thing as “spice”, it’s a category, not a thing.
Cook Veggielicious
Mixed spice is commonly available here in the UK. It typically contains coriander, cinnamon, dill seeds, ginger, cloves, nutmeg or a similar mix. I believe it is similar to pumpkin pie spice.