These homemade vegan mince pies are deliciously tempting. Made with almond pastry they’re a wonderful Christmas treat, either as a gift or for yourself.
I really love mince pies. In fact I love them so much that I actually have to limit the amount that I make each December as otherwise I’ll eat way too many of them. To be honest I have no self control at all when it comes to Christmas baking. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with this problem!
I had great intentions this year to make my own mincemeat recipe to share with you all here. It just hasn’t happened (sorry). Life got in the way. I don’t talk about my kids too much on this blog (check out my other blog Sneaky Veg if you’re looking for kid ideas) but let me tell you that December around here is manic.
My daughter’s birthday is on the 1st of December. Once we’ve done celebrating that the rest of the month disappears in a haze of Christmas shows, parties, Christmas jumper days, last minute costume requests etc etc etc. It’s quite exhausting. Anyone else feel the same?
So back to the mince pies – these are made with a jar of shop bought mincemeat. And I’m ok with that. Not all mincemeat is vegan – in fact it’s often made with beef suet so do check the ingredients.
If you want to make your own mincemeat try this lovely recipe by my friend Nico at Yumsome. And I’ll come back to making my own one next year. Promise.
But hang on, what on earth is mincemeat?
If you’ve got this far and you’re wondering what I’m talking about, or perhaps you don’t live in the UK, let me explain. Mincemeat in the UK means two things. Yes, it’s the word for the minced meat that you might use in spaghetti bolognese.
But it’s also a delicious sweet Christmassy fruity concoction that is used most commonly to make mince pies. Back in the medieval times it was made with beef as well – hence the name. Nowadays it’s usually made with fruit, sugar and alcohol. It often contains suet too – so double check before buying it.
More vegan Christmas recipes
Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Check out my list of 15 of the best vegan cookbooks for inspiration.
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How to make vegan mince pies
You can, of course, use ready made pastry to make these mince pies. However, it really is worth taking the trouble to make your own. They taste a lot better that way, plus it really isn’t that hard. The quantities below make enough for 12 small mince pies. Double or triple the recipe to make more.
Vegan mince pies with almond pastry
Ingredients
- 45 g ground almonds
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 120 g vegan butter or dairy free spread
- 1-2 tbsp very cold water
- 400 g jar of vegan mincemeat
- Non-dairy milk for brushing
- Icing sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Place the ground almonds, plain flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse briefly to mix.
- Add the vegan butter and pulse until you have a mixture the consistency of breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a food processor you can do this with your hands - rub together with your fingertips.
- Add 1 tbsp cold water and mix until you have a dough. Only add the second tablespoon of water gradually, if you need to.
Knead with your hands for a few seconds until it comes together then wrap in cling film or put in an airtight container and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
To make the mince pies
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
- Grease a 12-hole fairy cake tin (if using a muffin tin you’ll get less than 12 mince pies)
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the pastry with a rolling pin until it’s about 5mm thick. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter and press into the tin.
- Prick the pastry once or twice with a fork then add a spoonful of mincemeat to each one.
- Roll out any remaining pastry and use a star cookie cutter to cut out tops for the mince pies. Place the stars on top and gently brush with a little non-dairy milk.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before careful removing and cooling on a wire rack. Dust the tops with icing sugar if desired.
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