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.
Can you make these with ready made pastry?
You can, of course, use ready made pastry to make these mince pies. Most ready made shortcrust pastry is suitable for vegans - although I always recommend checking the ingredients list to be sure.
However, it really is worth taking the trouble to make your own pastry for these homemade vegan mince pies.
The pastry I make contains ground almonds. This not only adds a delicious flavour but some valuable nutrients too.
With homemade pastry the mince pies taste so much more delicious. Plus making your own pastry isn't as hard as you might think.
More vegan Christmas recipes
Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Check out my list of 15 of the best vegan cookbooks for inspiration.
Pin vegan mince pies with almond pastry for later
How to make vegan mince pies
This recipe makes 12 small mince pies. Double or even triple the recipe to make more.
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Vegan mince pies with almond pastry
Ingredients
To make the pastry
- 45 g ground almonds
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 120 g vegan butter or dairy free spread chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons very cold water
To make the mince pies
- 400 g jar of vegan mincemeat
- Non-dairy milk for brushing
- Icing sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Place 45g ground almonds, 200g plain flour, 1 tablespoon caster sugar and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix.
- Add 120g vegan butter, chopped into pieces, 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 tablespoon of 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 bun tin (if using a muffin tin you’ll get less than 12 mince pies as the holes are deeper).
- 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.
- Allow to cool completely then store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
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