Vegetarian mincemeat recipe - an easy recipe for delicious home-made Christmas mincemeat made using butter, vegan butter or coconut oil so it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
It never feels like Christmas is close for me until I've had my first mince pie; they are an absolute essential in making me feel festive and I love them.
While I enjoy most mince pies, shop bought or otherwise, as with most things you just can't beat homemade ones, and if you do make your own then you get the bonus of festive baking, which always helps to put me in a Christmassy mood.
If you are going to go through the effort of making your own (and they really aren't that much effort at all), then you might as well make your own mincemeat too - again, homemade is so much better than shop bought.
Mincemeat is incredibly quick and easy to make yourself, and you get to choose what fruits and alcohol you include - don't like mixed peel? Substitute with chopped dried apricots. Not a fan of brandy? Use rum, port or sherry instead.
Feel free to chop and change the recipe below to suit you, just keep the same basic quantities of everything (ie. swap an ingredient out for the same weight of another) and it will work out just fine.
Mincemeat traditionally contains suet (a throwback to the disturbing days when it contained actual meat...), which means that it isn't exactly vegetarian friendly. Vegetable suet is available but it doesn't taste very nice, the good news is that mincemeat can be made with butter, which tastes far superior.
Suet based mincemeat is made by simply stirring all of the ingredients together then ladling into sterilised jars, to use butter you need to go through the extra step of heating the ingredients together in a pan, but it's not like that is difficult or time-consuming so this version is still really quick and easy to make.
Once jarred, the mincemeat will keep for six months, possibly even a year; and it does taste best if given a month or so to mature before using. That said, it does taste great freshly made as well, which is good seeing as there is only less than two weeks, TWO WEEKS!! until Christmas (I wasn't organised enough to make it any earlier...).
Make It Vegan:
This vegetarian mincemeat can easily be made vegan by swapping the butter for dairy free margarine or coconut oil. If you use coconut oil do bear in mind that the mixture may set a little firmer in cold conditions.
Ways To Use Vegetarian Mincemeat:
Put your vegetarian mincemeat to good use with these recipes:
Mincemeat, marzipan and apple bread wreath
Mincemeat and marzipan cinnamon buns
Apple and mincemeat filo wreath
Vegetarian Mincemeat
Ingredients
- 175 g currants
- 175 g raisins
- 175 g sultanas
- 175 g dried cranberries
- 100 g mixed peel
- 120 g butter, vegan butter or coconut oil cubed
- 220 g light brown soft sugar
- 50 g almonds chopped
- 1 large bramley apple peeled, cored and grated
- 1 ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 orange finely grated zest and juice
- 200 ml ruby port
Instructions
- Sterilise 4 370g jars and lids (or 5 slightly smaller ones) by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing well then placing them in a low oven until dry.
- Place all of the ingredients apart from the port into a large pan, heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted then simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool until just warm then stir in the port. Divide the mincemeat between the sterilised jars, seal, and store in a cool place for up to six months.
Notes
Tracy S
something with apples off our tree - not sure what yet
Victoria Prince
I would make some apple chutney with our own apples 🙂
Alison
raspberry jam, I stilll have loads of raspberries in the freezer
Imogen Richards
Raspberry and mint jam! So lovely!
ADEINNE TONNER
I would make some strawberry jam for the family to eat on there toast
Maria Jane Knight
Mango chutney!!
Sheri Darby
Spicy Tomato chutney
Anthea Holloway
Marmalade - it will soon be time for the Seville oranges to appear in the supermarkets!
Lisa Wilkinson
Some Chutney for a Ploughmans
Edye
I would make jam! 🙂
Julie Ward
Would give it to a friend who makes her own jam
Nancy Bradford
Some lovely tomato and chili chutney (I'd have a go anyway).
Lynsey Buchanan
Strawberry Jam
Rich Tyler
onion chutney
Natasha R-M
I would make Blackcurrant and Redcurrant Jam.
bella bazley
The end of the year heralds the arrival of the Seville orange which isn't as much fun foraging for but it does make delicious marmalade!
joanne casey
Raspberry jam, my favourite!
A.E. ADKINS
Have just acquired a jam kettle so this would be perfect for my first foray into preserves making, I'm thinking Chutney from my neighbours allotment donations. I haven't rated the recipe as I don't like dried fruit.
emma davison
cherry jam
Jane
Something with the apples I've still got from my apple tree's havest!