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 Β½ teaspoon mixed spice
- Β½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Β½ teaspoon ground ginger
- β 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
Andrea A
I'd make onion chutney first using the preserving kit.
Jo Carroll
Blackcurrant jam...it's my favourite and luckily one of the simplest to make. x
Susan B
We have lots of apples so it would be apple chutney or apple slices in juice.
Shannon Mostert
I would love to try make chutney, would be my first time making it but would definitely like to give it a try
Keith Hunt
blackcurrant jam
Tamsyn
I think the first thing I'd like to preserve would be a tomato and chilli chutney!
Tamsyn Elizabeth of http://www.peachesandbear.co.uk
Teresa sheldon
Id make red onions n and apple chutney its delicous and this kit would make it so easy to make
Jayne Kelsall
I would try a cranberry chutney .x
Christine Constable
Marmalade because my husband loves homemade marmalade
donna l jones
i would make some chutney
Sarah Wilson
Raspberry Jam
Annette Oliver
Blackberry jam
rachael mccadden
strawberry jam
Diana
Strawberry jam π
Kat Glynn
I have a lovely recipe for spiced apple chutney π
P Williams
Some chutney
Diane Duggan
Chutney with apples from my tree.
Natalie Crossan
strawberry jam.... and put it in one of those cute little jars with the gingham!
Fiona jk42
probably some chutney, I also need to find out how my MIL makes her Indian pickles as my husband loves them and says they are far superior to shop bought.