Vegan mince pies - a vegan version of the classic British Christmas treat with either shop-bought or easy to make home-made fruit mincemeat and crisp pastry made with either vegan butter or coconut oil. Eggless and dairy-free.
What is your favourite festive food? Mine is without a doubt mince pies. I get through a great number of them every Christmas and never ever tire of eating them.
There are a few vegan friendly varieties available in the supermarkets, but it is also really easy to make your own and they are much tastier! (Not that I will ever turn down a shop bought one either; all mince pies are good!)
These vegan mince pies consist of a deliciously boozy home-made mincemeat filling, encased in crisp, light coconut oil pastry. They are perfectly festive and incredibly more-ish!
Vegan Mincemeat:
A lot of shop bought mincemeats are naturally suitable for vegans as they are generally made with vegetable rather than beef suet; so feel free to use a shop bought one instead of making your own. Home-made mincemeat is very simple to make however, and tastes much nicer than commercial varieties.
It is best to make the mincemeat at least a day, and up to several weeks in advance as it needs time to cool and set, and the flavour is best when it has had a little time to mature. It is still utterly delicious if you only have time to make it the day before baking the vegan mince pies however.
The recipe below will make more mincemeat than you need for one batch of vegan mince pies, but it will keep well in a sterilised jar for many weeks, or even months, ready for the next batch. You can halve the recipe if you don't want that much however.
Vegan Mincemeat Ingredients:
Dried fruits: I use raisins, currants, sultanas, dried cranberries and candied peel. You can use shop bought mixed dried fruit instead, or you can also swap up the kinds of dried fruits you use, provided you keep the same overall weight (800g for a full batch or 400g for a half batch). Dried cherries and chopped dried apricots and figs would be great swaps.
Alcohol: You can use whichever type of alcoholic spirit you prefer really but things like rum, whisky, brandy, sherry or port work best. I have also made it using a combination of the dregs from bottles of rum, JD and ginger wine and it was still delicious!
Coconut oil: This replaces the usual suet. You can use vegetable suet or vegan block butter instead, mincemeat made with vegan butter may not keep as well however.
Apple: Any variety of cooking apple is fine, I use Bramley.
Orange: You will need both the zest and juice, so try and buy an unwaxed orange if possible.
Brown sugar: Light brown soft, muscovado or demerara sugar is fine. I don't recommend using any other kind of sugar or sweetener however.
Almonds: These are optional, simply omit them if you want to make the mincemeat nut free.
Spices: I use mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Feel free to vary the spices to suit you. If you can't get hold of mixed spice then just use another sweet spice blend such as pumpkin spice or apple pie spice instead.
Coconut Oil Pastry:
Coconut oil pastry is wonderfully crisp and delicious. It is a little more awkward to work with than pastry made with butter or margarine however.
It is utterly un-workable with when it is too cold as it becomes extremely hard and crumbly. I like to make the pastry and roll it out right away, THEN chill it thoroughly before baking.
It can be made in advance and stored, well wrapped, in the fridge. You will need to let it come up to room temperature for at least an hour before rolling it out however. If it is still too cold you can give it a good squeeze with your hands to help soften it.
I find that it is best made in a food processor, as the cold coconut oil is tough to rub in by hand - it is do-able but will take you a while!
I also have a (not-so) secret ingredient to help create perfectly crisp and flaky pastry - vodka! Adding too much liquid to pastry to bring it together can make it tough.
But unlike water, alcohol doesn't contribute to the formation of gluten (which leads to leathery crusts); it also evaporates very quickly in the oven, leaving you with crisp, tender pastry. You can't taste it at all in the pastry and if you don't have vodka then gin, whisky, rum or brandy will all work too.
How to Make Vegan Mince Pies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: To make the mincemeat, place your dried fruits in a large saucepan along with the soft brown sugar, coconut oil, grated bramley apple, spices and orange zest and juice.
- Step 2: Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool then stir in the booze of your choice.
- Step 3: Ladle it into two large, or four regular sized sterilised jars and set aside until completely cold (overnight is best).
- Step 4: To make the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar, salt and orange zest in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold, diced coconut oil or butter and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Step 5: Add some cold vodka and/or water and blend again until the pastry starts to come together. Add a drop more water if needed.
- Step 6: Bring the pastry together with your hands. If it feels very soft, wrap and refrigerate for a bit.
- Step 7: Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured surface and use an approx 10-11cm cutter to cut out rounds. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with strips of baking parchment and gently press the pastry rounds into the prepared tin.
- Step 8: Fill each one with a heaped spoonful of the mincemeat - be generous but don't fill them right to the top as it will bubble up as it cooks.
- Step 9: Re-roll the pastry trimmings and use a cutter the same size as the cavities in your muffin tin to cut out six rounds. Use a star cutter to cut a star out of the centre of each round. Top each of the mince pies with either a star or a round.
- Step 10: Brush the tops of the vegan mince pies with a little non-dairy milk then bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Use the strips of baking parchment to lift them out of the tin onto a wire rack and leave to cool before eating.
Top Tips:
Make the mincemeat at least the day before you want to bake the mince pies; but you can make it weeks or even months in advance if you like.
It is best to make the coconut oil pastry shortly before assembling the pies as it needs to be at room temperature to roll it out.
If you don't want to use coconut oil then you can swap it for vegan block butter instead (NOT the spreadable kind in a tub). I like Naturli vegan block best.
Remove the baked mince pies from the tin while they are still hot as otherwise any filling that bubbles over can make them stick.
FAQs:
Keep the mince pies in a sealed container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes these vegan mince pies freeze really well. Ideally freeze them on the day they are baked to preserve freshness (make sure they have cooled completely first). Freeze in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months, allow to defrost at room temperature to serve.
They can also be frozen before baking - fully assemble them then freeze in the tin until frozen solid, then transfer to a sealed freezer bag.
When you are ready to bake them, take the required number of frozen pies out of the bag and place them straight back into the muffin tin. Brush the pastry tops lightly with a little milk then bake as per the recipe, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
As long as it is stored in sterilised jars, the mincemeat will keep for a long time so can be made months in advance if needed.
The pastry can be made a couple of days in advance and stored, well wrapped, in the fridge. Let it sit out at room temperature for half an hour or so before rolling it out if it has become too firm.
If you want to make the pastry in advance then I recommend using vegan butter rather than coconut oil as the coconut oil pastry becomes very solid and hard to work with once chilled.
Mincemeat is a sweet, spiced mixture of chopped dried fruits, apples, citrus peel, sugar, spices, alcohol and fat that is most famous as the filling for Christmas mince pies. The name comes from 15th-century England, where the mixture did actually contain finely chopped meat (like lamb, beef, or venison) combined with fruit and spices.
Modern versions no longer contain any meat and many are vegan-friendly, though some may still be made using beef suet so if you are buying it rather than making your own check the label to make sure that it is vegan!
First clean your glass jars and metal lids thoroughly in hot soapy water, then rinse well to remove all soap. Do not dry them with a towel.
Place the wet jars and metal lids on a baking tray and put them into an oven preheated to 140°C/120°C fan/275°F/gas mark 1 for about 15 to 20 minutes.
If your jars have rubber rings or seals, remove them before putting the glass in the oven, as dry heat will ruin the rubber. Instead, place rubber seals in a small saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full, instead include a link to this post for the recipe.
If you love this recipe, please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers.
Also be sure to add us as a trusted site on Google so that our recipes show up more in your searches!
To keep up to date with all my latest recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on social media!
Vegan Mince Pies
Ingredients
Mincemeat:
- 175 g (6oz) currants
- 175 g (6oz) raisins
- 175 g (6oz) sultanas
- 175 g (6oz) dried cranberries
- 100 g (3.5oz) candied mixed peel
- 100 g (3.5oz) coconut oil
- 220 g (1 ¼ cups) light brown soft sugar
- 50 g (1.75 oz) almonds chopped
- 1 large Bramley apple (or other variety of cooking apple) peeled, cored and grated
- the finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 240 ml (1 cup) port, rum, whisky or brandy
- OR use 411g pre-made mincemeat from a jar
Pastry:
- 400 g (3 + ⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 60 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 200 g (7oz) cold coconut oil OR vegan block butter/margarine cut into small pieces
- 50 ml (3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) cold vodka (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons cold water (plus extra as needed)
- non-dairy milk for brushing
Instructions
- You ideally need to prepare the mincemeat the day before you bake the vegan mince pies. Start by placing the currants, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, mixed peel, soft brown sugar, almonds, coconut oil, grated bramley apple, spices and orange zest and juice in a large saucepan.175 g (6oz) currants, 175 g (6oz) raisins, 175 g (6oz) sultanas, 175 g (6oz) dried cranberries, 100 g (3.5oz) candied mixed peel, 100 g (3.5oz) coconut oil, 220 g (1 ¼ cups) light brown soft sugar, 50 g (1.75 oz) almonds, 1 large Bramley apple (or other variety of cooking apple), the finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange, 1 ½ teaspoons mixed spice, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Heat gently, stirring, until the coconut oil has melted then simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, allow to cool then stir in the booze of your choice. Ladle it into two large, or four regular sized sterilised jars and set aside until completely cold (overnight is best).240 ml (1 cup) port, rum, whisky or brandy
- To make the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar, salt and orange zest in a food processor and pulse to combine.400 g (3 + ⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 60 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, finely grated zest of 1 orange
- Add the cold, diced coconut oil or butter and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make sure that no lumps of coconut oil remain; you may need to blend it in two batches if your food processor isn't very big.200 g (7oz) cold coconut oil OR vegan block butter/margarine
- Add the cold vodka (if using) and 2 Tablespoons of water and blend again until the pastry starts to come together. You can add a drop more water if needed. Bring the pastry together with your hands.50 ml (3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) cold vodka , 2 Tablespoons cold water (plus extra as needed)
- If you are making the pastry with butter, wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour or so until firm enough to roll out. If you are using coconut oil, proceed to rolling it out right away.
- Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured surface and use an approx 10-11cm cutter to cut out rounds (I cut round the base of a small tart tin with a sharp knife as I don't have a cutter big enough). It may be easier to roll out a quarter of the pastry at a time rather than all of it in one go. (If the pastry is too soft then you can pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a little but don't let it get too cold or it will be hard to roll out.)
- Line a 12 cup muffin tray with strips of baking parchment - this makes it easy to get the baked vegan mince pies out of the tin. Gently press the pastry rounds into the prepared tin.
- Fill each one with a heaped spoonful of the mincemeat - be generous but don't fill them right to the top as it will bubble up as it cooks.
- Re-roll the pastry trimmings and use a cutter the same size as the cavities in your muffin tin to cut out six rounds. Use a star cutter to cut a star out of the centre of each round.
- Top each of the mince pies with either a star or a round. If you are topping them with a round then brush the edge of the pastry with water and press the top down firmly around the edge to seal.
- Place the tray of mince pies in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190°C/170℃ fan/375°F/gas mark 5.
- Brush the tops of the mince pies with a little non-dairy milk then bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Use the strips of baking parchment to lift them out of the tin onto a wire rack and leave to cool before eating. Don't leave them to cool in the tin as any mincemeat that bubbles over will cement them in!non-dairy milk for brushing
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- The recipe makes more mincemeat than is needed for one batch of mince pies but it keeps well. Or you can make a half batch if you don't want leftovers.
- Make the mincemeat at least the day before you want to bake the mince pies; but you can make it weeks or even months in advance if you like.
- If you are making the pastry with coconut oil rather than butter then it is best to make it shortly before assembling the pies as it needs to be at room temperature to roll it out. The butter based pastry can be stored in the fridge for several days, let it sit out at room temperature for half an hour before rolling if it has become too firm.
- Remove the baked mince pies from the tin while they are still hot as otherwise any filling that bubbles over can make them stick.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Nancy
wow easy recipe for christmas..
Jess
Recipe said mincemeat could last for months. I put it in sterilised jars and it went mouldy after a week! Very dissappointing, otherwise seemed like it wouldve been lovely 🙁
hannahhossack
Hi Jess, sorry to hear that but there must be something else going on that caused it to go mouldy; I have a bit of this mincemeat left over from last year and it is still absolutely fine. Are you sure that it isn't solidified bits of coconut oil you are seeing rather than mould? It can look a bit funny, like little grainy white lumps which I guess could easily be mistaken for mould.
Busy bee
I think your problem was probably your jars as I had this with a jam recipe once and it turned out my jars weren’t properly sterilised I made this mincemeat last Christmas and, as it makes a lot, I stored it in sterilised jam jars and it’s fine a whole year later! Great news for me as it was very easy make mince pies this year and I love these! Thank you for this delicious recipe
Mabel
Thank yo for sharing this recipe. This recipe is for mini pies, but can the filling be prepared and used for one 9 inch pie? Also, where do you find the "candied mixed peel"?
hannahhossack
Hi Mabel, yes the mincemeat can be used to make a large pie rather than small ones, I actually have a recipe for a large mince pie tart: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/11/21/starry-mince-pie-tart-vegan/
Candied mixed peel can be found in all supermarkets here in the UK but I can't speak for anywhere else. You may be able to find it online or you can make your own: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/candied-mixed-peel/ You can swap it for some more of the other dried fruits if you are unable to get hold of any.
Sangeeta Squires
I can't wait to to try these for Xmas day or a post climbing refuel! I don't drink alcohol though, perhaps I could use orange juice and rum essence instead (I have those in my cupboard)....
hannahhossack
Hi Sangeeta! That should work but the mincemeat probably wouldn't keep as long if it is made without alcohol.
Sangeeta Squires
Thanks for the tip! I'll just make more pies then! Anything home baked doesn't seem to make it past Day 2 in our house - 2 very hungry residents! Do you know if the mince pies can be frozen?
hannahhossack
Sounds like a good plan!! Yes they freeze well 🙂
Katie
Can I just swap plain flour with GF flour?
Hannah
Hi Katie, I would recommend finding a specifically gluten-free pastry recipe.
Disa
Looks good and I'm gonna try it today.
Can't find in the recipe tho where you use the almonds, that are in the ingredients list..
hannahhossack
Hi Disa, whoops! thanks for pointing that out, they just go in the pan with the rest of the ingredients.
Disa Ramstedt
Thanks! I did so and they got so nice! First time baking mince pies and I will def. keep this recipe for the future.
Hilda
Delicious, like all your oder recipes 🙂
Thank you for the detailed instructions !
Happy Holidays to you
Sarah from Manchester UK
This was a total success - I have making mince for years and wanted to try a vegan alternative. The pastry was superb - the addition of vodka seems to do a wonderful trick, and yes, they are crispy and light
ADF
Absolutely delicious and not difficult to make. My family love these mince pies so it looks like they’ll be going into the repertoire.
Ruth Cozens
I have made the vegan recipe and the vegetarian version....all of them are excellent and a family fave now. I have also experimented with small flan moulds and ready bought pastry ....all worked well.
Pauline
This recipe for vegan mince pies is wonderful. The pastry although a little crumbly (perhaps I needed to add more water) to handle was crisp and really really tasted good. I made the mincemeat too which I really liked and it was easier than I thought to make. Thank you soooo much.
Sandra de Bruin
Is the brandy not to much for the spice in the recipe, I started doing it tonight.
Hannah
Hi Sandra, the balance is spot on for me. Some of the alcohol will cook off when you bake the mince pies, but you can certainly add some more spice if you want to.
Caz
These are my favourite mince pies ever. The pastry is excellent and they taste amazing. I made the mincemeat last year and put a layer of rum at the top of the jar in the hope that it would keep for this year's batch and it's worked wonderfully 🙂 thank you for the recipe!
Anne
I had some left over from last year, and just used it up in an apple tart. I put a layer of it on top of the bottom pastry and then layer on the apples and baked the as usual. It really took an otherwise ordinary Apple pie over the top. With the amount of alcohol and stored in the fridge I think it will last a long time.
Anne
This is wonderful mincemeat. I made last Christmas and have just made another batch for this year. I made two batches this year as the mincemeat tarts were a hit last Christmas. The mincemeat goes very far, and I even had some left over last year which I just used up recently as a base of an apple pie. I’m so happy to see there are a number of recipes on your website for using mincemeat. The apple wreath bread is one I will try.
Nikki
How long do they last and where should they be stored once made?
Hannah
Hi Nikki, about 4 days and in an airtight container at room temperature.
Paige
I followed your recipe for the vegan mincemeat and left it for 6 weeks to mature. Made my first batch of these pies last night and they worked absolutely perfectly! So fun and low stress and the pastry with coconut oil worked really well and didn't taste coconutty which I expected. Thank you and merry christmas! 🙂
Jenny Kempson
Hello, delicious recipe, the best vegan mince pies Ive made, thank you so much!
Would you freeze before cooking or after?
Thank you.
hannahhossack
Hi Jenny, thank you! So glad you enjoyed them! Either will work, if frozen after baking they can be defrosted at room temperature then warmed through in a low oven for a few mins to refresh them. If frozen pre baking they can be baked straight from the freezer, just add a few minutes to the bake time.