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You are here: Home / Recipes / Desserts and Patisserie / Vegan Mince Pies

Vegan Mince Pies

December 7, 2018 by hannahhossack 19 Comments

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Vegan mince pies – a vegan version of the popular Christmas treat with boozy, easy to make home-made mincemeat and crisp coconut oil pastry. Eggless and dairy-free.

Close up of a vegan mince pie with a bite taken out of it.

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!

A stack of vegan mince pies with fruit filling and coconut oil pastry in a Christmas scene.

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 again 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.

I have been making variations of this mincemeat recipe for many years; all I had to do to veganise it was to swap the usual butter for coconut oil.

To make it you simply place mixed dried fruits, sugar, coconut oil, spices, grated bramley apple, almonds and orange zest and juice in a pan and simmer gently for ten minutes before stirring in a generous amount of booze then ladelling it into sterilised jars.

You can use whichever type of alcohol you prefer really – I like port best, followed by rum, whisky or brandy. I have also made it using a combination of the dregs from bottles of rum, JD and ginger wine and it was still delicious!

As well as varying the type of alcohol, you can also mix up the kinds of dried fruits you use, provided you keep the same overall amount. Dried cherries and chopped dried apricots and figs would be great swaps.

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.

a close up of vegan mince pies with coconut oil pastry dusted with icing sugar on a black background.

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.

Vegan mince pies with coconut oil pastry arranged in a Christmas tree shape and sprinkled with icing sugar on a dark background with festive decorations.

How to Make Vegan Mince Pies:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

You ideally need to prepare the mincemeat the day before you bake the vegan mince pies. Start by placing your dried fruits in a large saucepan along with soft brown sugar, coconut oil, grated bramley apple, spices and orange zest and juice.

Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little 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).

It will keep at room temperature for several months. Give it a good stir before using.

vegan mincemeat steps

To make the coconut oil pastry, place flour, icing sugar, salt and orange zest in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add cold, diced coconut oil 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.

Add some cold vodka and 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.

coconut oil pastry steps

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 vegan mince pies in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.

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.

Don’t leave them to cool in the tin as any mincemeat that bubbles over will cement them in!

vegan mince pie steps

Close up of an icing sugar dusted vegan mince pie with a bite taken out.

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.

You can also make a 1 and a 1/2 times batch of the pastry from this recipe instead if you want a non-coconut oil version.

Remove the baked mince pies from the tin while they are still hot as otherwise any filling that bubbles over can make them stick.

More Vegan Christmas Recipes:

  • Vegan Christmas cake
  • Vegan gingerbread cookies
  • Vegan Christmas pudding
  • Vegan mincemeat cake
  • Vegan mulled wine brownies
  • Vegan steamed chocolate pudding
  • chocolate gingerbread cookies
  • starry mince pie tart

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

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Vegan mince pies - a vegan version of the popular Christmas treat with boozy, easy to make home-made mincemeat and crisp coconut oil pastry. #Christmas #baking #vegan
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5 from 6 votes

Vegan Mince Pies

Vegan mince pies - a vegan version of the popular Christmas treat with boozy, easy to make home-made mincemeat and crisp coconut oil pastry.
Makes 12-16 mince  pies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine baking, British, vegan
Keyword mince pies
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 15 pies
Author Domestic Gothess

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 1/4 cups) light brown soft sugar
  • 50 g (1.75oz) 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 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 240 ml (1 cup) port, rum, whisky or brandy

Coconut Oil Pastry:

  • 400 g (3 + 1/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 60 g (1/2 cup) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 1/2 tsp 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 Tbsp + 1 tsp) cold vodka
  • 2 Tbsp 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.
  • 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 a little 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).
  • To make the coconut oil pastry, place the flour, icing sugar, salt and orange zest in a food processor and pulse to combine.
  • Add the cold, diced coconut oil 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.
  • Add the cold vodka and 2 Tbsp 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.
  • 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 190C/375F/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!

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.
  • 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 in the pastry then you can swap it for vegan block butter instead (NOT the spreadable kind in a tub). I like Naturli vegan block best.
  • You can also make a 1 and a 1/2 times batch of the pastry from this recipe instead if you want a non-coconut oil version.
  • Remove the baked mince pies from the tin while they are still hot as otherwise any filling that bubbles over can make them stick.

vegan mince pies pinterest image

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts and Patisserie, Recipes, vegan Tagged With: alcoholic, Christmas, festive, Fruit, Holidays, Pastry, Pies and Tarts, Spice

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy

    November 23, 2020 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    wow easy recipe for christmas..

    Reply
  2. Jess

    November 25, 2020 at 8:02 am

    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 🙁

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      November 25, 2020 at 8:33 am

      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.

      Reply
  3. Mabel

    November 25, 2020 at 11:25 pm

    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”?

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      November 26, 2020 at 9:56 am

      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.

      Reply
  4. Sangeeta Squires

    December 8, 2020 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    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)….

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      December 8, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Hi Sangeeta! That should work but the mincemeat probably wouldn’t keep as long if it is made without alcohol.

      Reply
      • Sangeeta Squires

        December 8, 2020 at 2:05 pm

        5 stars
        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?

        Reply
        • hannahhossack

          December 8, 2020 at 2:43 pm

          Sounds like a good plan!! Yes they freeze well 🙂

          Reply
  5. Disa

    December 12, 2020 at 2:55 pm

    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..

    Reply
    • hannahhossack

      December 12, 2020 at 6:15 pm

      Hi Disa, whoops! thanks for pointing that out, they just go in the pan with the rest of the ingredients.

      Reply
      • Disa Ramstedt

        December 16, 2020 at 7:52 pm

        Thanks! I did so and they got so nice! First time baking mince pies and I will def. keep this recipe for the future.

        Reply
  6. Hilda

    December 16, 2020 at 5:22 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious, like all your oder recipes 🙂
    Thank you for the detailed instructions !
    Happy Holidays to you

    Reply
  7. Sarah from Manchester UK

    December 19, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
  8. ADF

    December 30, 2020 at 6:17 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and not difficult to make. My family love these mince pies so it looks like they’ll be going into the repertoire.

    Reply
  9. Jenny Kempson

    December 21, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    Hello, delicious recipe, the best vegan mince pies Ive made, thank you so much!
    Would you freeze before cooking or after?
    Thank you.

    Reply
  10. hannahhossack

    December 21, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    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.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Woodland Animal Ginger Cake (Vegan) - Domestic Gothess says:
    October 24, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    […] Vegan mince pies […]

    Reply
  2. Starry Mince Pie Tart (Vegan) - Domestic Gothess says:
    October 25, 2019 at 8:16 am

    […] absolutely adore mince pies and I dread to think how many of them I get through each Christmas! Shop bought ones are all well […]

    Reply

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