Vegan Frangipane Mince Pies

Name: Vegan Frangipane Mince Pies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 300 g (2 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour; 30 g (¼ cup) icing (powdered) sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; 170 g (¾ cup) vegan block butter (cold and diced); 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice; 1 Tablespoon cold vodka ((optional)); about 1 Tablespoon cold water; 100 g (1 cup) ground almonds/almond flour; 30 g (¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour; 20 g (2 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch); ½ teaspoon baking powder; 60 g (5 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar; 80 g (⅓ cup) vegan block butter (melted); 60 ml (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); ½ teaspoon almond extract; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 411 g jar of mincemeat; a couple handfuls flaked almonds

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Vegan frangipane mince pies - these delicious vegan mince pies are a wonderful twist on the classic; with crisp, crumbly pastry, fruity, boozy mincemeat and a soft almond frangipane topping instead of the usual pastry lid.

They are easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit at Christmas!

A stack of vegan frangipane mince pies on a cake stand being dusted with icing sugar in front of a Christmas tree.

I absolutely adore mince pies, they might just be my favourite Christmas food of all time! While my standard vegan mince pies are amazing, these vegan frangipane mince pies are possibly even more delicious!

They consist of a crisp shortbread pastry case filled with mincemeat (either home-made or shop bought is fine), and instead of the usual pastry lid, they are topped with a rich, soft, almondy frangipane. Heaven!

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan frangipane mince pies.

Ingredient Details:

Mincemeat: No, for anyone outside of the UK, this doesn't contain actual meat. It is a mixture of dried fruits, sugar, alcohol, fat and spices which is used to make mince pies at Christmas.

Lots of shop-bought mincemeat is vegan friendly, but do check the jar just in case as occasionally it may contain beef suet or butter. I used one from Morrison's.

You can also use home-made mincemeat.

Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour. Don't swap it for wholemeal. I haven't tested this gluten-free and you would need to find your own gluten-free pastry recipe, but I think that a plain gluten-free flour blend would work well in the frangipane.

Vegan butter: For the best results you really need to use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub. Especially for the pastry. I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.

Sugar: You will need both icing (powdered) sugar and either caster or granulated sugar. These vegan frangipane mince pies cannot be made with sweeteners or liquid sugars.

Vodka: Vodka is my (not-so) secret trick for crispy pastry. Because it has a lower water percentage than well, water; using a bit of vodka rather than water to bind the pastry makes for crispier pastry as the alcohol burns off when it cooks.

You can't taste it at all and you can absolutely use water instead if you prefer, but if you happen to have a bottle of vodka lurking in the cupboard I urge you to give it a try!

Vinegar: A little bit of vinegar in the pastry helps to give it a flaky texture. You can use lemon juice instead or just omit it if you want.

Ground almonds: This is what forms the base of the frangipane. I believe that in the US it would be called almond flour rather than ground almonds.

Cornflour (cornstarch): this helps to set the frangipane.

Milk: I recommend using soy milk as it has the highest protein content and is best for baking. Any kind of non-dairy milk will work however, but do go for unsweetened if possible.

Baking powder: Just a smidge in the frangipane to replace the lift that would usually be provided by the eggs.

Almond extract: Without it I don't think that the tart would taste almondy enough so don't omit it. I also add some vanilla for extra flavour.

Flaked almonds: This is optional but I like to scatter some flaked almonds over the mince pies before baking; mostly just to make them look nice, but also to provide some textural contrast to the soft filling.

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

How To Make Vegan Frangipane Mince Pies:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: To make the pastry, mix the plain flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the vegan butter and rub it in using your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.

Add the cold vodka and vinegar and mix; drizzle in a little cold water as needed to bring the pastry together into a ball.

Step 1 - a four image collage of making the pastry.

Step 2: Chill the pastry then roll it out thinly on a floured surface. Use an approx 10-11cm cutter to cut out rounds.

Step 2, the rolled out pastry with rounds being stamped out.

Step 3: Line a 12 cup muffin tray with strips of baking parchment - this makes it easy to get the baked tarts out of the tin. Gently press the pastry rounds into the prepared tin.

Step 4: To make the frangipane, whisk together the ground almonds, plain flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar.

Add the milk, melted butter, vanilla and almond extracts and whisk until smooth.

A three image collage of making the frangipane.

Step 5: Place a Tablespoon of mincemeat into each of the pastry cases then spoon a Tablespoon of the frangipane on top, spread it out a bit to cover the mincemeat.

Step 5, a two image collage of filling the pastry cases.

Step 6: Scatter some flaked almonds over the top of each mince pie then bake for 25 minutes.

Step 6, a two image collage of the mince pies before and after baking.

Vegan frangipane mince pies arranged in a Christmas tree shape.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

It is important to chill the pastry before rolling it out, otherwise it will be too soft and you will struggle to roll it.

To make the pastry in a food processor, pulse the flour, icing sugar and salt to combine then add the butter and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the vodka and vinegar and pulse again then gradually add a drop of cold water and keep pulsing until it comes together into a ball.

The pastry can be made in advance and stored (well wrapped) in the fridge for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm to roll out let it sit out at room temperature for ½ an hour before rolling.

If you want to save time you can use shop bought shortcrust pastry instead. Many are vegan friendly - Jus Roll pastry is vegan (apart from the 'all-butter' one).

These are delicious cold, but why not try them warm with custard, ice cream or brandy sauce?!

FAQ's:

How should I store vegan frangipane mince pies?

Keep the mince pies in a sealed container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze them?

Yes these vegan frangipane 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.

More Vegan Mincemeat Recipes:

Close up of a stack of vegan frangipane mince pies on a metal cake stand, one with a bite taken out of it.

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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5 from 1 vote