Mincemeat isn't a 'set' recipe. Its basically dried fruits steeped in alcohol (or fruit juice) with suet and often grated apple added. Its simple enough to make it vegan by using vegetable suet which is easily available in the UK. Indeed most jars of ready-made mincemeat seem to be vegan these days.
Ingredients (makes approx. 9)
Ingredients (makes approx. 9)
- 225g plain flour
- 90g Trex, other vegetable shortening or vegan margarine
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50g golden raisins
- 50g dried cranberries
- 50g sultanas
- 25 ml whisky
- zest of 1/2 lemon and 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
- 70g vegetarian suet
- 60g dark brown sugar
- 20g chopped mixed peel
- Grated nutmeg to taste
- Soak the raisins, cranberries and sultanas in the whisky and lemon juice for 1 hr (or overnight) until plumped up.
- Whilst the fruit is soaking, make the shortcrust pastry. Place the flour in a bowl and mix in the salt. Cut the vegetable shortening or margarine into pieces and rub into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add just enough cold water to bring the mix together into a ball of dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge to chill.
- Drain the soaked fruit and add the lemon zest and juice, suet, sugar, mixed peel and nutmeg. Mix well.
- Heat oven to 180C
- Roll out the pastry fairly thinly* and cut out nine rounds. Line the holes in a muffin tin with the pastry rounds.
- Fill each round with mincemeat (be careful not to overfill as the mincemeat mix can overflow as it cooks).
- Top with shapes of pastry or smaller rounds.
- Bake the pies for 20 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool before removing them from the muffin trays and dusting with icing sugar.
Last edited:
I don't like sweet things but I do have a liking for mince pies. I think its the alcohol with the dried fruit I like, probably! 