Easy Alcohol-Free Vegan Mincemeat – A British Christmas Tradition
Are you feeling the festive spirit? Mince pies truly capture the essence of Christmas in their delicious pastry shells. There’s nothing better than a warm, spiced fruit pie fresh out of the oven, filled with this amazing homemade alcohol-free vegan mincemeat! Perfect as a Christmas classic or a Thanksgiving dessert.
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But wait, there’s more… This recipe has NO suet and NO nuts!
While we’re on the topic of Christmas, here are a few other festive recipes you might love to try: Chocolate Mint Fudge, Chocolate Fruit, and Nut Bars, or even a hearty Poor Man`s Eggplant Recipe. Each one is simple to make and perfect for adding a little extra holiday magic to your table!
Packed with a blend of fresh and dried fruits and warming spices, this easy vegan mincemeat recipe is rich, fruity, and delicious. One of the things I love about Christmas is making and baking my mince pies. The crust you have to try, it`s so tasty, wholemeal cinnamon shortcrust pastry that’s buttery, crumbly, and melts in your mouth. It’s a traditional British-inspired treat with a modern, plant-based twist!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There’s nothing quite like homemade mince pies, made with rich, flavorful, homemade vegan nut-free mincemeat. Forget the store-bought kind—this recipe is easy, fast, and irresistibly good!
- Fruity: Full of natural sweetness from fresh and dried fruits.
- Nut-Free & Suet-Free: Perfectly plant-based, using coconut oil for a silky texture.
- Spicy: Warm and festive with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Alcohol-Free: A family-friendly option, suitable for everyone to enjoy, with the same depth of flavor minus the booze.
- Very Easy to Make: Add everything to a cast iron pot, or Dutch oven and let it simmer, and enjoy the rich and flavorful results, it will taste like you’ve been cooking for hours!
Ingredients Notes
- Coconut Oil: A suet-free alternative that provides a silky texture and works beautifully for creating flaky, buttery pastry.
- Apple Syrup: Adds a hint of natural sweetness and moisture to the pastry, making it a unique addition to this recipe.
- Pomegranate Vinegar: Helps preserve the mincemeat and balances flavors with a subtle tartness.
- Ground Cardamom: A less common spice that imparts a distinctive citrus-like aroma and flavor, just wonderful in mincemeat.
Substitutions and Variations
- Mix and Match Dried Fruits: Swap cranberries with dried apricots, mango, or pineapple for a tropical spin, or replace raisins with sultanas or currants for variety.
- Experiment with Fresh Fruit: Replace apples with pears or even kiwi
- Play with Spices: While cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are classic choices, add star anise or allspice for extra depth. Cardamom, in particular, adds a delightful twist that pairs perfectly with the festive flavors. You must give it a try! I believe this gives my mince pies its unique flavor.
- Get Creative: This recipe is highly adaptable to suit your preferences or dietary needs. Have fun experimenting—it’s Christmas, after all!
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Make Them in 7 Simple Steps
Be sure to check the full ingredient list and printable recipe in the recipe card below.
- Wash the orange and lemon skins. Peel, core, and grate the apples, then set them aside.
- Quarter the lemon and orange, remove seeds and lightly blend them in a food processor or a blender to leave small peel and pulp pieces.
- Gently heat coconut oil and add the vinegar.
- Stir in coconut sugar until combined.
- Mix the grated apples into the pan and stir well.
- Add the spices and stir well.
- Incorporate Dried Fruit, and add raisins, cranberries, and currants into the pan. Stir until evenly coated.
- Simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and fragrant.
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Why Is This Recipe Easier Than Other Mincemeat Recipes?
You just need to pop everything into a food processor or directly into a cast iron pot. No need to zest oranges or lemons separately. Just wash their skins, cut them into eighths, remove the seeds, and throw them into the food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients to a large pot and simmer for two hours.
The result? A house filled with the incredible aroma of Christmas—it’s like a natural holiday air freshener!
Reheating the Mincemeat
Since this recipe uses coconut oil, it’s easy to reheat. Simply transfer the mincemeat to a saucepan over low heat, and stir occasionally until it`s warm. Coconut oil will melt and reintegrate smoothly, restoring the mincemeat’s rich, luscious texture. Avoid overheating to preserve the flavor and texture and so it doesn’t become too dry.
Resting Time
Cover the bowl with a clean cloth, a plate, or cling film, and leave it for 2 hours. Then refrigerate until ready to use. I recommend letting the mixed fruit rest for at least 24 hours to become more flavorful. Once fully cooled, transfer the mixture to a pre-sterilized jar and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the mince pies.
What Are Other Ways to Use This Fruity Mixture?
The most traditional way to enjoy mincemeat is encased in pastry. However, you can incorporate it into cake batter or pancakes for festive treats. Add it to apples or pears to create a fruity mincemeat crumble, or use it as a topping for porridge and rice puddings. I’ve even stirred it into yogurt or chia puddings—there are countless ways to enjoy it!
Storage and Shelf Life
Unopened, the mincemeat can be stored in a sterilized jar for up to 6 months. Once opened, store in the fridge for around 1 month.
Freezing the Mincemeat
Mincemeat can be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. However, for longer storage and improved flavor, store it in sterilized jars in a dark place instead.
Recipe Tips
Let the mincemeat sit overnight in the fridge for perfectly spiced mince pies. This allows the flavors to meld and deepen, resulting in an even more delicious filling.
Tip: Let the mincemeat cool completely before storing it in sterilized jars for future use.
This recipe for this Vegan Mincemeat yields approximately 1 kilogram of fruity mincemeat, making it ideal for filling 32 medium mince pies.
How to Sterilise Jars
Properly sterilizing your jars is essential to prevent bacteria from spoiling your preserves. I recommend reusing jam jars and lids, but ensure they haven’t been in contact with vinegar as this can damage the seal. Remove any old labels and glue by soaking them in hot water.
Wash the jars and lids with hot, soapy water and rinse well, leaving them wet. Boil the jars in hot water for 10 minutes, ensuring they are completely submerged. Gently remove them from the water using sterilized wooden or silicone tongs, and place them upside down to dry. This is the method I use.
Preheat your oven to 130°C (270°F). Place the washed jars open and the lids flat on an oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
To preserve jars with rubber seals, sterilize them in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes.
Alternatively, use the microwave: wash the jars, leave them wet, and microwave on full power for 40 seconds.
FAQ`s
Does this mincemeat have no meat and no nuts?
Yes, it’s 100% meat-free and nut-free! While traditional mincemeat once contained meat and sometimes nuts, this modern version is completely plant-based.
Yes, but most store-bought options aren’t vegan or nut-free. This homemade recipe is healthier, tastier, and allergy-friendly.
Rich, sweet, and spiced, without the burst of alcohol, balanced by citrus zest and warming spices.
Candied peel is usually added to mincemeat, but it is very unhealthy. It contains a lot of granulated white sugar and is very high in calories. For this reason, I do not add it, and to be completely honest, I find the mincemeat tastes much better without it
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The Recipe
Easy Alcohol-Free Vegan Mincemeat – A British Christmas Tradition
Watch me Make it (Video)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 1 cup raisins 200 grams
- 1 cup 1 cup dried cranberries 200 grams
- ¼ cup ¼ cup currants 50 grams
- 1 large lemon skin, pulp, and juice,( seeds removed)
- 1 large orange skin, pulp, and juice, (seeds removed)
- ½ cup cold-pressed coconut oil 120 ml
- ½ cup ½ cup coconut sugar 100 grams
- 2 tablespoons apple syrup or any other syrup
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 small apples peeled, cored, and grated
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Wash the orange and lemon skins. Peel, core, and grate the apples, then set them aside.
- In a Dutch oven or cast-iron pan, gently heat the coconut oil and vinegar. Add the coconut sugar and stir until combined.
- Stir in the grated apples, mixing well.
- Cut the lemon and orange into quarters, remove seeds, and blend lightly—ensure some small visible pieces of peel and pulp remain. If you don’t have a blender, grate the zest, squeeze the juice, and finely chop any pulp. You can also use a food proccessor.
- Add the blended citrus and all of the spices to the pan, stirring thoroughly.
- Incorporate the raisins, cranberries, and currants to the mixture, ensuring everything is well coated.
- Simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and let the mincemeat settle and cool before transfering it to sterilized jars.
Notes & Suggestions
Nutrition Profile
The Nutritional information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically per serving, The amount of sodium depends on the salt used.
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