Want to make your own mincemeat from scratch? This vegan mincemeat takes less than 5 minutes to prep and it is the perfect option for your mince pie filling. It captures all of the traditional flavors, giving you all the Christmas foodie vibes that you need for the season.
Made from a blend of nine wholesome ingredients, the mincemeat can be used for so many things. I particularly love to eat it alongside a bowl of dairy-free ice cream, as well on top of morning oatmeal.
This recipe is also completely alcohol-free. I replaced it with Earl Grey tea and the taste of the mincemeat is not compromised at all.
For more Christmas side recipes, you also need to see my vegan dulce de leche caramel, vegan condensed milk and vegan cinnamon sugar churros.
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Why You Will Love This Mincemeat
- Versatile Recipe - One of the great things about this mincemeat recipe is how versatile it is. It can be paired with so many delicious treats such as, my vegan coconut whipped cream and vegan caramelized bananas. Of course, homemade mince pies are number one on that list, but it also goes perfectly with many other pastries.
- Amazing Flavors - So many spices and flavors go into the mincemeat mixture. Think mixed spice and candied peel amongst many others.
- Easy to Make - To make my classic mincemeat, all you need to do is add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and let it soak overnight. It really is that simple!
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This mincemeat recipe is entirely vegan, gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Raisins - These combined with the currants are for me, the best part of the mincemeat, as well as the main part. They cannot be left out. Otherwise the recipe would change drastically.
- Dark Brown Sugar - I opted for dark brown sugar to be added to the mincemeat mixture due to the high presence of molasses within it. This gives the mincemeat a caramelized flavor and takes it to another level, with the same effect that takes place with my light brown soft sugar in my vegan pecan coconut cake and vegan cinnamon loaf cake.
- Ground Mixed Spice - The classic mincemeat ingredient. Mixed spice is literally what it says on the tin. A mixture of several ground spices which are great to use in baking.
- Lemon Juice & Zest - I like my vegan mincemeat to have a little zesty kick and that comes from the addition of lemon juice and zest. Trust me when I say that it makes a big difference.
- Light Earl Grey Tea Bag - As this recipe doesn't contain alcohol, I swapped it out for Earl Grey tea. The citrus flavors inside the tea infuse the mincemeat beautifully and offer many similar taste sensations to the alcohol.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Most mincemeat recipes include the combination of raisins and currants, but many also add sultanas too. Therefore, it is an option for you. Instead add roughly 70 grams of each of the three, instead of the initial recommended 100g of the raisins and currants.
- The Earl Grey tea gives the mincemeat a defined and strong flavor. If you like it to be even stronger, make sure that you leave the tea brewing for longer. This tip is for those of you who love strong citrus flavors such as, the ones you'll find in my vegan lemon drizzle cake and vegan orange almond cake.
How To Make Vegan Mincemeat
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Combine all the mincemeat ingredients inside a large mixing bowl. Place into the fridge overnight.
2: Remove the mincemeat from the fridge.
3: Place it into a bowl and serve with anything you like.
Expert Tips
Let it soak for long enough - I recommend that you leave the mincemeat mixture soaking overnight. This allows all the many ingredient flavors to combine, creating that authentic 'mince pie' taste that we all know and love.
Don't leave any ingredients out - Each and every ingredient is so important in this recipe. Leavening any of of them out can make a huge difference to the final taste. For me, the most important ingredients are the mixed spice and the Earl Grey tea.
Recipe FAQs
Vegan mincemeat contains most of the ingredients that non-vegan mincemeat contains. However, the big difference lies with one ingredient. Non-vegan mincemeat traditionally contains suet which is an animal product, whereas non-vegan mincemeat doesn't require it.
These days, you can get vegan suet substitutes in certain grocery stores which you can use 1:1. Vegetable shortening is also a good alternative for a vegan diet.
If it's not the suet making the mince pies non-vegan, it could be the pastry. This often contains dairy products such as, milk and butter.
Leave the mincemeat mixture inside the fridge for up to three days, covered with plastic wrap. It with retain its flavor.
More Vegan Christmas Recipes
If you tried this Mincemeat Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Mincemeat (Filling For Mince Pies)
Ingredients
Mincemeat:
- 100 g raisins
- 100 g currants
- 60 g dark brown sugar
- 40 g dairy-free butter melted
- 75 g candied mixed peel
- 0.5 teaspoon mixed spice
- 0.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 100 ml light Earl Grey 1 tea bag steeped for 2 minutes
Instructions
Making the vegan mincemeat:
- Inside a large bowl, combine the raisins, currants, dark brown sugar, dairy-free butter, candied mixed peel, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, lemon zest, lemon juice and Earl Grey tea.
- Place the bowl into the fridge overnight so that the flavors can infuse.
- Remove the mincemeat from the fridge. As this recipe contains no alcohol, you can serve straight away without cooking the alcohol down over the heat. However, if you prefer your mincemeat to be warm, you can place it into a frying pan over a low heat. Cook for a few minutes.
- This filling is most often used for mince pies, but feel free to use serve it with dairy-free ice cream or dairy-free custard.
- Store inside the fridge and make sure the mincemeat is packed into sterilized jars.
Video
Notes
- I recommend that you leave the mincemeat mixture soaking overnight. This allows all the many ingredient flavors to combine, creating that authentic 'mince pie' taste that we all know and love.
- Each and every ingredient is so important in this recipe. Leavening any of of them out can make a huge difference to the final taste. For me, the most important ingredients are the mixed spice and the Earl Grey tea.
Yolanda Shields says
It was so flavorful and delicious.
DJ says
Thank you!