So my vegan mince pies are neither gluten free nor refined sugar free, but I wanted to share them with you as they are just the best flavour. They are also the most popular thing I make every Christmas!
This is a recipe I have been making for years and years and one I always make in November and December. I could try and make it a gluten-free and refined sugar free version but to be honest, I’m very happy with it as it stands and sometimes you just need to stick to your favourite recipes and not tweak them too much.
For my vegan mince pies I use a homemade pastry and a homemade mincemeat.
What makes these vegan mince pies so special?
I think it’s the mix of flavours. The pastry is made with ground almonds as well as organic flour and I grate orange zest into the pastry to give it an extra festive kick. The combination of almonds and orange gives the pastry a fantastic flavour. Slightly nutty with a hint of orange. Instead of butter I use a mix of yoghurt and coconut oil and this works really well to bring the pastry together.
The homemade mincemeat is packed with dried fruit as well as fresh apple and pear. Like the pastry, the mincemeat has an orange flavour. It’s a bit boozy too with rum or Cointreau and is just a fantastic filling for the pies.
You can find the mincemeat recipe here.
Is vegan pastry easy to make?
Yes definitely. You simply mix the flour with coconut oil and yoghurt and mix until fully combined, add in the other ingredients and bring it together into a ball. Refrigerate and then roll as required. It also freezes well, so you can make the pastry in advance if that helps. It’s actually quite an easy pastry to roll out and handle.
How to make vegan mince pies
Once the pastry is ready, flour your work surface and roll the pastry out until it’s about 3-4mm thick. You can use two sheets of parchment paper if your pastry sticks to the surface of the rolling pin too much. Otherwise, just add a little more flour.
Once rolled, use a 7.5cm cutter and cut out circles (for the base of your pies) and small stars (for the top). Keep re-rolling the pastry until you have all the bases and tops. Gently put the bases in a greased shallow cupcake tray. Fill each base with 1-2 tsp of mincemeat. Don’t overfill as it will swell a little bit as it cooks.
Top each pie with a pastry star. Brush with a little oat milk and sprinkle over a little bit of sugar. Bake for 20 minutes.
Do you need a food processor or mixer to make these vegan mince pies?
No, you can make them by hand. If you want to, you can mix in a food processor or mixer, but I find it very easy to do by hand and it ensures it doesn’t get over-mixed.
What is actually in mincemeat?
It’s a blend of dried fruits cooked with suet, spices and sugar which are mixed together. They are then preserved in jars so you can use in pies.
The reason it has meat in the title is that traditionally, mincemeat did contain meat! By combining it with the fruits and sugars, it was a way to keep the meat preserved. These days it’s a sweet preserve and very traditional in the UK to serve in a pie around Christmas time.
How long do the mince pies last for?
Stored in a sealed tin, they will last for about 4-5 days. You can also refrigerate overnight, and they will last a little longer.
They can be frozen too and will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost fully before eating. I like to warm them in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes after they have defrosted so they are crisp and delicious!
What Ingredients do you need to make vegan mince pies
- Plain (all purpose) flour
- Coconut oil
- Greek style soya or thick coconut yoghurt
- Ground almonds
- Golden caster sugar
- Zest of an orange
- Pinch salt
- Oat milk
- Mincemeat
Plain flour
I use an organic plain flour. This provides the structure to the pastry.
Ground almonds
Adding some ground almonds to the pastry gives it a lovely nutty flavour. Don’t add too much as it will be difficult to hold it together. However, 50g gives it the flavour without any loss of structure.
Coconut oil and yoghurt
As you may know, I’m not a huge fan of plant-based butters. They are usually highly processed and have lots of ingredients. Using a combination of coconut oil and yoghurt is a great replacement for butter in these mince pies. The finished result is quite a crispy pastry. Obviously, if you prefer a butter you can use that. The quantities are listed in the notes at the bottom of the recipe.
Oranges
Adding some orange zest to the pastry gives it an amazing citrus kick. Alternatively, you can use the zest of two satsumas.
Storage and Shelf Life
These vegan mince pies will last for about 4-5 days in an airtight tin. You can also refrigerate overnight, and they will last a little longer.
They can be frozen too and will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost fully before eating. I like to also warm them in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes after they have defrosted so they are crisp and delicious!
Recipe Tips
Keep the coconut oil soft but not runny: To achieve a good pastry, make sure your the oil isn’t liquid (or rock solid!). Chilling the pastry dough for 30-60 minutes before rolling also helps maintain a good texture for the pastry.
Don’t overwork the dough: Handle the pastry as little as possible to prevent it from becoming tough. Mix the ingredients until they just come together.
Use a non-stick tin: And make sure you grease it well too. This will ensure easy removal of the pies.
Don’t leave the pies in the tin too long after baking: Leave them for 10 minutes after they come out of the oven. After 10 minutes, take out of the trays and allow to cool on a rack.
Make ahead: Both the pastry and mincemeat can be prepared in advance. Store the pastry in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it for later use. The mincemeat can be made months in advance, allowing the flavours to develop fully.
Try them for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments!
If you liked this vegan mince pie recipe, you might want to try these other festive options:
Vegan Mince Pies
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pastry:
- 75 g coconut oil softened but not liquid (5tbsp)
- 60 ml unsweetened thick Greek-style soya or coconut yoghurt (¼ cup)
- 225 g plain flour (8oz)
- 50 g ground almonds (½ cup)
- 50 g golden caster sugar (¼ cup)
- Zest of an orange
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp oat milk
Other ingredients
- 300 g mincemeat (10½ oz)
- 1 tbsp oat milk
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
- To make the pastry – in a large bowl, mix the coconut oil and yoghurt with the flour. Use a spatula to get it really mixed well. The oil and yoghurt should be fully mixed in. Add the other pastry ingredients and gently mix until it forms a large ball. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 mins.
- After an hour, preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Flour your surface and roll out the pastry until it is about 3-4 mm thick. Using a 7.5cm round cutter, cut out as many pie bases as you can and re-roll until you have 16. Use the remaining pastry to cut our smaller star shapes for the tops.
- Grease a cupcake tray (a shallower one not a muffin tin). Place the bases into the tin and spoon 1-2 tsp of mincemeat filling into each one. Top with the pastry stars and press gently to seal. Brush the pastry tops with oat milk and sprinkle over a little caster sugar, if you like.
- Bake for 20 mins until the pastry is golden brown. Leave in the tray for 10 minutes to cool slightly and then remove onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- The coconut oil needs to be soft and not runny. It shouldn’t be rock hard either. You should be able to easily mix it in.
- If you don’t want to use the coconut oil and yoghurt mixture you can use a vegan baking block that is solid e.g. Naturli. Do not use a softer vegetable spread or margarine, as you will get a different result. If using the block, replace the coconut oil and yoghurt with 135g of vegan baking block.
- Use a thick yoghurt if you can. Otherwise your pastry will be too wet.
- Use a shallow cupcake tray not a deeper muffin tray for these.
- Fill each base use 1-2tsp of mincemeat. Don’t overfill as it will swell a little bit as it cooks.
- I use a homemade mincemeat. The recipe is here. If you would prefer, you can use a ready-made one. Just check the ingredients are vegan.
- Store in a sealed tin and they will last for about 4-5 days. You can also refrigerate overnight, and they will last a little longer.
- They can be frozen too and will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
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