Best Vegan Mince Pies
One of my favourite treats of the festive season is mince pies. And these deep-filled vegan mince pies are my favourite recipe!
You can use store-bought vegan pastry, or for a soft, buttery base, discover how to make shortbread pastry. This is part way between shortbread and shortcrust pastry and is absolutely delicious for sweet pies.
You can also use shop-bought mincemeat, but I much prefer homemade. My easy vegan mincemeat recipe takes only 15 minutes, and it has a fabulous rich flavour.
On a side note, I’ve seen a few retailers (like Greggs) launch vegan mince pies, which is a very welcome move.
Notes on ingredients
- Mincemeat: one of the best things about making sweet mincemeat at home is that you can easily tailor it to your tastes. Change the dried fruit and alcohol selections to suit you. I’ve flavoured mine with mixed peel, spices, port and brandy. But you could try a delicious alternative, like cranberry mincemeat.
Shortbread pastry tips
The dough is quite delicate when you’re making it, but don’t worry – it holds together well when it’s cooked. Here are a few tips for working with your pastry:
- The homemade pastry is delicate and can be tricky to turn, so I find it best to rotate the pastry mat or roll in different directions rather than moving the pastry. You want it a little thicker than you would for shortcrust pastry – I like mine 4-5 mms thick.
- I use an 8.5cm cutter for the case and a 6.5cm cutter for the lid.
- If you don’t have a rolling pin, or find the pastry tricky to roll, you can flatten balls with your hands and press them into the muffin cups.
- Unlike shortcrust, the shortbread pastry crust won’t go brown so be careful not to over-bake it.
- It’s best not to brush the tops of the mince pies with any dairy free milk or butter.
Making ahead and storing leftovers
Store in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days. Keep in the fridge if you wish to store them for longer than this.
Mince pies can be frozen for up to two months after baking but be careful that they don’t get crushed. Defrost fully before eating. If you wish to freeze them before baking, I’d suggest freezing them in the muffin tin as they will be too delicate to remove before they are baked. Defrost fully in the fridge before baking.
Serving suggestions
- The mince pies are lovely on their own, warm or cold, but you can also serve them with a vegan whipped cream, ice cream or custard for a festive dessert.
- If you have any remaining pastry or pastry trimmings, use a star cutter to add an extra decoration to the top of each pie.
EQUIPMENT
- Pastry cutters: 8.5cm cutter for the case and a 6.5cm cutter for the lid
- Rolling Pin
- Muffin tin
INGREDIENTS
- 400 g mincemeat or alternatively use shop-bought
- 1 batch shortbread pastry or 1 sheet store-bought vegan shortcrust pastry
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 150C (300F).
- Using an oil spray, lightly spray the cups in a muffin tin.
- Using a rolling pin, lightly roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface, then cut out circles to fit into the cups of your muffin tin and smaller circles for the lids. The pastry is delicate and quite difficult to turn so I find it best to rotate the pastry mat or roll in different directions rather than moving the pastry. You want it a little thicker than you would for shortcrust pastry – I like mine 4-5 mms thick. I use an 8.5cm cutter for the case and a 6.5cm cutter for the lid. If you don’t have a rolling pin, or find the pastry too tricky to work with, you can flatten balls with your hands and press them into the muffin cups.
- Carefully position your pastry in the muffin cups. I find it best to use a spatula to help lift it, but it’s quite forgiving in that if it tears you can easily press it back together with your fingers.
- Place about a heaped tablespoon of mincemeat into each pastry base. Be generous with the filling but don’t heap it above the edges of the pastry cases as you don’t want the filling to burst out while cooking.
- Top each mince pie with a lid and gently press the edges to seal the pastry. As this is shortbread rather than shortcrust pastry, it isn’t intended to brown so I don’t brush it with milk or melted butter.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 150C (300F) for 25 minutes. The pastry will be pale but firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.
- I like to sift a little icing sugar over the tops before serving for a ‘snowy’, festive vibe.
NOTES
- The mince pies are lovely on their own, warm or cold, but you can also serve them with a vegan whipped cream, ice cream or custard for a festive dessert.
- Store in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days. Keep in the fridge if you wish to store them for longer than this.
- Mince pies can be frozen for up to two months after baking but be careful that they don’t get crushed. Defrost fully before eating. If you wish to freeze them before baking, I’d suggest freezing them in the muffin tin as they will be too delicate to remove before they are baked. Defrost fully in the fridge and bake as above.
- These deep-filled mince pies are made with rich mincemeat and soft, buttery shortbread pastry.
