This vegan mincemeat with cherries is very easy to make and it’s overflowing with festive fruits, spices and alcohol. Use this homemade fruit mince in all your Christmas mince pies and gift a few jars to friends.
Browse all of my Christmas recipes for further festive inspiration.
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Mincemeat and mince pies are to a British Christmas like pumpkin pies are to American Thanksgiving celebrations. Things wouldn’t be the same without them. However, the increase in popularity of vegan diets over the last few years can mean that mince pies are off-limits for some people unless they can be certain that they contain vegan mincemeat.
With that in mind, devising a delicious yet easy to make vegan and vegetarian mincemeat seemed like a good idea. It may not solve the problem when dining out, but at least vegan and vegetarian home bakers can be assured of mouthwatering mince pies stuffed with the best homemade fruit mince in the comfort of their own homes.
Why make this recipe?
If you’re going to the effort of making your own mince pies, then making your own sweet mincemeat pie filling is quite a sensible plan. This way those pies are 100% created by you.
Besides, I’ve often found shop-bought mincemeat to be a little on the tart side. In contrast, this vegan mincemeat is not sharp. But it is loaded with festive spices and a bounty of mixed dried fruits all tied together with a generous glug of alcohol. It’s sweet, fruity, mellow, beautifully spiced and the kick of alcohol makes it ultra-delicious.
The recipe is very easy and produces plenty. Around 2kg to be precise. That’s enough for 5-6 full-sized (340g) jars.
And of course, the beauty of homemade is that you can take away any ingredients that you are not so keen on and replace with something else. In this instance, I’ve replaced beef suet with a meat and dairy-free alternative to make vegan mincemeat.
What is fruit mince?
Fruit mince is an alternative name for sweet mincemeat. It is a popular delicacy enjoyed at Christmas-time when it features in snacks and desserts such as mince pies, mincemeat tarts, Godcakes or even a festive baked Alaska.
Original recipes for fruit mince date back centuries, with the first ones being meat-based. The passing of time has shifted the nature of this delicacy considerably and these days the vast majority of fruit mince is meatless since minced apples replaced the meat in most recipes around the late 19th century (a change I feel we should applaud).
A typical modern sweet mincemeat recipe consists of a long list of ingredients including:
- finely diced apples
- dried fruits such as currants and raisins
- spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove
- distilled spirits such as brandy or rum
- brown sugar
- a burst of citrus – either lemon or orange
- beef suet and/ or butter
Clearly, if made using suet, despite being meatless, not all fruit mince is vegetarian. Let alone vegan! Fortunately, it’s very easy to convert a quality mincemeat recipe to be both vegetarian and vegan. Follow this recipe for the best vegan mincemeat you could wish for this Christmas.
Ingredients notes
I have two star ingredients in my homemade mincemeat – dried cherries and currants.
Dried cherries may not be a classic ingredient, but they do add a luxurious and zesty touch to the overall flavour. If you want to make the best sweet mincemeat possible, trust me, cherries should feature.
Currants are a traditional ingredient in mincemeat. I’ll be honest, I’ve shied away from using them at all for quite some time because I thought them dry and somewhat bitter. But when I went shopping for ingredients for this vegan mincemeat recipe, I spotted some juicy and soft Vostissa currants in my local M&S, so I decided to try them out. I’m so glad I did. They add that extra flavour dimension that my homemade mincemeat of last year lacked (I had a bit left, so I tasted them side by side).
This discovery leads me to impart some crucial advice: buy the best dried fruit that you can find – the varieties that look plump and juicy and have a soft feel about them. Your mince pies will thank you for it.
Similarly, use whole candied peel if possible and chop it finely. Again, the quality advantage this provides is worth the extra effort.
As for the alcohol, it’s fine to omit the cherry brandy and replace with an equal quantity of brandy, rum or perhaps Grand Marnier if you would like to enhance the orange flavour.
Step by step instructions
Despite the long list of ingredients, homemade vegan mincemeat, is incredibly easy to put together:
- Weigh out the dried fruits then chop the cherries and candied peel into smaller pieces (about the size of currants). Zest & juice the oranges & lemon. Measure out the spices, sugar and suet. Finally, peel and coarsely grate the apple
- Put everything, except the alcohol into a large oven-proof bowl and use your hands to mix all ingredients together
- Cover the bowl loosely with foil and leave for at least 12 hours for the fruit to soak up the juice and flavours. When ready to cook, give everything a quick stir again then re-cover with the foil and bake for 3 hours
- Remove from the oven and give the mincemeat a regular stir as it cools to prevent lumps of suet fat forming (every 30 minutes to begin with, more frequently as it is nears being completely cold)
- When the mincemeat is cold stir through the alcohol and spoon into sterilised jars, pushing down firmly to remove any pockets of air. Seal, label and store for up to 1 year
Expert Tips
This homemade vegan mincemeat is incredibly easy. Time and the oven do most of the work, but here are a few tips to help you achieve some splendid mincemeat:
- pick quality dried fruits. Soft, plump and juicy fruits make the tastiest mincemeat, so don’t be tempted to throw in old ingredients just because they need using up
- prepare everything else before grating the apple since it oxidises with the air and browns incredibly quickly (as is evident in my step by step image above)
- don’t rush the soaking time. Prepare the fruits in the evening and leave overnight to soak up the fruit juice and spice flavours before cookings. It’s the best way to pump that dried fruit full of festive flavours
- Once cooked, stir the mincemeat every 30 minutes until warm rather than hot, then every 10 minutes until completely cold. This helps keep the fat on the fruit, rather than clotting in puddles in the bowl
- Similarly, do not put the freshly cooked mincemeat in the fridge to speed up the cooling process – this is a surefire way to end up with lumps of fat rather than evenly distributed fat
- If storing for any length of time use sterilised jars
- Although mincemeat can technically be frozen there is absolutely no need to do so. It fairs better stored in a sealed jar in a cool dark cupboard where the flavours can continue to age and deepen. It can be stored like this for at least a year (in the freezer it would only last a few months).
Frequently asked questions
That is down to the fat content in the mincemeat. When the melted suet cools, it coats the ingredients in a thin layer of fat. But don’t worry, the cloudiness disappears once it is cooked into mince pies (the suet bakes itself into the pastry).
I’ve heard a few people tell me that they do not like suet, especially vegetable suet. I don’t have a problem with it, but if you do, then it is ok to leave the suet out (or reduce the quantity).
The resulting mincemeat will have a slightly different consistency and texture, but it can’t fail to taste good with the quality ingredients involved. I would also recommend eating within 3 months (or freeze it).
Since this vegan mincemeat contains both suet and fresh apple, it does need to be cooked.
Cooking breaks down the sugar and suet, allowing them to coat the fruit as they dissolve & melt. It also helps to preserve the ingredients.
Cooking is also essential to prevent the apple from fermenting. It also transforms the texture of the apple, breaking it down slightly, which, when mixed with the sugar and suet, creates a sauce that binds itself around the dried fruits.
Ideally yes, if you can make it several weeks in advance of using, then the flavours of this homemade mincemeat will be boosted further. Aged fruit mince will have a deeper and fuller flavour than mincemeat that is consumed straight away. However, it’s safe to use it as soon as it is made.
More Christmas recipes
Have you made my vegan mincemeat? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below and don’t forget to show me what you made with it on Instagram – use #littlesugarsnaps and tag me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
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Vegan Mincemeat – A Homemade Mincemeat with Cherries
Ingredients
- 350 g Raisins
- 250 g Sultanas
- 150 g Currants
- 175 g Mixed candied peel
- 100 g Dried cherries
- 150 g Suet vegan – I used Atora
- 350 g Dark brown sugar
- 400 g Cooking apples
- 1 Orange zest & juice
- 1 Orange juice only
- 1 Lemon zest & juice
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ¼ Ground cloves
- ¼ Ground allspice
- 4 tablespoon Brandy
- 2 tablespoon Cherry brandy
Instructions
- Begin by weighing out the dried fruits and chopping the cherries and candied peel into pieces similar in size to the currants
- Zest one orange & the lemon then extract the juice from both oranges and the lemon
- Measure out the spices, sugar and the suet
- Peel & core the apple, then coarsely grate it
- Put everything, except the alcohol into a large oven-proof bowl and mix the ingredients together using your hands (far easier than using a spoon due to the quantity of ingredients involved)
- Cover the bowl loosely with foil and leave for at least 12 hours (and up to 24 hours) for the fruit to soak up the juice and flavours. When ready to cook, give everything a quick stir again then re-cover with the foil and bake for 3 hours at 110C/ 225F/ GM ¼
- Remove from the oven and give the mincemeat a good stir. Let it go cold at room temperature (don't put it in the fridge) stirring at regular intervals. This will prevent lumps of suet fat forming. Stir every 30 minutes to begin with and then every 10 minutes as it approaches being cold. Once cold the mincemeat may look cloudy. This is normal and, once baked into pies, this cloudiness disappears
- When the mincemeat is cold stir through the alcohol and spoon into sterilised jars, pushing down firmly to remove any pockets of air. Seal, label and store for up to 1 year
Notes
- pick quality dried fruits. Soft, plump and juicy fruits make the tastiest mincemeat, so don’t be tempted to throw in old ingredients just because they need using up
- prepare everything else before grating the apple since it oxidises with the air and browns incredibly quickly
- don’t rush the soaking time. Prepare the fruits in the evening and leave overnight to soak up the fruit juice and spice flavours before cooking. It’s the best way to pump that dried fruit full of festive flavours
- Once cooked, stir the mincemeat every 30 minutes until warm rather than hot, then every 10 minutes until completely cold. This helps keep the fat on the fruit, rather than clotting in puddles in the bowl
- Similarly, do not put the freshly cooked mincemeat in the fridge to speed up the cooling process – this is a surefire way to end up with lumps of fat rather than evenly distributed fat
- If storing for any length of time use sterilised jars
- This vegan mincemeat must be cooked to allow the sugar and suet to create a sauce that wraps itself around the fruit and helps preserve everything. Cooking is also vital to stop the apple from fermenting
Christine
Can’t wait to try this recipe…LOVE mincemeat! I also love the little, round, fruit embossed jam jar in your photo…what brand of jar is it? It’s the perfect glass jar for this holiday treat! 😍👌
Jane Saunders
Ah thanks Christine – I hope you enjoy it. The jar used to house alcohol-steeped fruit – I think it was made by Opies about a decade ago, so not sure if they are still in the same jars.
Anna
Would you make me a batch to sell to me please? How much would it cost ,
Jane Saunders
ah, I wish I could oblige, but I’m not set up (validation, certificates of permission for necessary authorities) to sell anything I make at home. However, this recipe is very easy to do. The majority of the time involved is the fruit soaking in the juice, so it’s not as daunting as it might appear.
Sara Welch
What a tasty recipe and perfect for the holidays! Such a great idea for gift giving!
Jessica Formicola
I’ve actually never made mince meat, but I am so excited to try it with this vegan recipe!
Amy
Can’t wait to use this in my Christmas baking!
Erica
This looks perfect for some homemade gifts. Looking forward to trying this version out!
Shashi
Thanks so much for this – I usually reluctantly use store bought mincemeat but this looks so much more tastier! Can’t wait to try this!