You are here: Home / Recipes / Vegetarian Mincemeat Recipe
Vegetarian mincemeat recipe - an easy recipe for delicious home-made Christmas mincemeat made using butter so it is suitable for vegetarians (with vegan option).
It never feels like Christmas is close for me until I've had my first mince pie; they are an absolute essential in making me feel festive and I love them.
While I enjoy most mince pies, shop bought or otherwise, as with most things you just can't beat homemade ones, and if you do make your own then you get the bonus of festive baking, which always helps to put me in a Christmassy mood.
If you are going to go through the effort of making your own (and they really aren't that much effort at all), then you might as well make your own mincemeat too - again, homemade is so much better than shop bought.
Mincemeat is incredibly quick and easy to make yourself, and you get to choose what fruits and alcohol you include - don't like mixed peel? Substitute with chopped dried apricots. Not a fan of brandy? Use rum, port or sherry instead.
Feel free to chop and change the recipe below to suit you, just keep the same basic quantities of everything (ie. swap an ingredient out for the same weight of another) and it will work out just fine.
Mincemeat traditionally contains suet (a throwback to the disturbing days when it contained actual meat...), which means that it isn't exactly vegetarian friendly. Vegetable suet is available but it doesn't taste very nice, the good news is that mincemeat can be made with butter, which tastes far superior.
Suet based mincemeat is made by simply stirring all of the ingredients together then ladling into sterilised jars, to use butter you need to go through the extra step of heating the ingredients together in a pan, but it's not like that is difficult or time-consuming so this version is still really quick and easy to make.
Once jarred, the mincemeat will keep for six months, possibly even a year; and it does taste best if given a month or so to mature before using. That said, it does taste great freshly made as well, which is good seeing as there is only less than two weeks, TWO WEEKS!! until Christmas (I wasn't organised enough to make it any earlier...).
Make It Vegan:
This vegetarian mincemeat can easily be made vegan by swapping the butter for dairy free margarine or coconut oil. If you use coconut oil do bear in mind that the mixture may set a little firmer in cold conditions.
Ways To Use Vegetarian Mincemeat:
Put your vegetarian mincemeat to good use with these recipes:
Mincemeat, marzipan and apple bread wreath
Mincemeat bundt cake
Mincemeat and marzipan cinnamon buns
Apple and mincemeat filo wreath
Print
Vegetarian Mincemeat
Servings 4 jars
Author Domestic Gothess
Ingredients
- 175 g currants
- 175 g raisins
- 175 g sultanas
- 175 g dried cranberries
- 100 g mixed peel
- 120 g butter cubed
- 220 g light brown soft sugar
- 50 g almonds chopped
- 1 large bramley apple peeled, cored and grated
- 1 ½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 orange finely grated zest and juice
- 200 ml ruby port
Instructions
Sterilise 4 370g jars and lids (or 5 slightly smaller ones) by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing well then placing them in a low oven until dry.
Place all of the ingredients apart from the port into a large pan, heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted then simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool until just warm then stir in the port. Divide the mincemeat between the sterilised jars, seal, and store in a cool place for up to six months.
Notes
Adapted from a recipe by Mary Berry.
I was sent some free products but I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.
More Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
- Rhubarb Frangipane Buns (Vegan)
- Vegan Rhubarb Tart
- How To Make Vegan Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
Never Miss A Post!
Subscribe to get all the latest recipes delivered to your inbox.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Thank you very excited about trying your recipe looks delicious.
Trackbacks
[…] have been making variations of this mincemeat recipe for many years; all I had to do to veganise it was to swap the usual butter for coconut […]
[…] If you hate apricots swap them out for dried cranberries or currants. There are also a variety of vegetarian mincemeat recipes for those who don’t eat […]
[…] had a jar of my homemade mincemeat left over from Christmas; it would probably have kept till next year but I don’t have much […]
[…] somehow ended up with about five jars of mincemeat leftover from making various things and there are only so many mince pies that one can eat (though […]
Leave a Reply
FAQs
If you can't find suet then we have found that grated vegetable shortening (such as Trex, Crisco or Copha) is a good substitute.
Who makes vegan mincemeat? ›
Luxury Vegan Mincemeat | yumsome.
What is vegan mincemeat made of? ›
Vegan Mincemeat Ingredients
Raisins & Currants: The main body of the mincemeat filling! Chopped Mixed Peel: There for that extra zesty sweetness and a little chunky bite. Shredded Vegetable Suet: It's like firm, shredded vegetable shortening. Dark Brown Sugar: Mmm, winter warmer!
Why is mincemeat not vegan? ›
Most mincemeat is vegan or vegetarian suet that is used in place of animal suet, so in most cases you'll be in luck. The only thing that might make it not-so-vegan is the addition of brandy, as some types aren't vegan. If you're not sure, double check the ingredients label.
What is a vegetarian substitute for suet? ›
Vegetable shortening: Vegetable shortening has a mild flavor like suet and hardens in the refrigerator, making it simple to shred and add to foods that call for shredded suet. Shortening consists of sunflower oil, palm oil, and wheat flour, which create a similar, crumbly texture to suet.
Is vegetable suet as good as beef suet? ›
Atora Vegetable suet can be used in the same way as standard suet and tastes every bit as good. Made from vegetable fats, Atora Vegetable contains no animal products and is thus suitable for vegetarians.
Can you buy vegetarian mincemeat? ›
You can buy vegan & vegetarian mincemeat online in small or bulk sizes depending on your baking requirements. Whether you just love to bake or you own a small business or bakery - we've got you covered.
Is Robertson's mincemeat vegetarian? ›
Mincemeat traditionally consists of dried fruit, brandy, spices and beef kidney fat, beef or venison. Modern variants of Mincemeat do without the meaty components. The Robertsons Mincemeat Classic, which you can buy here in the online shop of British Shopping, is a vegetarian version of the classic Mincemeat.
What is vegetarian mince called? ›
Quorn Mince, like the full Quorn range is powered by Quorn mycoprotein, a super-protein that makes great-tasting meat-free meals. How many calories in Quorn Mince? Quorn Mince contains 69 calories per serving (75g). It's also high in protein, high in fibre and low in saturated fat.
What can I use instead of mincemeat? ›
You can also find candied orange peel online. This simple mixture which mimics mincemeat very closely, and is even vegetarian, so everyone can indulge in dessert. The amount is perfect for adding to a bowl of sliced apples or pear destined for a pie or crisp.
Best Ground Beef Substitutes – Plant Based
- Lentils. Cooked lentils are my number one go-to when I'm looking for a vegetarian alternative to ground beef. ...
- Tofu or Tempeh. ...
- Mushrooms. ...
- Chickpeas. ...
- White Beans, Butter Beans & Black Beans. ...
- Eggplant (Aubergine)
The mincemeat filling we know and love today includes ingredients like finely chopped dried fruits, candied orange, spices, sugar and nuts. Its name dates back to 15th century England when mincemeat would actually contain meat, unlike today's version found in our beloved modern mince pies.
Is vegan mince the same as Quorn? ›
Unfortunately, Quorn Mince is not one of the products on offer in the brand's vegan range. As one of the most popular meat alternatives for mince-based dishes, Quorn Mince is made with rehydrated egg whites which act as an emulsifier. This, in turn, makes it unsuitable for anyone on a plant-based diet.
Why is it called mincemeat pie when there is no meat in it? ›
The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.
What is the purpose of the suet in mincemeat? ›
A generous amount of shredded beef suet is also added to the mix. This melts when heated to create a uniform texture and a richer mouth-feel, and helps to meld all the fat-soluble flavour compounds together.
Do all mince pies have suet? ›
It once contained minced meat and fat (lamb usually), and well into the 20th century, beef suet was always included, even when made at home. Today, most recipes or mince pies use vegetarian suet instead, but check the label if you're buying ready-made.
Does mincemeat contain suet? ›
Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and often beef suet, usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Mincemeat formerly contained meat, notably beef or venison. Many modern recipes replace the suet with vegetable shortening.
Does Robertsons mincemeat contain suet? ›
Sugar, Apples (26%), Vine Fruit (26%) (Sultanas, Raisins, Currants with Glazing Agent (Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil)), Candied Mixed Peel (4%) (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Orange Peel, Sugar, Lemon Peel, Citric Acid), Vegetable Suet (Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, Rice Flour), Treacle, Acetic Acid, Mixed Spices (0.3%) (Cinnamon, ...
