Christmas Mincemeat Recipe (Fruit Mince) (2024)

This quick and easy homemademincemeat(fruit mince) is vegan, gluten free, and made with basic pantry ingredients. Taking just 10 minutes to make, it is perfect for last minute fruit mince pies!

Mincemeatis such a classic taste ofChristmas, but with just the 3 of us in our house, I often don’t feel it is worth making big batches ofmincemeatand storing injars. However, a few days beforeChristmasI always get the craving for a small batch of mince pies, and this is where thisrecipecame from. It is made with basicpantry ingredients, designed to be made without a special trip to the shops, so feel free to add extraspices,mixed peel, cherries etc and adapt to what you have to hand.

Why we love this recipe

• It is a versatile recipe: not only can you add your favourite Christmas mincemeat ingredients, but you can cook the amount you want – halve the recipe to make a small batch of mincemeat, or double it to feed a crowd.
• This recipe for fruit mince is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free,and alcoholfree.
• This homemade mincemeat recipe is freezer friendly.
• This Christmas fruit mince isn’t as rich and sweet as many fruit mince recipes or bought mince meat, which need the sugar to help preserve it. The downside is you can’t store this fruit mince for months, but you can freeze it.
• It is a quick recipe, using basic store cupboardingredients. Feel free to add theingredientsyou want – make a nut freemincemeat and leave out the almonds, add some brandy or different dried fruit.
• You don’t have to make this mincemeat in advance, once cooked you can use it straight away!
• You don’t need to bake it before using – once cooked in the pan, you can eat it with a spoon straight from the pan.

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Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.

• Apples– gratedapplesadd moisture which the dried fruit absorbs creating plump juicy fruit.
• Dried fruit–I often use sultanas, but you can useraisins, or amixtureofraisinsandcurrants
• Almonds – raw unsalted almonds. Feel free to swap in pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts, or leave out altogether.
• Soft brown sugar – or light muscovado sugar – adds a rich, caramel sweetness. If you only have white sugar in then you can use that, but be aware the mincemeat won’t taste quite as rich.
• Orange–orangezestandorange juice. A traditional ingredient in Christmas mincemeat is mixed peel, however it’s not an ingredient that you tend to have in. There is always a question about what to do with the rest of the packet, unless you are doing a lot of Christmas baking, so I have used fresh orange instead.
• Lemon–lemonzestandlemonjuice. As with the orange above, it adds a citrus flavour to the mincemeat.
• Spices– groundcinnamon,nutmeg,mixed spice. The classic Christmas spices for me. You can use a pinch of ground cloves or ginger if you prefer.

How to make fruit mince from scratch

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.

1. Grate theapples and place in a pan with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Bring to aboilthen turn the heat down andsimmergently, stirring occasionally, until theliquidhas evaporated and the apples are tender.

That’s it! It’s now ready to eat or use in your favourite mincemeat / fruit mince recipes!

FAQ

My recipe tips

• This amount of fruit mince is enough to make approx. 24 mince pies.
• Grating the apple ensures that it cooks and softens before the water evaporates. You can cut it finely instead and have larger chunks of apple rather than it ‘melting’ into the background.
• Don’t cook the fruit mince over too high a heat as the sugar can catch and taste bitter.
• Keep an eye on the fruit when it’s cooking, adding a little more water if needed. This can alter depending on how ripe your apples are.
• Stir occasionally to make sure the fruit doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Lemon and orange juice – Around 2 tablespoons or lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. If it isn’t this much, add a little more water.
• Almonds – this is quite a nutty mincemeat, use ¼ c / 40g for if don’t want as many nuts.

Serving Ideas

• Make homemadefruit mince pieswithteaspoonsof fruit mince and shortcrustpastry.
• For aChristmasbreakfast: warm gently and top waffles with aspoonfulof fruit mince and some yogurt.
• Spoonoverice cream.

Make ahead/storage

• Fridge: Keep in the fridge in an airtight container or bowl covered with clingfilm for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: This fruit mince freezes well, place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

Variations

• Dried fruit– use yourfavouritedried fruit, add some dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, finely chopped mixedpeel.
• Brandyorrum–stirthrough atablespoonofbrandy or if you want the alcohol to burn off, add it with the other ingredients.
• Otherspices– add your favourite Christmas spices, or even use pumpkin pie spice!

Ideas for leftover fruit mince recipes

• Add a spoonful to stewed apples and top with shortcrust pastry to make an apple and mincemeat pie.
• Or use instead of blueberries in this apple crumble.
• Use in Chelsea buns instead of the butter-fruit mixture.
• Fold it through ice cream – use this no churn passionfruit ice cream recipe, leaving out the fresh passionfruit and using the fruit mince instead.

Why not try…

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