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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 Rhubarb Tart
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- Vegan Persian Love Cake
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Comments
Thank you very excited about trying your recipe looks delicious.
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[…] 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 […]
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FAQs
I prefer the flavour of butter to suet in mincemeat – which makes it suitable for vegetarians – but use suet if you wish. The butter makes the mincemeat look slightly cloudy in the jar but this disappears once the mincemeat is cooked in mince pies, etc.
Can you buy vegan 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. We provide fast and efficient delivery times to suit you and your needs.
What is a substitute for mincemeat? ›
Simply add all your favourite dried fruits alongside a balance of your favourite nuts and make it your very own best mincemeat recipe. Subs might include dried figs, dates, prunes, pear and perhaps goji berries. You could even go mango, citrus peel, pineapple, peaches and blackcurrants…
What is vegan mincemeat made of? ›
Vegan Mincemeat Ingredients
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! Lemon and Orange Zest and Juice: more citrus baby!
What is the vegetarian version of suet? ›
About Vegan Suet
The suet is made of vegetable oils such as sunflower and palm oils, which are then incorporated with wheat flour or rice flour. This wonderful cooking aid will allow you to make delicious vegan and vegetarian dumplings, puddings, pastries and pies.
Is lard the same as suet? ›
Is lard and suet the same thing? - Quora. Lard is rendered pig fat and suet is cow or sheep produced fat. Suet is a hard fat surrounding the kidney and loins. Lard is from the semi soft white fat of a pig.
What is the best meatless mince? ›
Quorn meat free Mince is brilliantly versatile. You can use our vegetarian mince to make so many delicious, healthy meals. Whether you fancy a hearty bolognese, a spicy chilli, or perhaps some juicy burgers, you can make all of these delicious dishes meatless with Quorn.
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 a vegetarian substitute for mince? ›
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 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.
Mincemeat isn't difficult to make, but it has a lot of ingredients, which can make it expensive to produce in small batches, and it requires at least a day's advance planning to let the ingredients sit.
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.
How is plant-based mince made? ›
It's made from a mix of tofu, walnuts, vegetables and spices but the end result is just so good you will want to eat it with everything! It's wonderful as a sauce for pasta or rice or mashed potatoes but it's also fabulous on toast!
What is a vegan substitute for pork mince? ›
Impossible Pork is meat made from plants, for people who love meat. It's perfect in all your favourite minced pork dishes as a replacement for pork from pigs, but is made without any animal hormones or antibiotics.
Is plant-based mince vegetarian? ›
Plant based beef-style mince, perfect for vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian dishes. Guaranteed to satisfy any customer who still enjoys the taste and texture of beef.
What is a recipe substitution 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.
Can I use butter instead of suet? ›
Yes you can use grated butter if you prefer. In the same way as Delia prepares quick flaky pastry, its easier to grate it if its been frozen for 45 minutes first and use a little of the flour to keep the gratings separate.
How much butter can I substitute for suet? ›
Suet and butter are both solid-when-cold fats that add moisture and flavour to dessert items. So if you didn't want to use suet in your Christmas pudding, an equal weight of butter, initially, seemed to me like a potential substitute.
Why is suet used in mincemeat? ›
The purpose of the suet is not only to preserve the mincemeat for long-term storage. Not all of the suet rises to the top, much of it remains mixed in with the mincemeat and adds flavor, acts as a binder, and contributes an important texture element to the pies you'll be making with the mincemeat.
