Mincemeat Pie
intro
A rich, spiced festive pie filled with boozy dried fruit, tart apple, and warm spices, encased in buttery shortcrust pastry, a beloved Christmas staple.
Ingredients
Steps
Make the pastry dough
Add 350g all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp fine sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss in 175g cold cubed unsalted butter, then rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large butter lumps. Gradually stir in 60ml ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together into a firm, non-sticky ball. Split the dough into two discs (one roughly two-thirds the size for the bottom crust, one one-third for the top), wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Mix the spiced filling
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 450g traditional mincemeat, 150g finely diced peeled Bramley cooking apple, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp fresh orange zest, and 30ml brandy. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are evenly distributed, then set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Line the pie dish
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas Mark 6). Remove the larger dough disc from the fridge, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm (1/8 inch) thick circle, large enough to overhang the edges of a 23cm (9 inch) ceramic pie dish by 2cm (1 inch). Gently lift the rolled pastry over the dish, press it firmly into the base and up the sides, and trim any ragged overhang to leave a neat 1cm (1/2 inch) edge.
Assemble the pie
Spoon the prepared mincemeat filling evenly into the pastry-lined dish, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Roll the second smaller dough disc out to a 3mm (1/8 inch) thick circle large enough to cover the pie top. Brush the exposed edge of the bottom pastry with a little beaten egg, then lay the top crust over the filling. Press the edges firmly together to seal, then crimp the edge decoratively with your fingers or a fork. Cut two small 2cm (3/4 inch) slits in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
Bake until golden
Brush the entire top crust of the pie with the remaining beaten egg, then sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Bake in the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F / Gas Mark 4) and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is a deep, even golden brown and the filling is bubbling gently through the steam slits.
Rest and serve
Remove the baked pie from the oven and let it rest in the dish for 20 minutes at room temperature to allow the hot filling to set fully. Slice into 8 even portions and serve warm, optionally topped with a dollop of brandy butter, freshly whipped cream, or vanilla custard.
Tips
2.If short on time, use high-quality store-bought shortcrust pastry and mincemeat, then stir in extra brandy and orange zest to elevate the flavor.
3.If the pastry edges brown too quickly during baking, cover them loosely with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning while the filling cooks through.
OMG I made this for our annual family Christmas potluck last weekend and every single person asked for the recipe! I was a little nervous about making mincemeat from scratch instead of grabbing the jarred stuff, but it was SO worth it. The balance of sweet, spiced, and that little hint of brandy is chef’s kiss. My 82 year old grandma said it tasted exactly like her mom used to make, which is the highest compliment I could ever get. Will be making this every holiday from now on!
Took a stab at this for my wife’s holiday work party, and it went over really well overall! I will say I messed up the crust a little because I rushed the chill time, so that’s on me, not the recipe. The mincemeat filling itself was incredible, though I did cut back on the cloves a tiny bit because my wife is super sensitive to that spice. Next time I’ll plan a little more time so I don’t rush the crust, because this is definitely a repeat.
Game changer! I’ve been buying jarred mincemeat for years and I’ll never go back. The 2.5 hour cook time felt a little long at first but most of that is just the filling simmering and the pie baking, so it’s mostly hands off! I prepped the mincemeat filling two days ahead to save time on Thanksgiving day and it was even better after the flavors melded in the fridge. 10/10
My kids loved it! I was fully expecting them to turn their noses up at mincemeat pie because they’re used to pumpkin and apple for holiday desserts, but they both asked for second slices. I didn’t add any brandy since we don’t keep alcohol in the house, and I swapped in a little extra apple cider and a splash of vanilla to make up for it, and it turned out perfect. Even my pickiest eater ate every bite!
Okay, so this was my first time ever making any kind of pie from scratch, and the difficulty level is definitely medium, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! My mincemeat turned out a little runnier than I expected, and I had a hard time crimping the top crust without it tearing. It tasted good, don’t get me wrong, but mine looked a hot mess. I think I need a little more practice before I bring this to a gathering, haha.
Made this for our neighborhood holiday block party and it was the first dessert gone from the table! I added a handful of dried cranberries to the mincemeat mix for a little extra tartness, and it paired so well with the warm spices and suet. I served it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream spiked with nutmeg, and people were raving about it all night. Will be doubling the recipe next year!
Really solid mincemeat pie recipe! I’ve tried a handful of homemade versions over the years and this one is the closest to the classic version I remember from childhood. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is that I wish there was a note about how far in advance you can make the mincemeat— I wanted to can some for gifts but wasn’t sure if the ratios were safe for water bath canning. Other than that, absolutely delicious, my whole family enjoyed it.
I make mincemeat pie every single Christmas, and this recipe is officially my new go-to. The spice blend is perfect— not too heavy on the cinnamon, just enough allspice and nutmeg, and the little bit of orange zest brightens the whole thing up so much. I used a mix of beef suet and butter because I love that rich, traditional texture, and it came out flawless. Served it after our Christmas ham dinner and everyone went back for seconds.
Made this for my dorm floor holiday party and even my friends who swore they hated mincemeat pie went back for more! I used store-bought pie crust to save time because my dorm kitchen is tiny and I don’t have a good surface to roll out dough, and it worked perfectly. The filling was so easy to throw together even with my limited equipment and random mismatched measuring cups. 10/10, would make again even outside of holiday season.
I was really excited to try this, but I think I made a bad call swapping in a gluten free all purpose flour blend for the crust without adjusting anything. The crust came out super crumbly and fell apart when I cut into it, and I think the flour blend left a weird aftertaste. The filling itself smelled amazing, but the crust totally ruined it for me. I might try again next year with a pre-made gluten free crust to see if that works better.
Brought this to my office holiday potluck yesterday and it beat out 3 other pies for the fan favorite award! I let the mincemeat simmer for almost an hour extra because I love a really thick, concentrated filling, and I added a little extra brandy because, well, office potluck, you know? The crumble top I added (I know, it’s not traditional!) was a huge hit too. Even my boss who never eats dessert asked for a second slice.
I’ve been making my great grandma’s mincemeat pie recipe for years and lost it in a move last year, so I was on the hunt for something that matched that old-school, no-frills traditional flavor. This is it! It’s got the perfect ratio of fruit, spice, and suet, no weird modern add-ins that mess with the classic taste. I’m so glad I found this, it’s going to be the new staple for our Christmas dinner.
Really tasty recipe! I prepped all the mincemeat components on Sunday during my meal prep block so I could throw the pie together quickly on Christmas Eve, and it worked out perfectly. The only heads up I’ll give is that this makes a lot more filling than you need for a single 9 inch pie, so I ended up using the extra to make a batch of mincemeat hand pies for my kids to take as snacks during their holiday break. Definitely don’t skip the fresh whipped cream on top, it makes the whole thing!