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Festive, rich & fruity Vegan Christmas Mincemeat steeped in boozy deliciousness! A Christmas staple that is really easy to make & can be used in all sorts of ways. It’s also perfect for gifting.

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I wasn’t actually planning on making my own Christmas Mincemeat recipe, but when I published my Festive Mincemeat Tart a few weeks ago it became apparent that a lot of people aren’t really sure what it is or how to use it.

As a Brit, I’ve grown up eating mincemeat in Vegan Mince Pies and other baked goods every Christmas and I didn’t realize that it wasn’t as widespread here in Canada or the U.S.

I actually used store bought mincemeat for my tart recipe and I found it pretty easy to find a suet free variety here. Some of you have let me know that you are struggling to get hold of it though, and that is what gave me the idea of making my own.

Like most things, store bought is nice but nothing can beat homemade. I can really testify to that now I have tasted my own!

WHAT IS MINCEMEAT AND WHAT ARE MINCEMEAT INGREDIENTS?

Mincemeat is a combination of dried fruits, citrus fruits, nuts, spices and alcohol. Historically it also contained meat, and although modern day versions don’t contain it anymore, they do often have suet in them.

Suet is made from animal fat, although nowadays there are vegetarian versions of suet available. I prefer not to use suet in my recipe though as I don’t adding fat or oiliness to it adds anything. It’s way better without!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Vegan mincemeat full of fruit, nuts, spices, apple, oranges, lemons, rosemary & lots of port! ” quote=”My Vegan Mincemeat is totally suet and oil-free, and uses a combination of dried fruit, nuts, spices, grated apple, oranges, lemons and then as a little twist, some fresh rosemary.”] The rosemary flavour isn’t too obvious but it adds a lovely little something.

Then as if all that fruity, spicy deliciousness isn’t enough, along comes a very generous glug of port.

If it didn’t say “Christmas” before it certainly does once that’s added!

The alcohol used in traditional mincemeat is usually brandy. I tried it with port and with brandy and preferred the port version. It tasted richer and more festive to me. You can however swap the port out for brandy or use a combination of the two. I didn’t actually try a combination of the two myself but I just know it would be great!

Traditionally mincemeat is not cooked. The ingredients are combined as they are, then left to steep in jars. I decided to hurry this process along a bit by warming my mincemeat in the oven on a very low temperature for a little while. This step intensifies the flavours beautifully and is well worth the extra time. Once it has been warmed through then cooled, the alcohol is added. Doing it this way means it has a really great boozy kick. It is Christmas after all!

HOW TO USE VEGAN MINCEMEAT

Mincemeat is a really versatile addition to your Christmas menu.

Here are some ways to use it:

The obvious way to use my Vegan Mincemeat is in Vegan Mince Pies.

You can also use it in my Festive Mincemeat Tart.

It makes a lovely addition to muffins and other baked goods too.

Use it as an alternative to jam in thumbprint cookies, or as an alternative to dates in date squares.

Add a layer to my Baked New York Cheesecake for a festive dessert.

You can also use it to make a speedy Christmas cake or pudding.

Stuff baked apples with it

Add to apple pie or strudel fillings

Warmed it and use to top pancakes, waffles or vanilla ice-cream

And make it to gift.

PERFECT FOR GIFTING

For gifting, fill some mason jars:

You can use standard shape and size like those above or use smaller wider mouth mason jars. I like these for gifting:

Then buy some Christmas ribbon to tie around the top:

For more Christmas inspiration, check out Vegan Christmas Dinner Menu, Shopping List and Timeline. I have planned the entire meal for you down to the tiniest detail!

Vegan Mincemeat Festive, rich & fruity Vegan Mincemeat steeped in boozy deliciousness! A Christmas staple that is really easy to make & can be used in all sorts of ways. It's also perfect for gifting. 5 from 7 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes Makes: 6 cups Calories: 163 kcal Author: Melanie McDonald Ingredients 300g | 2 slightly heaped cups raisins , (see recipe notes regarding substitutions for the dried fruits listed)

160g | 1 slightly rounded cup currants

140g | 1 slightly rounded cup dried cranberries

100g | ½ cup dried blueberries

80g | ½ cup dried cherries

80g | ½ cup dried figs , chopped

140g | 1 cup slivered almonds , (you can omit to make the recipe nut free)

2 lemons zest and juice

2 oranges zest and juice

1 large apple grated

225g | 1½ cup coconut sugar , (any granulated sugar can be subbed)

3 teaspoons ground all spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons rosemary chopped finely

375mls | 1.5 cups port , (for an alcohol free version sub the port for unsweetened apple juice) Instructions Preheat the oven to 200°F

Mix all ingredients except the port in a large oven proof bowl or casserole. Cover tightly with tin foil or a lid and place in the oven.

Leave to warm in the oven for 90 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Add the port and stir really well.

Transfer into clean jars (see recipe notes below) Notes Store jars in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. If you wish to keep for any longer then sterilize the jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing then placing on a baking tray in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Fill the jars with the mincemeat and cover with a waxed disc then seal tightly with a lid. Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Can be used right away but the flavours will develop more as it sits. WARNING: Bear in mind that this recipe contains a substantial amount of alcohol. As such it is not suitable for children. Although the alcohol content in a single portion of it probably isn't too much, please take it into consideration if you are going to be driving, operating heavy machinery, carrying out any other important tasks or eating a lot if it all in one go! Feel free to sub any of the dried fruit listed for whatever dried fruits you have on hand, just be sure to keep the quantities the same - my suggestions do give a great combination of flavour and texture though.Store jars in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. If you wish to keep for any longer then sterilize the jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing then placing on a baking tray in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Fill the jars with the mincemeat and cover with a waxed disc then seal tightly with a lid. Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Can be used right away but the flavours will develop more as it sits.WARNING: Bear in mind that this recipe contains a substantial amount of alcohol. As such it is not suitable for children. Although the alcohol content in a single portion of it probably isn't too much, please take it into consideration if you are going to be driving, operating heavy machinery, carrying out any other important tasks or eating a lot if it all in one go! Nutrition Serving: 4 tablespoons | Calories: 163 kcal | Carbohydrates: 31 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 3 g | Sodium: 8 mg | Potassium: 84 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 25 g | Vitamin A: 3 % | Vitamin C: 6 % | Calcium: 2 % | Iron: 2 % Tried this recipe? Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan