Light and fruity, with just a hint of tropical coconut, my luxury vegan mincemeat may be a traditional British Christmas favourite but it's packed with ingredients from places we've lived around the world.
A few weeks back, when I was thinking about making some vegan mincemeat, I looked in my cupboard to see what I already had, and it suddenly occurred to me that actually, this one simple dish represents most of the countries we lived in during the seven years we spent away.
Ingredients for luxury vegan mincemeat
There are apples from Slovenia...
Sultanas and raisins from Britain...
Figs and prunes from Croatia...
Oranges and dates from Morocco...
Coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and coconut oil from India...
Palm sugar from Thailand...
... and allspice from Nassau in The Bahamas.
OK, we haven't actually lived in The Bahamas but amato mio was born in Nassau, so it totally counts, right?
Maybe I should call this 'around-the-world' mincemeat instead!
Making vegan mincemeat
It's really easy to make vegan mincemeat: simply mix everything together, allow to marinate overnight so that all the flavours develop, and then bake in a low oven for a couple of hours. Once it's done, allow to cool, and then plonk into sterilised jars, and seal. Simple.
How long does mincemeat keep for?
It keeps really well. I'm currently about to use up the last of my batch from two years ago, so next year, I'll make more!
Although her recipe was more traditionally British than mine, my Gran used to make a batch of mincemeat once every two or three years.
I remember her pantry always having at least half a dozen jars at any given time. When she got down to her last jar, out would come the huge mixing bowl, in would go all the fruits, spices, and suet, some kind of sorcery would happen, and the next day, the mincemeat supply in the pantry would be replenished.
My Gran would not have approved of my vegan mincemeat though - it's a bit too 'foreign' for her. She didn't hold with such things as foreign food!
Amato mio, however, who claims to dislike the stuff really likes my version - I suspect it's because it's quite light, and not in any way cloying the way some mincemeat can be.
Plus of course, since he is a lifelong teetotal, I don't add alcohol to it.
You'll love this Luxury Vegan Mincemeat Recipe
Because it's…
- dead easy to make
- gluten-free
- soy-free
- nut-free
- alcohol-free
- fruity
- sweet
- spicy
- light
- delicious
This vegan mincemeat is fab in mince pies, crumbles, tarts, etc. - why not give it a try? I'm sure you'll love it!
Enjoy!
Do you make your own mincemeat?
📖 Recipe
Luxury Vegan Mincemeat
Ingredients
- 4 large apples cored and grated (no need to peel)
- 75 g sultanas
- 75 g raisins
- 75 g dried figs chopped
- 75 g prunes chopped
- 75 g pitted dates chopped
- 25 g desiccated coconut
- 100 g palm sugar
- 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 300 ml coconut oil
- zest and juice of 2 large oranges
Instructions
- In a large ovenproof bowl, combine everything, mix well, cover with a clean tea towel, and leave to marinate overnight.
- Heat your oven to 110°C (225°F/gas mark ¼), give the mincemeat a good stir, cover loosely with tin foil, and allow it to gently cook for 2 hours in the oven.
- Remove from the oven, take off the tin foil, and give the mincemeat another thorough stir.
- Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to make sure the coconut oil is evenly distributed, and that everything is coated.
- Once the mincemeat has cooled, put into sterilised jars, and seal.
- If unopened, this luxury vegan mincemeat will keep for at least 18 months - maybe longer. Once opened, it will keep in the fridge for six months or so.
Notes
- Instead of individual spices, you could use 4 teaspoon of ground mixed spice - the type you use for cakes.
- Virgin or refined, it's up to you!
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
Lindsay Dunseith
I haven't rated this recipe yet because I'm in the process of making it. In the recipe you mention 75g of sultanas twice so I assume that means 150g.
However, is it really 300ml of coconut oil? I compared the fat in this recipe with other non-vegan recipes and it seems quite a lot.
I am currently marinating it before cooking it tomorrow, but if the fat content needs adjusting I could possibly just add more fruit.
Nico
Hi Lindsay!
Thanks for the heads up about the sultanas - it was a mistake on my part, and I've now removed the extra sultanas from the list. If you've already added them, it won't matter though! Re. the coconut oil, yep, 300ml is how much I use. If you don't want to use that much, try mixing in half, and then add more a little at a time, until you get the consistency you prefer. Oh wait, you said you're already marinating the fruit! In that case, before cooking it tomorrow, give it a good stir, and if you think it's too oily, add a bit more fruit. It's a very forgiving recipe!
Have a lovely Christmas! xx
Corina Blum
I just love the fact that this mincemeat is inspired by and contains ingredients from your travels. I can imagine enjoying a mince pie with it in and it bringing back so many memories of different places. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
Nico
Thank you, and yes, you're absolutely right about it being memory-inducing! One of the great things about being a cook is that whenever I make food from somewhere I've lived or visited, all the memories, sights, and sounds come flooding back. Far easier on the luggage allowance than having to bring back souvenirs all the time! (Although I did bring back a load of Romanian ceramics. Ha ha!) xx
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Love this recipe...especially how it represents your many and varied travels. And the wonderful story about your gran - I had one of those sorts of grans...a larder full of homemade produce. So magical to me as a child! Thanks for linking this up to #CookBlogShare 😀 Eb x
Nico
Thank you! I love having loads of home-made preserves and stuff, don't you? We bought some marrow chutney and marrow jam from a man in the village here, who had a glut of marrows in the summer, so decided to experiment. 'Tis lovely stuff! xx
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I have to make a confession: I HATE mincemeat—at least the kind I tasted as a kid. I found it downright gross. But yours looks fabulous—what a gorgeous array of ingredients! I'm so glad I saw this over at #CookOnceEatTwice!
Nico
Amato mio used to hate it too, Michelle - in fact, he still won't touch any mincemeat except this one. He loves my mincemeat samosas too! xx
Monika Dabrowski
Love your around-the-world mincemeat, pinned to my Christmas board!
Nico
Thanks so much, Monika! I love your sauerkraut pierogi, BTW, they're going on my to-make list for next week! xx
Katie Bryson
What a wonderful recipe, I'm def bookmarking this for next Christmas! I didn't make any mincemeat this year so I really must pull my finger out next time around. Thanks again for joining in with Simple and in Season so enthusiastically 🙂
Nico
I made mincemeat samosas last weekend - they didn't last long at all! Ha ha ha! xx
Corina
Your mincemeat and all the photos do look beautiful! It's great that it's a little lighter than traditional mincemeat and indeed, why just use it at Christmas time? I love the idea of adding some to a crumble or pie at any time of year! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Nico
Y'know, I think life is just too short to save certain foods for special occasions, so yes, I'm definitely all for having mincemeat whenever I feel like it! In fact, I'm about to cook with some this afternoon! xx
Zoe Pickburn
This looks yum! Never too late for a mince pie?
Nico
There's always time for a mince pie, Zoe! xx
Charlotte Oates
Wow that mincemeat sounds amazing, I'm not sure I could travel quite so widely to collect together all of the ingredients though!
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
What a fab idea! I love the way you have used it to celebrate all the wonderful places you have lived - gosh you must hate those forms where it says 'list all your addresses in the last 5 years'!!! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare!! Eb x
Nico
Ha ha ha, I've travelled all of my life, Eb (51 places around the world in 53 years), and have never lived anywhere longer than five years, so I've had to do that a few times! If I ever have to do it again, maybe I should include a link to my blog! xx
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
What a great idea! Love all the spices you added! Looks like a perfect food gift as well 😉 Can't wait to give it a try 😉
Nico
Hi Vanessa, thank you for stopping by - I hope you're having a wonderful festive season!xx
I suspect you're right - this mincemeat would be a wonderful foodie gift... I'd certainly be very happy to receive some! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Sophie
I love the look of your tasty special mince meat! I am surely going to make it soon!
Fab photos too! Merry Christmas dear Nicole! xxx
Nico
And merry Christmas to you too, Sophie! xx
Choclette
Your mincemeat looks so delicious and festive. I didn't manage to make any this year, but I usually do it on stir-up Sunday and add some chocolate, of course! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas full of fun and festive treats and I wish you all the best for 2017.
Nico
Stir-up Sunday sounds great!
When I used to make Christmas puddings (when I lived in Britain), I used to use chocolate stout in them, which really gave them a lovely, rich, depth of flavour. Never thought of adding actual chocolate to mincemeat though. Do you use dark chocolate? I imagine that would work really well with candied orange peel in it too.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful festive season too, and a fantastic 2017! xx
Nadia
I think you should have called it around-the-world mince meat! 😀 It really does look luxurious! I can't believe there was a time when I didn't like mincemeat. What?! Now, I can't wait for Christmas to come around so I can eat my weight in mince meat 😀
Nico
I really like 'around-the-world mincemeat' too, Nadia... sadly, SEO doesn't! LOL! But it does do a pretty good job of describing it!
I've always loved mincemeat, so it baffles me when people - especially ones who love sweet things - don't like it. What's not to like? Glad you've come into the fold, as it were!
I wish you and yours a lovely, warming, sweet, mincemeat-filled yuletide! xx
Kate | The Veg Space
That mincemeat looks absolutely lovely, and your photographs of all the ingredients are just stunning!!
Nico
Aww, thank you Kate, it's so kind of you to say so. My apartment is currently full of the smell of mincemeat as I've got some mince pies in the oven... I want to see if amato mio will like them too. If not, I've got a dozen pies to nom. Hard life, isn't it? 😉