Mincemeat Pie Recipe: A Classic Christmas Tradition

Welcome to the ultimate Mincemeat Pie Recipe, a timeless dessert that embodies the warmth and spice of the holiday season. If you’ve ever wanted to capture the magic of a traditional Christmas in a single bite, you’ve come to the right place. This recipe walks you through creating a rich, flavorful fruit mince filling and a perfectly flaky, buttery crust from scratch. Forget the store-bought versions; this homemade mincemeat pie is a festive masterpiece that will become a treasured part of your family’s celebrations for years to come.

This guide is designed for enthusiastic home cooks who appreciate the process of creating something truly special. We’ll cover everything from the essential ingredients to expert tips for achieving a flawless bake every time. Get ready to fill your home with the incredible aroma of holiday spices and create a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

What is a Traditional Mincemeat Pie?

A traditional mincemeat pie is a classic British sweet pie, especially popular during the Christmas season. Historically, “mincemeat” contained actual minced meat, suet, a mix of fruits, and spices, acting as a preservation method. Over time, the meat was phased out, and modern mincemeat is a rich, sweet, and spicy mixture of chopped dried and fresh fruits, citrus, spices, and a spirit like brandy or rum. Our Mincemeat Pie Recipe honors this delicious evolution, focusing on a deeply flavorful, fruit-filled center encased in a tender, golden pastry.

Why You’ll Love This Mincemeat Pie Recipe

• Incredibly Flavorful: The combination of apples, raisins, currants, and warm spices creates a filling with unparalleled depth and richness.
• Perfectly Flaky Crust: Our all-butter pastry recipe is easy to work with and bakes into a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crust every time.
• A True Holiday Centerpiece: With a beautiful lattice top and a dusting of sugar, this pie is a showstopper on any holiday table.
• Make-Ahead Friendly: You can prepare the mincemeat filling well in advance, letting the flavors meld and making holiday baking less stressful.

The Key Ingredients for the Perfect Mincemeat Pie

Crafting the perfect homemade mincemeat pie starts with quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to bring this festive dessert to life.

For the All-Butter Pie Crust:

• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our crust, providing structure.
• Unsalted Butter: Must be very cold and cubed. This creates steam pockets as it bakes, resulting in those irresistible flaky layers.
• Granulated Sugar: Just a touch to add a hint of sweetness to the pastry.
• Salt: Essential for balancing the flavors.
• Ice Water: The key to keeping the butter cold and bringing the dough together without overworking it.

For the Rich Mincemeat Filling:

• Granny Smith Apples: Their tartness provides a perfect balance to the sweet dried fruits.
• Dried Fruits: A classic combination of raisins, sultanas (golden raisins), and Zante currants forms the heart of the filling.
• Candied Citrus Peel: Adds a bright, slightly bitter note that cuts through the richness.
• Light Brown Sugar: For a deep, molasses-like sweetness.
• Spices: A warm and fragrant blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and allspice is essential for that signature holiday flavor.
• Beef Suet or Cold Butter: Traditionally, suet provides a unique richness. However, very cold, grated unsalted butter is an excellent vegetarian substitute.
• Brandy: Adds a final layer of warmth and complexity, and also helps preserve the filling.

This combination of ingredients ensures a balanced, flavorful, and truly traditional Mincemeat Pie Recipe that will delight everyone. For a simpler side dish to accompany your holiday meal, consider these delicious honey-glazed carrots.

How to Make Mincemeat Pie From Scratch

Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a flawless holiday pie. We’ll start with the pastry, then move on to the rich and flavorful filling.

Step 1: Prepare the All-Butter Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
2. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
3. Gradually add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just starts to come together. Be careful not to add too much water.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it once or twice to form a cohesive disk. Do not overwork it.
5. Divide the dough into two disks—one slightly larger for the bottom crust and the other for the lattice top. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: Make the Mincemeat Filling

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, combine the grated apples, raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, light brown sugar, and all the spices.
2. Stir in the grated suet (or cold butter) and the brandy.
3. Place the pot over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes, until the suet or butter has completely melted, the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is thick and fragrant. Do not let it boil.
4. Remove from the heat and let the mincemeat cool completely. You can store it in sterilized jars in the refrigerator for several weeks to let the flavors deepen.

Step 3: Assemble and Bake Your Pie

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger disk of dough to a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim any excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang.
3. Spoon the cooled mincemeat filling into the pie crust and spread it evenly.
4. Roll out the second disk of dough. Using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut it into 1-inch wide strips. Weave the strips over the filling to create a lattice top.
5. Trim the lattice strips to match the overhang of the bottom crust. Fold the edge of the bottom crust over the lattice strips, and crimp the edges to seal.
6. Lightly brush the lattice with a milk or egg wash and sprinkle with a little extra sugar for a sparkling finish.
7. Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for another 35-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
8. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. This allows the filling to set properly.

Expert Tips for the Best Mincemeat Pie

To ensure your Mincemeat Pie Recipe turns out perfectly, here are a few expert tips from our kitchen.

• Keep Everything Cold: The secret to a flaky pie crust is cold butter and ice water. If your kitchen is warm, you can even chill your bowl and flour beforehand.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Overworking develops gluten, which makes the crust tough instead of tender. Mix until it just comes together.
• Let the Filling Cool Completely: Adding warm filling to a pie crust will melt the butter and result in a soggy bottom. Patience is key!
• Vent the Pie: If you’re not making a lattice top, be sure to cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

For those who love festive baking, you might also enjoy making a beautiful Black Forest Cake Roll this holiday season.

Variations on the Classic Recipe

While this traditional Mincemeat Pie Recipe is a classic for a reason, feel free to make it your own with these delicious variations.

• Vegetarian Mincemeat: Simply substitute the beef suet with an equal amount of very cold, grated unsalted butter or a vegetarian suet alternative.
• Add Nuts: For extra texture and flavor, add ½ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the filling. If you love pecans, don’t miss these incredible pecan pie bars.
• Different Spirits: If you don’t have brandy, dark rum, sherry, or even a spiced whiskey would be a wonderful substitute.
• Individual Mince Pies: Use a muffin tin to create individual-sized mince pies, which are perfect for parties and gifting. Adjust the baking time accordingly (usually 20-25 minutes).

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing Your Mincemeat Pie

Proper storage is essential to keep your pie fresh. Once baked and completely cooled, you can store the mincemeat pie at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days. For longer storage, cover it well and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the entire baked pie. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before serving. The pie can be served at room temperature, slightly warm, or cold, often with a dollop of brandy butter, clotted cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy Your Homemade Mincemeat Pie!

There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of slicing into a homemade Mincemeat Pie, with its fragrant, spiced filling and perfectly flaky crust. This recipe is more than just a dessert; it’s a celebration of holiday tradition and the joy of sharing delicious food with loved ones. We hope you love making this classic pie as much as we do. If you try it, let us know how it turned out in the comments below and be sure to share your creations on Pinterest!

Mincemeat Pie Recipe

Mincemeat Pie Recipe: A Classic Christmas Tradition

Discover the ultimate Mincemeat Pie Recipe! This guide provides step-by-step instructions for a traditional Christmas pie with a rich, spiced fruit filling and a perfectly flaky, all-butter crust.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Calories: 450

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the All-Butter Pie Crust

• 2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Unsalted Butter very cold and cubed
• 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 6-8 tablespoons Ice Water

For the Rich Mincemeat Filling

• 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored, and grated
• 1 cup Raisins
• 1 cup Sultanas (Golden Raisins)
• 1 cup Zante Currants
• 0.5 cup Candied Citrus Peel finely chopped
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 0.25 teaspoon Ground Mace
• 0.25 teaspoon Ground Allspice
• 0.5 cup Beef Suet or Cold Unsalted Butter finely grated
• 0.25 cup Brandy

Equipment

• 1 9-inch pie plate
• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 Pastry blender
• 1 Rolling Pin

Instructions

 

Prepare the All-Butter Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
2. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Gradually add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just starts to come together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently form into two disks (one slightly larger than the other). Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Make the Mincemeat Filling

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the grated apples, raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, brown sugar, and spices.
2. Stir in the grated suet (or cold butter) and the brandy.
3. Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes, until the mixture is thick and fragrant. Do not boil.
4. Remove from the heat and let the mincemeat cool completely before using.

Assemble and Bake

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Roll out the larger disk of dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate.
3. Spoon the cooled mincemeat filling into the crust.
4. Roll out the second disk of dough and cut into strips to create a lattice top. Crimp the edges to seal.
5. Brush the lattice with milk or egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for another 35-45 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing.

Notes

For the flakiest crust, ensure all your pastry ingredients are as cold as possible.
The mincemeat filling can be made weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator; its flavor improves over time.
Serve warm with brandy butter, clotted cream, or vanilla ice cream.