Easy Fruit Mincemeat For Mince Pies

Rich, fruity and warmly spiced, this homemade fruit mincemeat makes the perfect filling for traditional Christmas mince pies. It combines raisins, currants, sultanas and dried cranberries with cooking apples, mixed peel, lemon zest and brandy.

Making your own mincemeat is surprisingly easy. All the ingredients, apart from the brandy, gently cook together in one pan. Once the mixture has cooled, stir through the brandy before transferring the mincemeat to sterilised jars.

Preparing mincemeat in advance gives the dried fruit time to absorb the brandy and spices, creating an even richer flavour. Use it for classic mince pies, or add it to festive cakes, pastries, crumbles and desserts.

What Is Fruit Mincemeat?

Despite its name, modern fruit mincemeat does not usually contain meat. It is a sweet mixture of dried fruit, fresh apple, sugar, fat, citrus zest, spices and alcohol.

Traditional recipes have changed considerably over the centuries. Historical versions often included finely chopped meat and suet, which explains how mincemeat got its name. Today, most homemade versions are completely meat-free.

This recipe uses butter instead of suet, giving the mincemeat a soft texture and rich flavour. It is suitable for vegetarians but isn’t vegan.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are plenty of reasons to make your own fruit mincemeat:

Quick and easy: The mixture takes only around 10 minutes to simmer.
Packed with fruit: It contains four different dried fruits, fresh cooking apple and mixed peel.
Warmly spiced: Cinnamon and mixed spice give it a classic festive flavour.
Perfect for making ahead: Resting the mincemeat allows the flavours to develop.
Ideal for gifting: Fill small sterilised jars and decorate them with festive labels and ribbons.
Versatile: You can use it for much more than mince pies.

Ingredients

You will need:

75g raisins
75g currants
75g sultanas
75g dried cranberries
50g mixed peel
150g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
75g butter
125g light brown soft sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
Zest of 1 lemon
150ml brandy

Ingredient Notes

Dried fruit

A mixture of raisins, currants, sultanas and dried cranberries creates more interesting flavour and texture than using just one kind of dried fruit.

The cranberries add pleasant tartness, which helps balance the sweetness of the sugar and other fruit. They also give the mincemeat a lovely festive colour.

Cooking apples

A tart cooking apple, such as a Bramley, works well in this recipe. Cooking apples soften easily, and their sharp flavour balances the sweetness of the dried fruit.

Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. Finely chopped apple softens more evenly and makes a better filling for small mince pies.

Mixed peel

Mixed peel adds a distinctive citrus flavour and slight bitterness. This keeps the finished mincemeat from tasting overly sweet.

Light brown soft sugar

Light brown soft sugar provides sweetness and a gentle caramel flavour. Use dark brown soft sugar if you’d prefer a deeper, more intense flavour.

Butter

Butter adds richness and keeps the fruit moist. Cut it into small pieces before adding it to the pan so that it melts quickly and evenly.

Because this recipe contains butter, it is vegetarian but not vegan. You can use firm plant-based butter if you’d like to make a vegan version.

Spices

Ground cinnamon and mixed spice give the mincemeat its warm, traditional Christmas aroma.

British mixed spice normally contains a blend of spices such as cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. It isn’t the same as allspice, which is a single spice.

Brandy

Brandy adds warmth and depth to the fruit mixture. Stir it in after the mincemeat has cooled to help retain more of its distinctive aroma and flavour.

Equipment You’ll Need

A large, heavy-based saucepan
A wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
Kitchen scales
A chopping board and sharp knife
A fine grater or citrus zester
A measuring jug
Sterilised jars with well-fitting lids (I used pop-able lids)
A ladle or jam funnel, if available
A heavy-based stainless steel saucepan helps distribute heat more evenly and reduces the chance of the sugar or fruit catching on the bottom.

How to Make Fruit Mincemeat For Mincepies

1. Prepare the apples
   Peel and core the cooking apples, then chop them into small pieces. The pieces don’t need to be perfectly even, but they should be small enough to soften during the short cooking time.

Finely grate the zest from one lemon, taking care to avoid the bitter white pith beneath the yellow skin.

2. Add the ingredients to the pan
   Place the raisins, currants, sultanas, dried cranberries and mixed peel in a large saucepan.

Add the chopped cooking apples, light brown soft sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice and lemon zest, followed by the butter.

Do not add the brandy at this stage.

3. Melt the butter
   Place the saucepan over a low heat. Cook gently, stirring regularly, until the butter has completely melted and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Start with low heat. If the heat is too high, the sugar may catch on the bottom of the pan before the butter has time to melt.

4. Simmer the mincemeat
   Once the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The apples will begin to soften, and the dried fruit will become plump and glossy.

The mixture should simmer gently rather than boil vigorously. Reduce the heat if it starts to stick or bubble too quickly.

5. Leave it to cool
   Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the mincemeat to cool to room temperature.

The mixture may still look slightly loose while it is warm. It will thicken as it cools and the fruit absorbs more of the liquid.

6. Add the brandy
   Pour in the brandy and stir thoroughly, making sure it spreads evenly through the fruit.

Adding the brandy after cooling prevents too much of its flavour and aroma from evaporating.

7. Fill the jars
   Spoon the finished mincemeat into clean, sterilised jars. Press it down gently with the back of a spoon to remove large pockets of air, then seal the jars with clean, well-fitting lids.

Label each jar with its contents and the date it was prepared.

How to Sterilise the Jars

Properly cleaned and sterilised jars help reduce the risk of contamination and spoilage.

First, wash the jars and lids thoroughly in hot, soapy water. Rinse them well, then check for cracks, chips or damaged seals.

Sterilise the jars using a recognised method suited to the type of jars and lids you’re using. Avoid touching the insides of the sterilised jars or lids before filling them.

The jars should be completely clean and dry before you add the cooled mincemeat.

Storage

When placed in sealed, properly sterilised jars, this mincemeat can be prepared well in advance of Christmas. The intended storage time is up to six months.

However, it contains fresh apple and butter and hasn’t been processed using a tested canning method, so refrigeration is the safest option. If you plan to store the jars at room temperature, consult current local guidance for preserving fruit safely.

Once opened, always keep the mincemeat refrigerated and use a clean spoon each time. Discard the entire jar if you notice mould, fermentation, an unusual smell, a damaged seal or any other sign of spoilage.

You can also freeze the mincemeat in airtight, freezer-safe containers. Leave a little room at the top of each container for expansion, then thaw it in the refrigerator before use.

Tips for Perfect Homemade Mincemeat

Chop the apples finely: Small pieces soften more quickly and are easier to use in mince pies.
Use a large pan: The mixture needs enough space to simmer without overflowing.
Start with low heat: This allows the butter to melt without burning the sugar.
Stir regularly: Dried fruit and sugar can easily catch on the base of the pan.
Simmer gently: Vigorous boiling can make the mincemeat dry or sticky.
Cool before adding the brandy: This preserves more of its flavour.
Make it ahead: Resting the jars gives the fruit time to absorb the spices and alcohol.
Label the jars: Include the preparation date so you can track storage time.

Possible Variations

This recipe is easy to adapt to suit your taste or the ingredients you have available.

Change the dried fruit

You can replace the dried cranberries with chopped dried cherries, apricots or extra raisins. Keep the total quantity of dried fruit approximately the same.

Use orange zest

Replace the lemon zest with orange zest for a sweeter, softer citrus flavour. You could also use a combination of lemon and orange zest.

Add nuts

For extra texture, stir in a small handful of finely chopped almonds or pecans once the mixture has cooled.

Make it more deeply spiced

Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger or cloves. Use strong spices sparingly so they don’t overpower the fruit.

Make vegan mincemeat

Replace the butter with the same quantity of firm plant-based butter. Check that the mixed peel, sugar and brandy are also suitable for vegans.

Can You Make Mincemeat Without Alcohol?

You can make an alcohol-free version, although it won’t have quite the same flavour and its potential storage life will be different.

Instead of brandy, you could use apple juice or orange juice. Since juice doesn’t offer the same preservative qualities as alcohol, store alcohol-free mincemeat in the refrigerator and use it much sooner.

Alternatively, leave out the brandy during storage and add a little apple or orange juice when you’re ready to bake. Follow current food-safety guidance when storing any homemade preserve.

How to Use Fruit Mincemeat

The most obvious way to use homemade mincemeat is in traditional mince pies. Spoon a small amount into shortcrust pastry cases and top them with pastry lids or festive pastry stars.

Don’t overfill the cases, as the mincemeat may bubble over while the pies bake.

You can also use it to make:

Mincemeat tarts
Puff pastry mincemeat swirls
Festive turnovers
Mincemeat crumble bars
Mincemeat loaf cake
Christmas muffins
Baked apples
Mincemeat Chelsea buns
Festive bread-and-butter pudding
A spoonful can also be warmed and served over vanilla ice cream, porridge, pancakes or yoghurt.

Frequently Asked Questions