Boozy Cranberry Mincemeat {vegan}

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This vegan Boozy Cranberry Mincemeat is a fresh, fruity filling for your mince pies. Gorgeously spiced and rich with festive flavour. Plus nut-free, vegan, suet-free and gluten-free if you're looking for the perfect free-from mincemeat.

this recipe

It's traditional to whip up your Christmas mincemeat on stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday of November). That way all the flavours have a chance to bed in and get to know each other before becoming a blossoming mincemeat for your mince pies.

Well this vegan mincemeat recipe doesn't worry about any of that. The joy of Cranberry Mincemeat is that it is just as delicious made fresh the hour before you make your mince pies or stored in a jar for a couple of weeks and brought out on Christmas Eve to make a last minute batch.

Why should you make this Boozy Cranberry Mincemeat this year?

• The clue is in the title - boozy mincemeat! A great glug of Cointreau goes into this mincemeat to make it lusciously orangey and full of festive spirit. The combo of orange liqueur and cranberries is a total game-changer. We also add in pale ale and brandy for good Christmas measure.
• Fresh cranberries! - They give the utmost fruitiness to our mincemeat, making it light bright and of course - fresh tasting. Dried cranberries are used for good measure.
• It can be made last minute. It doesn't need any resting time.
• All the traditional flavours of mincemeat are still there. It's not like eating a christmassy fruit pie - this is still very much a mince pie filling with dried vine fruits, spices and apples.
• It's a perfect mincemeat for all our free-from friends as it is vegan, suet-free, nut-free, dairy-free and gluten-free.

More mincemeat recipes you'll love!

• Easy Mincemeat Recipe - a real traditional go-to recipe
• Old-Fashioned Beef Mincemeat - this one is made with actual beef mince. It's not a Rachel from Friends moment - this is the way they used to do it! And it's got to be tasted to be believed - so amazing!!!

This vegan mincemeat

Mincemeat comes in all flavours and variations these days but the most traditional kind of mincemeat is made with suet (which is animal fat). This is a no-suet mincemeat and actually has no fat at all. It doesn't need it as the focus instead is on the lush fruity (albeit boozy) flavours which make it a much lighter mincemeat but still with deep flavour.

How to make it

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

The steps are simple:

1. In a large saucepan add the fresh cranberries, sugar, ale, bramley apple, lemon juice and zest and all the spices. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until some of the cranberries start to break down.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the dried fruits and the dessert apples and add to the boiled mixture.
3. Remove from the heat, add the dried fruits and give a very good mix through.
4. Leave to cool completely before stirring through the brandy and Cointreau.

Pro Tip - Be gentle when mixing in the fresh cranberries. You want most of them whole so they burst in your mouth mid-bite adding a gorgeous tang to counteract the sweetness of the mincemeat.

How to store it

Once the mincemeat is ready store in clean and sterilised jars and keep in a cool dark place.

How long does it keep for?

This cranberry orange mincemeat keeps very well for up to 6 weeks. The alcohol and sugar help preserve it. However due to the fresh cranberries it doesn't last months and months like other mincemeats. 

What can you make with mincemeat?

• Bramley Apple Mincemeat Pudding
• Mince Pie Cupcakes with Brandy Buttercream
• Gluten-Free Mince Pies
• Almond & Mincemeat Christmas Sponge Cake
• Christmas Mince Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Mince Pie Muffins with Mincemeat

I urge you to give this Cranberry Mincemeat a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

Boozy Cranberry Mincemeat {vegan}

Georgina Hartley

Boozy Cranberry Mincemeat is a fresh, fruity filling for your mince pies. Gorgeously spiced and rich with festive flavour. Plus nut-free, vegan, suet-free and gluten-free if you're looking for the perfect free-from mincemeat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine British

Servings 64 servings

Calories 63 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 100 g dried cranberries
• ▢ 200 g raisins
• ▢ 275 g currants
• ▢ 100 g soft prunes - stoned and blended to form a paste
• ▢ 2 dessert apples - peeled, cored and diced small
• ▢ 500 g fresh cranberries
• ▢ 300 g dark brown sugar
• ▢ 250 ml gluten-free pale ale
• ▢ 1 bramley apple - peeled and grated
• ▢ zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 30 ml brandy
• ▢ 100 ml Cointreau

Instructions

 

• Pour the fresh cranberries, sugar, ale, bramley apple, lemon juice and zest and all the spices into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until some of the cranberries start to break down.
• In a large mixing bowl add the dried fruits and the dessert apples and add to the boiled mixture.
• Remove from the heat, add the dried fruits and give a very good mix through, making sure the prune paste is evenly dispersed.
• Leave to cool completely before stirring through the brandy and Cointreau.
• Decant into sterilised jars and store until ready to use or use straightaway.

Notes

• Yield 4x 380g jars
• You can use this mincemeat straightaway for your mince pies. Or you can store in clean sterilised jars and keep in a cool dark place for up to 6 weeks.
• Top tip - when you're heating up your fresh cranberries try not to break them up too much - you want to keep as many of them whole as you can.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcalCarbohydrates: 15gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 99mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 25IUVitamin C: 1.8mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.3mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!