Easy Mincemeat Recipe (with gluten-free suet)

I simply adore Christmas mincemeat. In my humble opinion it’s the best thing about the season. Along with The Waitresses’ Christmas Wrapping, decorating the Christmas tree and watching the children opening their Christmas stockings.

Stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday before advent) is the traditional day to make your own mincemeat for the season. It’s nice to get this job out of the way in November as it means you can have homemade mince pies at your disposal any time during the holiday period. However it's not always possible to be that organised, I know there has been many a Stir Up Sunday when I have barely touched a toe in the kitchen. However, you can rest assured that if you want to bake a last minute batch of mince pies sometime in December then this quick mincemeat will be a life saver.

This is a traditional mincemeat recipe. I don't think you can go wrong with a Delia recipe at your disposal and I'm sure this recipe had origins in hers. But the problem with a lot of traditional mincemeat filling is that one of the main ingredients is suet. Although suet itself is a meat product, the way they sell it in supermarkets is to coat it in wheat flour and it's nigh impossible to buy a gluten-free version.

I'll take you through exactly how you can still make the traditional version of mincemeat which includes suet even if you are on a gluten-free diet, how to cook out and store your mincemeat and as an added bonus all the best ways you can use this invaluable Christmas ingredient.

What is mincemeat?

Mincemeat is the traditional filling of a christmas mince pie. A few hundred years ago mincemeat was a way to preserve meat, usually mutton, without smoking or salting. The meat would be chopped very finely, aka minced, then preserved with spirits and spices and sugar. It’s more usual these days for the ground beef to be replaced with beef suet and dried fruit.

✨Although if you haven’t tried mince pies made in the traditional method using actual beef mince then you need to try this Victorian Mincemeat recipe.✨

Homemade mincemeat vs. shop bought

I made the unfortunate mistake of buying pre-made mincemeat for some recipe testing recently and the difference between your own homemade mincemeat and shop bought is extreme. The shop bought stuff is all sugar and no flavour. 

This Easy Homemade Mincemeat tastes of plump juicy fruits and spices and is rich with brandy with a silky luxurious texture.

Plus if you’re making your own recipe you can make it exactly to your preference. It's an extremely versatile recipe which you can switch up for the dried fruit, alcohol and type of sugar you have to hand. It will always be a preferred option to the sickly sweet supermarket version.

Why you'll love this recipe

If  you need to make some Homemade Mince Pies asap then this easy recipe is the way to go. 

• This homemade mincemeat is so simple to make and takes no time at all.
• It's a back-to-basics recipe using traditional ingredients in the fruit filling.
• Gorgeous rich flavour which is full of christmas spice.
• No resting time required.
• It’s not necessary to cook the mincemeat out before filling your pies if you want to eat them straightaway.
• This is a gluten-free mincemeat, which may sound obvious but not all mincemeat is gluten-free (check your suet packaging!)
• Which leads onto me saying that this is a suet mincemeat which is what gives the end result a luxuriously rich and silky texture.
• They are the perfect filling for your favourite gluten-free mince pie recipe.

Ingredients and notes

Beef Suet

Beef suet is the hard fat from around the joints and kidneys of the animal. It was traditionally used in mincemeat to preserve it but it is also favoured due to its richness of flavour and the silky way it coats the luscious fruit.

Is beef suet gluten-free?

Unfortunately the commercial beef suet you can buy in a packet in your local supermarket is not gluten-free. The hard kidney fat is processed into small pellets which are coated in wheat flour. This allows the suet to be easily stored and weighed and used in baking but it's not gluten-free.

Can you buy gluten-free suet?

I have seen a gluten-free suet option in the supermarket but it is was a vegetable suet and it is not a product I like to use. The ingredients list is iffy and doesn't have the right flavour.

If you want to make gluten-free mincemeat then ask if your butcher whether they are able to source fresh beef suet for you . If they supply it in pellets then it's perfect to use as it is. If it is provided in a hard block then you can grate it with a bit of gluten-free flour to create little fat pellets which helps to evenly disperse the fat. You can store the suet in the freezer in an airtight container and you can use it in this recipe directly from the freezer.

You can also use this fresh beef suet in your Traditional Christmas Pudding. Or in a Spotted Dick.

How to Make Gluten-Free Mincemeat

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

1. Mix Ingredients: Combine apples with all ingredients (except brandy) in a large ovenproof pot.
2. Prep Apples: Peel, core, and dice the apples and mix into the rest of the ingredients.

This mincemeat is then ready for immediate use.

• For Immediate Use: You'll need 250 - 300g for making your mince pies. Stir in the brandy and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days until you are ready to make your mince pies.

If you are not using the mincemeat immediately or you are only using one batch of mincemeat and need to store the rest then you need to cook it out before storing. This is to allow the suet and sugar to melt, coat and preserve all the fruit evenly. Plus it also stops the apples from fermenting.

1. For Later Use: Cook the mincemeat by covering the pot with a lid and bake at 160°C / 140°C fan assisted / gas mark 3 / 320°F for 1 hour.
2. Cool and Add Brandy: Let the cooked mincemeat cool to room temperature and stir in the brandy.
3. Jar and Store: Transfer to sterilised jam jars. Store in a dark, cool place for up to a year.

How to store

If you are planning on using all your mincemeat within the month then the cooked mincemeat will keep just fine if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

For longer term storage then decant your mincemeat into sterilised jars. It will keep up to a year if stored in a cool and dark place.

• To sterilise the glass jars – Place the very clean jars you would like to use in an oven pre-heated to 150°C / 130°C fan assisted / gas mark 2 / 300°F for 20 minutes. Sterilise the lids by dropping them into a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes. It is best not to sterilise lids in the oven as they can easily ruin.