Homemade, healthy mince pies are the ultimate treat at Christmas. This low sugar mince pie recipe includes a delicious, healthy apple mincemeat filling. It's lighter than traditional mincemeat and is naturally sweetened with dried fruits and spices, and no added sugar. Healthy mincemeat takes just minutes to make and is very easy.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Light crisp pastry
- Vegetarian low fat healthy mincemeat with no added sugar and no suet
- Quick homemade apple mincemeat can be used immediately
- The recipe can be easily adapted for vegan, dairy free and gluten-free mince pies
- No added sugar healthy mince pies are much lower in fat and calories than bought mince pies
Why homemade mince pies are healthier
Bought mince pies seem to have changed over the years. Am I imagining it, or is the pastry becoming thicker and sweeter?
According to the nutritional information on the packaging, 2 mince pies from a well known supermarket brand would take you over the recommended daily allowance of sugar for an adult (children should have less).
And on the range that I looked at, the gluten free and organic mince pies contained even higher levels of sugar.
In addition, a number of brands use cheap unhealthy oils in the pastry to keep the costs of production down. That hardly sounds like a Christmas celebration!
These healthy mince pies are made with a thin layer of crisp pastry and naturally sweetened with fruits and spices. There is no added sugar, no additives and no cheap, unhealthy oils.
No added sugar healthy mincemeat
In addition to being free from added sugar, this healthy mincemeat recipe is lower in fat. A traditional mincemeat contains suet, which is an animal product high in saturated fat.
A number of manufacturers have now switched to vegan suet in their mincemeat, but this is made from palm oil, sunflower oil and rice flour.
For this healthy, no-refined sugar mincemeat, I've just added a small knob of butter to add a little richness and extra flavour. You can omit it if you prefer, or replace it with coconut oil for a vegan mincemeat recipe.
If you've got some leftover mincemeat, you might like to try these healthy mincemeat desserts:
- Healthy apple and mincemeat crumble
- Mincemeat stuffed baked apples
- Mincemeat flapjacks
- Mincemeat crumble traybake
Pastry
The pastry for these healthy mince pies contains the same amount of fat as most other shortcrust pastry. But it's butter not cheap palm oil, and we'll use less of the pastry by rolling it out thinly. Thinner pastry will be crisper and flakier:)
You can also reduce the pastry a little by topping the mince pies with stars rather than making a whole lid. They'll look especially festive and pretty that way.
You can also use this dairy free or vegan pastry if you prefer. For gluten-free mince pies, switch to a gluten-free plain flour blend, or use this pastry made with oats.
If you want a lower fat mince pie, use bought filo pastry instead of the shortcrust that I've used here. Filo pastry contains significantly lower levels of fat, but make sure that you follow the pack instructions carefully as it can dry out.
(Note, if you replace shortcrust with flaky pastry, you'll be eating a lot more fat!)
Ingredients
Dried fruit. I used a standard dried fruit mix with raisins, sultanas, currants and mixed peel. Add other dried fruits if you prefer: apricots, dates, prunes, dried cranberries...
You could also add some chopped nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts which will add texture, flavour and extra protein.
Apple. Adding grated apple makes for a lighter, fresher tasting mincemeat. It will cook down to a soft texture in minutes.
Clementine adds an orange-infused Christmas flavour to these healthy mince pies. When you grate the rind from the clementine, use a fine grater and try to avoid including any of the white pith which can taste bitter.
Of course, if you like, feel free to add a splash of Christmas spirit. Brandy or rum would be great options which you could switch in instead of the clementine juice.
Butter. A little butter helps to add extra richness to this suet free mincemeat, but you can omit it if you would prefer a fat free mincemeat.
Or for a vegan mincemeat, use a tablespoon of coconut oil instead.
Cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. You can vary the spices to suit your taste. Maybe try a spiced healthy mincemeat with ground cardamom or ginger. Or simply use a teaspoon of mixed spice.
You'll also need plain flour, butter and a pinch of salt to make the pastry. Or use this dairy free pastry if you prefer.
Optional
If you want to add an egg wash to the pastry to make it look shinier, you'll also need a whole egg.
How to make healthy mince pies
Make the pastry first so that it can rest and chill.
Put the flour, 50g of butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Blitz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Then add a little cold water a tablespoon at a time, and pulse briefly. You'll need 2-3 tablespoons of water in total, but it can vary depending on the flour and the temperature. The mixture will start to clump together.
Remove the pastry from the processor, and gently form it into a ball with your hands. Then wrap it in a bag and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Resting the pastry in the fridge makes it flakier and less likely to shrink when it's cooked.
The mincemeat for these low sugar mince pies takes only a few minutes. Add the dried fruit, apple, fruit juice and rind, 15g butter and spices to a pan. Place on a low heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
The fruits will swell, and absorb all of the rich Christmas flavours. Leave to cool for a few minutes, and you're ready to assemble your pies.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (170 fan).
Roll out the pastry thinly on a floured board or worktop. You're aiming for it to be slightly thinner than £1 coin.
Then using a cutter, cut out circles which fit the base and sides of your tin.
Divide the mincemeat filling between the pies.
Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out lids or stars for the top. Dampen the edges of the lids so that they seal well when you put them on.
If you want to egg wash the top for an extra shine, beat an egg in a small bowl with a splash of water and brush on onto the top of each pie.
Bake healthy mince pies in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the tray partway if necessary to ensure that they cook evenly.
Remove from the tin when cool enough to handle.
Cook's tips
- If you like you can include the flavour of alcohol in mincemeat without the alcohol content. Allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes in the pan with the other ingredients and the alcohol will evaporate. If you want to retain the alcohol content, add it at the end of the cooking process.
- Healthy low-sugar mincemeat has a shorter shelf life than traditional mincemeat as sugar is a preservative. If you want to make extra, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, pop it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you want to serve this recipe at a party, you could make mini healthy mince pies and serve alongside other Christmas treats such as these chocolate coconut truffles or almond and honey marzipan balls.
Frequently asked questions
As they are made with pastry and dried fruit, mince pies are a relatively high carb food. These healthy no-added-sugar mince pies have 16 g of carbs. A supermarket mince pie will have more than twice that amount.
Like all mince pies, these healthy mince pies are particularly delicious when they are still warm from the oven. However, they'll keep well in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days. If you want you can pop them back in a preheated oven for a few minutes to warm through.
Yes. You can freeze healthy mince pies either cooked or uncooked. Wrap them well and freeze for up to 3 months. Uncooked sugar free mince pies can be cooked from frozen - just give them an extra 7 or 8 minutes in the oven. Freezing mince pies is a great way to get ahead for the Christmas season!
Other healthy Christmas recipes
You might also like this no added sugar fruit cake, and healthy Christmas pudding recipe. There's also a collection of other low sugar Christmas treats.
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Recipe
Healthy Mince Pies with No Added Sugar Mincemeat
Equipment
- 12 hole mince pie tray
- Food processor or can make pastry by hand
- Rolling Pin
- saucepan
Ingredients
Healthy Mincemeat
- 150 g mixed dried fruit
- ½ large apple, grated
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 clementine
- 15 g butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- grated nutmeg or use ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry
- 100 g plain flour
- 50 g butter, cut into cubes
- pinch salt
- water to mix
- 1 egg optional, for eggwash
Instructions
Pastry
- Add the flour, butter and salt to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Then carefully add some cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and blitz briefly until the mixture holds together. I used 35ml water, but that could vary depending on the temperature and your flour. Take care not to over process otherwise the pastry will be tough.
- Bring the pastry into a ball with your hands. Place in a bag and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Healthy Mincemeat
- Add the dried fruits, grated apple, spices, butter, clementine rind and juice to a pan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes until the apple has softened. Leave to cool.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (170 fan).
- Roll out the pastry thinly. You are aiming for an even thickness of less than a £1 coin. Cut 12 circles for the base of each pie with a cutter which is just a little bigger than the holes in the tin. Place in the pastry in the tin.
- Add a couple of teaspoons of mincemeat filling to each pie. You want them to be sufficiently full without bubbling over, so don't overfill.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and cut 12 smaller circles (or stars) for the tops. Moisten the edges of the pastry top with cold water, and add to the pies, gently pushing the edges together with your fingers.
- If you like, you can brush the pastry before cooking with egg wash. This will make them look lovely by adding a golden sheen. Just beat the egg with a splash of water and brush onto the lids before baking.
Baking
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 mins. If necessary, turn the tray around part way through the cooking time. If you have left any mincemeat exposed (by using stars rather than full lids), take extra care that the dried fruit does not burn.
- Remove the mince pies from the tray when cool enough to handle.
Notes
- If you don't want to use a food processor to make the pastry, place butter, salt and flour in a bowl and rub together between your thumb and fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the water as above, mixing with a fork, and bring the whole together into a ball with your hands.
- For vegan or dairy-free mince pies, use this dairy free pastry recipe and replace the butter in the mincemeat with coconut oil.
- Healthy low-sugar mincemeat has a shorter shelf life than traditional mincemeat as sugar is a preservative. If you want to make extra, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, pop it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Andy Fisher says
Are these mince pies suitable for people with type 2 diabetes?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi yes, these mince pies are suitable for diabetics as they are lower in sugar than a conventional recipe. However, dried fruit does contain natural sugars, so probably best to eat them in moderation;)
Angela says
Totally converted to the apple mincemeat. It's lighter and tastier that bought, and less stodgy.
Wendy says
Thank you so much - I'm glad you like it.