This easy homemade mincemeat recipe is packed full of cooking apples, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, Christmas spice and a generous dose of cider and brandy.
If you’ve never made your own mincemeat before, let me show you just how simple it is!
Nothing makes me feel more festive than making a batch of mince pies. Nothing makes me feel more ravenous either.
The aroma of buttery pastry and hot, boozy mincemeat filling is irresistible to me.
For me, it’s the smell of Christmas.
Homemade mincemeat
Yes, you might be able buy pretty decent mincemeat in the shops these days, but it simply doesn’t come close to making your own.
The beauty of making your own mincemeat is you control what goes into it. I’ve never been a fan of mixed peel, so I leave it out.
You can easily substitute one dried fruit for another – for instance if you aren’t keen on dried cranberries, then just add more sultanas, raisins or Currants.
Dried or chopped glacé Cherries would also be a great idea.
How to make homemade mincemeat (suet free)
Making mincemeat couldn’t really get much easier. All you need to do is place all the ingredients apart from the brandy or rum in a saucepan and let it simmer for around 30 minutes on a low heat until it looks like…mincemeat!
Suet free mincemeat
Suet is a traditional ingredient in mincemeat, but you won’t find any in this recipe. Cooking apples replace the suet and ensures the mincemeat stays nice and moist.
How long will homemade mincemeat keep For?
Unopened jars of Mincemeat will keep for a very long time – the alcohol and sugars in the recipe will preserve it beautifully.
I’ve kept this mincemeat for up to 2 years with absolutely no problems.
I have to say though, it is pretty rare for me to have jars of mincemeat sitting in my cupboard for months on end. I make a LOT of mince pies every December!
There is one thing you absolutely must do though – store the mincemeat in sterilised jars.
How do you sterilise Jars for mincemeat?
I usually put the jars and lids in the dishwasher on a hot cycle and dry them in a very low (100C) oven. Just make sure you don’t place your fingers inside the jars and undo all the work you’ve just done!
Alternatively you can give the jars a good scrub in very hot, soapy water before placing them in the oven (see above) to dry.
This mincemeat is adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe, “Hettie’s suet free mincemeat” from how to be a domestic goddess.
If you love the flavour of apple, it’s definitely the mincemeat recipe for you.
Recipes to use up mincemeat
As well as making mince pies, you could also try these easy mincemeat muffins or Mary Berry’s Mincemeat Loaf Cakes.
More Christmas recipes for you to try
Sweet…
Chocolate peanut butter rice krispie balls (no bake!)
Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Cookies
Last Minute Chocolate Cherry Mincemeat
Easy Iced Gingerbread Biscuits
White chocolate and cranberry cookies
Ginger, Cherry and pecan Christmas pudding
Ginger, orange and almond bars
Savoury….
Rolled Turkey breast with apricot and cranberry stuffing
Sausagemeat, sage and cranberry stuffing balls
Honey mustard Roasted parsnips and carrots
Pigs in blankets macaroni cheese
Did you make this easy homemade mincemeat?
Let me know what you thought of the recipe by leaving a comment below, and if you would rate the recipe out of 5 by clicking on the stars in the recipe card, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!
Easy Homemade Mincemeat
This easy homemade mincemeat recipe is packed full of cooking apples, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, Christmas spice and a generous dose of cider and brandy.
If you've never made your own mincemeat before, let me show you just how simple it is!
Ingredients
- 250ml (8fl oz/1 cup) Medium (hard) dry Cider
- 250G (1 cup) Soft Dark brown sugar
- 1Kg (8 cups) Cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 250G (1 3/4 cups) Raisins
- 250G (1 3/4 cups) Sultanas
- 100G (3/4 cup) Dried Cranberries
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
- Zest and Juice of half a Lemon
- 100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) Brandy or Dark Rum
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar and the cider in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the chopped apples, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, spices and lemon Zest and Juice. Simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the mixture is pulpy and soft.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy or rum. Spoon into sterilised jars.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 127Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 31gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 1g
Wish ingredients were in cups so us usa folks could use
I’m going to try this this soon as mincemeat isn’t available in Germany. I usually visit England before Christmas to stock up but can’t this year…shipping is outrageous…and then I remember seeing this recipe earlier this year. Thanks! I’ll let you know how I get on.
Thanks Jacqui, hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m like Pam who recently posted that she wished you had the ingredients in cups, etc. for us USA folks. I really would like to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I made this yesterday. Super easy and super tasty. I would have been making my own for years if I’d known it was this easy! Next time, I’ll probably slice my apples just a little smaller. I made three jars (I hope I sterilized them long enough) with a little bit over that I’ll use to bake some early mince pies later today -yumm! Thanks Nickki
That’s great Jacqui, glad you like the recipe! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hi Char, due to popular demand I’m posting the cup measurements over the weekend – watch this space! 🙂
I feel it’s so lovely to see mincemeat making a comeback. I’ve made my own for years as did my mom. Many are put off by the name and are afraid to taste. It’s so warm and delicious,perfect for these long winter nights.
I totally agree! You can’t beat homemade 🙂
Can I ask what you mean by cider? Could I use Apple Cider? Also by cooking apple do you mean Granny Smith or does it really matter – I usually buy Gala. Thanks so much – hope to make this weekend
Hi Gwen, you need the alcohol version of apple cider for this recipe – as far as I know (I could be wrong), your apple cider in the USA is non-alcoholic? I’m not too sure what you call that – it could be hard cider? I use Bramley apples but I know they are are only available in the UK. They go really soft and fluffy when they are cooked, so I don’t think Granny Smiths would work the same, unfortunately. You could try it with Galas, but I think the texture of the mincemeat would be different. Any type… Read more »
Thanks for the measurement conversions, Nickki. Can’t wait to make this recipe! Happy holidays!
You’re welcome! Happy Holidays to you too 😊
Curious what is the mixed spice made up of?
mixed spice typically has a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander seed and cloves. It’s very similar to pumpkin pie spice. Not to be confused with ground all spice, which is stronger. Hope this helps!