Four layers of spicy, sweet, fruity sumptuousness come together in this mincemeat meringue pie recipe. It starts with melt-in the mouth spelt and almond pastry which is good enough to eat all by itself. The meringue topping splits into a crunchy crust on top and a billowy marshmallow layer below. And the filling is, of course, mincemeat. It makes a delightful winter dessert and can even stand in for the Christmas pudding.

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Mincemeat Meringue Pie

Mincemeat meringue pie is one of my mother’s favourites. She’s been making it for years. I’ve taken it a couple of steps further to make it even more delicious and suitable for a dinner party dessert as well as a family meal.

The pie is at its best served hot straight from the oven. You can however serve it at room temperature later on in the day. It will keep in an airtight container for three to four days, but the top will no longer be crispy.

Pastry

In a departure from my normal yoghurt pastry, I’ve made the base for this pie with a delicious wholemeal spelt and almond pastry. Instead of yoghurt, I’ve used an egg yolk and water to bind it together. Just like my yoghurt pastry though, it’s an easy dough to work with and unlike many wholemeal pastries, doesn’t fall apart when you roll it.

I had enough trimmings from the pastry to make four delicious cinnamon swirls. Bonus.

Mincemeat

If you can make your own mincemeat, it really makes a difference to this fruity tart. I made a fresh batch for the recipe you can see here. I used my chilli chocolate mincemeat recipe as a base, but scaled it back, omitted both the vegetarian suet and chocolate and changed the alcohol I used.

As there is so much fat in the pastry, I don’t think the mincemeat needs any in this recipe. And it sort of tastes fresher without it. But if you like the idea, keep the suet in or swap it for melted butter.

The great thing about mincemeat is you can make it just the way you like it or with what you happen to have in your kitchen cupboards. I swapped some of the fruit and used chopped whole almonds instead of flaked ones. Basically I had a kitchen clear out and used bits and pieces of dried fruit that were taking up space. In went sultanas, raisins, dried apricots and a couple of dried figs.

I used clementines for the citrus zest and juice and whisky for the alcohol. It all went into a covered bowl and soaked for four days. All I needed to do was give it an occasional stir.

For further inspiration, take a look at my lemon and ginger mincemeat recipe. That’s also infinitely adaptable, but might give you a few other ideas.

Of course, it’s a lot easier and quicker to buy a jar of mincemeat. If you go down this route, try and get the best one you can. It will make a difference. Also make sure to read the label and check that it’s vegetarian friendly. Some mincemeat contains beef suet.

Meringue

The only bit I didn’t change was the Swiss meringue. Just like a lemon meringue pie, whisked egg whites and sugar adorn the top of this mincemeat meringue pie. It forms two gorgeous layers as it bakes. The top is golden, crisp and crunchy but underneath is a white marshmallowy layer of delight which creates a delicious contrast.

Mincemeat Meringue Pie: Step-by-Step

Once you’ve made the pastry for this mincemeat meringue pie, the rest is really very easy.

Although conventional wisdom has it that you should blind bake a pastry case before filling it, I only do this in rare circumstances. If you use a metal tart tin, I find there’s often no need. It uses additional oven power, can over-bake the pastry top and sides and just creates an extra step that I find a real nuisance.

If you want a guaranteed super crisp bottom though, you might want to blind bake your pastry first.

Step 1. Make Pastry

Place all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. A wide bowl is best for this as it gives your hands a bit more space.

Make sure the butter is fridge cold. Cut it into small pieces, then add to the bowl and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Don’t worry if there are little lumps of butter left in, they help to give the pastry its delicious flaky quality.

Add the egg yolk, almond extract and most, but not all of the water. Mix together with a flat bladed knife until the pastry starts to clump together. If it’s too dry, add the last of the water.

Bring the dough together with your hands and form it into a round disc. Cover with a tea towel or wrap it in a plastic bag and leave to rest in a cool place for twenty minutes.

Top Tips

If you find making pastry by hand a bit laborious, you can make it in a food processor instead. Pulse the dry ingredients and cubed butter together until you’ve got a breadcrumb like consistency. Then drop in the egg yolk and water. Pulse again, until it all comes together and forms a dough.

It’s best to go cautiously with water because if you end up with a wet dough, you’ll find it difficult to work with. Not only that, but the resulting pastry will be heavy rather than flaky.

Step 2. Roll Pastry

Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).

On a clean floured surface, roll the pastry into a circle to fit the bottom and sides of a round loose bottomed 23 cm (nine inch) tart tin*. The pastry should be about four millimetres (an eighth of an inch) thick.

Roll the pastry loosely around the rolling pin in order to transfer it to the tin. Lay the pastry over the bottom and press it into the sides with your fingers. Finally trim off any excess pastry with a knife.

Top Tip

Use your pastry trimmings to fill in any gaps. You can also reform the dough and make a couple of cinnamon swirls with it.

Step 3. Make Meringue

First off, when you separate your eggs, make sure you don’t get any yolk mixed into the whites. Meringue will not work if there’s any trace of fat. For the same reason make sure your bowl and whisk are scrupulously clean.

Using electric beaters* or a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they start to form peaks. At this point, begin adding the sugar, just a tablespoonful at a time, whisking all the while.

Continue to whisk until all of the sugar is incorporated, the meringue is glossy and you can turn the bowl upside down without the meringue moving.

Step 4. Assemble Mincemeat Meringue Pie

Spoon the mincemeat in an even layer over the pastry base.

Spread the meringue over the top of the mincemeat with a spoon, creating peaks and swirls as you go. It may look as though there’s not enough meringue for the size of the pie, but it rises up as it bakes and will fill the pastry case.

Step 5. Bake Mincemeat Meringue Pie

Bake on the bottom shelf of your oven for thirty to forty minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden and the meringue is well risen. You don’t want the pie too close to the top of the oven or the meringue may start to burn before it’s properly cooked.

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for five minutes. Place the tart tin on a small bowl so that the side ring slips off the tart. Carefully lift or slide the pie onto a plate and serve.

Top Tips

Place a baking tray on the shelf directly above the pie. This will help to stop the meringue from burning.

If you’re going to serve the mincemeat meringue pie at room temperature, allow it to cool in the tin before removing.

Other Winter Puddings You Might Like

For more mincemeat recipes, take a look at this post on all the mincemeat recipes you will ever need.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this mincemeat meringue pie, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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If you’d like more pastry recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Mincemeat Meringue Pie. PIN IT.

Mincemeat Meringue Pie – The Recipe

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5 from 9 votes

Mincemeat Meringue Pie

Four layers of spicy, sweet, fruity sumptuousness come together in this mincemeat tart. It starts with melt-in the mouth spelt and almond pastry which is good enough to eat all by itself. The meringue topping splits into a crunchy crust on top and a billowy marshmallow layer below. And the filling is, of course, mincemeat. It makes a delightful winter dessert and can even stand in for the Christmas pudding.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Resting Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Christmas, meringue, mincemeat, pastry, pudding

Servings: people

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment