How To Make Mincemeat: Fat Free

Homemade mincemeat is the bees knees. It’s so much nicer than commercial mincemeat and it’s ever so easy to make. Leave out what you don’t like and add what you do. This post on how to make mincemeat is for a sweet, spicy, fruity and fat free version. There’s an option to add suet if you wish, but it’s not really needed and it tastes fresher without.

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Stirring up a batch of sweetly scented mincemeat is bound to get you into the festive spirit. It has the flavour and smell of Christmas, to say nothing of the longstanding tradition of leaving a mince pie out for Santa Claus. The perfect recipe to make a wish on Stir-up Sunday.

Dive Right In

• What Is Stir-up Sunday?
• What’s The Difference Between Mincemeat And Minced Meat?
• How Do You Make Mincemeat?
• Free From
• Ingredients
• How To Make Mincemeat: Step-by-Step
• How Long Does Mincemeat Keep?
• How To Use Mincemeat
• Keep In Touch
• The Recipe

What is Stir-up Sunday?

Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent in the Christian calendar. It falls on a different date each year, but this year it was this Sunday just gone. It’s the day that home cooks all over Britain stir-up their Christmas puddings.

Tradition has it that each member of the household takes turns at stirring and as they do so, they make a wish. In theory they stir from East to West, in reference to the Magi (Wise Men) who came from the East to visit the baby Jesus.

The puddings should contain thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.

As I don’t make Christmas puddings, I try to stir-up my homemade mincemeat instead. As luck, rather than intent, would have it, I have thirteen ingredients in this fat-free mincemeat recipe.

What’s The Difference Between Mincemeat And Minced Meat?

Mincemeat and minced meat are two very different things. They are, however, both stalwarts of British cuisine. Mincemeat is a sweetly spiced dried fruit concoction that is used to make mince pies, amongst other things.

Minced meat, on the other hand, is pretty much what it says on the tin. It’s ground up meat, which is used to make any number of savoury dishes.

The confusion arises, because mincemeat was originally made with actual meat. It was a Tudor delicacy back in the Sixteenth Century. Minced meat was mixed with dried fruits as a way of preserving the meat and to make it go further.

Beef suet is now the only reminder of mincemeat’s origins. It’s traditional to make mincemeat with beef suet.

Of course as a vegetarian I don’t do that. I used to make it with vegetarian suet instead, although melted butter is another option. However, in recent years I tend to make fat-free mincemeat instead. I don’t really like vegetarian suet as it’s highly processed and contains palm oil. As for butter it’s not vegan, so the resulting mincemeat isn’t very inclusive.

Besides which, there’s usually plenty of fat in the items we bake mincemeat into, so do we really need even more of it? I think not.

Apart from this recipe for fat-free mincemeat, I also have recipes for lemon and ginger mincemeat and chilli chocolate mincemeat. Both contain vegetarian suet.

So How Do You Make Mincemeat?

Well it really is super easy to make your own mincemeat. It’s also incredibly satisfying and the sweet scent is almost intoxicating. In essence you just need to weigh your ingredients, grate a few of them, bung everything in a bowl and stir.

Some people cook their mincemeat before jarring it up, but there’s really no need. You’re going to cook the mincemeat in your mince pies or other bakes anyway.

You don’t need much in the way of equipment either. Just a bowl, spoon and sterilised jars.

Free From

One of the many benefits of making mincemeat without suet is that it then becomes gluten-free. Suet usually comes with a coating of flour. I’ve also omitted nuts from this version. I often add slivered almonds, but I have to say I don’t miss them at all in this version.

This means that this fresh and fruity mincemeat is fat-free, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan.

Fat-Free Mincemeat Ingredients

The key to a good mincemeat is the choice of dried fruit, alcohol, sweet spices and sharp apples. In this fat-free version, I’ve also included carrot and orange.

Dried Fruit

Raisins, sultanas and currants are the dried fruits of traditional British mincemeat. Currants have their place, but I’m not so keen on them in mincemeat. I go for raisins and sultanas with a few others to add interest and flavour.

In this particular instance, I went with a bag of mixed berries. These were, in fact, a mix of cranberries, blueberries and raisins. So not quite what they were purported to be.

Then I add my signature fruit: prunes. Prunes give such a lovely flavour that mincemeat no longer feels like the real deal without them.

Mixed Peel

Mixed peel is another traditional ingredient. CT is not a fan, so unless I’ve made my own candied peel, which I do sometimes, I leave it out. Or in this case swap it for something else. I used a mix of candied papaya and pineapple. They do need a bit of chopping first though.

Alcohol

I generally like to use whisky, but brandy, cognac or rum are good too. In fact you can use any spirit you like. Liqueurs are a good bet too, but as they’e already sweetened, you’ll probably want to reduce the amount of sugar you use.

In this particular recipe, and mostly because I want the orange notes to surface, I feel that brandy has the most resonance. It’s rich, but relatively neutral in flavour.

Apple

Apple is one of those classic ingredients that really work in this festive recipe. They add moisture as well as flavour. My first choice is a good cooking apple.

This gives a little sharpness to balance out the sweetness of the sugar and dried fruit. It also softens easily when cooked. Crunchy pieces of apple aren’t what you’re looking for in a mince pie.

Carrot

Carrot is not a traditional ingredient in mincemeat, but I like to add it sometimes. It works really well and adds a touch of colour. When my mum makes Christmas puddings on Stir-up Sunday, she always adds carrot to the mix, as well as apple. As I don’t make Christmas puddings, mincemeat is the nearest I get to it.

I don’t always manage to make my mincemeat on Stir-up Sunday, but when I do, I add carrot to the mix.

In any event, it’s a thrifty way to bulk out mincemeat. Dried fruit is pricy.

Orange

There’s nothing quite like the scent of freshly grated orange zest to lift the spirits. Both the orange zest and juice are fabulous for adding flavour to all sorts of recipes. And it works particularly well here. You can’t get a much more festive fruit than oranges after all.

The orange infuses the dried fruit with its delightful citrus tones and really adds to the overall heady aroma.

Spice

When it comes to spices, take your pick and go with your favourite. Christmas spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves all have their place. Mixed spice is a good all rounder. I actually used pumpkin spice this year, as that’s what I had in my spice rack.

Turns out my pumpkin spice are the very three spices that represent the Three Wise Men (Magi), cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

The important thing to get right here is to ensure you use freshly ground spices. Stale spice not only lacks flavour, but it can give a musty tone. And with all that expensive dried fruit, that’s really not a good idea.

Sugar

Last but not least, we have sugar. I don’t like my mincemeat to be overly sweet. On the other hand, I do like it to be sweeter than just the dried fruit. So I compromise and add a relatively small amount. That’s the beauty of making your own. You can adapt it to your liking.

I use dark brown muscovado sugar as it’s one of the least processed sugars. It also has a good flavour with caramel notes. Brown sugar is the way to go with mincemeat, even if it’s not muscovado.

How To Make Mincemeat: Step-by-Step

Bish bosh bash, make your mincemeat in a flash. Having said that, it’s best to allow at least twenty four hours for it to marinade.

Step 1. Grate Orange

Scrub the orange well, especially if it’s not organic or unwaxed. Use soap to scrub a waxed orange.

Dry it with a paper towel, then finely grate the zest into a medium to large sized mixing bowl. I use a microplane* to zest citrus. It’s the easiest and fastest way I’ve found.

Step 2. Grate Fruit & Veg

Top and tail the carrot and give it a good scrub. There’s no need to peel it though, unless the skin is badly blemished.

Using a box grater, grate the carrot and then the apple into the bowl. If you leave the apple until last, there’s less chance of it oxidising.

To prepare the apple, rinse it briefly with water, then cut it into quarters. Again there’s no need to peel. I found any tough bits of skin were left behind when I grated the quarters. Just remove the cores before you grate.

Juice the orange and pour it over the apple. Again, this helps to prevent it from oxidising.

Step 3. Stir It Up

Add all the remaining ingredients, then give everything a good stir. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and all of the fruit is coated in the syrupy liquid.

Don’t worry if there seems to be rather a lot of liquid. The fruit will soak it all up.

Step 4. Let It Steep

Cover the bowl with a plate, then leave the fruit to steep for a minimum of twenty four hours. If you can leave it for forty eight hours, so much the better.

Give it a good stir once or twice a day. You’ll notice how the fruit plumps up.

Step 5. Pot It Up

Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars. Cover with wax discs then seal with sterilised lids. Alternatively, use your mincemeat straight away.

How Long Does Mincemeat Keep?

As long as you’ve used sterilised jars, homemade mincemeat will keep for twelve months or more in a cool dark place. I keep mine at the back of a cupboard and it’s usually still good to go after a year or even longer.

The sugars in the dried fruit, as well as the actual sugar, preserve the fruit well, as does the alcohol. It’s a winning combination, both for flavour and longevity.

Once opened, keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How To Use Mincemeat

You can use the mincemeat as soon as you’ve made it, but the flavours mature if you leave it for a week or longer. As this recipe for fat-free mincemeat contains no suet or butter, you can actually eat it raw. However, it’s generally nicer cooked into something.

The first and most obvious use for homemade mincemeat is for mince pies. Mince pies are a British institution and no Christmas event is considered to be such without a plate of them – preferably warm ones with buttery pastry.

Here’s my recipe for mince pies with buttery wholemeal orange pastry.

For a dinner time dessert large mince pies are popular. These look particularly good with a lattice pastry top. My version has a meringue top: mincemeat meringue pie.

Apart from pies, however, there are plenty of delicious bakes in which to use mincemeat. Here are a few of my favourites.

• Fig & mincemeat Christmas cake – brilliant for last minute panics
• Leftover mincemeat buns – great for using up that last half jar
• Mincemeat brownies – always popular
• Mincemeat flapjacks – the easiest festive bake ever
• Mincemeat slice – perfect for mince pie loathers
• Vegan mincemeat muffins – friendly and inclusive

Although baked goods are the most obvious choice for mincemeat, it also makes a fantastic ice cream. This mincemeat ice cream makes a great alternative to Christmas pudding. It’s also a delicious way to enjoy festive flavours throughout the year.

Mincemeat can make a lovely festive gift too. I often include a jar in my homemade Christmas hampers.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this fat-free mincemeat, 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 Christmas recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Sharing

I’m sharing this recipe for homemade fat-free mincemeat with The Family Food Kitchen for #CookBlogShare.

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