One of my kids' favourite Christmas recipes is simple and easy mince pies.

These delicious festive treats are easy to make at home, with only simple ingredients.
But you'll still be able to wow friends and family, thanks to a pinch of orange zest in the pastry to make these mince pies extra special and extra Christmassy.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 110 g (3.9 oz) salted butter cubed
- 225 g (7.9 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 25 g (0.9 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 orange zest
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 350 g (12.3 oz) mincemeat vegetarian if required
To glaze
- 1 medium free range eggs white beaten
- 1 tsp white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Instructions
Put the flour and butter in a mixing bowl.
Rub together until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl back and forth to check for lumps, which should rise to the top.
Add the sugar and orange rind to the bowl. Mix.
Add 2tbsp of cold water and mix until it comes together as a dough. Add more water drop by drop if necessary. You want to work the dough as little as possible, do this without too much kneading.
Roll the dough into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to work with.
Turn the dough onto a floured board and roll out thinly.
Cut out your mince pies using a 7cm cutter, reworking any leftover pastry if necessary until you have 24 discs.
Line your tin with your pastry discs. If you have long nails, you can use a piece of pastry dipped in flour to help ease the pastry snugly into the tin.
Spoon about 1tbsp of mincemeat into each of your pastry cases, and dab the edges with a sprinkling of water.
Top your pastry cases with your remaining pastry discs. Press down around the edges of the lid so that it sticks.
Cut a small slit into the top of each pie with a sharp knife. This will allow air to escape during baking.
Brush the mince pies with your egg whites to glaze, then sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200C (400F/180 fan).
Allow to cool a little before serving, as the filling will be very hot.
If you're feeling particularly decadent, these pies are wonderful served hot with a drizzle of cool cream.
What do you think? Are you tempted to try these easy mince pies at home?
Pointers, tricks and troubleshooting tips for the perfect easy mince pies
Are these mince pies easy to make?
For this easy mince pie recipe, we’re using ready-made mincemeat so all you need to do is make the simple orange-infused pastry, get the kids to help to roll out and cut out the pastry ready to fill with mincemeat, and bake. This bake is so easy, we love making a batch on Christmas eve ready to leave one out for Santa.
Will I need any special equipment for this recipe?
Everything you need should be easy to find in the average kitchen. This recipe makes 12 mince pies so you’ll need a 12 hole muffin tin, weighing scales, measuring spoons, and bowl to make the pastry in and a rolling pin and 7cm pastry cutter.
The full list of equipment can be found in the recipe card below.
Where can I buy mincemeat?
Ready-made mincemeat can usually be found in jars in the baking section. You could, of course, use homemade mincemeat if you wish.
One thing to be aware of is the suet in mincemeat, suet would traditionally have been made with animal fats and is used in a lot of baking recipes for puddings and dumplings. Most ready-made mincemeat is made with vegetable suet so is suitable for vegetarians but do make sure to double-check if you’re making these for someone who is vegetarian.
Are easy mince pies suitable for vegetarians?
As long as you use mincemeat that is suitable for vegetarians then yes these easy mince pies are good to go.
Are easy mince pies suitable for vegans?
For these easy mince pies, I’ve used butter in the pastry and an egg wash to give the mince pies a golden glaze, so as it is this recipe is not suitable for vegans.
I haven’t tested this recipe vegan yet but you could give it a go. For the butter use a plant-based alternative or vegetable fat cooking block to make your pastry, and instead of an egg wash, you can use a little plant-milk for the tops.
As these pies don’t contain any dairy the pastry will look a little pale so you might want to use a sprinkle of brown sugar on the tops to give them a little more colour.
Make sure to also use a mincemeat that is suitable for vegans for the filling.
Are easy mince pies gluten-free?
I’ve made the pastry for these easy mince pies with wheat-based plain flour so they are not gluten-free.
If you want to try and make this recipe gluten-free then you could use gluten-free plain flour instead. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour yet so let me know how you get on.
Are easy mince pies safe to eat while pregnant?
There is nothing in this recipe that would usually pose a risk to a pregnant woman as long as all the ingredients are in good condition and proper food hygiene has been practiced whilst making them.
A Mummy Too does not offer medical advice, if you have any worries or questions please speak to a health professional.
What goes well with these easy mince pies?
For me, the festive season hasn’t started without a mince pie, enjoy them anytime with a good cuppa, or for a Christmassy dessert with a little cream drizzled on top.
Can I make this recipe without orange zest?
The orange zest is bringing a lovely fruitiness to the pastry which helps make these easy mince pies extra special.
You could of course make the pastry without it but I would urge you to give it a go, the subtle orange really adds another dimension to these mince pies.
If you want to make your pastry even more orangy you can even use the juice from the orange instead of water to bring the dough together.
I haven’t got caster sugar, can I use granulated sugar?
The main reason caster sugar is used a lot in baking is that it has a much finer grain than granulated sugar.
This means it mixes with other ingredients much more smoothly and particularly when making pastry this is important especially as we want to roll it out quite thinly.
If you used granulated sugar the pastry dough wouldn’t come together as smoothly and the dough may be a bit grainy.
Icing sugar would actually be a better alternative sugar to use if you don’t have caster sugar as its even finer, just be careful when mixing it in to do so slowly and not create a snowstorm in the kitchen!
How should I store these easy mince pies?
Once your mince pies have completely cooled simply pop them into an airtight container, you can just keep them in the cupboard or pantry, a cool spot out of direct sunlight is best.
How long do these easy mince pies keep?
When stored correctly these easy mince pies will keep for about 5 days, and if you freeze them, they’ll keep for up to 2 months.
Can I leave these easy mince pies out on the counter?
No, other than for serving these mince pies should be kept in a sealed container to keep them fresh and protect them.
Can I make these easy mince pies ahead?
Yes if you like, I find these mince pies are best enjoyed warm but you can make them ahead and warm them up or just tuck into cold pies when you’re ready to serve.
The pastry can be made up to a day ahead, keep it wrapped in the fridge ready to roll out and complete your pies.
Or you can make the completed pies the day before, cool, and keep them in a sealed container until you’re ready to serve, warming up if you wish.
Can I keep these easy mince pies in the refrigerator?
I find it best to keep these mince pies at room temperature, no need to take up space in the fridge.
Can I freeze these easy mince pies?
Yes, these mince pies freeze well, once cooled pop the mince pies into a suitable container or freezer bag, and label with the date and type of pie, and pop in the freezer.
They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
What is the best way to defrost these easy mince pies?
I find it easiest to defrost these mince pies in the fridge overnight. It's particularly important to thaw them out in the fridge if you’re not going to reheat them so they remain at a low temperature, this will inhibit bacterial growth and reduce the risk of food born illness.
What is the best way to reheat these easy mince pies?
I find it best to reheat mince pies in the oven, you could try using the microwave but the insides will become really hot, and the pastry will go soggy.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/160C) and put the mince pies you want to heat up on a baking sheet on the middle shelf for about 10 minutes until warmed through, be careful as the middles could be quite hot.
If you’re serving these mince pies as a festive dessert why not pop them into the oven after you’ve cooked dinner to warm through for 10 minutes.
Can I make these easy mince pies in a different quantity?
If you want to make more or less of these delightfully easy mince pies then all you need to do to amend the ingredients is head down to the recipe card.
There you’ll find the servings is currently set to 12, click on this number and a slider will appear that you can move up or down to get the number you wish to make. All the ingredients will update to the correct amounts for you.
Can I make this recipe in a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood Mixer?
If you want to use a kitchen gadget to make the pastry it's better to use a food processor as the blade does a better job of crumbling the butter and flour than a paddle on a stand mixer.
Can I make this recipe with a food processor?
Yes if you like, you can use a food processor to make the pastry, first pulse the flour, and butter until you have a fine crumb and then pulse through the zest and sugar.
Finally, add the water and pulse for a few more seconds until the dough has come together. It’s important not to overwork the dough so use the pulse mode for short bursts.
How can I make sure the pastry is perfect?
Allowing the pastry plenty of time to cool and rest in the fridge for a least 15 minutes will really help get perfect results when you come to roll out the pastry.
Flour your work surface, and rolling pin to stop the pastry from sticking.
When you’re ready to cut out the pastry, try and keep the circles as close together as possible so you can get as many as you can out of the piece.
This will reduce the amount the pastry needs to be reworked and rerolled which dries out the pastry and makes it brittle the more times you do it.
How can I make sure these easy mince pies are perfectly cooked?
These mince pies are done when they are lovely and golden on top and the filling is piping hot.
If you want to check your pies are perfectly cooked, carefully pop one out and turn it over to check the pastry base is firm and cooked, if not return to the oven for a few more minutes.
Why did my mince pies stick to the tray?
Firstly, it's really important to grease the tray well before you put the pastry bases in, you can use spray oil if you find that easier or a little butter on a small piece of kitchen roll works well to get around each hole in the tray.
As the pastry cooks, it should come away from the tray ever so slightly making it easier to get your pies out.
If this is not the case for your pies you can carefully run a knife around the edge to help ease the out.
Sometimes the mincemeat bubbles out and causes the pies to stick into the tray, the knife trick should help with this too.
Why did my mincemeat leak out?
This could be because of a few things. When filling your pies make sure to only put a tablespoon in each, this is ample for a generous pie, any more and they will likely leak.
Another reason could be the lids not fully sealed around the edges. Before you put the lids on, dab around the edge of the pastry base with a wet finger giving something for the top to stick to and form a seal. Once the ids are in place press around the edges to close the seal.
Once the lids are on an important step is to make a hole in the top of each lid. A small slit with the end of a sharp knife. This allows steam to escape from the mincemeat as it cooks, without the slit pressure would build up inside the pie and it might explode.
Finally, don’t worry too much if a little filling bubbles out of the side it tends to caramelise quite nicely and part of the joy of home baking is each pie being unique and individual.
Why did my dish taste bland?
Did you remember to add the orange zest? This really helps add another level of flavour to these mincepies making them extra special.
How can I add/change the flavours in this dish?
If you want more orange flavour in your pastry you can use orange juice instead of water to bring the dough together.
There are also lots of different types of ready-made mincemeat available so find one that whets your appetite for these lovely little pies. Or experiment making your own batch of mincemeat, it makes a delightful homemade gift too.
Print this quick and easy mince pie recipe
Here's my easy mince pies recipe again in printable format:
Quick and Easy Mince Pies Recipe
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 110 g (3.9 oz) salted butter cubed
- 225 g (7.9 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 25 g (0.9 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 orange zest
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 350 g (12.3 oz) mincemeat vegetarian if required
To glaze
- 1 medium free range eggs white beaten
- 1 tsp white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Instructions
- Put the flour and butter in a mixing bowl.
- Rub together until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl back and forth to check for lumps, which should rise to the top.
- Add the sugar and orange rind to the bowl. Mix.
- Add 2tbsp of cold water and mix until it comes together as a dough. Add more water drop by drop if necessary. You want to work the dough as little as possible, do this without too much kneading.
- Roll the dough into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to work with.
- Turn the dough onto a floured board and roll out thinly.
- Cut out your mince pies using a 7cm cutter, reworking any leftover pastry if necessary until you have 24 discs.
- Line your tin with your pastry discs. If you have long nails, you can use a piece of pastry dipped in flour to help ease the pastry snugly into the tin.
- Spoon about 1tbsp of mincemeat into each of your pastry cases, and dab the edges with a sprinkling of water.
- Top your pastry cases with your remaining pastry discs. Press down around the edges of the lid so that it sticks.
- Cut a small slit into the top of each pie with a sharp knife. This will allow air to escape during baking.
- Brush the mince pies with your egg whites to glaze, then sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200C (400F/180 fan).
- Allow to cool a little before serving, as the filling will be very hot
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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