Do mince pies contain dairy?

If you're lucky, you might find accidentally vegan mince pies. But more often than not, they contain dairy or egg in the pastry or suet (which is fat that comes from an animal) in the filling . That means that sometimes they're not even suitable for vegetarians!

Mince pies have been eaten as part of a traditional British Christmas since at least the 16th century. Then they were made of a spiced, sweet minced meat mixture (often lamb), but they are now commonly made with sweet mincemeat, a mixture of dried fruits, sugar, spices, and brandy .

What are vegan mince pies made of?

You ideally need to prepare the mincemeat the day before you bake the vegan mince pies. Start by placing the currants, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, mixed peel, soft brown sugar, almonds, coconut oil, grated bramley apple, spices and orange zest and juice in a large saucepan.

What are mince pies called in America?

A mince pie (also mincemeat pie in North America, and fruit mince pie in Australia and New Zealand) is a sweet pie of English origin filled with mincemeat, being a mixture of fruit, spices and suet. The pies are traditionally served during the Christmas season in much of the English-speaking world.

Why are mince pies vegan?

Yes, mince pies can be vegan. Although the filling is called mincemeat, it's actually made from dried fruit and spices . They were traditionally savoury and did often contain meat in the past, but thankfully, today, that doesn't still happen.

What is the difference between mincemeat and mince pie?

A mince pie, though originally containing meat, is a sweet pie, with pastry top and bottom, filled with a sweet mixture of dried fruit, peel, commonly alcohol like brandy, and small pieces of suet( an animal fat, and reminder of a mince pie's meat origins). This sweet mixture is ( confusingly) called 'mincemeat'.

Can vegans eat mince pies?

Yes, mince pies can be vegan . Although the filling is called mincemeat, it's actually made from dried fruit and spices. They were traditionally savoury and did often contain meat in the past, but thankfully, today, that doesn't still happen.

What allergens are in mince pies?

Allergens: cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, soya, nuts, sulphites . May contain: mustard, peanuts, sesame.

Do all pies have dairy?

Dairy-free (or almost dairy-free) pies Fruit pies are some of the most well-loved pie recipes; and aside from the crust, they usually don't contain any dairy at all . Sometimes fruit pie recipes will call for 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to be added atop the filling.

Why are mince pies not vegan?

Traditionally mince pies used to be meat and suet (yummy!!) and some recipes still call for the latter but shop-bought ones tend to contain butter and eggs .

Gluten-free Frangipane-topped Mince Pies Recipe (dairy-free option) (2024)

Gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe, anyone? Yet another cheeky twist on a festive favourite that’s EVERYONE will love, because best of all, you’d never know they were Coeliac-friendly and wheat-free too.

Gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe – it’s here! This is a variation on my classic gluten-free mince pies recipe that you guys have been loving this year. I’ve had rave reviews about the pastry, so if you haven’t tried it yet… now’s your chance!

We’re lucky enough to have gluten-free mince pies that come in all shapes and sizes down the free from aisle these days.

However, as I’m sure you’d all agree, sometimes you just can’t beat making freshly baked mince pies at home – especially when they’re like these beauties!

Yep, these are topped with a light and fluffy frangipane, giving them a Bakewell tart-style finish yet with all the festive flavours we love in a mince pie.

Here’s a few reasons you need to make my gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe if you weren’t convinced already:

Why make my gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies?

A jar of store-bought mincemeat means you only have to make pastry and frangipane, then construct. Easy!
My gluten-free shortcrust pastry won’t massively shrink when baked in the oven. You can’t go wrong!
My gluten-free mince pie pastry is really easy to work with and won’t fall apart when you try to line your muffin tray.
ALSO, the pastry is super buttery and flaky – you’d never know it was gluten-free AT ALL. Yes – muggles will happily eat these!
BUT this recipe is also incredibly easy to make dairy-free too – see the FAQ section to find out how.

So what do my gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies taste like?

First of all, that pastry is incredibly buttery and flaky, adding an extra level of luxury to regular shortcrust pastry… and certainly most types of gluten-free pastry!

Then, you’ve got a lovely layer of sweet, sticky mincemeat, topped with a light and fluffy frangipane layer that’s packed with almond flavour. The combination of the two is approved by Santa himself.

(he didn’t notice they were gluten-free, just so you know)

You’ve still got the crunch of the lovely almonds on top too. This one is a recipe festive people-pleaser!

Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe, keep scrolling until you see the recipe card for the measurements and method ??

Gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe: Ingredients

Gluten-free plain flour:It’s important to use plain flour here, NOT gluten-free self-raising flour. We don’t want the pastry to rise and self-raising powder has baking powder in it which will do exactly that.
Xanthan gum:However, because we’re using gluten-free plain flour (which doesn’t have any xanthan gum added) adding a little xanthan gum is super important. Without gluten to bind the pastry together, it can be tougher to work with. Add this and keep your pastry well-chilled and you won’t even notice the difference.
Caster sugar:In any shortcrust pastry with a sweet filling, it’s commonplace to add a little sugar to the pastry. You definitely don’t NEED to do this, but considering a mince pie is usually more pastry than filling, I would advise doing so.
Butter:Butter is king in pastry, not just for flavour, but because cold butter gives the dough considerably more strength, making it easier to work with. That’s why we need to keep the dough as cold as possible.
Large eggs:I generally always buy large eggs, so I’d advise you to do the same for this recipe. The eggs are extremely important as a binder which again, gives the dough much needed strength in the absence of gluten.
Ground almonds: You can’t make frangipane without ground almonds! They add such a lovely, soft fluffy texture to it and a distinct taste.
Almond extract: Of course, a little goes a long way in frangipane!
Gluten-free baking powder:This gives the frangipane a lovely rise, as of course, there’s no raising agent in ground almonds.
Flaked almonds:Sprinkle these on top for the perfect finish!
Mincemeat:There is most definitely an underrated joy in eating a mince pie that you made entirely from scratch, but considering mincemeat is gluten-free (still check the labels just in case) I think we should all take advantage of it. So often, we have to make everything from scratch when muggles can just buy an easy option in the supermarket… so I’m taking this opportunity to do the same for once!
Icing sugar: You’ll need this just for a little snowy finish to dust on top.

So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.

But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time making this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!

Gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make surethat they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.

Can I make your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe dairy free?

You can make this dairy-free, simply by using Stork hard margarine instead of butter. Definitely don’t use the type of margarine you’d spread on toast however, it will NOT work.

However, hard margarine is still softer than butter, even when fully chilled. That means, the dough can be a little harder to work with, but you can combat that by keeping your dough as cold as possible at all times.

So be careful about handling the dough to much and constantly re-rolling it as the more you handle it, the warmer it will get.

Can I make your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe vegan?

Unfortunately, I find making gluten-free AND vegan pastry a little difficult, personally. That’s purely because of the eggs involved.

Egg is such an important binding agent which massively helps to compensate for the lack of gluten – it’s not just for flavour, it helps make the pastry easier to work with.

My next step is to test replacing the eggs with 6 tbsp of aquafaba (pre-whisked until frothy) but I haven’t had a chance to test this yet. You’re welcome to give it a try before I do!

Just please let me know in the comments how you got on if you do decide to do that – just ensure you use dairy-free hard margarine (I use Stork) instead of butter too.

Of course, you’ll need to use aquafaba for the eggs in the frangipane too.

Is your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe low FODMAP?

Unfortunately, mincemeat is one of the hardest things on Earth to make low FODMAP, without massively compromising on what mincemeat is supposed to taste like.

Firstly, it contains apple (in vague quantities) which is a tricky subject when you’re on the low FODMAP elimination phase. But most of all, it’s the dried fruit which makes this high FODMAP.

And without dried fruit, it’s not really a mince pie, is it?! I will try and work on something in the future, but at the moment, this recipe is not low FODMAP-friendly.

Ground almonds can also be high FODMAP in higher serving sizes.

Is mincemeat that you buy in the supermarket gluten-free?

Yes! All of the jarred mincemeat that I’ve come across has always been gluten-free – however, it doesn’t hurt to check the ingredients labels just in case.

If there’s no gluten-containing ingredients and no ‘may contain’ warning for wheat, gluten or similar, then it’s considered safe for a gluten-free diet according to Coeliac UK.

Here’s a link to the mincemeat from Tesco that I used so you can double-check for yourself.

Do I need any special equipment to make your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe?

Certainly not! You will need a good quality muffin tray, so here’s a link to the one I use.

Do I need weighing scales to make your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies?

In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them.

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.

I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.

Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?

No, I wouldn’t recommend making shortcrust pastry without xanthan gum. As we’re using gluten-free plain flour (which has no added xanthan gum like gluten-free self-raising flour does), it’s integral to add a little xanthan gum.

A little goes a long way as a gluten replacer and it’s more to make sure that your dough is easy to work with, instead of merely just ensuring the end result isn’t crumbly.

Gluten-free shortcrust pastry can be notoriously hard to work with, but if you follow my recipe, it’ll seem like a walk in the park!

Can I make this recipe using other gluten-free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?

There’s a big difference between ‘gluten-free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten-free flour. When I say ‘gluten-free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten-free flours, not just one, singular flour.

Most gluten-free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. They all have different properties that help to simulate ‘real’ wheat flour as much as possible.

5 tips for the perfect gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies

Make sure the pastry is cold at all times. Butter is at its strongest and most workable when it’s cold, which helps massively when making gluten-free pastry.
When mixing the dough with a fork, don’t use your hands to bring the pastry together into a ball too early. Inadequate mixing means the pastry will be too dry to form a ball of dough as the dry ingredients aren’t fully-hydrated enough. So keep mixing with your fork until it starts to come together.
Don’t roll the pastry too thick. This is an easy mistake to make and your mince pies will be 80% pastry, 20% filling, which isn’t most enjoyable. The pastry also might not cook through properly, if rolled out too thick.
Don’t overdo them! If you overdo your pastry, it can become a little ‘crispier’ which isn’t ideal and the frangipane can get a little dark. So definitely keep an eye on them in the oven 10 minutes before they’re supposed to be done!

How to store your gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies

Once cooled, store in an air-tight container for up to a week. If you wish to freeze them, you can also store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To thaw your frozen gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies, allow to thaw at room temperature for around an hour. Then, you can bake them in the oven at 120C (fan) for 3-5 minutes before serving warm.

Gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe: Method

Oh and here’s a printable version of my gluten-free frangipane-topped mince pies recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️