I hadn’t planned to post so close to Christmas, but these mince pies were just too tasty not to share! I’ve always loved homemade cream cheese pastry as the ‘ultimate’ pastry for mince pies, as it is rich, crumbly, sweet and totally delicious, and this year decided to have a go at making a vegan version.
It really isn’t rocket science, as good quality dairy-free cream cheese is now so readily-available in most supermarkets. Substitute in a good dairy-free block margarine in place of butter and dairy-free milk as a glaze, and Bob’s your uncle.
I’ve filled mine with my homemade Beetroot & Hazelnut Mincemeat, but if you haven’t the time or inclination to make your own, most shop-bought mincemeat is vegan – just check the label before you buy to make sure.
These really are fantastic mince pies – just don’t forget to leave one out for Santa!
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g block dairy-free margarine
- 75 g caster sugar
- 50 g ground almonds
- 75 g dairy-free cream cheese
- a little dairy-free milk for binding and glazing
- 450 g jar mincemeat (shop-bought - check it is vegan, or homemade - see previous post for my Beetroot & Hazelnut Mincemeat recipe!)
-
Rub the margarine into the flour, (or blitz in a food processor) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and ground almonds.
-
Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly to combine, then tip onto a clean, floured surface and bring together. You may find that this binds the pastry together into a smooth dough, but if not, add a tablespoon of dairy-free milk and continue to knead gently until a dough has formed.
-
Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with dairy-free margarine.
-
Roll the dough to about 3-4mm thick, then cut out 12 large circles with a pastry cutter, and place into the muffin tins for the pie bases. Divide the mincemeat between the 12 mince pies - they should be fairly full.
-
Re-roll the pastry offcuts a little thinner than before, and cut out either 12 smaller circles for the lids or your choice of decoration - I cut out 6 circles then a star out of the middle of each one, and alternated either the star or its cutout surround for each lid.
-
Place the lids on the pies, squeeze together the edges to seal, then brush with dairy-free milk to glaze. Chill in the fridge until required.
-
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F / gas mark 6. Bake the mince pies for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling - watch them carefully for the last five minutes to make sure they don't burn. Leave to cool in the tins, then dust with icing sugar and serve.
.
If you missed the recipe for Easy Beetroot & Hazelnut Mincemeat, click here to hop over now – it isn’t too late to make some before Christmas!
And don’t forget that my new book Vegan in 15 is out now, and available to order on Amazon, (whoop!). Many thanks for your support!
December 22, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Oh they look absolutely delicious, Kate 😀 I love how easy it is now to make vegan treats! So many non-dairy substitutes out there 🙂
December 23, 2016 at 9:25 am
These are so pretty Kate. I love your beetroot mincemeat. I’ve never made cream cheese pastry, though I keep meaning to. I expect the mince pies are long gone now, but I hope you have a Merry and treat filled Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2017.
Choclette recently posted…Wholemeal Clotted Cream Shortbread with Chestnut Flour and Cinnamon
December 26, 2016 at 1:37 pm
These look so wonderful! Love that you need a whole lot of ingredients to make something look so delicious and festive! Can’t wait to give them a try 😉
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes recently posted…Vegan Coconut Chocolate Cake w/ Vanilla Coconut Oil Frosting
January 9, 2017 at 7:36 am
Delicious pastries indeed, my I’m craving to eat this one!
December 13, 2017 at 6:56 pm
I just made these yesterday and they are amazing. I have been making my own mincemeat and mince pies every year for over 20 years but last year was the first year making the pastry vegan and it wasn’t all that special. But these are the best mince pies I’ve ever made – including the ones I used to bake with butter. Thanks so much Kate for this recipe and all the other fab recipes on your site.
December 13, 2017 at 7:52 pm
That’s so lovely to hear – thanks Amanda! I always used cream cheese pastry as its so lovely and crumbly, and just such an easy substitute!