Classic Mince Pies
A classic mince pies recipe made with homemade sweet shortcrust pastry and a rich, fruity mincemeat filling. Wonderfully simple, properly nostalgic, and easy to decorate your own way. the kind of mince pies you’ll find yourself baking more than once this Christmas!
I’ve shared all sorts of mince pie variations over the years, from my super-easy Puff Pastry Mince Pies to my Crumble Top Mince Pies, and the festive favourite, Viennese Whirl Mince Pies. But somehow, despite making plenty of them every December (and November…maybe even October), I’ve never actually shared a Classic Mince Pies recipe…until now.
These traditional mince pies use my famous sweet shortcrust pastry – the same one so many of you bake again and again for everything from Custard Tarts to Empire Biscuits. It’s buttery, sweet, easy to work with, and bakes into the perfect crumb to pair with a rich, fruity homemade mincemeat (or shop-bought, either makes great mince pies!).
One of the best things about classic mince pies is how simple or decorative you can make them. I’ve gone for a star cut-out on top here, but you can just poke a small steam hole with a knife, cut a little cross, or go all-out festive with shapes using mini Christmas cutters.
If you’ve been looking for a no-fuss, traditional mince pies recipe made with proper shortcrust pastry – the kind that tastes just like the ones your British Mum or Granny made – this is the one! Warm, nostalgic, and easy enough for any home baker…these really are a must-bake throughout the festive season.
Top Tips for Traditional Mince Pies:
• Use really soft butter/margarine for the pastry: This is the number one thing that makes my sweet shortcrust pastry so easy to work with. You want it slightly softer than room temperature but not melted – that’s what gives you a beautifully tender crumb.
• Don’t overfill your mince pies: It’s tempting, I know…but a little goes a long way. Too much mincemeat will bubble up and spill out, leaving you with sticky edges that can then make the pies tricky to remove from the tray.
• Decorate as simple or as fancy as you like: A wee star on top, a classic steam hole, a criss-cross cut, or full-on festive cut-outs – mince pies are really adaptable! Plus, this pastry handles decorative shapes really well, so feel free to have some fun with it.
• Dust with sugar while they’re still warm: A sprinkle of caster sugar as soon as they come out of the oven gives that lovely bakery-style finish and a tiny bit of crunch, too.
• Let them cool in the tin. The pastry is delicate when hot, so give it a bit of time to settle before lifting them out. That way they’ll firm up just enough to hold their shape without crumbling apart.
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Classic Mince Pies
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry
- 65g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar) (plus extra for dusting)
- 175g Butter or Block Margarine (softened)
- 250g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
For the Filling
- 400g Mincemeat (homemade or shop-bought)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 190°c (170°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 5 or 375°F) and grease a 12-hole bun tray with a little excess butter/margarine.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter/margarine and sugar for the pastry. Mix until combined before adding the flour and mixing to form a dough (you may need to use your hands).
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 0.5cm, and cut into circles with a cookie cutter that is large enough to line the holes in your tray. Gently place into your prepared tray, pressing the pastry into place.
- Fill each pastry casing with mincemeat – enough to fill generously but not come over the top edge of your pastry casing. Using a slightly smaller cookie cutter, cut a circle big enough to serve as the top of your mince pie. You can either cut a shape in the middle, or simply poke a hole once in place on top of your mince pie. Dampen the top edges of your mince pies with a little water, before placing the tops on and gently pressing into place to seal.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes until a light golden colour on top. Dust the tops with a little caster sugar while still warm. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Sweet Shortcrust Pastry: This recipe uses a sweet shortcrust pastry, which is always my first choice for mince pies. You can swap to shop-bought pastry if you’re short on time, but sweet shortcrust isn’t as easy to find ready-made. Standard shortcrust works absolutely fine, it just won’t have quite the same flavour. If you do have the time, homemade really is worth it.
- Homemade vs Shop-Bought Mincemeat: Both work perfectly fine. Homemade mincemeat will give you a richer, fruitier flavour (and you can tweak it to your taste), but a good-quality shop-bought jar makes these super quick without any compromise.
- Storage: Store your mince pies in an airtight tin for up to 3-4 days. While the pastry may soften a little, the flavours will develop nicely.
- Freezing: Unbaked or baked mince pies can both be frozen. If freezing unbaked, assemble them fully and freeze in the tin before transferring to a container – then bake from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the time.
Pre-baked mince pies that are frozen simply need a gentle reheat, once fully defrosted.
Traditional British mince pies are small, sweet pies filled with mincemeat – a mixture of dried fruits, spices, suet, and citrus juice & zest. They are a classic Christmas bake across the UK, and are usually made with shortcrust pastry, but all different variations can be found these days. Despite the name, modern mince pies no longer contain meat.
Sweet shortcrust pastry is the traditional choice. It’s slightly sweeter and gives that lovely bit of bite, which works perfectly with the rich, fruity mincemeat. Standard shortcrust pastry also works well as an alternative.
Yes, absolutely. Standard shop-bought shortcrust works perfectly well. Sweet shortcrust isn’t always available ready-made, which is why I prefer making my own, but you might be lucky and find some ready-roll sweet shortcrust pastry in a larger supermarket. But if you’re short on time, a standard shop-bought shortcrust pastry is a great alternative.
Of course! Star tops, cut-out shapes, lattice patterns, or just a simple cross of pastry are all great options. Just make sure there’s a small gap or hole to let any steam escape while they bake.
You can! Use a 12-hole muffin tray instead of a bun tray, as these are slightly deeper. And adjust your baking time to be a little bit longer (only by a few minutes will be sufficient).
Yes! You’ll want my Puff Pastry Mince Pie recipe for those.
Free-from & Vegan:
• Gluten-Free: The easiest way to make these a gluten-free mince pies is to use a gluten-free ready-roll shortcrust pastry. Alternatively, you can make your own gluten-free pastry but I would recommend using an intentially gluten-free pastry recipe such as Becky Excell’s Gluten-free Shortcrust Pastry, as opposed to trying to adapt the pastry in this recipe.
• Nut-Free: Traditional mincemeat often contains nuts or traces of nuts, so check the ingredients carefully. If you’re baking for someone with a nut allergy, homemade mincemeat is the safest way to control what goes in.
• Dairy-free: These mince pies are easy to make dairy-free. Simply use a dairy-free block margarine in place of butter for the homemade sweet shortcrust pastry. Most shop-bought shortcrust pastry is also dairy-free, but always double-check the label.
• Egg-Free: My homemade sweet shortcrust pastry is already egg-free, so there’s nothing extra you need to change to make these egg-free mince pies. Just be mindful of decorations – if you usually brush the tops with egg wash to stick these in place, swap it for a little bit of milk instead.
• Vegan: To make vegan mince pies, use a plant-based block margarine in the pastry and choose a vegan mincemeat. Many shop-bought jars are already vegan-friendly, as they use vegetable suet. If you’re making your own mincemeat, simply use vegetable suet.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
I’m 77 years old and can’t bake to save my life, however I had to have a bash at the mince pies and the end result was fantastic. My wife said they were the best mince pies she had ever tasted. That’s a compliment coming from a Scottish lass.