These Puff Pastry Mince Pies are a must make this Christmas. Much easier to make than traditional mince pies, but still with all the delicious festive flavour. Crisp, flakey pastry, bursting with sweet fruit and spices. Ready in under 30 minutes, these are an easy Christmas treat and a real family favourite.
About Puff Pastry Mince Pies
Although the pastry for mince pies is traditionally shortcrust pastry, we have swapped it for puff pastry because it's easier to use and once cooked it puffs up and is deliciously crispy and flakey. These are perfect for when you are short on time, but want an easy mince pie recipe.
It still has the traditional mincemeat filling, which we have jazzed up with some added dried cranberries and lemon. These are really easy mince pies.
This recipe for mince pies also freeze really well, meaning that you can make a big batch at the beginning of December and eat them all through the festive season.
If you are looking for some other easy Christmas bakes to try, then why not try our Mincemeat Pinwheels, Christmas Star Biscuits, Christmas Tree Brownies, Cranberry Bread, Mincemeat Flapjacks or Healthy Christmas Cookies.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Puff pastry - For ease, we used store bought puff pastry. Honestly, we can't taste the difference from homemade and using ready rolled sheets of puff pastry makes this such an easy and quick recipe. By all means, make your own pastry if you have time.
- Mincemeat - Yep, another store bought item here. We have used a really good quality jar of mincemeat. We bought it from a local farm shop and it tastes incredible. Again, you can make your own if you want, but we wanted this to be a really simple festive hack back.
- Egg - This brushed over the puff pastry to help it go nice and golden and crispy.
- Apple - We added some very small chunks of apple to the mincemeat, that way we could justify these being homemade even though we used a jar of mincemeat! I love the chunky texture that the apple adds.
- Dried cranberries - Is it Christmas without cranberries? These add a lovely flavour and extra sweetness to the pies.
- Lemon zest - A little lemon zest really helps to lighten up the mincemeat, which can feel a little heavy. You could also use orange or clementine zest to keep with the festive flavours.
- Icing sugar - A dusting of icing sugar on top just adds to the Christmas vibes.
Variation
To make these look a little more festive, you can make them as an open pie and then cut a star shape out of pastry to put on top of these puff pastry mince pies.
How to Make Puff Pastry Mince Pies - Step by Step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Step one: Roll out the pastry and using a 6.5cm/2.5in cookie cutter, cut six disks. Using a 7.5cm/3in cookie cutter, cut six more disks. Place the small disks onto a lined baking tray.
- Step two: Mix together the mincemeat, apple, cranberries and lemon zest.
- Step three: Spoon one tablespoon of the mincemeat mixture onto the middle of the smaller pastry disks.
- Step four: Place the larger disks over the mincemeat and use a fork to gently crimp the edges together.
- Step five: Using a small sharp knife, poke two small holes in the top of the pies. Brush with the egg and put onto a lined baking tray.
- Step six: Put in the oven for 15 minutes.
Top Tip
Make sure you don't put too much filling in the pies and make sure they are sealed shut, otherwise all the filling will come out. But a little bit coming out is okay, as it goes nice and crispy.
What is a Mince Pie?
If you live outside of the UK, then there might be some confusion as to what these are. But, don't worry, they don't contain minced beef. But, that is where they get there name from, as back in the day, they were filled with minced meat, suet, dried fruits, and a load of spices. Modern day mincemeat no longer contains meat, but the name has remained.
The ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices. Mince pies became traditional and popular at Christmas time in the Victorian era, but they had become sweeter and and smaller in size, like the ones we know today.
Serving Suggestion
Although mince pies themselves divide the country, those that can agree that mince pies are delicious, can't usually decide on how to serve them. Some like them plain, others like them with cream, brandy butter, custard or ice cream. Some people heat them up, and others like them cold. There are so many options.
We love our puff pastry mince pies with a hot drink. Snuggling up on the sofa after a long winter walk, these go down so well with a hot cup of something. We have lots of hot drink recipes for you to try. Why not try one of these:
Extra Tips
- Make sure you chop the apple up very very small, so it mixes in well with the mincemeat.
- Add a splash of brandy or rum for extra flavour. Not too much though, as you don't want it to be soggy.
- Make sure you transfer them to a wire rack to cool, as this will prevent them from getting a soggy bottom.
- Add some extra texture with some chopped nuts. Pecans and walnuts work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
A lot of store bought puff pastry is vegan - just watch out for ones that say all butter. You can also get some great vegan mincemeat, that doesn't use suet. You will also need to leave out the egg wash.
If you use gluten free pastry, and make sure there is no cross contamination, then these can be gluten free.
Once fully cooled, they can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yes, these freeze really well. Once fully cooled, put them on a baking tray and in the freezer - this is called flash freezing. Once they are frozen, you can put them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months and then just take one out as and when you want one.
We used two sizes - a 6.5cm and a 7.5cm. That's because the top circle needs to be bigger, to go over all the filling.
Ours took 15 minutes in the oven, but every oven cooks differently. Keep an eye on them from 12 minutes, as you are looking for the pastry to be golden brown.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
If you’ve tried this puff pastry mince pie recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Puff Pastry Mince Pies
Ingredients
- 375 g (13 oz) Puff pastry
- 150 g (1 cups) Mincemeat
- 1 Apple - finely diced
- 30 g (0.25 cups) Dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 Egg - whisked
- Icing sugar - to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Roll out 375 g Puff pastry and using a 6.5cm/2.5in cookie cutter, cut six disks. Using a 7.5cm/3in cookie cutter, cut six more disks. Place the small disks onto a lined baking tray.
- Mix together 150 g Mincemeat, 1 Apple, 30 g Dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon Lemon zest.
- Spoon one tablespoon of the mincemeat mixture onto the middle of the smaller pastry disks.
- Place the larger disks over the mincemeat and use a fork to gently crimp the edges together. Using a small sharp knife, poke two small holes in the top of the pies.
- Brush with 1 Egg and put onto a lined baking tray. Put in the oven for 15 minutes.1 Egg
- Allow to cool and dust with Icing sugar (optional)Icing sugar
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you chop the apple up very very small, so it mixes in well with the mincemeat.
- Add a splash of brandy or rum for extra flavour. Not too much though, as you don't want it to be soggy.
- Make sure you transfer them to a wire rack to cool, as this will prevent them from getting a soggy bottom.
- Add some extra texture with some chopped nuts. Pecans and walnuts work well.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Jessica Stroup says
So decedent! I love mince pies!
Natalie says
I made them last night. They turned out delicious. I will bake them again for Christmas. Thanks
Danielle Wolter says
I am a sucker for puff pastry and these were just so yummy! The flavors were good and the pastry nice and flaky.
Shadi Hasanzade says
Love the flavors here! Puff pastry is so versatile and fun to use, these would be perfect for the holidays!
Natalie says
Oh my YUM! I love mince pies. I bet I'll love these puff pastry mince pies as well. I'm making them tonight. Delicious!
Valerie says
These look like a great appetizer for holiday entertaining. I love that youo used puff pastry!
Claudia Lamascolo says
Mom use to make mince havent had it in years! What a delicious dish I love the ease of this recipe so good!
Lucy says
Christmas isn't complete without mince pies. These puff pastry ones are delicious and I love that they're made in less than 30 minutes.
Mari says
Lovely recipe, those pies looks very appetizing and perfect for this season.