A deliciously festive and easy mince pie recipe made with crumbly, orange flavoured pastry and a sweet, mincemeat and cranberry filling. The pastry can be mixed by hand in just 10 minutes and the pies themselves need just 15 minutes in the oven and can be enjoyed immediately or frozen for another time.
👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
Made with a light and crumbly pastry and flavoured with orange and cranberry, these easy mince pies will be the perfect addition to your Christmas table.
Theres no need for a food processor or mixer machine and this simple, tried and tested recipe will ensure a perfect batch every time. For an alternative why not try Frangipane mince pies.
🍽 Equipment notes
Useful bits of equipment for making this recipe:
- To shape the mince pies: Deep cupcake tray
(you can also use a shallow mince pie tray if you would prefer shallower mince pies with less filling) - For the pastry base: 8cm round cutter or one that is just slightly bigger than the holes in your baking tin (for the pastry base)
- For the pastry lid: 7cm round fluted cutter or a round fluted cutter just slightly smaller than the holes in your baking tin. Plus a small star cutter if you wish to cut a star shape into the pastry lid.
(you can also use a 
if you would prefer shallower mince pies with less filling)
or one that is just slightly bigger than the holes in your baking tin (for the pastry base)
or a round fluted cutter just slightly smaller than the holes in your baking tin. Plus a small 
if you wish to cut a star shape into the pastry lid.🥘 Ingredients
To make 16 mince pies you will need:
Ingredient notes
Icing sugar: Using icing sugar in pastry, instead of caster sugar, is one of the best ways to ensure a light a crumbly pastry. The fine, powdery sugar will dissolve quickly and evenly into the pastry.
Orange zest: To make these mince pies extra festive, I like to flavour the pastry with orange zest. This could be substituted with clementine or tangerine zest or completely left out if preferred.
Cranberry sauce: Cranberry sauce can be added to the mincemeat filling for a mince pie with extra Christmas flavour. Again this is completely optional but if you would like to give this a go just stir a couple of tablespoons of cranberry sauce into the mincemeat.
Eggs: Only 1 egg is required to make this pastry recipe. If the egg is particularly large you may not need all of it. So add the egg gradually and stop when the pastry starts to come together. The second egg is for glazing the pastry.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Add the flour and cold, cubed butter to a large mixing bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour until a breadcrumb consistency is reached.
- Next add the ground almonds, icing sugar and orange zest to the bowl. Stir into the crumb until evenly mixed.
- Whisk one large egg in a jug then gradually add to the mixture. Mix well between each addition and stop adding the egg when the pastry starts to come together. TIP: If you have added all the egg and the pastry hasn't come together, add small spoonfuls of cold water until it does come together.
- Turn the pastry out onto a clean, floured work surface and shape into a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. The colder the better!
- Once the pastry is well chilled, roll out on a floured work surface into a rough circle around 2-3mm thick. Work quickly and don't over handle the pastry. Warm pastry is more likely to break.
- Use an 8cm round cutter to cut out 16 circles for the base of each mince pie. TIP: use a size of round cutter that is slightly larger than the holes of your muffin or mince pie tray.
- Gather up the leftover pastry and reshape into a ball. Then roll out again and use a 7cm round fluted cutter to cut out 16 pastry lids. For extra detail use a small star cutter to cut out star shapes in the pastry lids. TIP: save the cut out stars and bake as they are for little extra pastry treats
- To flavour your mincemeat with cranberries: Transfer the mincemeat to a bowl then stir in 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce (optional).
- To prevent the mince pies from sticking during baking, lightly grease your cupcake or mince pie tray and lightly sprinkle with flour, tapping off the excess. Then carefully place the larger pastry circles into the holes of the tray. Push the pastry gently into the corners using your finger tips or the rounded end of a champaign cork if you have long nails.
- Add a spoonful of mincemeat filling to each pastry base. Don't overfill and try to keep the filling just under the top of the pastry base.
- Place a lid on top of each pie and gently press down so the lid touches the top edges of the base.
- Brush the lids of the mince pies with whisked egg then place in the oven at 170℃/340℉ and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Pastry is a lot easier to handle when cold. Once the pastry has been made, make sure it is well chilled for at least 30 minutes. Leave it for longer if you can. Then roll out quickly and try not to over handle the cut out circles before placing in the tray.
Allow the mince pies to fully cool then wrap in foil or cling film and store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
Freezing mince pies is a fantastic way to have homemade mince pies on hand whenever you want them. Allow the pies to fully cool then stack in a sealable container and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, pop out as many pies as you need then leave on the side to fully defrost for a couple of hours. To reheat, place defrosted pies in a warm oven for 5 minutes.
This recipe suggests adding cranberry sauce to the mincemeat for a bit of extra Christmas flavour. Other additions could include orange zest, crushed hazelnuts, splash of rum or brandy, tinned cherries (chopped), dried apricots or some christmassy spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.
🎄 Other Christmas recipes
- Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
- Christmas Cake Muffins
- How to Roast Chestnuts
- Cinnamon Swirls
- Fig and Apple Chutney
- Spiced Pear and Cider Chutney
If you try this recipe you can let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
📖 Recipe
Easy Mince Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Cling film (plastic wrap)
- rolling pin
- Pastry brush for egg wash
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 150 g cold cubed butter
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 large egg for the pastry
- 1 orange zested
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 510 g jar of mincemeat
- 2 tablespoon cranberry sauce
- Extra flour for dusting pastry
Instructions
- Add the flour and cold, cubed butter to a large mixing bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour until a breadcrumb consistency is reached.
- Next add the ground almonds, icing sugar and orange zest to the bowl. Stir into the crumb until evenly mixed.
- Whisk one large egg in a jug then gradually add to the mixture. Mix well between each addition and stop adding the egg when the pastry starts to come together. TIP: If you have added all the egg and the pastry hasn't come together, add small spoonfuls of cold water until it does come together.
- Turn the pastry out onto a clean, floured work surface and shape into a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. The colder the better!
- Once the pastry is well chilled, roll out on a floured work surface into a rough circle around 2-3mm thick. Work quickly and don't over handle the pastry. Warm pastry is more likely to break.
- Use an 8cm round cutter to cut out 16 circles for the base of each mince pie. TIP: use a size of round cutter that is slightly larger than the holes of your muffin or mince pie tray.
- Gather up the leftover pastry and reshape into a ball. Then roll out again and use a 7cm round fluted cutter to cut out 16 pastry lids. For extra detail use a small star cutter to cut out star shapes in the pastry lids. TIP: save the cut out stars and bake as they are for little extra pastry treats
- To flavour your mincemeat with cranberries: Transfer the mincemeat to a bowl then stir in 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce (optional).
- To prevent the mince pies from sticking during baking, lightly grease your cupcake or mince pie tray and lightly sprinkle with flour, tapping off the excess. Then carefully place the larger pastry circles into the holes of the tray. Push the pastry gently into the corners using your finger tips or the rounded end of a champaign cork if you have long nails.
- Add a spoonful of mincemeat filling to each pastry base. Don't overfill and try to keep the filling just under the top of the pastry base.
- Place a lid on top of each pie and gently press down so the lid touches the top edges of the base.
- Brush the lids of the mince pies with whisked egg then place in the oven at 170℃/340℉ and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
This post was first published in December 2015. Updated in December 2020 with an improved recipe and new images, step-by-step photos and recipe tips.
Charlotte Oates
I'm loving cranberries at the moment (more than any previous Christmas I think) so I love the idea of adding plenty of them into you mince pies - delicious.
Debbie
Thanks for your lovely comment Charlotte! Ooh yes cranberry sauce is my favourite at Christmas!! Especially now that I make my own 😊 So it just had to go in my mince pies!! Have a lovely Christmas!!