I created this low FODMAP mincemeat recipe for all of you who have IBS, tummy troubles or just simply hate dried fruit. It’s perfect to make low FODMAP mince pies with.
The story behind the recipe
Diets, diets, diets…
2015 has been all about them for me.
Not the traditional type of weight loss diet…I thankfully have never needed to worry about food in that way.
Instead, I have tried many different diets in an attempt to finally get on top of my irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
For years I was in denial. I knew that wheat made my tummy unhappy and I cut it out and got on with life. My tummy was OK, always a little bloated, but nothing I couldn’t handle.
Then about 18 months or two years ago things changed. I started to suffer with insomnia (something I had never experienced), I had thrush all the time (OK, may be too much detail, but hey, nobody talks about these things and it’s important…it gets in the way of life), I often woke with headaches, I had loads of spots, my PMS was back and then my tummy went crazy!
I had dabbled with cutting out various things like sugar and carbs and things got better, but I soon lapsed into eating gluten-free bread and cake again.
Finally in March I decided to take drastic action. It was after a particularly bad IBS flare up after trying out milk kefir (a homemade probiotic) and I made the decision that things had to change. I had been on anti-fungal tablets for 5 months and decided that enough was enough.
You probably know the story…I tried the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) and the GAPS diet. I had many tests done and I took lots of herbal remedies. Finally three weeks ago I decided to try out the low FODMAP diet (find out more here) which is supposed to manage IBS symptoms.
For the last three months I have also been avoiding egg whites, all dairy, cashew nuts and hazelnuts after the test I had carried out by York Test identified those as potential intolerances. Since doing that the eczema on my hands has cleared up completely for the first time in over ten years! I have slowly been re-introducing eggs and low lactose dairy over the last few weeks and can gladly report that so far, so good!
Anyway, three weeks into the low FODMAP diet and I am afraid there is not much change in the bloating (almost the only remaining symptom I have these days out of the list above!). It’s still there and I am still reacting to things that I eat…particularly grains. I live in hope that if I stick with it just a little big longer things will settle down.
So, a low FODMAP Christmas it will be for me, and for many thousands of other people across the globe who are trying to get on top of their uncomfortable and often embarrassing IBS symptoms. My heart goes out to you.
And because there are many things that low FODMAPers cannot eat this Christmas (dried fruit is OUT!) I challenged the Facebook group that I belong to to tell me what they would miss unless I developed a recipe for them!
An obvious Christmas treat that is very high in FODMAPS is mincemeat to use in mince pies and other delicious bakes. So, here is my low FODMAP version of mincemeat.
No dried fruit mincemeat!
Even if you can eat loads of dried fruit, you might like to try this version. It will be a lot kinder to your tummy when you are putting away a slice of Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and all the other rich treats on Christmas day.
It might just help the environment too in reducing the amount of methane gas produced this year (you know what I mean even if you don’t have IBS)! Not only that, but it is simply delicious!
If you want to make mince pies then take a look at my easy shortcrust pastry recipe here.
If you can tolerate dairy then use butter instead of the margarine (I am still not sure if butter is low or high FODMAP).
You’ll want to roll the pastry out, cut into circles, line a 12-hole tray, add the mincemeat, top, then bake at 200 degrees, 180 degree fan for approx. 15-20 minutes until golden.
How much can I eat on the low FODMAP diet?
Remember that if you are following the low FODMAP diet then you shouldn’t eat more than one or two mince pies even with this mincemeat. They include dried cranberries. Only 1 tbsp of them is considered low FODMAP so don’t go too crazy.
Other mincemeat recipes
If this recipe isn’t the one for you then why not check out one of my others:
Clementine & Cointreau mincemeat
Recipes to use your mincemeat in
If you don’t want to make mince pies with your mincemeat why not make one of these wonderful dishes instead:
Gluten Free Mince pies With Frangipane Topping
Clementine & Chocolate Mince Pie Slices
Other low FODMAP Christmas recipes
These other recipes and articles might interest you:
Low FODMAP Christmas cake alternative
A low FODMAP Christmas dinner & sage and onion stuffing recipe
Low carb (keto) shortcrust pastry
Free Gluten Free Recipe Book..
If you like this recipe you might like my other recipes. Why not sign up for my free gluten free recipe book that you can download and use straight away? Just enter your details in the box below to receive your free copy…
Just so you don’t loose the recipe, pin it and share it with your friends!
The low FODMAP mincemeat recipe
Low FODMAP Mincemeat Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g clementines
- 100 g dried cranberries - Tesco wholefood one are ok
- 60 g walnuts - chopped
- 30 g virgin coconut oil – I used Coconut Merchant
- 20 g crystallised ginger - chopped
- 25 g coconut sugar - or ordinary sugar – I used Coconut Merchant
- 40 ml water
- 2 cloves
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp gin - optional
Instructions
- Place the chopped walnuts into a medium sized pan over a medium heat, and lightly toast them until just turning colour (about 10 minutes, stirring often)
- Meanwhile zest one clementine into a bowl then peel all of them and discard the peel.
- Finely chop the clementine flesh and add it to the bowl with the zest
- Add the coconut oil, clementines, clementine zest, spices, sugar, water and finely chopped crystallised ginger to the saucepan, stir and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cloves, then add the cranberries, stir again and leave with the lid on to simmer for a further 10 minutes
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the gin if you are using it
- Allow to cool, then decant into sterilised glass jars* and store in the fridge until needed
- *to sterilise your jars, wash and dry them, then place in an oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes
Mary says
Thank you so much for this my daughter said it brought back the taste of Christmas, I made a slight alteration by substituting half of the clementine for grated carrot, which made it a bit more moist, did not keep as well but there is always a trade off.
Vicki Montague says
Hi Mary! Sorry for my late response. How wonderful! And well done for being brave and making it your own. That is absolutely what I encourage here. My recipes are always only a guide. xx
Anne says
Hi, I am trying this out for my dad who has had intolerance for 3 years now. So far (I’m simmering) this recipe has turned out great! Just found out I forgot to put the sugar in…………
I hope you are better now☺. Can’t wait to make the mince pies!
Will tell you what he thinks.
Vicki Montague says
I’d love to hear the verdict! Glad you spotted that you’d left the sugar out ;). Have a very happy Christmas x
Holly says
Can I use ground cloves instead of whole cloves?
Holly says
Also how many mince pies does this make?
Vicki Montague says
Hi Holly, it made a large jar full so you’d get a good 24 mince pies I would reckon. 🙂
Vicki Montague says
Hi Holly, yes you could! You won’t need much because it’s potent!
Sue says
Hi Vicki
Without the nuts, this looks just the the thing for me this year, low yeast and your pastry, bring on normal eating and proper mince pies.
Do you think I could use these fruits for a Christmas pudding/cake without the dried fruits etc?
Sue
Vicki Montague says
Hi Sue I’m not sure about the cake but I do have an alternative Christmas cake that is low FODMAP that might suit..https://freefromfairy.com/6267/. Enjoy your mince pies!
Carolyn says
Hi You haven’t said when to add the nuts! 🙂
Vicki Montague says
Sorry! It doesn’t really matter but I put them in at the end.
Janet says
OMG that is delicious, just made it for the first time, only one problem and that is, there is just not enough!! Will be making more, thank you so much for this recipe….
Vicki Montague says
Oh I’m so glad you like it!
Mary Pic says
Hi Vicki, I am catering for family members this year, one of whom is on a yeast and lactose free diet, one who is nut and high sugar intolerant and another who is Coeliac. (The one who is egg allergic isn’t coming this year!) I know this isn’t flagged as a Candida diet recipe, but would I be right in thinking that substituting clementines and cranberries for the usual dried fruits would significantly lower yeast and sugar content? Sounds a great recipe, and one cannot cut out all sugar, just lower it. Would appreciate your thoughts. Happy Christmas! Mary
Vicki Montague says
Hi Mary, crumbs! You have quite a task! Regarding this recipe, yes the clementines and cranberries are lower in fructose than the standard dried fruits. As someone with candida issues in the past I keep sugar low which was part of my reason for this recipe. It is very hard at Christmas to avoid sugar…dried fruits are everywhere and are very high in it. Good luck and do ask if you have any other queries!
Lynda Brooks says
Hi Vicki,
i am about to follow your Low FODMAP mincemeat recipe but would just like to know how long I can store it.
Vicki Montague says
Hi Lynda, you can store the mincemeat for months. I had it in the fridge well after Christmas last year as I had some left over…
Lynda Brooks says
Thank you Vicki. I have made the mincemeat today and it tastes delicious so I am looking forward to making mince pies with it nearer to Christmas. Although I love dried fruit, I manage to avoid on the whole but at this time of year it is difficult to resist. Hopefully your recipe will be the answer.
Vicki Montague says
Hi Lynda, I hope you enjoy them. Dried fruit is a nightmare this time of year isn’t it?!
Lynda Brooks says
Hi Vicki,
I just thought you might like to know that I have been making your Low FODMAP recipe for mincemeat every year now since 2016 and am about to start on this year’s batch. It is delicious and a lot easier on the digestion compared with traditional recipes. So, thank you very much for devising and sharing it.
Vicki Montague says
Ooo I just did a little happy dance! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂 xx
Deb says
Hi Vicky,
Hope your symptoms are settled a bit more now? I’ve been struggling with IBS for nearly 15 years and the FODMAP has been the most helpful. The only “cure” I found was pregnancy, but that only works for 9 months!
I wanted to try your recipe as I find myself craving mince pies for the first time in years, but I am allergic to coconut. I see you have mentioned an alternative to coconut sugar, but what about the oil?
Thanks in advance!
Vicki Montague says
Hi Deb! I agree…relief for IBS is pregnancy! I am told that is because it is due to hormones for some. Rather than using coconut oil, use lard or butter or margarine…if using the latter two increase the amount a little as they are not pure fat. It should be fine x
Caroline says
Finally got round to posting a comment. I have been trying the low FODMAP diet for about a year now, and really missed mince pies last Christmas. I came across this recipe and decided to try it. I’m really glad I did as it was absolutely fantastic. Easy to make, loads of flavour and in my opinion, much tastier than shop-bought mincemeat. Thanks so much for sharing!
Vicki Montague says
Hi Caroline! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment…I really appreciate it! I am glad you enjoyed the mincemeat…it is rather special isn’t it? The trick is not to eat too much of it straight from the jar like I do!!!!
Emma says
Yum, this sounds so good. Do I need to make mince pies or can I just eat it out the bowl?! #freefromfridays
Vicki Montague says
Oh I would go for eating out of the bowl! I did!!!
Vicki Montague says
Very annoying!!! Still, I keep positive. One day it will be better again…it is just a matter of time!
Kate - glutenfreealchemist says
Well done Vicki! If there’s one positive in your difficult health experiences, it’s that you are developing loads of fantastic recipes to make lots of other people happy!
Sorry to hear you are still having so many problems…… maybe 2016 will bring some relief x
Vicki Montague says
I’m sure 2016 is going to be cracking!!!