This vegan & gluten free mincemeat shortbread recipe is one of my favourites. It’s perfect around Christmas when you might have a pot of mincemeat that needs using up. Crumbly and soft I can guarantee this won’t last long…
What is shortbread?
Shortbread is a wonderful and simple biscuit that is short and crumbly.
Traditionally it is made from wheat flour, butter and sugar.
My version is made with my wholegrain gluten free flour blend, margarine, coconut oil and sugar.
It is so simple because I’m almost certain you’ll have all the ingredients in your cupboard already!
Especially at Christmas when there tends to be a jar of mincemeat that needs using up!
What is mincemeat?
Mincemeat is a traditional British filling for mince pies; something that are eaten at Christmas time.
The mincemeat is traditionally made from beef suet, dried fruit and spices.
I make my own mincemeat using coconut oil in place of suet because the latter almost always contains wheat flour and is not suitable for vegans or anyone who is dairy free.
How do you make vegan gluten free mincemeat shortbread?
This is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make!
You don’t need any special equipment or skill.
Just a large bowl, spoon and tin and a way of melting the coconut oil. That’s about it!
I melt the coconut oil in the microwave in a large heat-proof mixing bowl then add the margarine, dry ingredients and mincemeat until a soft dough is formed.
The great news is that you don’t have to roll this dough out. Instead it is pressed directly into the tin you’ll be using to bake it in. So it’s super quick and easy!
Mincemeat recipes
If you’d like to make your own mincemeat, rather than buying it you will find my mincemeat recipes here:
Clementine & Cointeau Mincemeat
Low FODMAP (dried fruit free) Mincemeat
Other recipes that use mincemeat
Christmas Crumble 
Mincemeat Shortbread Mincemeat Granola Slice 
Gluten Free Mince Pies with Frangipane Top
The vegan, gluten free mincemeat shortbread recipe
Mincemeat shortbread
Ingredients
- 2 oz coconut oil
- 2 oz dairy free margarine
- 2 oz white sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 7 oz plain gluten-free flour - I use my own wholegrain flour blend
- Half tsp vanilla paste - or a full tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp mincemeat - ideally my pear and amaretto one!
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil, then mix with the margarine and sugar until smooth
- Add the flour, vanilla and mincemeat and stir well. The mixture will be quite soft at this point. Don’t worry!
- Place the dough into a greased round tin approx. 18cm in diameter and firm down well, smoothing it off on the top
- Score the dough where you would like to cut it…making sure you do not go all the way through the dough. This will make it easier to cut when it is cooked
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees (140 degree fan) for 35-40 minutes until firm to touch
- Whilst still warm sprinkle with white sugar and leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting
- If you can tolerate dairy then use 4oz butter with 6oz flour and 2oz sugar for a perfect shortbread!
Helen Carless says
Hi Vicki, would love to try this recipe but sadly I can’t have coconut now. Could I make it without?
Many thanks
Vicki Montague says
Hi Helen, as it says at the bottom of the recipe, if you tolerate dairy then you can make it with butter. Otherwise you could probably make it with all margarine but I haven’t tried that.
Thebeesleybuzz says
Found your lovely recipe after reading your latest post so will definitely be making this! X
Vicki Montague says
Oh good. It is a winner! Let me know how you get on with it.
Mel says
I have been looking for a nice shortbread recipe for Jumpy. Looking forward to trying yours. Pinning right now! Mel
freefromfairy says
Thanks Emily! Hope you get a chance to make them…they make a lovely change from mince pies! Have shared another recipe this week. Thanks for giving us the chance to do so…
Emily says
Looks amazing! I stupidly only had toast for tea and the sight of this has my stomach rumbling. Thanks so much for linking up with #recipeoftheweek. I’ve Pinned and Tweeted this post and there’s a fresh linky live now. Hope you join in 😀 x
freefromfairy says
As you can tell, I have updated the recipe as it came out even better with the coconut oil, rather than duck fat!
freefromfairy says
Far too yummy!
sarahhillwheeler says
Lovely combination, very Christmassy!
freefromfairy says
Yes, I am sure you could use any margarine although I find Trex rather fatty so you have to be careful…perhaps use slightly less. Am going into the kitchen to experiment and make a vegetarian one so will let you know how it goes! Thanks for your comment…
TheBrickCastle says
I think you could make them vegetarian – trex is a very good substitute – but then I don’t know what duck fat tastes like 😀