Keto Mincemeat with No Added Sugar
This keto mincemeat is a no added sugar mix of Bramley apple, fresh and unsweetened dried cranberries, toasted almonds, walnuts, orange zest and warm spices, sweetened with Groovy Keto brown erythritol and stevia. Each heaped tablespoon has 2.8g net carbs. It takes 35 minutes, keeps for 5 days in a sterilised jar in the fridge and fills about 25 mince pies.
If you want a sugar free mincemeat recipe for your Christmas baking, this is ours. It follows the method behind the most popular keto mincemeats: a little chopped apple and cranberries simmered in butter with a brown-sugar style sweetener, zest and spice until thick and jammy, then finished with nuts and a splash of brandy. Our twist is Groovy Keto brown erythritol and stevia for the deep caramel colour, a mix of fresh and unsweetened dried cranberries for a proper chewy, fruity bite, and toasted almonds and walnuts stirred in at the end so they stay crunchy.
We have kept the fruit modest. There is 50g of dried fruit in the whole jar, where a traditional mincemeat is mostly raisins, sultanas, currants and sugar, so each heaped tablespoon stays at 2.8g net carbs. It goes straight into our keto mince pies, and our keto Christmas guide has more ideas for the festive table.
What we used: Groovy Keto Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend in the mincemeat, plus Groovy Keto psyllium husk powder and Groovy Keto xanthan gum for the mince pie pastry. For more on the sweeteners we bake with, see erythritol vs stevia.
Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend
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Psyllium Husk Powder
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Xanthan Gum
View productKeto mincemeat vs traditional mincemeat
Per heaped tablespoon (about 25g). Traditional mincemeat is mostly dried vine fruit and sugar, so nearly all of its carbohydrate is sugar.
| Mincemeat | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional mincemeat | 15.5g | 15.5g | 15.5g |
| This keto mincemeat | 5.8g | 2.1g | 2.8g |
Traditional mincemeat figures are from UK CoFID 2021 data (food code 17-765, "Mincemeat": 62.1g carbohydrate and 62.1g sugars per 100g) – McCance and Widdowson's composition of foods. Our carbohydrate figure includes 3.0g polyols from the erythritol, which are taken off to give net carbs.
Tips for the best keto mincemeat
- Check the dried cranberries. Most dried cranberries are sweetened with sugar or apple juice. Look for a pack that lists 100% cranberries, and chop them so the chewy bits spread through the whole jar.
- Use a Bramley apple. Bramleys are sharp and collapse as they cook, so they turn soft and jammy and give the mincemeat body without adding much sweetness. A firm eating apple works too, but it stays in cubes.
- Cook it until it is thick. A wet mincemeat makes soggy mince pies. Keep simmering until a spoon drawn across the base of the pan leaves a clear line for a second or two.
- Add the nuts and brandy off the heat. Stirring the nuts in at the end keeps them crunchy, and adding the brandy once the pan has cooled a little keeps more of its flavour.
- Taste before you jar it. Erythritol has a slight cooling taste, which the spice and brandy mostly hide. Add another 1–2 tsp of the brown blend if your cranberries are very sharp.
- Bake a festive spread. Make the mincemeat first, then bake our keto mince pies and serve them alongside our keto Christmas cake.
Keto Mincemeat with No Added Sugar
- Prep time15 min
- Cook time20 min
- Total time35 min, plus 1 day resting
- MakesAbout 500g (20 heaped tablespoons)
- Net carbs2.8g per heaped tbsp
Ingredients
For the mincemeat
- 40g unsalted butter
- 1 large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and finely diced (about 200g prepared)
- 100g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 50g unsweetened dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 60g Groovy Keto Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tbsp of its juice
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of fine sea salt
To finish
- 40g flaked almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 30g walnuts, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp (45ml) brandy
You will also need a medium saucepan, a frying pan and a 500g glass jar with a lid (or two smaller jars).
Method
- Sterilise a jar. Heat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan, gas mark 1). Wash a 500g jar (or two smaller jars) and the lid in hot soapy water, rinse, then stand the jar upright on a baking tray and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Pour boiling water over the lid and leave it to dry on a clean tea towel.
- Toast the almonds. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden. Tip them onto a plate to cool, then chop them roughly.
- Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat.
- Add the fruit and spices. Add the diced apple, fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped dried cranberries, brown erythritol and stevia blend, orange zest, lemon zest and juice, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir well.
- Simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until the cranberries have burst, the apple is soft and the mixture is thick and jammy with only a little syrup left. Press some of the apple against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon if you like a smoother mincemeat.
- Add the nuts and brandy. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the toasted almonds and walnuts. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the brandy.
- Jar it up. Spoon the warm mincemeat into the warm sterilised jar, pressing it down to push out any air pockets. Leave it to cool for no more than an hour, then seal and put it in the fridge.
- Chill and rest. Keep the jar in the fridge and leave the mincemeat for at least 1 day before using it, so the spices and brandy mellow. Use it within 5 days.
Jar storage and freezing
Traditional mincemeat keeps in the cupboard for months because it is packed with sugar. This keto mincemeat has no added sugar, so treat it like a fresh fruit compote and keep it in the fridge, not the cupboard. Use a sterilised jar, press the mincemeat down so there are no air pockets, and always take it out with a clean, dry spoon.
- Fridge: keep it in the sealed jar in the fridge and use it within 5 days, with or without the brandy.
- Freezer: freeze it in small tubs or bags for up to 3 months. Freezing it in 20g spoonfuls on a lined tray, then bagging them up, gives you ready portions for single mince pies.
- Defrosting: defrost it in the fridge overnight and stir before using. Do not refreeze it once it has thawed.
- As a gift: if you give a jar away, add a label saying to keep it in the fridge and use it within 5 days of the day you made it, or freeze it.
How to use keto mincemeat
Use about 20g (a heaped teaspoon) per pie, as in our keto mince pies, so one jar fills about 25 pies. You can also warm a spoonful and serve it over thick double cream as a quick festive pudding.
Nutrition
Per heaped tablespoon (about 25g, one of 20 servings), mincemeat only:
| Nutrient | Per heaped tbsp |
|---|---|
| Energy | 56 kcal |
| Fat | 3.8g |
| of which saturates | 1.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.8g |
| of which sugars | 2.1g |
| of which polyols | 3.0g |
| Net carbs | 2.8g |
| Fibre | 1.6g |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Salt | 0.03g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from the per-100g values on the Groovy Keto pack label, the pack label for the dried cranberries, and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) food composition data, with USDA figures where a CoFID entry was not used, so they will vary with the brands you use and how much the mincemeat reduces as it cooks. The finished mincemeat works out at about 8g sugars per 100g, all from the ingredients' own natural sugars. Excessive consumption of polyols, such as erythritol, may produce laxative effects.
Allergens: this recipe contains nuts (almonds, walnuts) and milk (butter), and the brandy version contains alcohol, so use the tea version if you are making it for children. The Groovy Keto brown erythritol and stevia pack says it is packed in a facility where there may be traces of gluten, other nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. Some dried fruit contains sulphites; always check the current pack labels before cooking for anyone with an allergy or coeliac disease.
FAQ
How many carbs are in keto mincemeat?
Each heaped tablespoon of this keto mincemeat (about 25g, one of 20 servings) has 2.8g net carbs, worked out as 5.8g carbohydrate minus 3.0g polyols from the erythritol. It also has 1.6g fibre and 56 kcal. Traditional mincemeat has about 15.5g carbohydrate in the same amount.
Is this mincemeat sugar free?
It has no added sugar, but it is not completely sugar free. The apple, fresh cranberries, unsweetened dried cranberries and nuts all contain their own natural sugars, which come to about 2.1g sugars per heaped tablespoon. The sweetness otherwise comes from Groovy Keto brown erythritol and stevia.
How long does keto mincemeat keep?
Sugar is what keeps traditional mincemeat for months, so this one needs the fridge. Keep it in a sterilised jar in the fridge and use it within 5 days, always taking it out with a clean spoon. For longer, freeze it in portions for up to 3 months and defrost it in the fridge overnight.
Can I make keto mincemeat without alcohol?
Yes. Leave out the brandy and stir in 3 tbsp cold strong black tea instead, which keeps it moist and adds a little depth. Store it in the fridge and use it within 5 days, the same as the brandy version, or freeze it.
Does mincemeat have meat in it?
Not any more. Mincemeat once included minced meat, but today it is a sweet mix of fruit, fat and spices. This keto version has no meat and uses butter instead of suet, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check the labels on shop-bought mincemeat if you need it to be vegetarian, as some still use beef suet.
Can I use suet instead of butter?
You can, but shop-bought shredded suet is coated in flour to stop it clumping, which adds carbs, and the flour is often wheat. Butter gives a rich flavour and melts into the fruit as it simmers, which suits a cooked mincemeat that is kept in the fridge.
