Homemade Mincemeat is a delicious sweet combination of pears, dried cranberries, and warm spices that is delicious in baked goods or as a condiment for any meal. So easy to make, and if you have an abundance of pears it makes great gifts.
Truth time, I am not a big pear fan.
They are okay, but when we get them from our local CSA they can get pushed to the back of the produce bin and I end up with too many for us to eat before they go bad. If you have a pear tree, you probably have the same problem.
This easy homemade mincemeat recipe is a great solution. And you can make a big batch and can it up for gifts at holiday time.
If you don't have pears or dried cranberries you can use apples and any dried fruit like raisins or dates.
Is there meat in mincemeat?
Mince is derived from the French word meaning to finely chop. And mincemeat does resemble minced meat, aka ground beef here in the US.
In the past there was shredded meat added along with the dried fruit, citrus, spirits (rum, brandy, etc.) and warm spices. Most recipes now do not use meat, though some use suet (beef fat) or butter.
This mincemeat recipe is both vegan and alcohol free. If you are not planning on canning it, you can even use a non-sugar sweetener.
If you have never canned before you might want to read the water bath canning instructions from Ball/Kerr. Or you can make a small batch and keep it in the fridge or freeze it.
What do you do with mincemeat?
Mincemeat is classically used in pies. especially for Thanksgiving. But, it can be used in a variety of other baked goods like cookies, cakes, muffins, tarts and more.
Add it on top of roasted pork or chicken. Serve it along with your cheese or charcuterie tray. Use it to top yogurt or ice cream. Eat it straight from the jar...
More Pear Recipes from #OurFamilyTable
Pears are one of winters' delicious bounties. Here are some fresh ideas for serving them.
Pear-fect Recipes
- Caramelized Onion and Pear Tart from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Crustless Ginger Blueberry-Pear Pie from The Spiffy Cookie
- Dutch Pear Pie from House of Nash Eats
- Pear and Cranberry Mincemeat from That Recipe
- Pear Gingerbread Upside Down Cake from Art of Natural Living
- Pear Pie Bars from Hezzi-D"s Books and Cooks
- Pear, Persimmon, Pomegranate Salad With Maple Ginger Dressing from Magical Ingredients
- Smoked Sausage with Sauerkraut and Pear from Palatable Pastime
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 pounds pears
- 1 whole lemon
- 2 pounds dried cranberries
- 6 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar (or apple cider)
Instructions
- Core pears and coarsely chop. Cut lemon in quarters, remove any seeds and finely chop (peel and all).
- Add all ingredients into a large pot, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While mixture is boiling sterilize 9 pint jars. Fill jars with cooked mincemeat to ½ inch line, remove air bubbles and adjust 2 piece cap. Process 25 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Notes
Sound fabulous? Share it!
Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
Inger
I just added this to next year's canning list! Such a great idea!
Christie
OMG I totally love pears and can't have enough of them! I had a whole bag and I ate two a day. They're one of my fave fruits. And I would totally devour this in a pie.
teri
do you peel the lemon? or do you use it pith and all? Vinegar - white plain or something more like a champagne or cider type? And I'm assuming that the spices are ground. I'm not a clove fan, so I might reduce that a bunch since I find it strongly flavored.
Audrey
Yes, I used the lemon whole, peel and all. When you chop it finely and mix it with all of the fruit the zest gives it a nice light lemon kick.
White distilled vinegar works fine in this, apple cider vinegar would also be good.
Thank you for the suggestion to specify the spices are all ground. I have edited the post to add that. Like any recipe, add the spices to your taste.