Moist and fluffy mincemeat muffins are gently spiced with warming cinnamon with a hidden layer of fruity mincemeat inside!
Perfect for using up those half-used jars of mincemeat, and best of all they can be made in under 30 minutes!
I always seem to accumulate half-used jars of mincemeat thanks to making batches of mince pies, mincemeat blondies, and mincemeat pinwheels at Christmas.
These festive mince pie muffins are the perfect way to use up leftover mincemeat!
Looking for more festive muffin recipes? Try my moist and fluffy chocolate orange muffins, or how about my fresh cranberry muffins!
Jump to:
✔️ Why should you try it?
- Delicious recipe using mincemeat.
- Freezer friendly.
- Perfect for Christmas.
- Uses my fail-safe basic muffin recipe.
🥘 Ingredients
Mincemeat - Vegetarian mincemeat without traditional suet.
Cinnamon - Helps give the muffins a gentle warmth.
My basic muffin mix, consists of;
- Plain Flour
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Caster Sugar
- Natural Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- Melted Butter
🥄 Equipment
To make this easy mincemeat muffin recipe you will need a 12-hole muffin tin, muffin cases, and a mixing bowl.
🔪 Instructions
One: Weigh out the dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon) in a bowl. Measure out the wet ingredients (yogurt, melted butter and eggs) in a jug and whisk.
Two: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Three: Gently mix until combined but be careful not to over-mix the muffin batter.
Four: Place 12 muffin cases in your muffin tin.
Five: Half fill each muffin case with the muffin batter.
Six: Place 1 teaspoon of mincemeat in each muffin case.
Seven: Top with the remaining muffin batter.
Eight: Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden.
💭 Top tips
- Be careful not to over-mix the muffin batter. Over mixing will result in tough muffins...and nobody likes a tough muffin!
- If you prefer, instead of placing teaspoons of mincemeat inside the muffins, you can stir all of the mincemeat into the muffin batter so it is distributed throughout the muffin. I prefer that fruity hit of mincemeat when you take a bite though!
- The grated zest of 1 orange or clementine added into the muffin batter is a good addition.
- Top the muffins with a layer of marzipan for mincemeat and marzipan muffins!
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the mincemeat muffins as a festive treat, at bake sales, or as an easy after-school snack.
Sometimes (if I'm feeling in the mood to make a pudding), I serve them up for dessert with creamy custard or no churn honeycomb ice cream.
📖 Variations
Nearly all of the muffin recipes follow the same basic recipe, so if you don't fancy mincemeat, why not try my lemon drizzle muffins (with a hidden layer of lemon curd), chocolate courgette muffins, raspberry and white muffins, or my blackberry and lemon muffins instead?
🥡 Storage
Store: The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
🧊 Suitable for freezing?
These mincemeat muffins (as with all my muffin recipes) are suitable for freezing. Why not get ahead for Christmas and make a batch ahead of time? They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
❓ FAQS
Mincemeat, the traditional filling for mince pies, is a spicy preserve comprising a mixture of dried fruit, apple, suet (although I make a vegetarian mincemeat without suet), and candied fruit and spices steeped in rum, whisky or brandy. It has been part of British cookery since the middle ages.
The reason mincemeat is called mincemeat is because that's exactly what it used to be! Most usually mutton (sheep), but also beef, rabbit, pork, and game were used. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up dried fruit, and a preserving liquid such as rum, brandy or whisky.
😋Related recipes
- Apple and mincemeat crumble - A simple and delicious pudding that everyone will love, especially with a dollop of clotted cream on top!
- Mincemeat flapjacks - Easy mincemeat flapjacks are a simple oaty sweet treat for Christmas (and beyond) that the whole family will love!
- Crumble topped mince pies - Sweet fruity mincemeat is encased in a shortcrust pastry shell, and topped with a buttery crumble topping!
- Mincemeat pinwheels - Easy puff pastry mincemeat pinwheels! Much quicker to make than mince pies, and just as tasty!
- Mincemeat crumble slices - A sweet crumble traybake using mincemeat. The mincemeat crumble slices make a great alternative to traditional mince pies.
- Stollen Muffins - Easy stollen muffins filled with marzipan, dried fruit, almonds, and Christmas spices!
🍽️ More family-friendly recipes
Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
Recipe
Cinnamon Spiced Mincemeat Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 100 ml Natural Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- 140 g Melted Butter
- 12 teaspoon Mincemeat
- 1 tablespoon Icing Sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°c (170 fan/ 375F/ Gas5). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Weigh out the dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon) in a bowl. Measure out the wet ingredients (yogurt, melted butter and eggs) in a jug and whisk.
- Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix.
- Half fill each muffin case with the muffin batter.
- Place 1 teaspoon of mincemeat into each muffin case.
- Fill each case with the remaining muffin batter.
- Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar.
Cate
These look so perfect and tasty! Saving these to make over the holidays, thanks for the recipe!
Carrie Robinson
I don't think I have ever had mincemeat before. Definitely intrigued by the is muffin recipe. 🙂
Jillian
I love that these are made in 30 minutes! No one has time to spend all day in the kitchen baking! Thanks for a yummy and quick recipe.
Lisa Huff
Love the idea of putting a little mincemeat in each muffin. What a fun surprise!
Roxana
This is an interesting and new kind of recipe for me. Where can one find the vegetarian mincemeat you mentioned in the blog?
Rebecca
I LOVE a good muffin recipe! your mincemeat one looks delicious! yum
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These sound like the perfect treat for Autumn - anything flavoured with cinnamon is always going to be a hit with me and these look incredible.
Jess
The cinnamon in these muffins make these perfect for the holiday season!
Dionne
I am sooo ready for these muffins. I have been out of muffins since last week, so it really feels like something I need to fix ASAP 🙂
Choclette
Love the sound of your basic muffin mix. I’m a big fan of using yoghurt in bakes. Even better with a dollop of mincemeat. Not sure I’ve got any leftover mincemeat, but I might need to raid the cupboards to check.
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
Perfect Christmas treats! I am always looking for leftover mincemeat recipes as I have the same problem as you and I don't like to waste it. This is a great one to add to the collection.
Jenny Walters
Squeal Christmas is coming!!! Love these and I have a jar of mincemeat in the cupboard! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Rebecca - Glutarama
I love the idea of little surprises in cupcakes and as I also love mincemeat this is defo going on my to-do-list (but GF) Thank you for the inspiration.
Kristine
Delicious and easy! The perfect combination for me. I appreciated the tip about not over-mixing the batter. Very helpful, thanks!
Aimee Mars
I love how easy these were to make. Made a batch and brought them to Bunco night. None were leftover by the end of the night.
Gina Abernathy
I've never had mincemeat, but sounds like a great addition to muffins.
Anjali
These muffins were so delicious!! They were moist, sweet and super easy to make!