Top 5 Vegan Mince Pies (2019)
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a mince pie or two – and now that most supermarkets sell vegan versions, there is no hope of not overindulging in these festive treats.
With so many options on where to buy from, it can be hard to know which one to go for. But don’t worry, here at Viva! we’ve been working hard trying all the biggest high street chain’s mince pies…all in the name of research of course!
So without further ado, here are our top 5 high street vegan mince pies…
5. Co-op
Price: £1 for 4 pies
Pastry: 2/5
Filling: 2/5
Aesthetics: 1/5
Value: 5/5
Total: 10/20
While they’re great value for money, these mince pies definitely leave a lot to be desired. The pastry is too crumbly and sticks to the roof of your mouth, and the ratio of pastry to filling is way off. In their defence, they are the co-ops freshly baked mice pies meaning its not only ‘free from’ shoppers who will be eating vegan, but don’t have your expectations very high.
4. Lidl
Price: £1.79 for 4
Pastry: 3/5
Filling: 3/5
Aesthetics: 3/5
Value: 2/5
Total: 11/20
These ones are gluten-free as well as vegan so maybe they should get double points for that! These mince pies are your average mince pies. The pastry is the right amount of crumbly and the filling is how you expect a mince pie to be. In conclusion, they’re not standout but no complaints either!
3. Sainsbury’s
Price: £1.50 for 4 pies
Pastry: 4/5
Filling: 3/5
Aesthetics: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Total: 13/20
Sainsbury’s Free From mince pies weigh in third, thanks to its near-perfect pastry and tasty filling. They look as good as they taste, the only thing we wish is there was more filling to balance out the ratios a little better. They’re available in the Free From section, meaning they might only be available in bigger stores…but we can live with that!
2. Café Nero
Price: £2 for 1 pie
Pastry: 4/5
Filling: 4/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Value: 1/5
Total:14/15
Arguably the most delicious of all the mince pies we tried, the price is what really split opinions here. Are they delicious? Definitely. Is the pastry crumbly? Of course. How is the filling to pastry ratio? Spot on! But are they worth £2 each? Not everyone is convinced… They are the best mince pie we tried but it’s really got to be something special to justify that price tag – but we all deserve a treat now and then don’t we?!
1. Greggs
Price: £1.75 for 6 pies
Pastry: 4/5
Filling: 3/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Total: 15/20
Wow…Greggs have really outdone themselves with their vegan mince pies! The sweet filling is at a perfect ratio to the delicious pastry, and they even have icing sugar on top to take them the extra mile. They’re super cheap and since Greggs are everywhere it’s great to have somewhere we can easily pop into if those mince pie cravings sneak up on us.
If you’re planning to have a homemade vegan Christmas this year, our Deliciously Vegan Christmas Guide has everything you need to make the festive season a roaring success. Buy it here!
About the author
Louisa Kendal
Louisa is the Digital Communications Officer at Viva! Louisa has been vegan for four years and is passionate about eradicating injustices and exploitation in our world. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in Theology, she worked as a journalist in Malaysia before joining Viva!'s marketing team. She now leverages social media and the online world to forward the vegan movement and keep Viva! growing in influence. Click here for more info.
