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The best gluten-free mince pies for Christmas 2020
Looking for the tastiest gluten-free mince pie to enjoy this festive season? We tasted 11 to bring you the best…
Whether you have a gluten intolerance or are simply curious to try a free-from range this Christmas, the quality of gluten-free products has undeniably improved year on year, and mince pies are no exception.
According to Mintel, the UK free-from market has seen consistent growth over the last five years. Now part of a firmly established ‘trend’, gluten-free food and drinks are often mistaken for the real thing, as consumers struggle to see any difference in the tasty alternatives.
The perfect gluten-free mince pie boasts crisp pastry with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. It’s full of sweet and juicy mincemeat with warming spices for a traditional and familiar bite.
This year, our panel of testers tried 11 gluten-free mince pies to find the best festive option for Christmas 2020…
How we test
Our panel of testers initially assessed the appearance of the best gluten-free mince pies, looking for a decorative and festive design embossed on the golden bakes. Considering both aroma and flavour, testers were after a juicy and fruity mincemeat filling with a prominent sweetness, as well as a hint of zest in the buttery, crisp pastry casing.
BEST GLUTEN-FREE MINCE PIE: Costa Gluten Free Mince Pies
Overall score: 73/100
This year's best gluten-free mince pie boasts a decorative star design, dusted with icing sugar. Featuring a soft, melt-in-the-mouth pastry, the mince pie's succulent currants are paired with a hint of spice for a traditional finish, while a zingy, mixed peel flavour comes through in the filling. The gentle, fruity aroma has a hint of citrus from the lemon and orange peel.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Costa, £2 for 80g (serves 1)
RUNNER-UP: M&S Made Without Gluten Free 4 Mince Pies
Overall score: 72/100
These gluten-free mince pies have a festive star design, and a rich and buttery aroma. The mincemeat has a good ratio of vine fruits to sweet candied peel, while the pastry has a good thickness and a slight shortbread crumble to it.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY M&S, £2.50 for 205g (serves 4)
Iceland We Love Cake Merrily-On-Pie Gluten Free Mince Pie
Overall score: 70/100
The fruity mincemeat filling and light buttery pastry aroma make this gluten-free mince pie feel traditionally festive. The moist and plump vine fruit filling is wrapped in a soft, crisp pastry, which has a gentle sweetness. However, some found the overall bite a little bland.
BUY NOW Iceland, £2 for 4 (serves 4)
Lidl Favourina Free From Mince Pies
Overall score: 67/100
A subtle, earthy aroma comes from the fruity mincemeat, with testers praising the good filling to pastry ratio of these neatly designed gluten-free mince pies. The soft and crisp casing has a somewhat cloying texture and, although the filling has a full, fruity taste, it lacked any strength.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Lidl, £1.49 for 4 (serves 4)
Aldi Free From Mince Pies
Overall score: 66/100
These mince pies deliver a mouth-watering combination of aromas from the orange and lemon peel, combined with the cinnamon. They have a neat, nicely trimmed design with a light sugary coating. The mincemeat filling has a prominent but pleasantly tart sweetness, although the muted pastry flavour lets it down. Testers were divided over the crumbly yet cloying texture.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, £1.39 for 4 (serves 4)
Asda Free From Mince Pies
Overall score: 63/100
Although these gluten-free mince pies have an earthy aroma, the orange and lemon peel give a pleasant, zesty hint with a fruity balance also coming through. While the pastry was found to be grainy and cloying, the moist filling with sharp citrus flavours and a good level of sweetness saves this mince pie.
BUY NOW Asda, £1.55 for 4 (serves 4)
Co-op Free From Mince Pies
Overall score: 62/100
The gentle and warming fruity aroma of this traditional, home-baked design offers earthy notes, although the overall scent could be stronger. The especially moist mincemeat is bursting with rich, fruity flavours within a crisp pastry casing. Some testers detected an earthy flavour in the otherwise bland pastry, which was described as dry and crumbly.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Co-op, £2 for 4 (serves 4)
Lovemore Gluten Free Luxury Mince Pies
Overall score: 60/100
These sizeable mince pies are baked golden and have a mildly sweet aroma. There is a gentle sweet flavour from the classic mincemeat combination of vine fruits and apple puree. The pastry is buttery but has a thick and dense consistency, which overshadowed the filling.
BUY NOW Ocado, £2.50 for 4 (serves 4)
Tesco Free From 4 Deep Filled Mince Pies
Overall score: 59/100
These mince pies feature a lovely fluted design, and deliver a sweet and fruity scent, coming from the apple puree, sultanas and currants. However, this is let down by an acidic element in the aroma. The moist filling offers rich flavours, but the pastry’s soft and cloying texture has an overwhelming thickness to it.
BUY NOW Tesco, £1.50 for 4 (Serves 4)
Morrisons Free From 4PK Mince Pies
Overall score: 59/100
These gluten-free mince pies give a sweet and zesty aroma from the lemon and orange peel within the fruity mincemeat. The traditional snowflake design offers a good ratio of pastry to filling, but the gritty pastry has an artificially sweet flavour.
BUY NOW Morrisons, £2 for 4 (serves 4)
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From 9 Mini Mince Pies
Overall score: 56/100
Finished off in just a few bites, these small, sugar-dusted mince pies offer a mildly fruity aroma with delicate hints of cinnamon spices. The lovely pastry flavour has similar notes of Christmas spices with a light sweetness, but the mincemeat was described by testers as bland, and the pastry as heavy and grainy in consistency.
BUY NOW Sainsbury’s, £2.50 for 190g (serves 9)
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