Best mince pies

We’ve tested 11 traditional premium mince pies to bring you our top pie picks for the festive season.

Our mince pie taste test from the December 2020 edition of Which? magazine includes products from budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, along with the likes of Sainsbury's, Asda and Iceland. 

Only logged in Which? members can view the rest of our results and tasting notes below. If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the mince pies on test. To get instant access join Which? 

All prices correct as of November 2020. All pies contain alcohol.

Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies

£1.49 for 6, 25p a pie

Aldi’s pies are the joint cheapest on test, but time and time again the discount store has shown up the more premium brands in our taste tests.

Log in now or join Which? to find out if 2020 is Aldi’s year for mince pies. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi stores only

Salted caramel cheesecakes for Christmas dessert compared.

Asda Extra Special Luxury Mince Pies

£1.75 for 6, 29p a pie

Asda has a huge range of mince pies in 2020, including ‘caramel crumble’ and ‘sloe gin’ varieties. Does its conventional mince pie offering still impress? Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda

Co-op Irresistible All-butter Mince Pies

£2 for 6, 33p a pie

Topped with icing sugar and festive stars, Co-ops pies do look irresistible. Log in now or join Which? to find out if they live up to their promise.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op stores only

Iceland Luxury All Butter Mince Pies

£1.89 for 6, 32p a pie

Iceland has scored well in recent years, but the competition in the world of mince pies never stops. Do Iceland’s pies impress again in 2020? Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Iceland

Lidl Deluxe All Butter Mince Pies

£1.49 for 6, 29p a pie

The joint-cheapest on test along with Aldi. Lidl says they’re ‘generously filled’. Log in now or join Which? to find out if our tasters agreed.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl stores only

M&S Collection Mince Pies

£2.50 for 6, 42p a pie

With the joint-priciest pies on test, hopes must be high for M&S’s top-tier mince pies. These aren’t just any mince pies, after all....Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado

Morrisons The Best Mince Pies

£2 for 6, 33p a pie

These pies promise a ‘warming blend’ of spices. Log in now or join Which? to see if the bakers got the balance right with these star-topped pies.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mince Pies

£2 for 6, 33p a pie

These all-butter pies feature a snowflake and a star on top of their pastry lids. Will these pies be the star of the show? Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's

Spar Luxury All Butter Mince Pies

£2 for 6, 33p a pie

Spar’s pies feature distinctive crimped edges and are dusted with icing sugar, promising a rich filling and enticing pastry. Log in now or join Which? to see if they taste as good as they look.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Spar stores only

Tesco Finest Mince Pies

£1.75 for 6, 29p a pie

Tesco’s pies are among the cheapest on test, meaning they could be a great choice if you get through a lot of pies over the festive period. Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results and see if that's the case.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco

Waitrose No. 1 All Butter Mince Pies

£2.50 for 6, 42p a pie

Along with M&S, these Waitrose pies are the most expensive tested this year. All eyes will be on these pies to see which take the top spot of the premium supermarkets. Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose

See which eco Christmas crackers came out best in our test. 

Vegan, gluten-free and free-from mince pies

All the pies featured above contain butter so aren't suitable for vegans, or indeed those who need to avoid lactose. Additionally, they all contain wheat flour so therefore contain gluten.

However, many of the supermarkets sell free-from mince pies. These vary, but most are gluten-free and many of them are vegan. Many will also contain no alcohol, but you should check the ingredients list of these products carefully as some won't state specifically that they do or don't contain booze.

Below is a list of some free-from options, and where they can be bought.

• Aldi Free From Mince Pies, £1.39 for 4. Gluten free,  milk free, vegan. Aldi stores only.
• Asda Free From Mince Pies, £1.55 for 4. Gluten free, milk free, vegan. Buy from Asda.
• Co-op Free From Mince Pies, £1.75 for 4. Gluten free, milk free, vegan. Co-op stores only.
• Iceland We Love Cake 4 Mince Pies, £2 for 4. Gluten Free, milk free, vegan. Buy from Iceland.
• M&S Plant Kitchen 4 Mince Pies, £2.50 for 4. Milk free, vegan. Buy from Ocado.
• M&S Made Without 4 Mince Pies, £2.50 for 4. Gluten free, vegetarian. Buy from Ocado.
• Morrisons Free From Mince Pies, £2 for 4, Gluten free, milk free, vegan. Buy from Morrisons.
• Lovemore Gluten Free Luxury Mince Pies, £2.50 for 4, Gluten and milk free, vegetarian. Buy from Ocado.
• Sainsbury's Free From Mince Pies, £1.50 for 4, Gluten free, milk free, vegan. Buy from Sainsbury's.
• Tesco Free From Deep Filled Mince Pies, £1.50 for 4, Gluten free, milk free, vegetarian. Buy from Tesco.
• Waitrose  Free From Mince Pies, £2.50 for 4, Gluten free, milk free, vegan. Buy from Waitrose.
• Waitrose Gluten Free Mince Pies, £2.50 for 2, Gluten free, vegetarian. Buy from Waitrose.

Mince pie calories

While mince pies do contain plenty of fruit, we wouldn't classify them as one of your five-a-day. As such, the calorie content of an individual pie might raise some eyebrows. 

Below is the brands' stated calorie content of a single pie. M&S produces the lowest-calorie pie at 212kcal, while Tesco tops the charts with its 251kcal pie. 

Keep in mind that the different brands will have pies that weigh slightly more or less than each other, so this could be a factor in why different products have such different calorie contents.

Mince pie recipes

Have some extra time and fancy making pies yourself? Try these mince pie recipes from Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Ella Woodward.

Or try this mincemeat cheesecake recipe for something a bit different:

1. Add a teaspoon of mincemeat into 12 sweet pastry tartlets 
2. Beat together 200g full-fat cream cheese, 40g caster sugar, one egg, 2 teaspoons plain flour and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
3. Spoon some of the cream cheese mix into each pastry tartlet before sprinkling with amaretti biscuits.  
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 180°C.

Six ways to make your mince pies taste even better

1. Combine 30g of icing sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger or mixed spice, and sieve over warmed mince pies just before serving.
2. Mince pies and cheese is a tasty pairing. Try grating a little frozen stilton over the top before serving.
3. Try serving pies with a glass of mulled ginger wine for added festive flavour.
4. Put mince pie filling in your bread and butter pudding for a fruity flavour boost.
5. For a unique dessert, pour affogato (ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso) over a hot mince pie.
6. Add a festive twist to vanilla ice cream by crumbling in mince pies, then refreezing and serving with hot toffee sauce.

How we tested

The products were assessed by a large panel of people who regularly eat mince pies. 

The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. Each mince pie variety was assessed by 64 people. The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each product and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. 

The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order they sampled the mince pies was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each panellist had a private booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others. The overall score is based on:

• 50% flavour 
• 20% appearance 
• 15% texture 
• 15% aroma