Best mince pies for Christmas

Crisp buttery pastry and flavoursome, well-spiced mincemeat are basic components of any good mince pie, but finding one that nails both elements is tougher than you might expect. 

To find out what's worth buying for Christmas, we asked a panel of baking experts to blind-taste 10 premium mince pies from the supermarkets, as well as big brand Mr Kipling. We also compared budget and premium ranges from key supermarkets to see if you can save without compromising on taste.

Our Best Buy pies were considered a standout hit – and are a great substitute if you don't have time to make your own – but some mince pies proved disappointing.

Note: these mince pies were tested for Christmas 2024 and are no longer available. New results will be published in November 2025.

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Best mince pies

Only logged in Which? members can view our full test results and tasting notes below, and discover which supermarket mince pies topped our taste test. 

If you’re not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the mince pies on test. To get instant access to these and all our reviews, join Which? today.

Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies

£2.29 for 6 (38p per pie)

Aldi’s offering is the cheapest in our test at just 38p per pie. Were they any match for pricier supermarket pies?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies

£2.75 for 6 (46p per pie)

Asda’s pies are infused with ruby port, Valencian orange oil and cognac. Does this blend make for an indulgent festive flavour?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Co-op Irresistible All Butter Pastry Luxury Mince Pies

£2.95 for 6 (49p per pie)

Made with vine fruits, apple, brandy and port, the Co-op’s pies sound delicious. But did they hit the spot for our baking experts?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Iceland Luxury All Butter Mince Pies

£2.75 for 6 (46p per pie)

Are these the pies to buy for Christmas? Find out if our expert panel loved them or loathed them.

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall.

Lidl Deluxe Luxury Mince Pies

£2.79 for 6 (47p per pie)

Lidl says these shortcrust pastry pies are generously filled with lightly spiced mincemeat laced with brandy. But did they impress our panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

M&S Collection Mince Pies

£4 for 6 (67p per pie)

According to M&S, these mince pies melt in the mouth and are filled with vine fruits, cranberries, clementine and cognac. Are they a Best Buy?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Morrisons The Best Deep Filled Mince Pies

£2.75 for 6 (46p per pie)

Morrisons says its pies are filled with an indulgent brandy and cider-infused mincemeat. How did they compare to supermarket rivals?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Mr Kipling Signature Collection All Butter Mince Pies

£2 for 4 (50p per pie)

From a well-known cake brand, there are only four pies in this pack, so will you be wanting more? Find out what our experts thought. 

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mince Pies

£3 for 6 (50p per pie)

According to Sainsbury’s, these pies are packed with a festive blend of fruit and candied citrus peel, infused with brandy. But were they better than the rest?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Mince Pies

£3 for 6 (50p per pie)

Tesco says its mince pies are infused with French brandy and port, and promise a refreshing twist of lemon zest, tangerine oil and festive spices. Did they win over our expert panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Waitrose No1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac

£4 for 6 (67p per pie)

Made with brown butter pastry for a nutty flavour, these Waitrose pies (along with M&S) are the most expensive we tested. Does paying more get you a superlative pie?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these mince pies ranked overall. 

Best Christmas puddings – see which supermarket puds came out top for Christmas 2024

Are cheaper supermarket mince pies any good?

We also asked our panel to try budget-range mince pies from Aldi, Tesco and Waitrose to see how they compared to the premium versions. 

Typically these are around half to two thirds of the price of premium options. The results showed some were quite close in quality, while others were worlds apart.

If you’re not yet a member, you’ll see an alphabetically ordered list of the mince pies we taste-tested. Join Which? to find out which budget mince pies got the thumbs up from our judges.

• Aldi Deep Filled Mince Pies – £1.39 for 6 (23p per pie).
• Tesco Merry Mince Pies – £1.50 for 6 (25p per pie).
• Waitrose All Butter Mince Pies – £2.75 for 6 (46p per pie).

How we uncover the best mince pies 

We wanted to find the tastiest mince pies for your table this Christmas. Our tests are completely independent and we use a robust 'blind' tasting method to ensure they are free from any bias or external influence, so you can be confident we're recommending the best you can get.

For this test, we recruited a panel of four baking and pastry experts as judges, and asked them to blind-taste 10 premium supermarket own-label mince pies, alongside Mr Kipling's premium range mince pies, in September 2024. 

We test mince pies this early,  just before they hit supermarket shelves, so that we have the results in plenty of time for your festive shop. 

To make sure we're able to cover as many supermarkets as possible, we buy direct from the supermarkets, and we always pay for the product samples we test.

Our expert tasting panel included (left to right):

• Nathan Rave French pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals winner 2022
• Dan Lepard Award-winning baker, food writer and broadcaster
• Edd Kimber Baker, food writer and The Great British Bake Off winner 2010
• Shaheen Peerbhai Pastry chef, cookbook author and owner of Miel Bakery.

The experts rated each mince pie on taste, appearance, texture and aroma. They were looking for an appealing design, crisp, buttery pastry and nicely spiced mincemeat with good texture and juiciness. They were also looking for a good ratio of pastry to mincemeat so you don't end up with a half-empty mince pie, or an overload of filling.

Also important was a pie that didn't crumble to pieces when you tried to eat it (some did), and a filling that wasn't too dry or too sloppy.

All the mince pies were served warm from the oven, which gives the flavour the best chance to shine.

Our experts didn’t know which brand they were trying at any point, and they tried the mince pies in a different order to avoid any bias. 

After all the products had been tasted, the panel discussed their ratings and agreed on a score for each one and which pies deserved to be named Best Buys. 

Only once the scores had all been finalised did we reveal which mince pie was which.

Our Great Value products are decided based on products that score well and are notably cheaper than the average price of products in the test.

For more on our testing, see our full behind-the-scenes peek at our Christmas taste tests.

Top tips for making supermarket mince pies taste even better

• Our experts recommend giving them longer in the oven than the pack instructions, as they found that the pastry in nearly all the supermarket pies was underbaked. Remove the foil cases before putting them on a hot baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Just be cautious when you serve and eat them that the filling isn't too hot.
• Air fryers also do a good job of heating mince pies and you'll be rewarded with nice crisp pastry. Don't be tempted to put your pies in the microwave, though. The pastry will turn soggy and they could end up tasting rubbery.
• For added effect and flavour, sprinkle shop-bought pies with spiced icing sugar 'snow'. Combine 30g icing sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon, ginger or mixed spice, and 1 tsp cornflour, then sieve over your warmed mince pies just before serving. Cornflour prevents the sugar crystals from clumping together and will prolong the snowy effect.
• Serve mince pies with brandy cream or plain whipped cream. Both balance the sweetness of mince pies. Brandy butter can make your treat too sweet (unless, of course, that's how you prefer it).

Finally, when you're buying mince pies, make sure you check the best before date as it can be sooner than you think (some of the pies we tested in September had Best Before dates in early October).

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What’s in a mince pie?

Mince pies are typically made with a traditional mincemeat filling, comprising vine fruits such as sultanas, currants, cranberries and raisins, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, sweetened with sugar and encased in shortcrust pastry. 

Premium mince pies are typically made with an all-butter pastry, which has a crumblier texture and richer flavour. Look for a deep golden-brown colour to avoid doughy, underbaked pastry.

Alcohol is a key ingredient, with common choices including cognac, cider, brandy and port. 

Other ingredients may include:

• Cherries
• Apples
• Citrus peel 
• Cloves 
• Caraway
• Flavour enhancers, including concentrated flavouring oils such as orange oil.

Pre-made pies often have additional stabilisers and texturing agents such as pectin, and many contain oils including palm and rapeseed.

Fancy baking them yourself? See how to make mince pies

How many calories are in a mince pie?

The calorie content of an individual mince pie might raise some eyebrows – they may be small but they can be quite rich.

Most are between 200 and 275 calories per pie, but if you smother them in brandy butter or cognac cream that will up the numbers. 

You can often buy mini versions of supermarket mince pies, but bear in mind you might end up with a higher ratio of pastry to filling.

Vegan, gluten-free and free-from mince pies

Traditional mince pies typically contain butter and wheat flour so aren’t suitable for vegans or people who need to avoid lactose or gluten.

However, most supermarkets now sell free-from mince pies. Ingredients vary, but most are gluten-free and many are vegan. 

Some are also alcohol-free, but check the ingredients list as some don’t state specifically whether or not they contain alcohol.

Most supermarkets' own-label free-from mince pies are usually a similar price to the standard versions.

Can you freeze mince pies?

Yes, you should be able to freeze most mince pies for up to three months in an air-tight container, although some of the brands we tested here suggest you don’t, so check the advice on the packaging.

If your mince pie of choice can be frozen and you spot it on offer, you can always stock up early. 

Allow a few hours before serving for your mince pies to defrost. Once they've thawed, you can pop them in the oven or air fryer to warm them through. 

Our baking experts recommend serving mince pies warm for a better flavour.

See all the top-scoring supermarket picks from our taste tests in our guide to the best food and drink

Note: originally published 14 November 2024, but updated in December to flag special offers on top-scoring products which can save you money.