By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Best mince pies for Christmas
Nothing says Christmas quite like the first bite of a mince pie — buttery, rich and bursting with festive flavour. Our expert panel has put this seasonal favourite to the test and uncovered a standout Best Buy worth snapping up this year.
They blind-tasted nine supermarket premium mince pies, scoring each one for appearance, aroma, texture and flavour.
One brilliant Best Buy rose above the rest, earning top marks for its perfectly buttery pastry and deliciously fruity mincemeat.
But not every pie hit the mark – some fell flat, with soggy pastry and bland, lacklustre fillings that failed to deliver festive cheer.
How we tested mince pies
Expert panel
Our expert judging panel featured award winning bakers and professional pastry chefs including Dan Lepard, Anna Higham, Martha Collison and Darryl Collins
Independent
We pay for all the mince pie samples we test. We're not influenced by third parties, and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers
Blind tasting
The mince pies were anonymised so our experts didn’t know which brand they were trying, and they each tasted the pies in a different order to avoid any bias
Planning ahead
Christmas taste test planning kicks off in July at Which? HQ. We spend weeks researching, planning, testing, analysing and writing, so that we can reveal the results in plenty of time for your festive shop
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 All Butter Mince Pies
£2.49 for 6 (42p per pie)
Description: Infused with cognac, ruby port and dry cider.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi (in-store only).
Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies
£2.84 for 6 (47p per pie)
Description: Infused with sweet ruby port, Valencian orange oil and cognac.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.
Co-op Irresistible All Butter Pastry Luxury Mince Pies
£3.25 for 6 (54p per pie)
Description: Filled with vine fruit and apple mincemeat enriched with brandy and port.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op.
Iceland Luxury All Butter Mince Pies
£3.25 for 6 (54p per pie)
Description: Filled with vine fruit mincemeat containing brandy, port and mixed peel.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Iceland.
M&S Collection Mince Pies
£4 for 6 (67p per pie)
Description: Filled with mincemeat containing vine fruits, glacé cherries, cranberries, clementine juice, cognac, brandy and cider.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado.
Morrisons The Best Signature Collection Mince Pies
£2 for 2 (£1 per pie)
Description: Generously filled with rich and fruity mincemeat laced with brandy and warming spices.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies
£3.50 for 6 (58p per pie)
Description: Filled with a blend of apples, currants, sultanas and candied citrus peel, infused with brandy
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's.
Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Mince Pies
£3 for 6 (50p per pie)
Description: Infused with French brandy and ruby port, with lemon zest, tangerine oil and festive spices.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.
Waitrose No1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac
£4 for 6 (67p per pie)
Description: Filled with glacé Amarena cherry, almond and apricot mincemeat, laced with cognac
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.
Best Christmas puddings – see which supermarket puds came out top for 2025
How we uncover the best mince pies
Our panel of experts nibbled and critiqued their way through more than 35 mince pies to find out which ones deserve a place on your festive table this Christmas.
Our expert tasting panel — including baker and food writer Dan Lepard, pastry chef and bakery owner Anna Higham, and Bake Off: The Professionals finalist Darryl Collins — took their judging seriously. They were looking for perfect buttery pastry, rich mincemeat and well-balanced festive spice. While some supermarket pies excelled, there were also some big disappointments, including stingy splashes of booze, doughy underbaked pastry and lacklustre flavours.
The tasting takes place as early as September, so we can reveal the results in plenty of time for your festive shop. All our tests are completely independent, and every mince pie is tasted blind, so our experts judge purely on flavour and quality. We buy every box ourselves, just like you would, and never accept freebies.
Our expert tasting panel included (left to right):
- Dan Lepard Award-winning baker, food writer and broadcaster
- Darryl Collins Pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals 2018 finalist
- Martha Collison Baking expert and cookbook author
- Anna Higham Pastry chef and owner of Quince Bakery
The experts rated each mince pie on taste, appearance, texture and aroma. They 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 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, including which pies deserved to be named Best Buys.
For more on our testing, see our full behind-the-scenes peek at our Christmas taste tests.
How do mini mince pies compare?
Mini mince pies could be worth considering if you're looking for a smaller snack-sized alternative to full-sized mince pies. But does downsizing mean compromising on taste?
To find out, we asked our mince pie experts to try Waitrose No1 Mini Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac (£4 for 9 mini pies, available from Waitrose).
In contrast to the full-sized ones, our experts thought that Waitrose minis were disappointing overall. They felt the ratio of pastry to filling wasn't quite right, noting that there was too much pastry and not enough juicy, fruity mincemeat filling to balance it out. They also said that the hole in the top meant the pie couldn't retain as much moistness, resulting in slightly dry mincemeat.
Our experts only tried Waitrose pies, but there are several other mini supermarket versions available:
- M&S Collection All Butter Mini Mince Pies £4 for 9 mini pies, available from Ocado
- Morrisons The Best Mini Mince Pies £3.50 for 9 mini pies, available from Morrisons
- Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Mini Mince Pies £3.50 for 9 mini pies, available from Tesco
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 tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Just be cautious when you serve and eat them so 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 prolongs the snowy effect.
- Serve mince pies with brandy cream or plain whipped cream. Both balance the sweetness of mince pies. If you want to try something a little unconventional, mince pies that aren’t overly sweet go well with stilton or Cheshire cheese.
- 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 dates in early October).
What’s in a mince pie?
They're 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 (see our experts' verdict above).
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 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: price and availability checked November 2025. Lidl wasn't included as it was unable to provide suitable samples in time for testing.