The best mince pies to buy – taste tested 2023

Best mince pies to buy for Christmas 2023

Waitrose No.1 brown butter mince pies

• Available from Waitrose & Partners (£4)

Best supermarket mince pie

Our overall favourite mince pie this year – head to Waitrose to pick up a box of classic mince pies that won't let you down. We like the rich and buttery pastry which stood out from other high-street mince pies we tried. The mincemeat was richly spiced and good texture from the inclusion of cherries and almonds.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£4)

Waitrose No.1 crumble top mince pies with cranberry and orange

• Available from Waitrose & Partners (£3.75)

Best flavoured mince pie

A fruity twist on mince pies, these are another winner for Waitrose as our top pick for a flavoured mince pie. The shallow, wide design makes a change from traditional mince pies, along with a buttery crumble topping and an extra fruity filling with cranberries and a generous amount of orange.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£3.75)

Sainsbury's Free From mini mince pies

• Available from Sainsbury's (£3.25)

Best gluten-free mince pies

Good gluten-free pastry can be hard to find in high street bakes, but these mini mince pies ticked the box for us. The brandy-infused mincemeat has good spicing and the mini size is sweet for handing out at Christmas parties.

Available from:
Sainsbury's (£3.25)

Blondies Kitchen mince pie cookie cups

• Available from Blondies Kitchen (from £20.99 for 6)

Best mince pies for a sweet tooth

Who says mince pies have to have regular pastry? Blondies Kitchen has swapped this for a decadent casing of vanilla cookie dough instead, making an extra buttery cup filled with classic mincemeat. They're rich and sweet (try microwaving to soften the cookie dough to make it extra squidgy) but traditionalists will still enjoy them. We also tried the Blondies Kitchen mini mince pie cookies: this box of 50 may sound generous, but the mini cookies are extremely moreish and are sure to be snaffled in no time – a great accompaniment to have on the sofa while watching a Christmas film.

Available from:
Blondies Kitchen (from £20.99 for 6)

DukesHill St Clements mince pies

• Available from DukesHill (£13.50 for 6)

Best luxury mince pies

For something a little extra special, the DukesHill mince pies are our luxury pick. The classic mince pies are great, but we also love these St Clements mince pies which have extra orange and lemon peel in the mincemeat for a citrusy kick. A subtle twist that adds plenty of extra flavour. These would be lovely as a gift if you're going to someone's house for Christmas.

Available from:
DukesHill (£13.50 for 6)

Ole & Steen mince pie social

• Available from Ole & Steen (from £4.45)

Best mince pies for sharing

We're veering away from classic mince pies here with this mince pie and Danish pastry hybrid. A limited-edition festive spin on Ole & Steen's classic cinnamon social, this combines braided sweet dough with Christmas spices, dried fruit, crumble and a scattering of shortbread. It's super soft and squidgy, and a great way to have mince pies for breakfast! You can buy it by the slice or as a whole long slab to feed a crowd.

Available from:
Ole & Steen (from £4.45)

Paul mince pie pastel de nata

• Available from Paul, £1.85

Best twist on a mince pie

This was a huge hit during our taste tests – we were desperate for more. A genius invention we were surprised we hadn't thought of before, this adds a dollop of mincemeat to a classic Portuguese pastel de nata for a result that is like eating a warm mince pie with custard all in one bite. It was the best of both worlds for a great price. We'll will be sad when their season ends.

Available from:
Paul, £1.85

Gail's mince pie

• Available from Gail's (£2.90)

Best mince pie for Londoners

The mince pie to pick up on the way back from the school run or in your office lunch break. For Londoners near a Gail's bakery, this classic mince pie is worth trying. We love the demerara sugar topping for extra crunch, and the mincemeat is satisfyingly fruity with apple and candied peel.

Available from:
Gail's (£2.90)

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