Personal finance site money.co.uk has analysed the own brand vegan mince pies offered by various major UK supermarkets to establish which is the best value.
Made from a blend of spiced fruit in a shortcrust pastry case, mince pies are a classic UK Christmas treat. While many brands contain butter, most supermarket chains now offer a plant-based option.
At £0.25 per pie, Tesco Plant Chef mince pies are by far the most affordable. The Free From mince pies offered by Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, and Co-op all cost about the same, coming in at between £0.44 and £0.50 each.
As expected, the most expensive vegan mince pies are made by upmarket supermarkets M&S and Waitrose, costing £0.63 and £0.68 each respectively. On average, a vegan mince pie costs £0.49 compared to £0.28 for a conventional one; this figure has risen by £0.05 since last year.
Nutritional value
The analysis also looked at the amount of calories, sugar, and fat in each brand. The mince pies offered by ASDA, Morrisons, Co-op, and Waitrose are lowest in calories, all coming in at under 220, while M&S’ Plant Kitchen pies have the most at 241.
The Plant Kitchen pies are also highest in sugar, with 25.8 grams per pie compared to just 15 for Co-op’s brand. However, Co-op’s pies have the most fat at 8.5 grams, while Morrisons’ have the least at 7.2.
“Back in 2017, Asda was the first supermarket to launch their own vegan mince pies, made from raisins, festive spices, and dairy-free pastry. Fast forward to 2022, with veganism becoming increasingly popular, and all of the UK’s other big supermarket brands have followed suit,” said Lucinda O’Brien, personal finance expert at money.co.uk.
