Revealed: The best value mince pies of the year

With an array of different variations of mince pie filling the supermarket shelves each year, what’s the best way to choose which ones to purchase? How can you decide which will give you the most bang for your buck?

Our personal finance experts have analysed UK supermarkets' own brand mince pies to discover the best value pies on the shelves, as well as the most luxurious, this Christmas, so you can make an informed decision.

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The experts have looked at the weight and price per pastry – as well as the calories, sugar, fats and saturated fats. 

Notably, the average price of mince pies has gone up 12% since last year, higher even than inflation.

Best value supermarket mince pies

The weight and price of the UK's leading supermarket own-brand mince pies. 

If you’re on a tight budget this festive season, then Co-op Mince Pies are the way to go, retaining their crown as the cheapest for two years in a row. Costing 16p each, and weighing 55g, they’re a steal compared to other brands, but it’s worth noting that they have doubled in price since last year where they cost just 8p!

Aldi’s Holly Lane Deep Filled Mince Pies and Tesco Mince Pies take joint 2nd place with each pie costing 18p. 

If on the other hand you want to push the boat out this year when it comes to desserts, our experts have analysed each supermarket’s luxury offering of mince pies and crunched the numbers to reveal the best value luxury options.

Taking the cheapest premium pie top spot is, somewhat surprisingly, Waitrose who’ve priced their Waitrose All Butter Mince Pies at just 28p per pie. Thee Waitrose pies are also the biggest of the bunch weighing in at 70g each, making them the best value luxury mince pie by far at 0.04p per gram.

Waitrose Christmas All Butter Mince Pies are the only brand that have gone up in weight (by 20g per pie) and down in price (by 5p per pie).

Aldi Extra Specially Selected Mince Pies follow just behind as the second cheapest premium offering, at 29p per pie. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Marks & Spencer's Premium Collection Mince Pies are the most expensive at a whopping 50p per pie, and weigh in at an average 56g; if you buy your mince pies from M&S, you’ll be spending 0.89p per gram. This is more than double the price per gram of their Waitrose luxury counterpart!

Nutritional value of supermarket mince pies

The nutritional content of the UK’s leading supermarket own-brand mince pies.

If you’re looking to eata little less sugar this year, then knowing the nutritional contents of each brand of mince pie could go a long way in helping you decide which to stock up on this festive season.

The mince pie with the highest in calories for Christmas 2022 is the Waitrose Christmas All Butter Mince Pie, containing a whopping 271 calories. It’s also the biggest pie at 70g, so is good value but a stomach-churning 9.3g of fat per portion, will it be value or calories that impacts your decision.

TFollowing closely behind are Tesco Finest Mince Pies with 239 calories per pie and Aldi’s Holly Lane Deep Filled Mince Pies at 235 calories per pie. On the lighter end of the scale, Iceland Mince Pies and Tesco Mince Pies (both from their value ranges) have the least calories with 209 each a pop. 

Despite being middle of the road calories- wise, at 215 calories each, M&S Collection Mince Pies have a whopping 32.8 grams of sugar - the highest of the bunch. 

Overall, 42% of the supermarket mince pies contain 5 or 6 teaspoons of sugar per pie, M&S Collection Mince Pies and ASDA Extra Special Luxury Mince Pies containing 6 teaspoons of sugar each.

At the other end of the table are Tesco Mince Pies which not only contain the lowest amount of calories (209) but also the lowest amount of sugar at 13.7 grams a portion. These are also the second cheapest option of the bunch at 18p, so if you’re looking for an all-rounder that's light on the budget and the calories this Christmas, then these are the pies for you!

Vegan mince pies

Back in 2017, Asda were 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, all of the UK's other big supermarket brands have now followed suit. 

Our experts reveal the best value own brand vegan mince pies.

It’s clear from analysis of the above supermarket mince pies that being vegan comes at a price, with the average vegan mince pie costing 49p compared to the average classic pie costing 28p. That’s a whopping 75% increase in price if you go vegan! 

Of the brands analysed Tesco Plant Chef Mince Pies takes the top spot as the best value, with pies costing 25p each at the opposite end of the budget scale Waitrose Free From Mince Pies cost 68p each.

Nutritional value

Of all supermarkets own brand vegan mince pies, M&S Plant Kitchen Mince Pies contain the most calories (241) and a teeth-aching 25.8g of sugar (equivalent to six teaspoons). Following closely behind are Sainsbury's Free From pies which are stacked with 235 calories each and 22.8g of sugar – around 5 teaspoons. 

Out of both Vegan and Non-vegan mince pies, Tesco Mince Pies have the lowest sugar count at 13.7g. 

For vegans watching their calorie intake, Morrisons Free From Mince Pies are the way to go with 211 calories per pie, the lowest of the vegan selection 

On average, vegan mince pies list four and a half teaspoons of sugar in their ingredients, over 60% of the recommended daily allowance each.

Co-op Free From Mince Pies have the highest fat content at 8.5g.

Christmas is a time when many of us will indulge in festive treats from mulled wine and Baileys to Christmas pudding and chocolate selection boxes, and after this year, why not? But if you are trying to track your intake of calories, fat and sugar to ensure you can enjoy yourself without completely over-indulging this year., then hopefully our analysis will help. 

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