Mince pies are peak festive baking — spiced dried fruit, citrus and pastry — but they are also fiddly and rich. This overnight oats jar captures everything that makes a mince pie taste like Christmas: mixed dried fruit, warm spice, orange zest and a little dark sweetness, soaked into creamy oats overnight. No pastry, no oven, just the flavour of the season in a jar you build the night before.
It uses the same mixed dried fruit you would buy for a cake or a batch of pies, so it is a clever way to use up that packet. The result is a warming, festive breakfast that feels indulgent but keeps you full all morning.
350Calories
11gProtein
60gCarbs
8gFibre
Ingredients
1/2 cupJungle Oats rolled oats
1/2 cupMilk of choice
1/4 cupPlain Greek yoghurt
1 tbspChia seeds
3 tbspMixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, peel)
1/2 tspMixed spice
1/4 tspGround cinnamon
1 tspBrown sugar or honey
1/2 tspOrange zest, plus a splash of juice
ToppingYoghurt & a little extra orange zest
Method, tonight
1
Add the oats, chia, mixed spice and cinnamon to your jar and stir the dry ingredients so the spice spreads evenly.
2
Add the milk, yoghurt, brown sugar, orange zest and a splash of orange juice, then stir in the mixed dried fruit.
3
Seal and refrigerate overnight. The dried fruit plumps up and the spice soaks right through the oats.
4
In the morning, stir, loosen with a splash of milk if needed, and top with a spoon of yoghurt and a little extra orange zest.
SA kitchen tip
A packet of Safari or Nature’s Choice cake mix (mixed dried fruit) is exactly what you need and lasts for many jars. Robertsons mixed spice is the festive blend. For a grown-up version, swap the orange juice for half a teaspoon of brandy essence — it gives that classic boozy mince-pie note without the alcohol.
SA supermarket shopping guide
Why it works
A mince pie’s flavour, a breakfast’s balance.
A real mince pie is spiced fruit wrapped in buttery pastry — wonderful, but a treat. This jar keeps the mincemeat part, which is where all the festive flavour lives, and drops the pastry in favour of wholegrain oats, yoghurt and chia. You still get the warm spice, the plump dried fruit and the orange lift, but with the fibre and protein of a proper breakfast.
The overnight soak is doing double duty here. It softens the oats and rehydrates the dried fruit at the same time, so by morning the whole jar tastes deep and jammy, the way a good mincemeat does after it has had time to sit.
Common questions
Mince pie overnight oats, answered.
Can I use actual mincemeat from a jar?
Yes — swap the dried fruit, spice and sugar for two tablespoons of shop-bought fruit mincemeat stirred into the base. It is the fastest version, though a little sweeter, so you can skip the extra sugar.
How do I make it boozy like a traditional mince pie?
Add half a teaspoon of brandy essence in place of the orange juice, or a small splash of real brandy. It gives the classic warming note without changing the method.
Are mince pie overnight oats healthy?
A jar carries about 8 grams of fibre and 11 grams of protein for roughly 350 calories. The sweetness is mostly from the dried fruit, with just a teaspoon of added sugar, so it is far lighter than an actual mince pie.
Can I prep these for the festive week?
They are ideal for it — the flavour only improves as the fruit soaks. Make several at once and keep them for up to five days. See our
meal prep guide.
Keep exploring
More festive-season flavours.
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