Vegan Paté

This Vegan Paté, made with lentils and walnuts, is rich and savory tasting, but entirely plant-based. The smooth and thick texture and truffle and chive flavors come together for a spreadable appetizer to add to a grazing board or it can be served with crackers for any occasion.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Vegan Walnut Lentil Pate

If you’ve adopted a plant-based diet and want to serve a festive appetizer that everyone can enjoy, this Vegan Pate should be top on your list. It is perfect for a holiday meal, a Thanksgiving hors-d’oeuvre or for a New Year’s eve celebration.

Even if you are a meat-eater, but are just looking to incorporate more meat-free recipes and flexitarian meals into your diet then this meatless pate is going to satisfy your craving for rich and “meaty” pate.

This creamy Country Style Paté is made with lentils and walnuts with seasonings and irresistible truffle flavor. It is pureed until creamy and thick and mimics spreadable liver paté amazingly well.

Ingredients For This Recipe

Complete instructions and measurements are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Garlic

This recipe starts out with a clove of garlic. As I have said before I recommend fresh garlic over jarred garlic because it has superior flavor and it doesn’t have any preservatives.

Lentils

Where most meat-based paté recipes are made with liver or pork, this vegan pate is made with lentils instead.

I use canned lentils to make paté. Even though it takes about 20 minutes to cook lentils from dried, the texture of the canned lentils is much better for making paté. The outer skin of the canned lentils is softer (while the insides remain starchy and not watery) and the skins dissolves into a smooth paste when it’s puréed.

Walnuts

The meaty and thick texture (reminiscent of chicken liver paté) comes from walnuts. And quite a lot of them. They make up almost half of the mixture. As they are pureéd with the lentils, they give the paste a thicker body.

Make sure you take the couple extra minutes to toast the walnuts before you add them to the food processor. Toasting makes them more flavorful.

Truffle Oil

While it would be possible to make this with regular olive oil, I highly recommend seeking out a bottle of truffle oil. You only need two tablespoons, but it adds so much flavor!

If you do not have truffle oil, or prefer an alternative, you could also use hazelnut oil, which is one of my favorite vegan fats because of its buttery flavor.

Vinegar, Chives, Salt and Pepper

• Vinegar: To round out the flavors in the paté, you’ll also need a splash of vinegar. I suggest sherry vinegar because the woodsy notes pair well with the earthy walnuts. Sub in red wine vinegar if you don’t have it. Do not use balsamic or cider vinegar as they will add additional flavors that will pose a distraction.
• Chives: You’ll want to use some of the chives to top off the pate to make it pretty!
• Salt and Pepper: The salt gets made into a paste, so you’ll want to use kosher salt to make that easier.

Step-By-Step Photos and Instructions

Step 1: Make Garlic and Salt Paste and Toast Walnuts

Make a paste with the garlic and salt so that the garlic dissolves into the puree evenly. To make it, do the following:

• Press the garlic with the side of the knife and the palm of your hand into the cutting board to crush the garlic clove. This will make it easier to remove the skin.
• Chop the garlic.
• Sprinkle with half of the salt and then use the side of the knife to mash the garlic and salt together to make a paste.

You’ll also want to toast your walnuts before adding them to the puree. Toasting nuts makes them more flavorful and that way you can use less of them. It brings out their nuttiness. *Let them cool a bit before adding them to the food processor.

Step 2: Puree Pate In A Food Processor

• Set up your food processor with a steel blade attachment.
• Add the garlic paste.
• Add the drained canned lentils, nuts, 1 tablespoon of the chives, truffle oil, sherry, the remaining salt and pepper.
• Cover the food processor and turn on the motor. Let the mixture puree until it looks smooth.
• Open the lid and scrapes the sides of the food processor bowl. (This is key to getting the best creamy texture that’s really like liver pate!)
• Puree again to make it ultra-creamy.

Step 3: Decant, Chill and Serve

• Serving Dish: Transfer the paté to a small crock and smooth the top.
• Garnish: Sprinkle with chives and pepper. Drizzle on additional truffle oil if you like.
• Top With Vegan Butter: For a traditional presentation, melt vegan butter (I like Earth Balance) and pour over the top.
• Refrigerate the paté for several hours to firm up the texture.

What To Serve With Vegan Paté

We love using this pate as the centerpiece for a Vegan Charcuterie Board. Classic accompaniments to traditional pate also go well with this Vegan Pate. Here are some ideas:

• Pickled Onions: My version is sweetened with maple syrup!
• Cornichons: they’re very sour, little, tiny pickles.
• Whole Grain Mustard: The texture of whole grain is a nice detail and it’s less spicy than Dijon.
• Caper Berries: These always look great and add a briney balance to the richness of the pate.
• Fruit: I like grapes or dried apricots.
• Crostini: Simply brush olive oil over slices of baguette, and bake until they are crispy and golden brown.
• Crackers: Serve a variety, and don’t forget gluten-free crackers for folks who don’t eat gluten.
• Spiced Nuts: these Chocolate Chili Spiced Nuts are vegan too and have a spicy kick!
• Canapé: You could pipe dabs of this paté into wonton cups or onto melba toasts and garnish with pickled onions, cracked pepper and chives.

FAQs & Expert Tips

Can this be frozen?

No, this doesn’t freeze well. The texture will become a little crumbly and watery.

Is it gluten-free?

This is a gluten-free recipe and can be served with gluten-free crackers and accompaniments.

Can you make this without nuts?

You can use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts for a similar effect.

How long does it last?

You can keep this in the fridge up to 2 days. It is best to garnish just before serving. If using melted vegan butter instead of oil on top, you can add that on prior to refrigerating but try to keep the plastic wrap from touching the surface of the butter.

Variations To Try

• Use pecans instead of walnuts for a slightly different taste
• Add 1 cup sauteed mushrooms for meaty flavor
• Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos for umami flavor
• Add 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary to the puree

More Vegan Appetizers

• This Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is so much better than store-bought.
• These crispy Roasted Chickpeas are flavored with thyme and orange!
• You can always make your own Fruit Salsa from any seasonal fruit.
• During the holidays we like to make Texas Caviar and serve it with frito scoops!
• This Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut dip sounds lovely too!
• This Vegan Ranch Dip is great with fresh raw veggies for dipping.