This Vegan Paté made with lentils a 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.

Vegan pate with pickled onions, grapes and crostini

If you’ve adopted a plant based diet, or even if you (like me) are a meat-eater, but are just looking for a less heavy way to enjoy paté, then this recipe is for you. It mimics, spreadable paté amazingly well, and has irresistible truffle flavor.

Ingredients For Vegan Paté

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.
Vegan pate on a table with red wine crostini and grapes

How To Make Vegan Paté

Make Garlic and Salt Paste

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

Make a paste with the garlic and salt
Step 1: Make a paste with the garlic and salt.
  1. 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.
  2. Chop the garlic.
  3. Sprinkle withhalf of the salt and then use the side of the knife to mash the garlic and salt together to make a paste.

Toast Walnuts

One of the tricks you’ll see me do around here is that I like to toast nuts. That’s because toasting nuts makes them more flavorful and that way you can use less of them. It brings out their nuttiness if you will. Let them cool a bit before adding them to the food processor.

Food Processor

ingredients in the food processor
  1. Set up your food processor with a steel blade attachment.
  2. Add the garlic paste.
  3. Add the drained canned lentils, nuts, 1 tablespoon of the chives, truffle oil, sherry, the remaining salt and pepper.
  4. Cover the food processor and turn on the motor. Let the mixture puree until it looks smooth.

For The Best Texture

Scrape down the sides of food processor
Step 3: Scrape down the sides and purée again for the best creamy texture.
  1. Open the lid and scrapes the sides of the food processor bowl. (This is key to getting the best creamy texture!)
  2. Puree again to make it ultra creamy.

To 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 Butter: For a traditional presentation, and if you eat dairy, you can also melt 6 tablespoons salted butter in a small saucepan. Allow to sit until the milk solids settle to the bottom of the saucepan. Spoon the clarified butter over the paté (you can also use Ghee.) I have done this with Earth Balance vegan butter, and it works really well.
  • Refrigerate the paté for several hours to firm up the texture.
pickles, pate and parsley

Serving Suggestions

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.

More Vegan Appetizers

Thanks so much for reading! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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a crock of vegan paté with grapes and crostini

Vegan Paté

  • Author: Katie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: French
  • Diet: Vegan

★★★★★

4.9 from 12 reviews
Print Recipe

Description

This plant based Vegan Paté is a rich country-style paté made with lentils and walnuts with a touch of truffle oil.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups canned drained lentils, one 15-ounce can
  • 1 cup toasted walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons truffle oil
  • 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Mince garlic. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and mash into a paste with the side of a chefs knife. Transfer the paste to a food processor.
  2. Food Processor: Add lentils, walnuts, 1 tablespoon chives, 2 teaspoons truffle oil, vinegar, the remaining salt and pepper to taste. Cover and process to combine.
  3. Transfer the paté to a small bowl or crock, and smooth the surface. Refrigerate up to two days. Serve sprinkled with chives and more pepper.

Notes

To make in advance: press plastic wrap down to surface of the pate and refrigerate up to two days in advance. Garnish with chives, pepper and oil before serving. 

Substitute For Walnuts: Pecans are a good alternative to the walnuts. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 135
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Fat: 9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 2 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 5 g