Vegan Walnut Pate – Faux Gras
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Faux Gras Vegan Pate
There are many variation of plant based pate that you can make (beluga lentils + mushrooms anyone?). However after experimenting with a bunch of ingredients I am convinced that this Walnut Pate is truly the ultimate! Silky smooth, gluten free + dairy free, the real deal!
The original Foie Gras recipe is a real controversial affair looked upon in horror by any child who first learns what came out of that tin box. To be quite frank, I don’t even want to talk about it. Just know this: Absolutely no ducks or piglets were harmed in the making of this recipe!
Faux Gras Ingredients
- walnuts
- water
- Tamari
- lemon juice
- onion + garlic powders
- nutritional yeast
- agar agar
- smoked paprika
- olive oil.
This pure vegetarian pate is made from the cleanest most delicious ingredients, pure perfection, so of course it begs the question again: why are we still messing with animals?!
It’s the one variation that instantly took me back in time to my European childhood. I remember snacking on a slice of crusty bread slathered with the creamy spread and topped with a slice of juicy heirloom tomato or thinly sliced cornichons.
Tartine or French open face sandwiches, they always made their appearance at every special occasion alongside the roasted eggplant dip. Remember our favorite breakfast spread Zacusca? So delicious, you’ve gotta go make a batch right now.
how to make vegan pate
- Rinse your walnuts and add them to a powerful blender together with the water, spices and agar agar.
- Process until silky smooth and transfer to a small saucepan. Simmer a few minutes just to activate the agar aka veggie gelatin.
- Pour into a glass container, cover with a lid and refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight until fully set.
FAQ
- What can you use instead of walnuts? Depending on the season roasted chestnuts and even hazelnuts will make a wonderful Christmas pate!
- Can you make it nut-free? Sure you can, use a mix of sautéed mushrooms, onions and cooked lentils instead. It’s a nice combo but not quite as nice as the walnuts or chestnuts in my honest opinion, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
- What’s the agar-agar for? In short to thicken the pate and give it that authentic gelatin like texture. It’s a powder made from red algae that makes for an amazing vegan thickener. Use it!
- Can you make it oil-free? Most definitely, in order to get as close to the classic texture which tends to be quite fatty, I indulged with just a little live oil in this recipe. Feel free to skip it, I usually do.
Vegan Walnut Pate - Faux Gras
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnut pieces (raw or toasted)
- 2 cups water
- 6 Tbsp tamari
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp agar agar
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a powerful blender and puree until smooth and creamy.2 cups walnut pieces, 2 cups water, 6 Tbsp tamari, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp agar agar, 3 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- Transfer to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes until it starts to thicken. (It will continue to thicken and set as it cools off)
- Pour the pate mixture in a glass container and finish with a drizzle of olive oil over the top. Cover with a lid and efrigerate for a couple of hours or until completely set.1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Remove the lid and place a small plate on top of the container. Carefully turn it upside down and give it a tap if needed for the pate to slide down on the plate. Alternatively serve out of the container. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with fresh crusty bread, tomatoes or cornichons.
WFPB + Plantricious
- Remember to omit oil to make the recipe Plantricious + WFPB compliant.
Notes
- What can you use instead of walnuts? Depending on the season roasted chestnuts and even hazelnuts will make a wonderful Christmas pate!
- Can you make it nut-free? Sure you can, use a mix of sautéed mushrooms, onions and cooked lentils instead. It’s a nice combo but not quite as nice as the walnuts or chestnuts in my opinion, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Nutrition
Making this pate again with a mix of walnuts and hazelnuts, it’s absolutely incredible and so happy we now have a new favorite breakfast that it’s actually good for us. Can’t wait for new recipes!
I haven’t bought a new blender since the death of my ancient one. Would this recipe be possible in a food processor?
Technically you could use a food processor but it won’t really yield a smooth pate, so if texture isn’t a big deal to you i’d give it a go. Definitely make sure to soak the nuts first in that case. Let me know how it turns out ~ Florentina Xo’s
I soaked the walnuts for between 4 and 5 hours. It was a tad grainy when it went into the saucepan, but after refrigeration it looks just like your pictures with maybe a some small brown specks. It is just delicious. I couldn’t wait to try it so I had it for breakfast.
I love the technique of adding the agar in with all of the other ingredients. I have had recipes which called for preparing it in a pan with water and then rushing it to the food processor leaving the pan with a thin layer of glue.
Thank you.
So happy you loved it Jo. I just made a batch with a mix of walnuts and pumpkin seeds, soooo delicious!
I made a half recipe of this yesterday and divided it among four very small Ball jars, think they’re four ounces. I let them chill overnight and tried some today on crackers…..really good!!! I also made a small batch of mustard seed caviar, which was the perfect topping for it. Definitely a keeper!
How much would you say 2 cups of walnut pieces weigh? I keep trying to click metric but it just reloads the page with no difference. I really don’t like using cups as a measurement as it’s so imprecise.
Hi Becca, the metric calculator shows 473 grams walnuts, however exact measurements are not that important in this recipe. Basically you want an equal amount of walnuts + water to blend smoothly. Enjoy! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can I use paprika instead of smoked paprika as I cannot eat anything smoked.
yes of course, let me know how it turns out 🙂 ~ Florentina
Excellent. All I did differently was to cut the recipe in half, and then processed it in the blender on high speed until thick (about 5 minutes). Bam! No need to cook on the stove and it turned out perfectly. A beautiful appetizer for less than 10 minutes of my time invested. Thanks, Florentina!
That’s great! So happy you loved it!
Absolutely delicious! Best I’ve tried so far! 🙏