A rich, savoury Vegetable Pâté made from roasted vegetables and sunflower seeds. This easy vegan pâté is gluten-free, freezer-friendly and perfect on toast or crackers.
FEATURED COMMENT:
"Delicious! We love it in sandwiches and on crackers. The best veggie pâté I've tried!" - Deb ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
If you've missed pâté since going plant-based (or never fancied the meat version in the first place!), this vegan vegetable pâté is for you. Roasted potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic are blended with sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast, then finished with chopped nuts for a delicious crunch.
Rich, savoury and perfect for spreading, this pate is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and easy to make nut-free or oil-free. Enjoy it on crackers, toast or fresh bread for a snack or a quick lunch.
Roasting the veggies gives it a deep, naturally sweet flavour, while ground flax helps it set firm enough to turn out of a ramekin. Serve on a vegan charcuterie board, cheese board or holiday spread, pile it onto sourdough bread or yeast-free spelt bread, or tuck it into sandwiches. This Brit's fave way to enjoy it? In a big, thick sandwich with Branston Pickle!
Everything comes together in the food processor with a handful of simple ingredients. The hardest part is waiting! A night in the fridge lets it firm up and gives the flavours time to mingle. It freezes well too, so you can make it ahead or double the batch and save some for another day.
Mel x
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS VEGGIE PATE
- Skill Level: There are a few steps, but they are all very easy.
- Make-ahead. It keeps for up to a week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. No last-minute prep or fussing.
- Gluten-free. And easy to make nut-free or oil-free.
- Great for meal prep. Freeze it in silicone ice cube trays and pop it out as needed for packed lunches and snacks.
- Perfect for the holidays. Pâté makes a wonderful appetizer for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New Year's Eve.
- Budget-friendly. It uses very humble, inexpensive ingredients.
- Seriously tasty. Your non-vegan friends will be going back for seconds.
What Is Pâté?
Pâté is a rich, spreadable mixture of finely ground meat, poultry, fish or liver, blended with fat, herbs, spices and often a dash of brandy or wine. Vegetable pâté swaps the meat for plant-based ingredients but keeps that same savoury, spreadable texture.
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Potatoes, carrots, onion & garlic - For starch, sweetness, and lots of flavour. Roasting them first enhances their flavour while reducing any excess moisture.
- Olive oil - Just a tiny bit for caramelization and to stop the veggies sticking as they roast. You can omit it if you prefer to cook oil-free.
- Vegan butter - Optional but recommended. It adds some richness and fat, which is a feature of non-vegan pâté. Omit to make the recipe oil-free.
- Raw sunflower seeds - These add texture and flavour.
- Nutritional yeast - Otherwise known as vegan gold (or nooch). It's full of savoury flavour and adds umami to the pâté.
- Ground flax - This binds everything together and sets the pâté. The recipe will not work without it. Note that it must be ground and not whole flaxseeds.
- Oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper - For flavour. You can use any other dried herbs and spices instead of the oregano and smoked paprika, as long as they work with the overall flavour profile.
- Walnuts or pecans - For nutty texture and flavour. A lovely contrast to the soft pate. Omit if you are nut-free or use pumpkin seeds or more sunflower seeds instead.
You'll also need a food processor, baking tray, and 1 or 2 small containers (or ramekins) to make this recipe.
How To Make Veggie Pate
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. I recommend watching my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner.
1 - Roast the potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic cloves on a baking tray until tender. Essential for the best sweet veggie flavour!
2 - Put everything except the nuts into a food processor and process until a rough, slightly chunky paste is formed.
3 - Add the nuts and pulse until they're broken into small pieces and incorporated into the mixture.
4 - Spoon the pate into containers. If you want to turn it out, line the containers with cling wrap. Refrigerate overnight to firm it up, then enjoy!
How To Serve Pâté
Add it to a vegan charcuterie board or cheese plate, bring it along to holiday celebrations, potlucks and parties, or enjoy it as a quick lunch or snack. You really can't go wrong!
This spreadable vegan pâté is so versatile. My favourite way to eat it is on freshly baked sourdough with a little butter, but there are lots of other ways to enjoy it.
What to Serve With Vegan Pâté
Breads and crackers
- Crusty fresh bread, sourdough, sliced baguette, garlic bread, or toast
- Quick breads like my no-yeast white bread or easy spelt bread
- Pita bread or flatbreads
- My gluten-free seed bread
- Crostini, breadsticks or sturdy crackers
Something tangy or sweet
- Pickles/gherkins, cornichons, pickled onions, or any other pickled vegetables
- Onion marmalade or caramelized onions
- Tomato or onion chutney
Boards and platters
- On a vegan cheeseboard with slices of homemade vegan cheese and crackers
- On a veggie platter with hummus, bread and crackers
- With crunchy raw veggies like celery and carrot sticks
Sandwiches
- Spread in sandwiches with chutney and salad leaves. It makes a great alternative to more traditional sandwich fillings.
Recipe
Vegetable Pâté
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 2 medium (356 grams) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 medium (240 grams) carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 medium (190 grams) onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or other oil of choice (OPTIONAL)
- ½ cup (70 grams) hulled sunflower seeds, or hulled pumpkin seeds
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ cup (48 grams) ground flax
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (OPTIONAL)
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, adjust as necessary if using table salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or any other dried herbs that you like
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or chipotle powder
- ¼ cup (30 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts, or sunflower/pumpkin seeds for nut-free
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200 °C).
- Spread the chopped potatoes, carrots, onion and whole garlic cloves on a baking tray and toss with the olive oil. If you're skipping the oil, line the tray with non-stick parchment paper or a silicone mat first. Roast for about 35 minutes, until fork-tender, then remove from the oven.Air fryer option: Toss the vegetables with the oil, place them in the air fryer basket and cook at 375-400°F (190-200°C) for about 20 minutes or until tender, shaking the basket halfway.
- Add the roasted vegetables, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, ground flax, vegan butter (if using), salt, pepper, oregano and smoked paprika to a food processor. Pulse until almost smooth, leaving a little texture. Be careful not to over-process. It might look a bit gummy and unappetizing at this point, but don't worry. The flax will do its job as the pâté chills!
- Add the walnuts or pecans and pulse a few times, just until they're mixed through. Keep some texture for a nice bit of crunch.
- Spoon the pâté into small serving dishes. Ramekins or little terracotta bowls look lovely. If you'd like to turn the pâté out once it's set, line the dishes with plastic wrap first. Pack it in very firmly, then cover and refrigerate overnight to set.
- Once firm, serve straight from the ramekin, or turn it out and remove the plastic wrap for a neat presentation.
NOTES
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Emmie says
Would this work with sweet paprika instead of smoked? I'm not keen on smoky flavours.
Melanie McDonald says
I think it would be fine. Or just omit it.
Deb says
Delicious! We love it in sandwiches and on crackers. The best veggie pate I've tried!
Deb says
I have eaten veggie pate for years. I followed this recipe exactly, but boiled the vegetables and didn't add the flax. Way too many mushy vegetables, and no binding agent. It was mushy and runny and sweet from the carrots. Not enough salt and pepper will not make this again.
Melanie McDonald says
The pate is far from mushy and runny if you follow the recipe. The vegetables HAVE to be roasted (roasting causes moisture to evaporate, boiling increases moisture) and the ground flax is the binding agent as well as being responsible for absorbing moisture and setting the pate. There is also plenty of seasoning. The flavour will have been greatly reduced by you not roasting the vegetables. Hope that helps.
Patricia G says
Finally tried this recipe- AMAAAAZING! Used aqua faba instead of oil, worked well except edges of potatoes and carrots seemed still a bit hard after roasting. Lifted it all up by the parchment sheet and put it into a covered casserole dish to cook down. It all softened up beautifully. Only question- would like a bit more umami without increasing salt too much - would mushrooms work?
Annie says
Who knew A few roasted veggies and a dash of a few pantry staples could be turned into something so delicious! I was skeptical that we’d be able to eat the whole amount (I try to not freeze too many things or my freezer would be overflowing) but after a day it’s nearly gone! Excellent recipe!! Thank you:)
Lynne says
This recipe has become such a favourite of ours that I now make it in GIANT quantities. I use a kilogram of cauliflower (instead of potatoes) and a kilogram of carrots, plus four times all the other ingredients. I have to put it into the food processor in batches and then mix it all together in a huge bowl. It makes 10-12 small storage containers (12 ounces each) of paté that I keep in the freezer. It is very handy to always have some available when I need a quick appetizer when we have guests (vegan or not). This recipe is extremely versatile and I have made it with a variety of vegetables, but settled on cauliflower in order to get my cruciferous vegetables. THANK YOU for yet another recipe that is a staple in my kitchen.
Anita says
Hi I would love to make this for a friend who is alergic to sunflower seeds can I use nuts instead and what nut almonds or cashews and how much do i use .
Thanks for a lovely recipe
A Virtual Vegan says
You could use any raw nuts. Cashews or almonds would be great. Pumpkin seeds would work too. Just use the same amount. I hope your friend enjoys it!
Adriana says
Hello, I really want to try this out so much but can’t access flax seeds atm. I have plenty of chia seeds, can I substitute flax for chia? And if so, what quantity would you recommend? Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried it so don't know for sure how it would turn out. I think it would be ok as long as you grind them up to a very fine powder first. Don't leave them whole as the texture will be awful. I would start off with the same amount. That might need adjusting to firm it up more or make it less firm, but you won't know until you try it the first time. Hope that helps!
Adriana says
Thanks for the advice. I tried to crush the chia into powder with no success, I threw around a tablespoon of whole chia into the mix and it turned out fine. Unsure if it’s the same texture as the recipe (likely isn’t), but I could spread it on bread and it was DELICIOUS so I have no complaints. Thanks for the recipe!!
Lynne Wright says
Thanks, Mel, for another fabulous recipe. This is one of our new favourites for munching. We often have some on crackers while we're preparing dinner. It is an extremely versatile recipe and I have made it with leftover yams (to replace the potatoes and carrots), more or less nuts or seeds (depending on how much and what vegetables I have as leftovers), and added some liquid smoke or soy sauce. I don't think it's ever been the same and we've always loved it. It's become a little addictive for us. I don't have to worry about how long it will keep in the fridge or if it freezes, because it never lasts that long. It's filled with healthy ingredients so we enjoy it guilt-free.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Lynne. I'm really pleased you're enjoying it so much and thank you for taking the time to leave a rating/review. It's much appreciated!
Rachel says
How long does this keep for in the fridge? Also, does it freeze well?
A Virtual Vegan says
It freezes really well. I tend to freeze it in silicone ice cube trays wrapped in a freezer bag, so that I can just pop out enough for 1 or 2 small serving at a a time. In the fridge it will last 5 - 6 days.
Ruth says
Can I miss the walnuts out? I have a nut allergy so more seeds perhaps?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes you can. It won't affect the recipe at all except you won't get that nice crunch but if you are happy with it being smith then that's fine. You could also add some more seeds for the crunch. Pumpkin seeds might be nice just broken down a bit as they are pretty big. Enjoy!
crystalbonnet says
oooh yum! This is so good and I love your blog, it's beautiful!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Aaww thanks! I am so glad you like it!
Julia (@Imagelicious) says
Can I omit the nutritional yeast or substitute it with something else? I am not vegan, but this sounds quite tasty.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Julia. I made it without the nutritional yeast when I was developing the recipe and it wasn't nearly as good. It gives it a good savoury flavour and helps absorb some moisture too. You could omit it and use extra flax in its place but it wouldn't be so flavourful. Nutritional yeast just does something great for the flavour!
If you don't want to buy a massive bag of nutritional yeast check the bulk bins at your local grocery store and just buy what you need for this recipe perhaps?