Beef liver pate is a luxuriously rich and creamy spread loaded with cream cheese, fresh herbs, and sauteed beef liver. It is the perfect refined appetizer to spread over crackers, banquettes, or toast.
Beef liver pate is a great way to enjoy this nutrient-dense organ meat, for first-time experimenters and aficionados alike! This potent superfood transforms liver into a richly flavored creamy concoction full of essential vitamins. This recipe was a hit with everyone from my three-year-old, all the way up to his grandpa!
People have a love-hate relationship with liver. Chances are your grandparents loved it, however, it has fallen out of favor with subsequent generations due to the strong liver taste and unique texture. My grandmother loved this nutritionally dense food so much, that she passed down this chicken liver pate recipe to me before she passed away, which served as the foundation for my beef liver pate recipe. I have updated her great recipe not only with beef but fresh herbs as well.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef liver - Liver is the best meat to make pate, but any meat can be used as the base of this spread, not just organ meats. Even vegetables, such as mushrooms, can be substituted instead. You will often find beef liver in the frozen section of your local grocery store.
- Butter - Butter is preferred over oil because it adds more flavor. However, if using oil I recommend olive oil.
- Yellow Onion - Yellow onions are best but shallots can also be substituted.
- Garlic - Fresh cloves of garlic are best but garlic powder can be used instead.
- Cream cheese - This is the base of the dip and should not be substituted. You can add some sour cream for more tanginess.
- Heavy cream - Milk can be used instead, but cream adds more richness.
- Sage - You can also use fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, or a mixture of all three.
- Hard-boiled eggs - These were my grandma's secret ingredient. The blended hard-boiled eggs lighten the texture of the pate. They can be omitted but I don't recommend it.
How to make it
The first thing we want to do is saute the liver and chopped onions in a frying pan with melted butter over medium heat. You will notice there is a generous amount of butter used in this recipe. Not only is the butter needed for sauteing, but it also adds a lot of flavor. The pate is meant to be luxurious, so I don't recommend cutting back.
Once the liver is almost cooked and the onion is tender, add the garlic and saute for an additional minute or two. Now everything is ready to go in the blender or food processor.
I recommend blending the butter, liver, onion, and garlic first. Then the remaining ingredients can be added. However, if the mixture gets too sticky to blend well you can add some of the heavy cream to loosen it up. Once everything is blended into a creamy texture, taste for salt and add more if needed.
Serve this delicious appetizer with crusty bread or crackers.
How to store it
To prevent off-flavors from contaminating your pate, store this in your refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly covered tightly with plastic wrap. This can be served cold and should be enjoyed within five days.
Beef Liver Pate
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces beef liver chopped
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese warmed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Once melted add chopped onion and beef liver. Saute until the liver is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add minced garlic in the final minute and cook until fragrant.
- Place liver, onion, garlic, and butter in a blender and puree. You can add a few splashes of cream if it isn't pureeing easily.
- Add remaining ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
- Pate can be served immediately with a crusty baquette or crackers, or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and served cold.
Elaina
Very good! I used more liver (because that’s what I had) and it was not crumbly at all. It also absolutely needs the lemon. I used:
29oz liver
8oz pkg of cream cheese
5 hard boiled eggs
1 red onion
6 garlic cloves
2 sticks salted butter
Herbs de province
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra salt and a little pepper
Gary
Tried this and it is absolutely delicious, wonderful receipt. I just had one small problem, the finished product ended up slightly crumbly. Any idea what I can do next time to improve this?
Sarah Christine McGiverin
Absolutely delish. First time ever making pate and can't believe how easy it is. I used 9 oz of liver, splashed in the whipping cream to make it blendable and added a generous squirt of lemon juice. Didn't add HB eggs and it is on the runnier side but still perfect for dipping veggies! Assuming it will thicken in fridge overnight and the eggs would make it even more thick and add more flavor. Will try next time! Will be saving this recipe and making for many years to come 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Lynn
Delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
lost sheep
Perfect, used what I had on hand which was kidney tallow instead of cream cheese, at room temperature it is about the same thickness.
Rosemary out of the garden, and a touch of lemon juice as someone else had noted.
I added a splash of Worcestershire, which neither helped nor hurt it. Added extra liver to take the place of the missing cream cheese. YUMMY it's like eating a cloud of beef.
Joanna L Hogan
I have used this recipe as a resource for quite a while. Whenever I have "leftover" beef liver, I puree it and use this recipe as a guide. I use three sliced pieces of liver in this recipe. I don't use the cream; I substitute about 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1/2 cup Miracle Whip for the "sweetness," and then mix in the diced onion, one diced Jalapeno pepper, the fresh diced sage, and S&P. I add three hardboiled-chopped eggs and a dash of garlic powder. If I have a small red-hot pepper from the garden, I seed it, dice it, and add it for a little extra heat and color.
Cathy
This sounds delicious. I usually use chicken liver for pate, but will try beef this time. I have everything but the sage. Do you think I could use Herbs de Provence in its place with success? If not, any other suggestion of a dried herb? My pate usually has 1-2 T of Kahlua as well. Do you think that would work with this? - can't wait to try this!!
Fox Valley Foodie
Those all sound like great additions!
Joanna L Hogan
Kathy, Herb's de Province is a little strong, and I would use 1/2 tsp and then let it sit to marinate and taste. You should only have a very slight "herb" taste to the past, almost indistinguishable; dried herbs are much stronger flavored.
Julie
Do you think I could use a Bullet instead of a blender to make the pate’?
Fox Valley Foodie
I have never used one, but my impression of them is that they are just a small blender, which should work fine.
Joanna L Hogan
I use my "bullet" and love the turnout.
Dee
Nutritious and tasty!
Samantha
Have you ever tried freezing this recipe? Thanks.
P.S. Your site name really caught my eye - I grew up in Ashwaubenon
Catherine
Pate can be frozen up to 3 months. I often freeze it in an icecube tray. Once frozen, remove from tray and pack into an airtight freezer bag. Defrost only as much as you need at a time. 😉
Joanna L Hogan
What a KOOL idea, the ice cube tray. I didn't know you could freeze as I thought it would get "runny" on thawing; good to know. Every once in a while, I just love a couple of crackers and pate. I have also used it in the Jewish Recipe Sandwich "Liver paste and Sardines with Swiss chees on Light Rye," a GREAT sandwich. You use the Pate with light Rye Bread, sliced onion, Baby Swiss cheese, Pate, and skinless-boneless sardines. It may sound awful, but it is a wonderful sandwich. Bernies Deli in St. Louis Park, Minnesota had this sandwich on their menu and sold a ton of them.
Dave
Wonderful stuff! I was getting wistful for the pate and rye bread delights at the Italian Bodega around the corner from where I grew up. I can make the rye bread from memory but I had no recipe for the beef liver pate. Thank you so much.
I made it with no substitutions, but one big difference. I doubled the recipe. I was concerned it wouldn't make enough. Yikes! I have since found it freezes (and thaws) very well.
Marsha
Bravo! I used plenty of butter, no eggs because I had none, sour cream in place of the cream, and a tiny splash of fresh lemon juice. Oh my goodness....I'm in heaven
Craig
Used venison. Outstanding. Great recipe.
Salt Fork Homestead
I’m going to try this with venison liver. I’ll let you know how it works. The addition of hard boiled eggs is interesting.