Beef Liver Pate Recipe
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Beef liver pate is a classic appetizer for any time of the year. We love it especially during the holidays! It’s a creamy, delicious, nutrient-dense treat you can serve with your favorite bread, crackers, or vegetable sticks. If you’re not a fan of liver, get ready to be pleasantly surprised – with its creamy texture and savory depth, it’s the kind of dish that can instantly add elegance to your table.
I highly recommend beginning your organ meats journey with liver. My A to Z Guide to Liver Pate on Keto and Carnivore Diets covers all the ins and outs of pate making so you can make some today.
Organs are highly concentrated sources of nutrition. For example, the health benefits of liver are almost off the charts! Since these foods are relatively underappreciated, they remain priced affordably even as other food costs rise.
Learn where to buy liver near you. Many butcher shops are now stocking organ meats. Online shops are also responding to the rising demand for organs.
I am overjoyed when people embrace the benefits of organ meats. The benefits are worth the effort it takes to get to know them in your kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Beef liver pate makes a delicious appetizer and is perfect for serving at parties, holiday gatherings, or dinner parties. It makes an elegant addition to charcuterie boards, wine pairings, or festive spreads. I also like to pack it in small jars as a thoughtful, homemade gift for family and friends during the holidays or special events.
- Easy to make: You only need 10 minutes of prep time and a handful or simple ingredients to make this rich and creamy spread.
- Rich and flavorful: The taste of liver is truly standout; it’s rich, smooth, and velvety with just the right amount of earthiness.
- Packed with nutrients
- Budget-friendly: Enjoy a delicious, restaurant-quality appetizer without the hefty price tag.
- Customizable: Feel free to experiment with herbs, spices, or flavor additions to make this recipe your own. Some friends like adding allspice to the mix. This dish can also be used in a variety of ways, there’s plenty of liver pate recipes to try!
- Great for meal prep: Make it ahead and enjoy it throughout the week for quick snacks or meal additions.
How to Make Beef Liver Pate
This dish is one of the best ways to enjoy beef liver, a powerhouse of nutrients. Beef liver pate is a luxuriously rich and creamy spread that you can easily make at home – simply pan-fry thin strips of beef liver in butter and aromatics, puree the mixture, chill, and serve. Prep and cook time only takes 20 minutes or less!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with a full list of ingredients, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients You Need
- Beef liver
- Butter: Adds a creamy texture and luxurious mouthfeel.
- Garlic cloves
- Dried thyme
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Heavy whipping cream: This is optional, but I like adding it to create a smooth, velvety texture and helps bind the pate together. The cream also adds richness and balances the flavors of the liver, making the pâté more indulgent.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ready to make this crave-worthy beef liver pate? Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for a flawless, flavorful dish that’s as easy to prepare as it is to enjoy.
I don’t mind the long chill time because the end product is totally worth it. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Cook the aromatics
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add finely minced garlic and saute on medium-high until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 2: Prep and cook the liver
Meanwhile, trim the connective tissue off of the liver and slice it into thin strips. Add beef liver to pan, increase to high heat. Sprinkle it with thyme, salt, and pepper. Sear liver for 60 seconds on each side.
Step 3: Puree
Remove liver from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree or blend until smooth. While blending/pureeing, add the remaining butter and cream (if using). Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Step 4: Chill
Once the mixture is completely smooth, remove from the blender and put in ramekins or a glass container and cover tightly. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight (preferred) to harden and let flavors meld.
Step 5: Serve
Add an optional garnish of fresh herbs like fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, sage, and parsley. Serve with cucumber, celery, bacon or just a spoon. Enjoy!
Substitutions
This simple beef liver pâté recipe only requires a few easy-to-find ingredients, but if you don’t have some of the ingredients on hand or prefer to use other ingredients, no worries! Try these ingredient swap ideas:
- Beef liver: This ingredient cannot be substituted in this recipe, but for a similar dish, try it with chicken or pork liver. My chicken liver pate recipe will walk you through and easy step-by-step.
- Butter: Substitute with ghee or olive oil. Try this dairy-free ox liver pate if you prefer cooking without dairy.
- Garlic cloves: In a pinch, replace garlic cloves with garlic powder (about 1/4 teaspoon per clove). Roasted garlic can also be used for a sweeter, more mellow taste.
- Dried thyme: No dried thyme on hand? Substitute with dried rosemary, oregano, or sage.
- Heavy whipping cream: If you don’t have heavy cream, use full-fat Greek yogurt, coconut cream, or creme fraiche instead.
- Carnivore-style: Some folks find they prefer a fiber-free carnivore diet. If you are interested in zero-carb carnivore diet recipes, follow the same directions below but omit the garlic, thyme, and pepper. If you’re looking for more delicious zero-fiber recipes, you’ll find over 100 recipes made from just the essentials: animal protein and fats in my Carnivore Cookbook!
Expert Tips
- Prep the liver right: For a milder flavor, soak the beef liver in milk or water with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for 1 to 2 hours before cooking. This helps remove some of the strong, metallic taste. Be sure to also remove any connective tissue or membranes from the liver for a smoother texture and better flavor.
- Don’t overcook: Cook the livers just until they’re slightly pink in the center. Overcooked livers can become tough, grainy, and bitter.
- Cool before blending: Allow the cooked liver and aromatics to cool slightly before blending to avoid splattering and to achieve a smoother consistency.
- Adjust the seasonings: Taste the pate before chilling and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs to your preference. You can even add a splash of brandy or sherry for extra depth.
- Add a butter seal: For longer storage and a polished look, pour a thin layer of melted butter on top of the pate before chilling. It keeps it fresh and adds extra richness.
- Serve at room temperature: Take the beef liver pate out of the fridge half an hour before serving for the best texture and flavor.
How to Store This Recipe
Transfer the pate in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to use, remove from the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
What to Serve with Beef Liver Pate
Liver pate is one of my go-to keto appetizers for a crowd, like any good dip or pate, you need some dip-ables! If you follow a keto diet, choose your favorite low-carb veggie stick or cracker. If you do well with carbs, break out the sourdough French bread.
Here are some ideas to get you started. Serve the beef liver pate with:
- Just a spoon (my personal favorite)
- Crispy bacon slices
- Fresh slices of cucumber
- Celery sticks (assuming no oxalate sensitivity)
- Baked vegetable chips
More Easy Appetizer Recipes To Try
Classic Beef Liver Pate
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- ½ pound beef liver
- 6 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream optional, preferably raw
Instructions
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add finely minced garlic and cook on medium-high until translucent, 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, trim the connective tissue off of the liver and slice to thin strips. Add beef liver to pan, increase to high heat. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Sear liver for 60 seconds on each side.
- Remove liver from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. While blending/pureeing, add the remaining butter and cream (if using). Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
- Once the mixture is completely smooth, remove from blender and put in ramekins or a glass container and cover tightly. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight (preferred) to harden and let flavors meld.
- Serve with cucumber, celery, bacon or just a spoon.
Notes
- For a milder flavor, soak the beef liver in milk or water with a splash of vinegar for 1 to 2 hours before cooking to remove some of the strong, metallic taste. Also remove any connective tissue or membranes from the liver for a smoother texture and better flavor.
- Cook the livers just until they’re slightly pink in the center. Overcooked livers can become tough, grainy, and bitter.
- Allow the cooked liver and aromatics to cool slightly before blending to avoid splattering and to achieve a smoother result.
- Taste the pate before chilling and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs to your preference. You can even add a splash of brandy or sherry for extra depth.
- For longer storage and a polished look, pour a thin layer of melted butter on top of the pate before chilling. It keeps it fresh and adds extra richness.
- Take the beef liver pate out of the fridge half an hour before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
I threw my liver into a small pot of boiling water for about 60 secs the first time i made it for my boy. This time maybe Ill sear it.
Awesome! It’s great to hear about children enjoying traditional foods like liver. Searing will get all the delicious flavor of the cooking fat too. It’s a great choice!
Boiling is honestly the least most flavorful and least appeasing way to make liver. 60 seconds is smart though. Eric understands not too overcook
Hi,
When cooking the liver, can I cook slices (slabs) of it instead of cutting into strips and then cooking?
Is the concept just to make sure it is fully cooked?
Hi KE, You can absolutely cut slices! Cook the liver to your liking and then blend it up. You got it!
Would it ruin the recipe if I added a couple more tbsp of fat or doubled it? I’ve never made this before, but I plan to use duck fat because I also plan to be dairy free for a while to see what that’s like.
No harm in adding more fat, although there is already a high amount in this recipe. I also have a dairy-free pate recipe if you would like to try it instead: https://www.primaledgehealth.com/dairy-free-liver-pate-ox-liver/
I have been dairy free for over 2 years except butter. If you wish to eliminate the milk solids in butter use ghee…it is butter with the milk solids removed.
Great tip Debbie! Ghee is a great alternative to butter. Thanks for sharing!
Omg! I just made the liver pate and its amazing!! Thank you so much for a simple, healthy liver pate. Been trying to find a good one without oils and sugar , extremely hard these days.
Decided to make my own, bought a few books from you and so far, very happy “carnivorish” customer. ???
WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for sharing this feedback with me! We have lots of carnivore-friendly recipes to try and material to learn from so I hope we enjoy a friendship together 🙂
I loved your recipe. It was so simple. It has given me ideas for a lot of different pates. One thing I did was made some unflavored gelatin added black peppercorns on top of my pate ramekins and Herbs de Provence to the others then covered the pate and herbs with the gelatin to preserve them to keep a little longer than 3 days. I guess you can always freeze them too but this would give it a bit more refinement.
How gourmet! I love the idea of preserving them in gelatin. I can’t wait to try that too! Thanks so much for sharing the idea.
I have a dairy allergy and subsituted 4 tbsp of coconut oil instead of both the butter and cream. It was still very delicious. Thanks and Cheers!
Great swap! Thanks for sharing your idea. Duck fat is also a delicious dairy-free substitute.
Very easy to make and delicious.
Thanks for the feedback Lester! I’m glad this was a hit!
I heard that you have to soak liver in milk before you cook,is this true
Soaking the liver in milk before cooking gives it a more mild flavor. Some people soak in a saltwater brine before pan-frying for this same reason. You may or may not want to do this for sauteeing whole liver. I never soak ground liver.
I have a terrible history with liver, I’ve tried it twice in my life, and both times had me running for the trash and dry heaving. However, I am on a carnivore diet and I need to get organ meats in, so I decided to give this recipe a go. It was extremely easy to make, it looked good, it smelled good. I tasted it, and I have to say that the initial flavor actually isn’t bad. It’s definitely eatable. The problem is the back end flavor, that aftertaste? It’s still very irony.
What I’ll probably end up doing is slathering this on a good steak, to try to mask even more of that aftertaste. Overall, four stars because it’s liver and it’s actually edible for me. Not perfect though because that aftertaste is still going to get me. Although, I would be amazed if I could find a recipe that took that away.
Thanks for sharing this though! I’m just super happy to find a liver recipe that I can actually tolerate.
Wow, Denise! My congratulations for continuing to try recipes even when you think you won’t like them. I admire your dedication. Let me suggest these other ways of eating liver on a carnivore diet. They tend to be milder than pate. I particularly enjoy the meat muffins listed in the “hidden liver” section 🙂
Try soaking slices I’m a bit of milk if you can. Then drain. It has always worked for me before frying. My grandmother taught me.
Hi. Just an FYI, I saw someone had asked about freezing pate and I have. I made single servings with a small ice cream baller, put them on a tray in the freezer, once frozen, I wrapped each one in plastic wrap then put them in a freezer bag. Just take one out to thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Great tip! I love the idea of using an ice cream baller to make individual portions.
Appreciate you being so complete with your’ nutrition listing’, but where is the ‘serving size’, or am I missing it. ie… 170 calories for ? serving size… one ounce, two Tbs, etc. Thanks.
Serving size is noted in the brown box of the recipe header. The pate serves 6.
Hello. I didn’t see in the recipe how long this will keep in the fridge or whether it can be frozen… is there a suggestion on that? ( I could have missed it)
The pate will be fine for 5 days or so, always give a smell check to be sure 😉 I’ve never frozen (it since it always goes fast!) but don’t see why one couldn’t. Should be fine there.
I freeze all the time…always good
Great! I’m so glad to hear this! Freezing is a great way to save leftovers and not get overwhelmed with having to eat all the pate at once.
I triple the recipe bc my packages of liver come in about 1.5 lbs, so I freeze the other 2 thirds in separate balls wrapped tight in plastic, but we go through that in less than a month, 1 third a week, so not sure how long it could go. But certainly a couple weeks.
Awesome tip about freezing! I’m glad you are all enjoying it so much!
Great way to break into nose to tail eating. I recently had whole hogs head I wanted to make into head cheese. I decided to add the beef liver and pig & beef kidneys as well as a bunch of chicken livers I had in the freezer. After cooking it all & picking the bones out I ran everything through the finest grinder plate I had along with bunch of fresh parsley & time from the back yard plus salt pepper & coriander. Then I mixed in some of the hogs head broth & poured it all into loaf pans. After it set I cut it into about 12 one pound blocks & vacuum sealed & froze it. It’s a bit coarser than what you make but I think I’m gonna go the extra step in the food processor next time. THInking about putting next years hogs head in the smoker for a few hours before rendering too. I’ve been going through about a pound a week now. Finding all kinds of great stuff to put it with. All on its own doesn’t suck either
Head cheese is such a cool thing! Thank you for sharing your recipe here, I hope others come along and make it too!
What can I substitute for the butter or ghee? I can’t have any dairy
Duck fat or lard would be great. Tallow may also work but I haven’t tried it
Jessica! Thank you for this recipe. I have been looking for a low carb Patè for months but to no avail. thanks for creating one!
My pleasure sweet Barbara! Enjoy xx
Butter “divided” = Ghee?
Divided refers to using 3 tbsp to cook the liver in and then adding the second 3 tbsp when you blend the pate up. You could also use ghee.
How many calories per serving?
183 calories
What a great recipe. We often end up strining the chunky bits by pushing it thru a metal siv. Next time I’ll try trimming first. Thanks.