Knowing how to make a beef liver pate recipe that actually tastes good is a key to unlocking the world of delicious and nutritious organ meat recipes. Pate is great for beginners; it has a rich history all over the world and is very enjoyable. Blending liver disguises it into a luscious creamy spread which is easy to get down.
Feeling wary about jumping into eating organ meats is pretty understandable. We’ve been systematically cut off from our food supply and taught nutrition is supposed to come in sterile styrofoam, shrink-wrapped packages. Holding a piece of meat can be strange enough, make it an organ, and all kinds of sirens start going off.
This post is part of a series called All You Need to Know about Liver Pate for Keto and Carnivore Diets.
Read on for some tips and advice on how to make beef liver pate and not hate it.
Table of Contents (click to view)
Is beef liver healthy?
More nutrient-dense than just about any other food in the world, the nutritional benefits of liver are impressive!
Liver is the ultimate unprocessed, multivitamin from a whole food source. (1)
It’s easy for our bodies to digest and assimilate the nutrition because it is highly bioavailable. (2)
You just have to get it in.
Additionally, there are many benefits of organ meats, aside from just health.
How to Make the Best Liver Pate
There is one secret I have that makes every single recipe the best it can be – quality ingredients.
In general, you want to go for quality ingredients as much as possible. With organ meats and offal, it’s a priority.
Grass fed beef liver, organic chicken liver, and pastured pork liver are good options. Take a deeper dive into the top two choices: beef liver vs. chicken liver. Give each a taste test to find your favorite.
Use my guide on Where to Buy Liver for ways to connect with local ranchers and food producers that have the quality and freshness you’re after.
Easy Recipe Process for Beef Liver Pate
Making a classic beef liver pate recipe really can’t be any easier. Follow these steps and you are guaranteed to make a pate that actually tastes good.
Take the liver out of the package without squealing.
Have the right state of mind
Feel grateful that you have access to quality nutrition and are in a time of your life where you can prioritize your health with nourishing, from-scratch meals.
Prep liver
Rinse the liver if needed and arrange it on a cutting board.
The hardest part is coming up.
While the frying pan heats up, lovingly slice the liver into 1/4-inch thick strips. Yes, you have to actually touch it.
Reaffirm mindset
Think about the people that raised this animal for you, the time it took to grow, the weather it was exposed to, and the peaceful life it led.
Consider how perfect it is to be in an existence where an animal takes undigestible plant matter (grass) and transforms it into bioavailable nutrition that builds your body, turns on your brain, and keeps your mind strong.
Sear the liver on each side, let cool slightly and blend it up as the recipe describes.
Do a little dance
Finally, pat yourself on the back for doing something many people will never try.
How long does it take for pate to set?
Allow a freshly blended liver pate to chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
In a pinch, it can be served right away but the pate is really best after it has sat for a bit.
The flavors meld as the butter firms up. A properly chilled pate can be sliced easily whereas a freshly made pate is more dip-like.
If time permits, it is ideal to make liver pate ahead of time and chill it overnight before serving.
How to make liver taste good?
Aside from using quality ingredients (this is my favorite place for high quality and organic herbs and spices) stuffing the pate with flavorful ingredients will make the pate pop with favor.
Sauted garlic and onion are the base, rosemary and thyme come in for an accent, and salt and pepper round the seasoning of into a full and robust flavor.
Did I mention there’s loads of butter? Liver pate is so decadent!
If you prefer to cook dairy free, use my Dairy Free Ox Live Pate Recipe!
The RealFoodRN has a “sneaky” way she gets her pate in daily. It’s a clever method that involves ice cube trays and a freezer!
Serve a healthy liver pate with
- bacon
- cucumber slices
- celery sticks
- crusty low carb bread
The contrasting crunch completely distracts from any concern about eating a liver.
With such amazing flavor and serious nutritional benefits, it’s a win-win.
Is Liver Pate ok for a Carnivore Diet?
Liver pate is popular for many healing and health promoting diet types. You’ll see liver pate recipes for Paleo to keto, whole30, to AIP and GAPS style diets.
Liver pate can also be carnivore diet friendly.
If you do well with onion and garlic use them. Similarly, rosemary and thyme tend to be fine for most people.
For a strict zero-fiber approach, omit the plant-based ingredients and make a savory blend of butter liver, salt, and (optional) cream.
Serve with crispy bacon slices, on top of a burger, or simply by the spoonful!
Don’t stop with pate. There are many clever ways to eat liver on a carnivore diet.
Hidden Liver Recipes
Break the ice with beef liver pate and then charge forth with hidden liver recipes.
Liver is naturally low-carb, so it is acceptable for the keto diet and easy keto recipes.
Adding ground liver to ground meat meals is a great way to make tried and true recipes that everyone loves. The secret liver is hard to detect if you don’t already know it’s there.
Easy and Delicious Liver Recipes
This is the perfect way to cook liver without flour. With only 5 ingredients, all of which are dairy-free and gluten-free, you can't go wrong! This recipe is suitable for keto, carnivore, paleo, and AIP styles diets. Add it to your meal prep today!
Organ meats are some of the most affordable meats and happen to also be some of the most nutritious parts too. This nourishing combination of ground beef, liver and heart baked into a meat pie is simple and satiating.
Thin crunchy low-carb chips made from grass-fed beef liver are perfectly dippable for all your favorite dips but come with a super nutritional boost!
Homemade pemmican is the ultimate protein bar! Made in the traditional style of multiple North American Indian tribes, pemmican is extremely nutrient-dense, lightweight, and shelf-stable.
Enjoy this Asian inspired one pan skillet meal with pan-fried cabbage noodles and ground beef. Add "hidden liver" for extra nutrient density and no one will know it's there!
Final Effort: Ancestral Supplements
If you read this post with the intention of learning how to make liver pate but still can’t see yourself going through with it, start supplementing with desiccated organ meat capsules instead.
There’s nothing more convenient than a pill. Ancestral Supplements offers high-quality grass-fed beef organs in small, easy to take capsules.
In my review of the pros and cons of grass fed beef liver capsules, I recommend beginning with their “beef liver” or “beef organ” blends.
Organ meat supplements are also great for travel! Pack the bottle in your bag and you can take quality nutrition out wherever you go.