This vegetarian chopped liver is so tasty, you may swear off meat for good! (Jk.) I also added a vegan option!
Way back in the day when I made legit chopped liver, I entertained all you vegetarians with promises of mock chopped liver to delight and inspire. Well, I am certainly no liar (except when my local grocer offers up a student discount. It is not my fault I have the youthful good looks and sparkling composure of a 21-year-old) and the day has arrived! My friends, I bring you vegetarian chopped liver. It is nearly vegan without those pesky eggs! Maybe tofu would work as a substitute? Any thoughts? But I digress.
This veggie chopped liver is totally tasty on a cracker, or as a dip with veggies, or even a spread on a sandwich! The possibilities are pretty much endless. What would you use it on?
Ta da! There you have it- vegetarian chopped liver. Don’t tell anyone, but I think I like it better than the real thing. Maybe there is hope for me as a vegetarian yet (she types with a bacon, egg and cheese in hand). Maybe not.
Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 medium white onions sliced thin
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced (button or crimini)
- 4 hard boiled eggs or 1 cup soft tofu for vegan version
- 1 cup walnuts plus more for garnish (toasted adds extra flavor!)
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Minced chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large, deep, sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion slices and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Sauté for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and starting to brown, stirring often, and then turn down the heat to medium low and sauté until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes. Stir often. You want the onions to stick a little so they color, but if onions start to burn, add a little water or more olive oil (or wine!) to deglaze.
- Increase the heat back to medium, add the mushrooms to the onions in the pan, and sauté until they start and brown and are soft but not mushy, about 6-8 minutes. Add more olive oil if the mixture starts to burn. Drain any water out.
- Put onions mixture, eggs, and walnuts, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are combined and uniform and it looks like chopped liver; add a little more olive oil if it's not coming together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill for one hour or until ready to serve and garnish with walnuts and chives. Serve with matzah crackers and veggies.
Way too healthy for an antique like your bubbe. Bring on the schmaltz! However, I would eat this with some Ritz crackers…..
Love and kisses,
Bubbe
Well at least I used bacon fat!
I remember when my Grandma used to make chopped liver – I absolutely hated it. But now, I think I’d give it a try! This sounds delicious!
Thanks, Dawn!
Would you believe that I’ve never had chopped liver? Just admitting that makes me feel like a bad Jew!
I think I’ll have to try this!
HAHA it’s okay! Baby steps- start with the vegetarian version. Then work your way up to the real thing 🙂
I have been making this recipe for many years, although I have never added the walnuts. I use dried lentils and cook them for 45 minutes. While the lentils are cooking, I brown the onions on medium low for the same amount of time until they are very brown but not burnt. Salt, pepper, hard-boiled eggs, and my family asks for my “phony chopped liver” all the time. The last time I used chicken livers to make chopped liver (about 40 years ago), my daughter ran away from home – running away meant climbing the tree in the back yard and not coming down!
This is about the closest you will come to the real thing – but the key is browning the onions until they are dark brown but not burnt!
Yes I agree that’s key!
Hi, do you use thelentils instead of mushroom? I need a substitute for the mushrooms thanks!
You can!
I can’t stand chopped liver, but i love the mock stuff. I had it once with green peas, mushrooms, egg and walnuts, but could never get the recipe right. I’m very excited to find your recipe with the lentils and will try this next time. Thanks! P.S. if you find a recipe with green peas, please try it out.
Ooh I have never tried one with green peas. That sounds interesting! I will play around with that when I get a chance. I also have been wanting to make a vegan version without the egg!
Just saw this on your Rosh Hashana recipes. I’ve actually only made a recipe similar to what jennifer is talking about, but would love to try this recipe with lentils too!
Thanks, Rebecca!
My mother made it with peas. It was wonderful. Love your version–way lower carb
Thanks! I’ve seen pea versions too but haven’t tried it.
I just made the vegetarian chopped liver from an old recipe. In addition to the eggs, mushrooms, onion and walnuts, add steamed chopped green beans and schmaltz.
Yum! But the schmaltz negates the vegetarian!! 🙂
Chaf Sameach Amy! thanks for providing a lentil option! For a new convert both to judaism and to the vegetarian lifestyle, I wasn’t too well organised for Pesach this year, but I do have eggs, lentils, onions, walnuts and the obligatory matzah on hand! Thank you thank you thank you!
Hope you enjoy!! Great idea on the tofu cream cheese! I was thinking of trying chickpeas for a vegan version- kind of a hummus hybrid. But, then it wouldn’t be Kosher for Passover. Maybe I will try just tofu since tofu cream cheese may not be available for everyone and I like the ingredients I use to be easy to find. Welcome to the tribe! 🙂
I meant Chag Sameach! LOL!
As for a vegan version, Tofu cream cheese????? Tofutti cream cheese is a vego’s best friend! (Can you tell I’m an Aussie?LOL)
Thanks!
I used this and several other of your recipes this Passover for a vegetarian Seder. What a hit! Thank you, Amy! Love your site.
Yay I’m thrilled!! Thanks for reading!
This sounds great! Mollie Katzen has one with green beans that I’ve made and I add sauteed mushrooms for that extra umami. I plan to try this with lentils. Thanks for the great blog.
Thanks, Rebecca! That sounds tasty too.
I make a vegetarian chopped liver using 3 kinds of onions, walnuts, asparagus, & egg. My father had NO idea it wasn’t the real deal till we all stood there watching him devouring it laughing. He would NEver have eaten it knowing what was in it!
Really named-Triple Onion Walnut Pate
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 scallions cut in 1 inch pieces(white & green parts)
1 cup walnuts
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1 can (14 1/2 oz) asparagus cuts, well-drained( or use fresh cooking till really soft)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste,
olives, cherry tomatoes, & lettuce leaves for garnish.
In a large skillet, fry red & yellow onions in oil, until golden. Lower the heat & cook 2-3 minutes longer till limp. (DO NOT let onions become too brown!) Add scallions and heat through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to food processor. Add walnuts eggs, asparagus, cumin, paprika, salt and chop coarsely. Transfer to bowl and add pepper to taste. Chill makes 2 1/2 cups. Garnish with crackers and veggies.
Try it – you’ll like it!!!
Thanks for sharing you recipe, MJ! This sounds delicious. Love the asparagus in there.
Can I make this ahead of time? Thinking of making this for wed nite appetizer…
Hi Marta,
Sure! You can make it up to a day or so ahead of time. It gets a little crusty on the top, so just mix before serving.
Yum!!! Would love to try this. Have you made without egg yet?? Not sure how much tofu to use or any other replacement for the egg.
Thanks, Lauren! I haven’t. I would save that ingredient for last, and keep adding some until you get the texture you like. Let me know how it goes and how much you used!
Hi Amy. Thanks for the recipe. As I said above, I mixed the tofu in with everything in the processor, in place of the eggs, and it came out wrong. Perhaps you can add a footnote to the original recipe so others don’t make the same mistake I did. Personally, I would also use way less tofu, maybe 1/3 of a package at the very most.
Hi. I made this last night using 1 pg of pressed soft tofu in place of the eggs. But I put it in the food processor ( as in the recipe ) with the onions/mushrooms/walnuts. That was a huge mistake. It made it a weird light gray color that looked totally wrong. As Amy suggests, definitely process the O/M/W mix first, chop your tofu separately, then fold that into the mix a bit at a time. I was able to rescue the color with a bit of vegan worcestershire but that changed the flavor, as well.
Hi Marlene- Hope it tasted great at least! I have done the tofu at both times and have never had an issue with color. It should be light brown.
Just made this for tonight’s dinner… Yum!!
Awesome- enjoy it!!
Not Jewish, not vegetarian and not vegan, but I made this recipe twice using portabello shrooms – once with the tofu (the measurements you indicated) and once with the eggs. I prefer the tofu version!
Nice! I love that version too!
This sounds incredible! I will have to make it soon 🙂
It’s one of my favorites!
Just made the veg chopped liver. Omg! It is amazing. Love it. Thank you. Froze some for next week
Yay so glad!
This sounds great. However, I can’t eat walnuts. Do you think almonds or cashews would work instead? Thanks!
Thanks! I haven’t tried other nuts, but I don’t see why not. I think pecans would work well. Almonds or cashews should work too! Let me know how it goes.
The Vegan version is great! Thank you!
So glad! I think I like it even more than with eggs!
I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 50 years, and I’ve been making vegetarian chopped liver for just as long. I’ve tried lots of recipes, but this is BY FAR the best I’ve ever tried. I just made it tonight for Pesach, but first Seder is three days away. Can I wait that long to eat it? I hope so!
I’m so glad! Yes it will be good in 3 days. If it lasts that long!
Just to be clear cause your taste buds are unsurpassable….no eggs might even be tastier? With the shmaltz and chicken broth to loosen things up, leaving out the hardboiled eggs sounds a little healthier.
hi! How many days in advance can this be made? Can you freeze it? Does the taste or consistency change? Tips for freezing? Thanks!
I wouldn’t freeze it. You can make 3 days ahead of time.
I made this for a pre-Sedar appetizer. It was amazing! My vegetarian niece was suspicious as it really does look–and taste–a lot like the real thing. This will be my go-to from now on! Thanks Amy!
Hooray!
I cannot begin to say how delicious this is- I could eat this with a spoon (and just maybe I have…)
Thanks so much! You are definitely allowed to eat it with a spoon ha
AMAZING. I made this with lentils. SO GOOD!
So glad you liked it!