A quick lentil and salted peanuts pate that’s high in protein and the perfect spread on crackers, on toast, or in a sandwich with salad.
I like to use basic ingredients I have in the kitchen, that you might have too, so when I create new recipes, I often look around to see what I have first.
Pate, that’s what I wanted to make, so I had a look in my store cupboard at the tins of chickpeas, lentils, and beans first. Green lentils won the contest!
Next, the texture and body of the pate. Sometimes I use oats to bulk out a pate, but this time I wanted to add nuts, and I had a choice between salted peanuts and chestnuts (Graham had eaten all the cashews).
I use chestnuts to make my mushroom and chestnut pate, so I thought it would be fun to use salted peanuts this time.
And it worked out so well! Try it spread on this Easy Beer Bread.
Jump to:
At a glance – lentil & salted peanuts pate
⏲️ Ready in: 5 minutes
👪 Serves: 4 (depending on portion size)
🍽 Calories: 357 (depending on portion size)
🧾 Main ingredients: Green (or brown) lentils (canned are fine), salted peanuts, soy sauce, mustard, miso, sundried tomato paste, dried sage
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
Summarise & save this recipe:
🥜 Salted peanuts in a pate, really?
I know they are usually bought for snacking, and you wouldn’t usually reach for them to make a pate, but hear me out.
People often have a bag of these salty nuts for snacking, but they are always overlooked for cooking or baking.
Here are a few reasons they are a good choice:
- People often have a bag for snacking
- They are easy to find in shops and supermarkets
- Cheaper than other nuts
- Pre-salted, so you don’t need to add salt
- A 30g (3 tablespoons) serving of salted peanuts contains 9g of protein
- They are also a good source of fibre and minerals
See, they aren’t so bad!
🥜What do you need to make this lentil pate with salted peanuts
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this flavour-packed, quick vegan pate.
Pate Ingredients
- Cooked lentils – I used canned green lentils, but brown would be fine too
- Salted peanuts – you could use plain peanuts, then add salt as a seasoning to the pate if you like
- Mustard – use dijon mustard, but you could use English mustard or American yellow mustard
- Soy sauce – for umami (the savoury flavour.
- Miso – also for that umami kick, if you don’t have miso, you could add a little Marmite, but just a little, as it’s powerful stuff (you can skip this altogether, and the pate would still taste good, but it really does give a flavour punch)
- Sundried tomato paste – don’t have any, try my easy sundried tomato paste recipe or substitute it with tomato puree (tomato paste)
- Dried sage – you could use fresh if you have it
- Black pepper – to season
- Water – to get the consistency right
The full printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.
If you like this simple lentil pate recipe, try my white bean and black olive pate or my Moroccan pate over on my main blog Tinned Tomatoes next.
👩🏻🍳 Can you use red lentils?
I use green (or brown) lentils in this pate for the texture and for quickness.
Red lentils don’t hold their shape but cook down into a soft mush, which is good for soups, stews and dahl to thicken them, but not as good for pate.
I’m not saying you can’t make a pate with red lentils, but it takes a lot longer, and you need to add a lot more oats, nuts or seeds for texture.
A can of lentils (green or brown) is perfect for this recipe.
🌡️ Bring the heat
Saying that always makes me think of Bring the Noise by Public Enemy (American hip hop), and yes, I am showing my age!
Anyway, to bring the noise heat, just add some chilli powder or chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) to the pate ingredients before blending.
🥪 Serving lentil pate
Here are some ideas for serving lentil pate once you have made it.
It’s a great recipe to serve any day of the week as a spreadable dip.
- Spread it on oatcakes – or crackers, try these paprika crackers
- Top your toast – it’s delicious spread on toast, just bog standard bread toasted or toasted (broiled) sourdough for something fancier
- Burger topping – spread a thick layer on your burger in a bun with salad for a flavour punch
- Dip – use it as a thick and tasty dip for veg (you can add a bit more water for a thinner consistency if you are making it as a dip)
- Sandwich – spread it thickly on soft brown or wholemeal bread and top with salad leaves (or crunchy iceberg lettuce), cucumber and slices of tomato for a gorgeous sandwich
- Crunchy veg – spread some pate inside the channel celery naturally has for a crunchy snack, or spread it inside mini peppers
I’m sure you will have some good ideas too!
💭 Storing homemade pate
This delicious pate can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
It would probably be ok for a bit longer, but I like to use it over a few days while it is fresh.
You can freeze pate too, but the texture can change after it is frozen, so once defrosted, blend it again to improve the texture.
It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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👩🏻🍳 Easy sandwich ideas
Buy my ebook 150 Easy Vegan Sandwiches (5 ingredients or less) for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
It’s a set of easy sandwich lists to keep on your phone to scan through when shopping.
Or print it out and keep in the kitchen for making quick and easy sandwiches when you are stuck for ideas.
👩🏻🍳 How to make quick lentil and salted peanuts pate
These step-by-step photos will show you how to make this delectable pate (followed by the printable recipe card, which you can also hit print and save as a PDF on your device).
Step 1
- Add the drained lentils to a food processor or blender (a high-speed blender copes with a pate better; you may have to add a little more water and scrape down the sides with a less powerful blender), then the nuts.
- Next, add the mustard and tomato paste.
Step 2
- Next, add the herbs and other flavourings and water, then blend. You want a fairly smooth mixture, but with a bit of texture.
- If you are serving it as a dip, you can add a little more water.
- Serve at room temperature for the best flavour (so take it out the fridge for a few minutes before you serve it, if you’ve made it ahead to let it come to get the chill off (which deadens the flavour).
- Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Quick Lentil & Salted Peanuts Pate – Vegan Recipe
A quick lentil and salted peanuts pate that’s high in protein and the perfect spread on crackers, on toast, or in a sandwich with salad.
Ingredients
Instructions
Keep screen on
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Add the drained washed lentils to a food processor or blender.
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Then add all the other ingredients and blend until fairly smooth, but with some texture, you may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times until the the ingredients are well combined.
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Taste to check the seasoning and the texture. if you prefer a looser texure or are serving as a dip, add a little more wter.
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Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Serve spread on oatcakes, crackers, or toast. Spread on a burger or in a sandwich with salad, or use as a dip.
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days and bring to room temperature before serving.
- You can freeze in a freezer tub for 3 months, then defrost to serve, but the texture can go odd, so you may need to reblend with a little water or olive oil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 23gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 1375mgPotassium: 755mgFiber: 20gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 286IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 6mg