If you’re looking for a delicious and healthy vegetarian alternative to traditional chopped liver, try making mock chopped liver with mushrooms. This mock liver recipe is based on the original Ashkenazi Jewish Recipe my grandmother made for every special occasion. You’ll love to spread this Vegetarian Chopped Liver on matzo crackers for a delicious Passover Appetizer.
This post has been updated from the original posted April 8, 2015.
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My grandmother made chopped liver (a classic Jewish pâté)for every holiday. We ate that delicious spread as a passover appetizer, smothered on matzo crackers. On Rosh Hashanah, we continued the ashkenazi tradition of serving chopped liver on small pieces of rye bread. My grandmother’s chopped liver wasn’t reserved just for the Jewish Holidays, it even made an appearance at Thanksgiving.
These days, more and more people are cutting back on their consumption of animal products..but that doesn’t mean we should throw traditions out the window.
Now, I make a plant-based look-alike. Mock chopped liver is a more contemporary vegetarian appetizer, for those who don’t eat meat and it is a now-classic recipe served in many Jewish homes. It tastes a lot like my grandmother’s chopped liver, I mostly based my recipe off hers….it just doesn’t have any liver in it!
- All of the rich flavor of traditional chopped liver without the saturated fat from either the chicken livers or the shmaltz.
- This vegetarian version of the classic Jewish appetizer is loaded with rich and savory umami flavor that closely resembles the original recipe.
- Easy to make.
- My vegetarian chopped liver is made with mushrooms rather than green beans so it’s Kosher for Passover and all year round.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Onions: Caramelized onions is a cornerstone ingredient of the real deal and a must have in a vegetarian or vegan chopped liver recipe.
- Mushrooms: Portobello or cremini mushrooms produce a texture, color and flavor that closely resembles real liver when cooked with the onions. You can use any assortment of mushroom varieties. If you’re using this recipe any time that’s not Passover week, substitute with green beans or green peas.
- Walnuts: Substitute raw cashews or pistachios.
- Hard boiled eggs: For Vegan Mock Liver, skip the hard boiled eggs. The recipe will still produce a delicious spread. If you’re not vegan, make this a vegetarian mock liver and use the eggs for a little more authenticity to the original recipe.
Tips for making Easy to Peel Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
- The most important tip to making easy to peel hard boiled eggs: have a bowl filled with ice ready and immerse your perfectly boiled eggs into the ice, then add cold water so your eggs are cooling in ice water.
- Cooling your boiled eggs immediately not only stops them from continuing to cook, but it “shocks” them away from the peel.
- In the Instant Pot: Place eggs on the rack. Add 1 cup water and seal. Set for 5 minutes on high pressure. Allow to cool naturally for 5 minutes and then force release. Transfer eggs to the ice.
- On the stovetop: Place eggs in the smallest pot that will hold them in a single layer. Cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and set the timer for 12 minutes. Transfer the eggs to the ice.
- When the eggs have completely cooled, dry them and place in the fridge (with the shells still on) until ready to use.
- Bubbe meise: My grandmother always made an odd number of boiled eggs. I wish she was still alive so I could ask her why. I never boil an even number of eggs…Grandma knew things, even if I don’t always understand.
How to make it
Start by dicing the onions, chopping the mushrooms, mincing the garlic and heating a large heavy skillet over medium heat. You’re going to pulse it all in a food processor later, so don’t worry about cutting the veggies in perfect sizes.
You can use a little water, olive oil or vegetable broth to saute the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use medium-low heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until they’re beginning to soften.
Add the chopped mushrooms and minced garlic to the pan and continue to cook, stirring once in awhile for 10-15 minutes, until the mushroom mixture has turned a golden brown. If the pan gets dry, add a bit more water, but not too much. The mushrooms will release natural juices while cooking so that should be enough moisture in the pan.
While the mushrooms are cooking, peel the eggs and add them plus the walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until crumbly, leaving it chunky.
When the mushrooms are browned and tender, add the sauteed onion and mushroom mixture to the food processor and pulse until well mixed. I like to leave it a bit chunky, but you can continue to process until your desired consistency is achieved.
If you like a smoother texture, which would be more like a vegetarian version of the classic jewish pate, then run the processor for a bit, scraping down the side a few times to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Hard boil the eggs up to a week in advance. Leave them stored in the refrigerator with the peels still on to protect them from absorbing bacteria or odors from other foods.
- The mushrooms will act like sponges, so go carefully and slow with any extra water/broth/olive oil. Also, they will give off their own juices, so keep cooking until all liquid has been cooked off.
- Save money: buy walnut pieces instead of whole walnuts, since you’ll be grinding them into smaller pieces anyway.
- It will seem like you need a much bigger pan when the mushrooms are added raw, but they will shrink down when they cook, so you can get by with a medium-large size pan.
- If it’s your minhag to not use garlic during Passover, just skip it…the onions will give off plenty of flavor.
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📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Chopped Liver Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions diced
- 1 lb portobello mushrooms roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt coarse
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 hard boiled eggs large
- ½ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Use either water, vegetable broth or olive oil to saute onions until they soften, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add mushrooms and garlic to the onion mixture. If pan is dry, add another tablespoon broth or oil as needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and everything is browned. It will take 10-15 minutes.
- While mushroom mixture cooks down (yes, it will totally shrink up after it's cooked), pulse the boiled eggs and walnuts in a food processor to break down into chunky pieces.
- Continue to stir the mushrooms until everything has caramelized. Then add the mushroom mixture to the processor with the nuts and eggs. Pulse until everything is well incorporated. I like my mock liver kinda chunky, but you can process it for longer for a smoother consistency more like pate if you prefer.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Serve it cold or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Mimi
This recipe sounds sooo good but we don’t eat eggs. Can I substitute extra firm tofu for the hard boiled eggs?
Debra Klein
I don’t see why not. I haven’t tried it with tofu, but I would be sure to really press out all the water and cut it into very small diced cubes….or just skip the eggs.
Cheryl leifer
How many people does this serve??
Debra Klein
It makes about 3 cups total. If you allow about 1/4 cup per person, it will serve 12.
Daisy
I made it without eggs it was great
Debra Klein
Eggcellent! (sorry…couldn’t resist)…many have been asking how it comes out without eggs!
Marleen goldstein
Allergic to walnuts. What substitute can I use please.
Debra Klein
If you can use other nuts, try pistachios, pecans or almonds.
Doris Blinick
Allergic to all nuts….will this work without any?
Debra Klein
Yes…you can skip the nuts. Pulse the mushroom mixture in the food processor with the hard boiled eggs to leave a bit of texture. It will be delish.
Z Freehling
My sister-in-law gave me this recipe years ago, and i make it for Seder every year. It’s easy and always a big hit. I don’t add garlic, but might try it next time. This recipe makes a “chopped liver” that is authentic as they come.
Debra Klein
Awesome….I make it almost every week for Shabbat…and for all the major holidays…including Thanksgiving!
Amos Levi
Debra, Your grandmother’s custom of cooking an odd number of eggs is based on Jewish law. There is concern that an egg might have blood in it and we are forbidden to eat blood. When we crack an egg, we can see the blood and can toss the egg. The problem with hard boiled eggs is you dont know if there is blood in there. There is a concept in Jewish law that forbidden things that you cant see can be nullified in various proportions in different circumstances. In the case of the eggs, it is nullified by majority. if you are concerned that one egg has blood, you can make sure that all the eggs are fine to eat by making sure that there are at least 2 other eggs so the majority are assumed to be ok, making all of them okay to eat….so the minimum to cook is three. no need to cook an odd number, just a minimum of three.
Debra Klein
Thank you Amos for taking the time to explain that custom. Makes perfect sense.
Joy Frayda Friedberg
This is so identical to my chicken chopped liver that I have to label them to not mix them up, when I’m cooking for vegans and omnivores.
Debra Klein
Thank you so much….I take this as the best type of compliment…ever!
Carol A solomon
If an egg has a blood spot it’s considered non-kosher. By boiling an odd number of eggs you increase the odds of having a kosher result. This is the reason I always crack an egg in a separate bowl before adding to whatever I’m making. Thanks to my grandmother and thank you for a delicious recipe!
Debra Klein
My grandmother also boiled an odd number of eggs whenever she boiled them! Enjoy the mock liver, Debra
Melanie Zook
Excellent recipe. Very easy to put together. We and our guests enjoyed this mock chopped liver as an appetizer. Will almost certainly make again.
Debra Klein
Yay….so glad you made this recipe for vegetarian chopped liver…always a crowd pleaser!
Debbie L Burg
Can this chopped liver be frozen?
Debra Klein
I did try freezing this mock chopped liver and wasn’t happy with the texture when it was defrosted….a bit rubbery, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing.
Debbie L Burg
tHANKS SO MUCH!
Chaya
Hi Debra. This sounds yummy. Just curious, I see that u said you can substitute green beans for mushrooms. Is that canned or fresh and how much. Thanks
Debra Klein
Fresh green beans can be subbed for the mushrooms…use about 1.5 pounds and chop before following the rest of the directions to saute until tender and then pulse in the food processor.
Miriam
You grandmother boiled an odd number of eggs for jewish ritual law reasons, in case there is blood in one of the eggs.
Debra Klein
Yes….she did always check, but sometimes the recipe calls for one so the extra would mean you make an even number….and why not boil two extra? I love all my grandmothers minhags….I continue them and pass them on….because they were hers, and therefore part of our family traditions.
Michael Muller
I call mine Chopped Lover just emphasize that it’s vegetarian
Debra Klein
Ooh…such a clever name. Love that!
Susan Levin
Excellent liver tasting recipe
Debra Klein
Thank you, we think so too!