I’m SO EXCITED to share this recipe with you guys! I present you the most astonishing vegan foie gras, taste and texture-wise.
Making foie gras vegan is quite a challenge, the real one has a silky and soft texture with a buttery and subtle taste. This vegan foie gras has that rich and creamy texture that melts in your mouth just like real foie gras. This recipe is the result of over 10 trials, testing with tofu, flavorings, herbs, agar-agar, mushrooms, chestnuts, and many other ingredients until achieving what I believe is the most accurate vegan foie gras.
I’m not going to go into details, you know how foie gras is made, the ducks are force-fed with a metal tube that is inserted into their mouths and then killed. If you have never seen how the ducks are treated, make a quick search on Google images, I guarantee you will feel disgusted or might even shed a tear. It really pisses me off that some people have no problem inflicting such treatment to animals. I did eat foie gras in the past, and I really liked it but I was not aware (or maybe didn’t want to know) of what was really going on.
It’s crazy how much advertisement there is for foie gras on TV, papers and radio in France during the Christmas holidays. I have to admit I feel sad to live in a country that is proud of doing this.
Thankfully, this “foie gras” is completely vegan, made from plant-based ingredients. The base for this recipe are cashews.
Once you cashews have soaked for a few hours, you blend them with all the other ingredients until completely smooth, fill a springform pan and let it harden in the fridge for at least 24H. Cocoa butter and refined coconut oil are essential to create that melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the other ingredients combined together recreate the famous taste of foie gras.
To make it look even more authentic you can recreated the yellow grease on the outside, it’s a mix of refined coconut oil with turmeric for the color. It’s completely optional and has absolutely no impact on the taste, it just make it look more like real foie gras. I didn’t do it on the one on the photos.
If you are looking for a vegan foie gras recipe, look no further! This is the best recipe you will find! This vegan foie gras will definitely be on our table on Christmas eve!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe and if you liked it!
The Best Vegan Foie Gras
Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/4 cup deodorized cocoa butter, melted
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp and 1/2 tsp cognac
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp truffle oil
- 1/2 tsp shiitake powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper (or white pepper if you prefer)
Yellow fat (optional)
- 3 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Soak the cashews overnight or bring a large pot of water to a boil, pour over the cashews in a bowl and let sit for 3 hours. Drain and rinse the cashews.
- To make the shiitake powder: Grind 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in a small grinder or food processor until you get a very fine powder. Set aside 1/2 tsp powder and keep the leftover in a airtight container for other uses.
- Add the cashews to the bowl of a blender with the water, white miso, cognac, nutritional yeast, tahini, shiitake powder and truffle oil.
- Melt the cocoa butter in a small saucepan and mesure 1/4 cup of melted cocoa butter, add them to the blender. Do the same for the coconut oil.
- Add the salt and pepper and blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides from time to time. The mixture will be very thick, if you don’t have a powerful blender, use a food processor.
- Line two 3-inch round pans (I used two cookie cutter rounds stacked) with parchment paper (sides and bottom) and divide the mixture into the pans. Press firmly. Alternatively, you can use any pan you have on hand: round, rectangular, etc. Smooth the top using a knife and cover with plastic film.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least one day, it will become a lot more firmer and the flavors will have time to merge.
- For the yellow fat (optional): Melt the refined coconut oil and turmeric over low heat and mix well. Let sit at room temperature until the coconut oil becomes spreadable again. Using your fingers, spread some colored coconut oil around the foie gras to make it look like yellow fat.
- Serve cold and spread on toasted bread, crackers, etc. This vegan foie gras pairs well with sweet white wines.
Notes
You must absolutely use a deodorized cocoa butter, otherwise the cocoa butter taste will cover the main flavors.
The miso is important in this recipe, use white miso (with a pale yellow color), if your miso is darker use half the amount and reduce the salt. Using a strong miso will make the foie gras too salty and cover the taste of all the other ingredients.
This foie gras has the same texture as the real one, this means it will soften at room temperature.
No nutritional information for the foie gras, just enjoy!
I had all but two of the ingredients to make this dish (cocoa butter and truffle oil) yet it still took me a few weeks to make it. I’m glad I finally did. I made it yesterday and we are eating it now so it’s been over 24 hrs. The only thing that is missing is a little fresh garlic. I will add some next time, two small cloves will probably be plenty. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It will be perfect for parties and holidays.
★★★★
Thank you for the feedback Gigi! Happy to hear you liked the “foie gras” 🙂
Dear Thomas,
I’m meat-eater and I use Foie Gras sometimes, knowing the texture and taste very well. So, I can compare this recipe with the real thing. It amazingly identical! 🙂
Congratulations, this is great (and important) recipe!
P.S. I didn’t have cocoa butter so I used coconut – and it worked well. I will look for coco next time.
★★★★★
Hi Vitki,
Thank you so much for your feedback and rating! I’m so happy you liked it, especially as a meat-eater, that is awesome!
Hey Thomas, thank you so much for this! Question: do you know if this would sear if I tried to or if it would just melt into a mess? By the way, my blue cheese worked out and tastes delicious – thank you!
Hey Lucas,
It can be seared but just like real foie gras it becomes quite soft and a bit hard to handle, but it doesn’t melt completely and keeps most of its shape. If you pan sear it, make sure to use a non-stick skillet.
Glad to hear you successfully made the blue cheese! 🙂
Hello, this recipe looks good. However I sometimes cook for a reformed alcoholic. Is there a replacement for the cognac>
Thank you,
Elaine
Hi Elaine,
That is a difficult one. You could boil the cognac for 1 minute to remove the alcohol content and you will still get the flavor (but I’m not sure if it’s okay if it has an alcohol taste?). Or you could simply omit it, it will still taste very good.
I am wondering if a chickpea miso would work?
I haven’t tried but I think it should work!
Salut Thomas,
J’adore tes recettes, je galère cependant pas mal avec les mesures en cup, très américaine je le sais bien mais au combien impressises et nécessitant la fameuse cup. As tu les masses de chaque ingrédient ?
Hi Thomas,
I love you’re recipes but I’m strugling a lot with the cup “unit”. I know it is what americans use but it requires the cup to succeed ^^Do you have the weight for each ingredients ?
Thanks Julie
Salut Julie,
Merci ! J’essais désormais de mettre les mesures en grammes dans les nouvelles recettes mais effectivement certaines n’ont que les mesures en cup.
Cette recette sera surement mise à jour bientôt avec les grammes quand j’en referais pour les fêtes. En attendant, tu peux trouver les équivalences cups/grams/ml sur Internet.
Just made this yesterday—the flavor is phenomenal! I found a great way to make a cylindrical mold: my Diamond kosher salt shaker was almost empty. I popped off the metal bottom, used a carton knife to cut off the top, and lined it with freezer paper (coated side in). After stuffing the carton, I wrapped both ends tightly with plastic wrap.
I’m so glad you liked the “foie gras” Jill! Thanks for sharing your mold technique!
Hi Thomas,
This recipe looks amazing! I would love to be able to try it but unfortunately I’m allergic to nuts. You mention trying with tofu, chestnuts and other methods, were there any I could try that came close?
Thanks,
Felicity
This recipe is not really versatile honestly, all the ingredients are important here. You could try using chestnuts, the flavor should still be pretty good but I’m afraid it won’t taste as close as the original.
Hello there! I made this dish over the weekend. Loved the flavors. Thank you for creating an amazing recipe!
I am wondering how long I can store it in the fridge? Is a week too long? I am hoping to bring it to a party on Thursday. I made it on Saturday. So, that’s 5 days. Do you think the dish would still be good?
Thanks so much!
Anzela.
★★★★★
You’re welcome Anzela!
I would say about 3-4 days. A week will be too long and it won’t taste the same, I found that the flavor tends to ease after 3 days.
Nooooooo, I used not desodorized cacao butter… :'(
I was thinking when I tasted it, that I must have been wrong with conversion from cups to grammes as some websites gives different result… but here is my mistake ^^
Has the coconut oil has to be desodorized or not also ? I don’t know if refined = desodorized
Yes, it’s better if the coconut is also deodorized. Refined coconut oil is usually deodorized.
Sorry to hear about that! That’s why I’m recommending using only the deodorized one.
Hi 🙂 I had a heck of a time finding deodorized cocoa butter last year, this year subbed vegan butter and it turned out great. I think the buttery flavour working really well. Adding tahini is such a master stroke! It definitely tastes better than most of the foie gras peddled in French supermarkets.
Thanks for the feedback Lisa 😉
Hello! I am extremely interested by your recipe but in Bosnia in my town I do not find miso or deodorized cocoa butter. My issue is not about being vegan. I just don’t want to use the duck liver. Do you think I can replace the cocoa butter by butter and what about the miso? Thank you!
Hi Flore,
Well the thing is this recipe is not versatile…You can try using butter instead of cocoa butter but the texture won’t be the same, it will probably be a lot softer.
Regarding the miso I’m afraid there is no good substitute.
I understand ! Will keep on searching here. thank you for your answer.
Salut ! Je pense faire cette recette pour les fetes mais je ne supporte vraiment pas le gout ni l’odeur des truffes, peut-on le remplacer par autre chose ou juste l’omettre ?
Salut Julie,
Oui bien sûr, il suffit de ne pas en mettre, ça ne devrait pas jouer beaucoup sur le gout.
I’m going to make this for Christmas with my omnivore family, really excited! But I’m so afraid of messing it up with the wrong ingredients! For the miso I have Clearspring Sweet White Miso (https://www.clearspring.co.uk/products/organic-japanese-sweet-white-miso-paste-pasteurised), and for cocoa butter I have this one from Rapunzel (https://www.rapunzel.de/en/organic-product-cocoa-butter-mild-hand-in-hand–1435020.html). Is this okay?
Hi Tine,
I have never tried those brands but from what I read it should be okay! As long as the cocoa butter doesn’t have a strong smell it should work!
Hello, what product i can replace cocoa butter? In Poland I cant find it anywhere. If I will add again coconut oil instead cocoa butter , it would be everything taste? Many thanks for your answer. Best regards!
★★★★★
Hi Natalia,
If you use only coconut oil then the texture will be softer, you probably won’t be able to make slices but it should still taste great!
Bonjour !
Au vu des commentaires, j’imagine que cette recette a ete publiée il y a un moment déjà. J’espère que vous verrez tout de même mon commentaire.
Je souhaitais savoir s’il était possible de remplacer le beurre de cacao par du beurre de karité (qui est plutôt neutre en goût)?
Aussi, puis-je conserver mon foie gras dans un pot en verre ? Je n’ai pas de cercles à pâtisserie 🙁
Merci !!
★★★★★
Bonjour Eva,
Honnêtement je ne savais même pas que le beurre de karité était utilisable en cuisine ! Dans ce cas, oui il est tout a fait possible de remplacer le beurre de cacao, à condition bien sûr que votre beurre de karité soit consommable et pas uniquement utilisable pour les cosmetiques.
En ce qui concerne le pot en verre, aucun problème 😉
I bought the cocoa butter off of your link, but it’s non-deodorized. I haven’t yet made the recipe but, based on other comments here who used non-deodorized cocoa butter, I’m concerned this will not go well.
Did you use the exact stuff you’re linking to in your recipe?
I will check the link as sometimes products change on Amazon. For this recipe, you need deodorized cocoa butter, you are right.
I’m not always using the exact same brands as I don’t live in the US and some brands are not available in Europe.
Will this foie gras roast in a pan well?
Yes it will! Be careful though as it will soften like real foie gras if heated.
I want to make this recipe but I cant find cocoa butter….what can I subsitute for it? thanks
You can use coconut oil, just be aware the foie gras will be a bit softer.
The links for the deodorized cocoa butter and refined coconut oil are not working. DO you have a specific brand you buy or might you have new links? Thanks 🙂
I buy mine in France so I’m afraid I don’t have specific brands to recommend, sorry.
I have some family in France thar could but it for me. What are the brands over there? Thanks
I recommend Barry Cocoa Butter
Hi,
Why do you use the nutritional yeast in this and the rilette recipe?
MArijn
Hi Marijn,
To add a deeper flavor, and add umami.
Hi I think the link to the deodorized cacao butter is not right… I don´t find the product and I would love to do this recipe…. thanks
Hi Ruth,
It depends on your location, search for deodorized cacao butter online, you should find some 🙂
Riquíssimo y espectacularmente parecidos al sabor de foie de pato
★★★★★
Thanks!
Hi, Do you think we can replace the cashews? I can’t eat cashews…
It is one of the main ingredients of this recipe so I’m afraid it will be difficult.
Wow, Thomas,
I made this recipe exactly as you wrote – and it is delicious.
everybody loved it. very similar to the real thing. It’s creamy, melts in the mouth. And tastes amazing.
Thank you so much for your super creative and accurate – easy to follow recipes!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for your feedback Sara, really appreciate it!
Wow, Thomas! We had it yesterday for dinner – it was delicious.
Today – after 48 hours it was even better – as far as my taste buds remember – almost like the “real” thing. my son, my guest and I – loved it.
Thank you so much for your super creative and accurate recipes – And this one is Gourmet – no doubt of that.
Keep rocking 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Sara! Glad you liked it 🙂 True, it’s usually even better the next day!
I wanted to support you through your affiliate link to the cocoa butter, but it leads to a non-deodorized product on Amazon. I search through the American Amazon and could not find a sufficiently deodorized cocoa butter (there were only a couple food-grade products that claim they are deodorized but apparently they are not, according to the reviews). Instead, I bought it through a small company based in Oregon called Chocolate Alchemy, you can find it here:
https://chocolatealchemy.myshopify.com/products/cocoa-butter-deodorized?_pos=1&_sid=990aa70b3&_ss=r
Thanks for sharing Alex! 🙂
I ordered the cocoa butter from your link. However, the package, as well as the Amazon description says ‘non-deodorized cacao butter’ but your description says ‘deodorized cacao butter’.
I wonder if you have tried making it with this exact cocoa butter. Could it be that it isn’t too strong? I was about to make it when I noticed and now I am hesitating to make is. Did anyone one try using the one on the link (Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Cacao Butter)
I posted a comment yesterday but can’t find it anymore. If it appears twice sorry about that.
I bought the Cacao Butter linked in the recipe, but it isn’t deodorized cacao (you can read the description on Amazon and see that it says non-deodorized cocoa butter).
I am wondering if someone used it successfully. I already received it and was about to make the recipe. Would appreciate to know before making it.
★★★★★
I’m not located in the US so I haven’t tried this specific brand. From the feedback I got, this one seemed to be the one with the most neutral flavor. However, you are right, it seems it is not deodorized. Just smell it, if it has a strong smell, I would recommend using it for other recipes like homemade chocolate or cheesecakes. If it’s very subtle, then you should be able to use it for foie gras.
Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate your time and your wonderful recipes.
Hey I couldn’t find deodorised cocoa butter. Only the normal one. What can I replace it with?
Thanks for your advise! This recipe seems amazing!
Hey Sandrine,
Did you check out Cocoa butter by Barry ?
Thank you for this recipe! I made it and it is delicious! I am now wondering how long they keep if they freeze well. Do you know?
On another note, have you tried to make cheeses like gruyere, emmenthal or Swiss cheese?
★★★★★
I have never tried freezing since it never lasts long here!