Beef Liver Pâté (Carnivore, 5 Ingredients)
By Carl Henderson · Retired French Chef · Updated 2026-05-08
1 lb beef liver, ¾ cup butter, salt — blended into rich pâté. No onions, no shallots, no brandy. 30-minute prep, keeps 5 days refrigerated.
Carnivore beef liver pâté is 1 pound of fresh beef liver soaked 30 minutes in salt water, seared in 2 tablespoons of butter for 4 minutes per side, then blended in a food processor with ¾ cup of softened butter and 1 teaspoon of salt until smooth. No onions, no shallots, no garlic, no brandy, no thyme — strict carnivore strips out the standard pâté aromatics. The 1:1 liver-to-butter ratio (by volume) is what produces the silky texture; less butter and the pâté tastes powdery. A 2-ounce serving delivers 14g protein, 18g fat, and 220 calories. Beef liver costs $5 to $8 per pound at most grocery stores; the finished pâté yields about 1.5 pounds and costs roughly $1.50 per ounce — a tenth of the price of high-end commercial pâté at $15 per ounce. Refrigerate in a glass container with parchment pressed against the surface to prevent oxidation. Keeps 5 days fresh, 3 months frozen in 2-ounce portions.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 oz pâté (per serving) | 14g | 18g | 220 |
| 1 tbsp butter contribution (per serving) | 0g | 11g | 100 |
| Coarse salt (per serving) | 0g | 0g | 0 |
| Per serving | 14g | 18g | 220 |
Macros per serving (after cooking and any fat draining). Source: USDA FoodData Central.
Instructions
- 1
Trim any large veins from the beef liver. Cut into 2-inch pieces.
- 2
Soak in 4 cups cold water with 1 tbsp salt for 30 minutes to mellow the flavor and remove any residual blood.
- 3
Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- 4
Heat 2 tbsp of the softened butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- 5
Sear liver pieces 4 minutes per side until the exterior is browned and the interior is slightly pink. Don't fully cook through — overcooked liver makes grainy pâté.
- 6
Transfer hot liver to a food processor. Add the remaining ¾ cup softened butter and 1 tsp coarse salt.
- 7
Process for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth, scraping the sides once. The mixture should look like creamy peanut butter.
- 8
Transfer to a glass container. Press parchment paper directly onto the surface to prevent oxidation. Refrigerate 4 hours to firm up. Keeps 5 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen.
Nutrition per Serving
Frequently Asked Questions
Why no onion or garlic in carnivore pâté?
Both are alliums (plant matter) and excluded from strict carnivore. Traditional French pâté de campagne uses sautéed shallots, garlic, brandy, thyme, and bay for flavor depth. Strict carnivore versions skip all of these. The result is purer-tasting liver and butter — closer to the German leberwurst tradition than French pâté. If you allow some plants, sautéed shallots are the most common addition; brandy is a distant second.
Why slightly pink in the center?
Liver cooked to fully gray-brown internal color produces grainy, sandy pâté no matter how long you blend it. Pulling at slightly pink (about 145°F internal) keeps the texture creamy and the flavor mellow. The blending in the food processor combined with the fully-cooked exterior pasteurizes the mixture; the pink interior is residual color, not undercooked. This is the same principle as chicken-liver cooking — the texture wins matter more than the doneness optic.
How long does pâté keep?
5 days refrigerated when stored with parchment pressed against the surface and the container sealed. The parchment prevents oxidation, which causes the surface to gray and develop off-flavors before the interior spoils. Vacuum-sealed in 2-ounce portions and frozen, pâté holds for 3 months without quality loss. Thaw overnight in the fridge before eating. The texture is identical after freezing if you blended thoroughly initially.
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