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Since I nailed the foie gras recipe, I thought it would be a breeze to make a vegan version of rillettes. But I was wrong. Achieving a good texture and getting the flavors on point required many more tests than I thought. Anyway, I didn’t give up, and I’m finally delivering the recipe to you folks!
The result is a tender, flavorful pâté that is delicious spread on bread, toast, or crackers. It’s savory, creamy, and slightly crumbly, like real rillettes!
This recipe relies on tofu mixed with pulled jackfruit and cashew butter. Tofu makes the base, jackfruit adds up by bringing a meaty texture, and cashew butter help make the whole pâté creamier and spreadable. It also adds a fattier mouthfeel, just what you want for rillettes!
To make it taste like the real deal, I used a mix of different seasonings. First, we have some shallots that add a subtle sweetness. Then cognac is responsible for that “country-style pâté” flavor. It’s essential in this recipe, so do not omit it. If you don’t have cognac on hand, you can also use Porto.
It took me a few batches to figure out the perfect combination of spices and herbs. It’s a mix of rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley combined with a French four-spice mix and a pinch of nutmeg. Try to use the exact measurements for the spices and herbs. It’s the mix of these aromatics that makes it taste like rillettes.
Now, back to the recipe, you start by processing all the ingredients together in a food processor, except the jackfruit. Once your mixture is almost smooth and creamy, transfer it to a bowl. Then, you can stir in the chopped and mashed jackfruit. After processing the other ingredients, we add jackfruit to keep its “meaty” texture.
Once this is done, you press it into a small baking dish or glass terrine jar and bake for about 40 minutes. Let cool completely, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating.
This vegan rillettes make a great appetizer and pair well with vegan foie gras on a charcuterie board! You can also use it in sandwiches with some mayo or camembert, for a healthy lunch!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Vegan Rillettes
Ingredients
- 7 ounces firm tofu
- 1/4 cup cashew butter or almond butter
- 3 tbsp cognac
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 shallots
- 3/4 tsp thyme
- 3/4 tsp rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp four spice
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 20-ounce can young green jackfruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add the tofu, cashew butter, cognac, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and shallots to the bowl of a food processor. Process until you get a paste and all ingredients are well-combined, about 10-15 seconds.
- Add thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, chopped parsley, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, spices, and black pepper. Process for another 3-5 seconds. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Chop off the hard, core part of the jackfruit and discard it. Cut each piece of jackfruit in half, then mash them using a fork until you get a "pulled pork" kind of texture.
- Add the pulled jackfruit to the tofu mixture bowl. Using a spatula, mix until the jackfruit is well incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to a small deep baking dish, or glass terrine jars. Press down firmly to pack the mixture. I filled two terrine glass jars.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 7-10 minutes. Let cool completely before placing it in the refrigerator.
- These rillettes are best served cold or at room temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Delicious spread on toast with a glass of red wine on the side! It makes a great appetizer but can also be used in sandwiches, tortillas, etc.
Notes
- If you don't have four-spice blend you can make your own. Mix together 1/4 tsp ground white pepper, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Hi Thomas,
I’m allergic to soy. Would you have any idea how to replace the tofu in this recipe? I love all your recipes, and I’m planning a big Christmas vegan spread this holiday season. Rillets would be perfect!
Hi Denise,
I can’t think of any substitute I’m afraid…Maybe you could try to use seitan but I’m really not sure of the result.
Hey 🙂 If you’re still looking for a soy tofu alternative, there’s a youtube channel called Peaceful Cuisine with a Garbanzo Tofu recipe. I haven’t tried it but it looks good.
Thomas,
You are amazing! Do you have a cookbook?
Thank you for your beautiful recipes!
another Denise
🙂
Hi Denise,
You’re welcome! No, I don’t have a cookbook, sorry 🙂
I live in Thailand ans so have access to fresh jack fruit. Should I use ripe or unripe fro this recipe?
I have to say your recipes are quite amazing Thomas……
Thanks for the kind words Ricky!
You should use unripe green jackfruit otherwise ripe will be too sweet, plus the texture would be different.
Hi Thomas,
Thx a lot for the advice.
Problem is jack fruit is only sold when it’s yellow and ripe……don’t suppose you have an alternative suggestion for this? I would really love to try this recipe.
I don’t have any alternative sorry. It’s weird you can’t find cans of young jackfruit, have you tried Asian stores?
Hi Thomas,
No I haven’t, but it’s given me an idea to try an Indian mini mart; they have all sorts of unusual things things so I might just strike lucky….hope so
Hi Thomas ! I am living in asmall sapnish city and I’m not sure to be able to get jack fruit. What other ingredient could I use ?
Félicitations ! Super blog, super recettes, super travail !!!
Salut Coralie !
I’m afraid there is no substitution here. Maybe seitan could work but you would have to tweak the recipe to get the right texture.
Have you checked if there is an Asian store near where you live?
I’m a not a Vegan… not even a vegetarian! But this recipe is fantastically delicious it has convinced me to search out more meat and dairy free alternatives.
Thank you x
Oh glad you liked it Tobias! Thanks so much for your feedback! 🙂
We tried a big batch of your foie gras for Christmas and it was amazing. By the way, we ended up freezing leftovers and the texture didn’t change at all! Can’t wait to try out this recipe of rillettes… the combination seems like a winner
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback Marine! 🙂
Hi Thomas! any idea what can I use instead of cognac? I would love to make this receipe for my vegan french boyfriend.Thank you!!
Hi Rossella,
You could use porto.
Hi Thomas! I tried this today, and although the texture is spot on, I think the flavor could use some work. The herbs and spices are very nice, although I found the bay leaf a bit overpowering.
But most importantly, after baking and tasting, I thought it was lacking some depth of flavor. I added a generous tablespoon extra maple syrup, a tablespoon of mushroom seasoning (a mushroom powder with salt and some other spices that I get here at my local grocery store), a teeny bit of liquid smoke, and about 1/2 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce. I then baked it some more. This gave it a little more backbone, but it wasn’t quite there yet. I will keep experimenting though. Certainly the texture was very convincing!
Hi Ariane,
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! 🙂
Does this recipe have to use coconut oil? How about a sub. Do not like coconut oil due to the high fat saturation. Also, cashew or almond butter? Any other subs or should I just pop for one of these?
Thanks Thomas!
You can use another type of oil with no problem.
Regarding the nut butter, it brings fat and helps with the texture, so if you omit it, the flavor will be different. You could use sunflower seed butter if you want to make this recipe nut-free.