Vegan mushroom and walnut spread

Vegan mushroom and walnut spread with mushrooms, walnuts, onion and thyme: savoury, creamy and full of flavour for bread, as a dip or with roasted veg.

At a glance

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 20 min
• Calories: 95 kcal per serving
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 8 g
• Carbs: 3 g

Ingredients

• 300 g mushrooms
• 50 g walnuts
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · blender · chopping board · knife

1. Clean the mushrooms and slice them. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until fragrant and lightly coloured. Then leave to cool briefly.
3. Heat the olive oil and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and fry hard until their liquid has cooked off and they're golden brown.
4. Stir in the garlic, thyme and soy sauce and toast briefly. Put everything into a blender with the walnuts and blend until creamy but still a little chunky.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon the spread into a clean jar. Leave to infuse in the fridge for at least 30 min.
6. Serve on fresh bread or crackers, or as a dip with crunchy veg.

Good to know

A spread like this tastes of little effort and lots of flavour. Savoury, creamy and just right when you want something on your bread that's a little richer and more savoury.

Swaps

Walnuts → cashews (milder flavour, slightly creamier texture). Soy sauce → tamari (gluten-free if labelled as such). Mushrooms → chestnut mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms (stronger flavour, similar nutrients). Olive oil → avocado oil (heat-stable and more neutral in flavour).

Allergens

Contains tree nuts (walnuts), soya and gluten (soy sauce; tamari is gluten-free); for children, season mildly and blend finely, and during pregnancy it's fine with fresh, well-heated mushrooms and proper chilling.

Dairy-free recipes