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Don’t feel like cooking? Yeah, me neither. Therefore, I am making a raw meal today.
To be honest, it’s hot outside and these are the days when I start to think about how convenient a raw vegan meal or two might actually be. So today, I made walnut “meat” that requires no cooking and no stress. Finally, a walnut “meat” recipe that’s simple, vegan, and fast to make. 😉
Okay, so this recipe only calls for 5 ingredients - all of which you can probably find in your kitchen pantry. However, feel free to experiment with different seasonings that you personally enjoy.
This is minimal effort, folks. I didn’t even bother to chop anything. I had you (and me) in mind. Besides, it’s another day of hot weather here in California and the less heat in my kitchen, the better off everyone in my home is.
FYI: If you prefer your walnut meat warm and toasty, you can opt-out of the whole raw thing and throw the mix into a pan and cook for about 5 minutes or so with a little bit of oil.
The upside to cooking the walnut meat is that you'll pull more flavor from the walnuts. So there's that. But, it's not necessary to cook it.
This walnut "meat" recipe is incredibly easy to make and can be used in a variety of recipes including pasta, burgers, tacos, or just with a side of rice. Additionally, you can make this both raw and cooked and they are great both ways.
Ready for an easy recipe for a plant-based walnut "meat?"
Easy Walnut “Meat” Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- For 20 minutes, soak walnuts in cold water. Next, drain water from walnuts.
- Then, add the walnuts, soy sauce, basil smoked paprika, and garlic powder into a food processor/high-powered blender.
- Pulse until the walnuts look “meat-like.” Don’t pulse so much that it ends up like butter.
Notes
- Adjust the soy sauce as you like – depending on how salty (or not) you like your food.
- Walnuts, in general, are high in calories and fat, so if that’s something you’re concerned about, just take a peek at its nutritional value and serve accordingly.
- I don’t have a food processor, actually, just my Nutribullet. To pulse, I just blend for half a second, 4-5 times.
Nutrition
Cookware Used In This Recipe
Did you try out this Easy Walnut “Meat” Recipe?
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Meg
Made this tonight for taco filler- really good! Nice and simple. Used tamari. And fried it for a bit. Will use recipe again. Is it freezable?
Aly Michell
Hey Meg! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and found it simple to make! Using tamari and frying it a bit sounds like a great touch. Yes, you can freeze walnut meat! Just let it cool completely, store it in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2-3 months. When you're ready to use it, let it thaw in the fridge and give it a quick sauté to refresh the texture. Hope that helps, and thanks for trying the recipe!
Renee
Very easy and tasty! I’m not vegan my daughter is. I’m always looking for easy recipes that don’t call for a lot of seasonings etc that I don’t have.
This is the best recipe for making the meat using walnuts. I added to pasta and rice and beans!
Thank you very much.
Renate
I am just wondering if you could use this walnut meat recipe as a replacement for other types of plant based mince
Aly Michell
Yes, I find it works best in tacos, burritos, nachos, pasta, and even chili! I did a chili recipe with walnut meat. https://plantbasedandbroke.com/vegetarian-chili-without-beans/