Last Updated on October 3, 2025 by Sabrina Currie
This easy wild mushroom pâté with thyme and cream cheese is a savory, creamy and rustic mushroom pâté. After frying the mushrooms, it blends up fast in a food processor. A perfect party appetizer, serve it as a spreadable pate for crostini or as a warm and melty dip with crusty bread. (Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian)
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Why I Love This Recipe
This is one of my favorite fall appetizers. Wild mushrooms taste like fall to me and pate is a great way to use them. Mushroom pate can be made ahead by a few days and refrigerated or stored in sealed containers in the freezer for months.
It's also a very versatile recipe. Make it with fresh mushrooms, thaw frozen mushrooms to use, or use rehydrated dried mushrooms.
Top grilled steak or chicken with a spoonful of creamy mushroom pate or whisk it into extra broth for a creamy pasta sauce. Toss in sliced beef the the pasta sauce and you've got stroganoff!
Got lots of mushrooms? I've got solutions! My favorite creamy wild mushroom soup, mushroom fritters, lobster mushroom bisque, chanterelle mushroom croustade, cauliflower mushroom casserole and so many more mushroom recipes 🙂
Recipe Ingredients
Just a few simple ingredients with golden browned mushrooms make a rich and inviting pate for baguette slices or crackers. This makes about 1 ½ cups pâté, depending on how much your mushrooms shrink during cooking.
- Mushrooms - I often use chanterelles because I pick a lot of them. They bring a nutty flavor and golden color, but almost any kind of mushrooms work well in this recipe. I've made this with hedgehog, boletes and lobster mushrooms and they are super delish in it too. You could also use oyster mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, button mushrooms, porcini, dried and rehydrated mushrooms, cauliflower mushrooms or a mix of many.
- Fresh Herbs - A combination of thyme, parsley and chives are called for. The thyme gets cooked into the mushrooms to lightly perfume them and the fresh parsley and chives add a lovely brightness to the spread.
- Cream Cheese - I love the creamy tanginess of cream cheese, it creates a great base for the golden roasted wild mushrooms. It is low in fat and has a decent amount of protein that makes this a much healthier option than traditional pate with loads of butter in it.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions + Variations
- Garlic - the garlic is added raw to the herb mixture but if you'd like a more subtle garlic flavor, add the minced garlic along with the shallot and cook it with the mushrooms instead.
- Mushrooms - Chanterelles are lovely, but you can blend different types for depth. Try oyster mushrooms, hedgehogs, lobster mushrooms, fresh champignon, cremini mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, or button mushrooms.
- Dried Mushrooms - To use dehydrated mushrooms, pour 2 cups of boiling water over a ½ cup of them and let them steep until plumped up and and softened, about 20-30 minutes. Then use them as per the recipe, sauteing them with the oil and shallot.
- Vegan Mushroom Pate- Vegan cream cheese is an excellent substitute for regular cream cheese if you prefer.
- Cheese - You can swap in other types of cheese but the taste and texture will not be quite the same. Ricotta cheese keeps it mild and light or try soft goat cheese for a lighter tang. For extra high protein, you can puree cottage cheese and use it in place though the texture will be more a dip consistency.
- Truffle - If you like the flavor of truffle, you can add in ½ teaspoon along with the cream cheese or once it is finished, you can drizzle ¼ teaspoon over and finish with a light sprinkle of crunchy sea salt.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is as easy as frying up your favorite wild mushrooms (or the ones you have) and blending them up with cream cheese and a few seasonings. That's it!
To cook your mushrooms, preheat a large skillet and then fry them until dry and lightly browned. Add the shallot and thyme, fry another minute or so, add the broth and let it reduce slightly, then remove from heat.
Step 1. In a food processor, combine the parsley, chives and garlic. Run the food processor until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped, about 5-10 seconds.
Step 2. Add the warm mushroom mixture and pulse to your desired texture.
Step 3. (If your mushrooms don't all fit at first, puree some first, then add the rest once the others are chopped up.)
Step 4. Place the cream cheese, hot sauce salt and pepper in and pulse until it is thoroughly mixed.
Step 5. For a looser consistency closer to a dip, add extra broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between additions, until you reach the consistency you'd like. Season with extra hot sauce, sea salt or black pepper to taste.
Step 6. Spoon into a ramekin and serve warm, or chill until thick for a spreadable wild mushroom pâté. If you make this ahead and need to reheat it, place the ramekin in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Serve + Store
Serve up wild mushroom pate with crackers, toast, crostini or firm veggies like endive spears, sliced sweet peppers or cucumber.
This is fantastic spooned over a hot grilled steak or chicken breast and it can be heated and thinned with more broth or cream for a quick pasta sauce. (Add some beef to the creamy pasta for a delicious version of beef stroganoff!)
Leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge, or cover tightly and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw and give it a good stir before serving.
Wine Pairing
Rich but not as much as meat, this earthy dish pairs well with light reds like pinot noir or Beaujolais. For a white, choose one with a bit of body like an unoaked chardonnay or pinot gris.
Cooks Tips
For faster, more even browning, cook mushrooms in in a single layer in batches. Aim for a deep golden color and nutty flavor.
Wild mushroom pâté tastes even better after a rest. Make it the day before (and store covered in the fridge) for the best flavor.
Recipe FAQs
No. This is totally vegetarian and if you'd like to make it vegan, simply use a vegan cream cheese in place of the regular dairy cream cheese.
No. This has a lovely thick consistency LIKE a liver pate but in a totally vegetarian version.
Yes. Because the base is cream cheese and the mushrooms are already cooked, this mushroom pate freezes well. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before unwrapping. Then give your pate a good stir and it's ready to enjoy.
Yes. This is made with cream cheese which is a low fat cheese and much lower in fat that regular cream. Mushrooms make up the bulk of this recipe and they are full of minerals, vitamins and fiber, plus low in fat. The cream cheese adds more protein and parsley add a few more vitamins. Mushroom pate is a nutritious spread.
Pin It For Later
Save this wild mushroom pate recipe to Pinterest for next time or share it with your friend on Facebook!
More Dips And Appetizer Recipes
Dips are excellent make ahead appetizers and some of my favorites to serve up with drinks. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Salsa de Aguacate aka Avocado Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Easy Imitation Crab Ceviche Appetizer (Ceviche de Jaiba)
- Best Easy Spicy Kimchi Aioli (Mayo) With Garlic
- Loaded Crab Rangoon Nachos With Tortilla Chips
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Easy Wild Mushroom Pate With Thyme And Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups wild mushrooms chopped (about 300 g)
- 2 tablespoon minced shallot or onion
- 2 sprigs thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup vegetable broth plus extra if needed at the end
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- ½ cup cream cheese room temperature (120 g)
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil, then the mushrooms in an even layer. Cook over medium-high heat until they release liquid, then continue until dry and lightly browned. Lower to medium-low heat. Add shallot (or yellow onion) and thyme. Cook, stirring, until translucent and fragrant. Pour in broth and simmer briefly, scraping up browned bits. Remove from heat; cool 5-10 minutes.
- In a food processor, combine the parsley, chives and garlic. Run the food processor until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped, about 5-10 seconds. Add the warm mushroom mixture and pulse to your desired texture. Place the cream cheese, hot sauce salt and pepper in and pulse until it is thoroughly mixed.
- For a looser consistency closer to a dip, add extra broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between additions, until you reach the consistency you'd like. Season with extra hot sauce, sea salt or black pepper to taste.
- Spoon into a ramekin and serve warm, or chill until thick for a spreadable wild mushroom pâté.
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