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Walnut Meat (4 Ways)

Walnut Meat is a fantastic, healthy alternative to its ground predecessor! Made with walnuts, mushrooms and spices, it’s quick, easy and amazingly delicious!

head on view walnut meat in a bowl with items surrounding.

Looking for a hearty, plant-based alternative to meat that’s simple yet packed with flavor? This walnut meat recipe is your answer!

Using just four ingredients—crisp walnuts, savory mushrooms, umami-rich tamari, and a blend of bold spices—this versatile walnut meat comes together quickly and delivers a satisfying texture and taste.

It’s perfect for tacos, bowls, or salads, and is a game-changer for creating vegan meals or for anyone craving a delicious, meat-free option.

This raw nut meat is crumbly, has a nice texture, and is full of flavor. Plus, changing up the spices easily makes it customizable for Mexican, Italian, or Indian cuisines.

So without further ado, let’s un-cook something wonderful!

top down view of ingredients used to make walnut meat.

Ingredients For Walnut Meat

This savory mixture includes walnuts, brown mushrooms, tamari, and spices of choice.

These are just a few ideas for how to change it up:

  • Mexican: Make walnut taco meat using spices like cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, cayenne, coriander, paprika, cilantro, and/or lime.
  • Italian flavor: Use oregano, basil, marjoram, sun-dried tomatoes, sage, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, or Herbs de Provence.
  • American: Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Indian: Garlic, onion or ginger powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, and/or cayenne.

You can see there are many ways to change up the spices to suit the cuisine type you are cooking, you’ll just need to play with the spices to find your perfect fit.

side by side photos showing the process of making walnut meat in a food processor.

How To Make Walnut Meat

(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

  • Simply add the walnuts, mushrooms, tamari, and spices to the bowl of a food processor.
  • Give a few pulses until just combined and crumbly, as shown above.

And that’s it, now you’re ready to use it any way you like!

top down view of walnut meat in wooden spoon with item in the background.

Top Tips

  • Don’t over-process. Over-processing will turn the mixture into a pate texture.
  • Warm it up. You can easily warm up the nut mixture over low heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
  • Can I omit the mushrooms? Yes, if you don’t care to use mushrooms, simply replace them with additional walnuts or cooked lentils.
  • How do you store leftovers? Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 4 days. It’s not recommended to freeze.
  • If you have nut sensitivities, you may want to soak the cashews in cool water for 8 hours before using them to remove the phytates and tannins.

side angle view walnut meat in a bowl with items surrounding.

How To Use Walnut Meat

side angle view of healthy vegan taco salad with items surrounding.

More Easy Topping Recipes!

Let me know if you try this raw nut meat recipe or have a question! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

WALNUT MEAT (4 WAYS)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 11 reviews

Walnut Meat (aka raw nut meat) is a fantastic, healthy alternative vegan faux ground meat made with walnuts, mushrooms and spices. It’s quick, easy and amazingly delicious!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Total Time: 5 min
  • Yield: Serves 3
  • Category: How-to
  • Method: food processor
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale

Walnut Meat Base:

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon tamari (nama shoyu, soy sauce, or coconut aminos)
  • salt + pepper, to taste

Mexican:

  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or cayenne)

Italian:

  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or garlic powder)

Indian:

  • 2 teaspoons coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin (or garam masala)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or onion powder)

American:

  • 3/4 – 1 teaspoon EACH garlic and onion powder
  • salt + pepper, to taste

Instructions

Pulse to combine: Simply add the walnuts, mushrooms, tamari and spices to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until just combined and crumbly. Careful not to over process or it will turn smooth like pate.

Taste for seasoning, adding more of any spice you like.

Warm it up: Optionally, heat on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently until warmed through. Alternatively, heat in the microwave using 15 second intervals, stirring between each, until warm. Just don’t overcook.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Serves 3

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 4 days.

Notes

Full list of flavor variations to play with:

  • Mexican: Make taco meat with spices like cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, cayenne, coriander, paprika, cilantro and/or lime.
  • Italian flavor: Use oregano, basil, marjoram, sun dried tomatoes, sage, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, or Herbs de Provence.
  • American: Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Indian: Garlic, onion or ginger powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, and/or cayenne.

If you have nut sensitivities, you may want to soak the cashews in cool water for 8 hours before using to remove the phytates and tannins.

Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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41 Comments

  1. I’m not new to vegan cooking, but I am new to using walnuts as a filler. I’m allergic to ALL mushrooms so I used TVP mixed with mine since I already had some (bulk). I recently came across 5 large (free) bags of walnuts and your spice mixes really give me a lot to work with.

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