Vegan Cretons

Cretons is a traditional Quebecois spread often eaten for breakfast. For this Vegan Cretons, I use the same unique spice blend, but sub lentils for the meat. This is a creamy pate that is perfect for slathering on toast with a big squeeze of mustard. C’est ci bon!

What is Cretons?

Creton is something I grew up eating at my Meme’s house in Quebec. Every week, she would simmer a big pot of onions, spices, and meat and pot it up into little tubs to store in the fridge. It wasn’t breakfast at Meme’s house unless there was cretons.

This dish is so common in Quebec you can purchase it packaged at the grocery store, or order it in many restaurants.

While traditionally made with pork, good creton is all about the spices. Warming spices like clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg meld to make a really unique and really delicious addition to the breakfast table or charcuterie spread.

For this recipe, I used Dion Cretons spices that I picked up while we were visiting family in Quebec last month. It’s not available in the United States, but if you live in Quebec or other Canadian provinces, you should be able to find it!

For my non-Canadian friends, here is a list of spices you can substitute for the Dion spice.

• 2 tablespoons dried savory leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Be forewarned – I have not tested this blend, so I would add 1 tablespoon at most, taste, and add more as needed. Clove can have a tongue-numbing, overwhelming quality in larger amounts.

How to make Vegan Creton

In a medium-sized saucepan, add vegan butter and half of a finely diced onion. Sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat until just translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the lentils and oats to a high-speed blender, and blend until no (or very few) lentils are left whole.

Add the lentil/oat mixture to the saucepan along with 4 cups of stock, 5 tablespoons of the Dion cretons spices, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. If using the spice blend, add one tablespoon at first and test for potency as the cretons cooks, adding more if needed.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Add more water, so nothing sticks, and the lentils move freely in the saucepan. I added about an additional cup as it cooked.

Cook uncovered for approximately an hour, stirring regularly to ensure nothing sticks.

Once the lentils are completely cooked, taste for seasoning and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper if needed.

Transfer the hot cretons to a storage container, and top with 1 tablespoon of melted vegan butter. This mimics the “fat” layer found on traditional cretons.

Refrigerate overnight, and serve with toast and plenty of yellow mustard. Try this vegan creton with my Simple Sourdough Bread or my 4 Ingredient Vegan Baguette!

Storing Vegan Cretons

Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I use a glass dish, and it works well, but we eat it pretty quickly!