Air Fryer Homemade Liver Pâté (Leverpostej)

April 6, 2026

Air Fryer Homemade Liver Pâté (Leverpostej)

Leverpostej is a fixture in every Danish refrigerator, and the homemade version tastes of more than the store-bought one. The base is minced pork liver, pork fat, onion and anchovy, bound with egg, wheat flour and a mixture of milk and cream. Here we bake it in the air fryer instead of the oven.

A large pâté dish rarely fits in an air-fryer basket, so the mixture is divided among small dishes or foil trays and baked in a water bath. The water bath and a lid of foil keep the pâté soft and stop the surface from turning dry and dark. At the end the foil comes off, so the top takes on color.

Allspice gives the classic spiced aroma, and the anchovy adds depth — not a fishy taste. Anchovy has been part of Danish liver pâté for generations and belongs there. A bay leaf on top of each dish follows the tradition from the old recipes.

Leverpostej belongs on the lunch table and in the packed lunch. Serve it warm on a slice of rye bread, ideally with crisp bacon and sautéed mushrooms, or let it cool and slice it as cold cuts with pickled beetroot or cucumber.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

500 g pork liver
200 g fresh pork fat (back fat)
1 onion (~100 g)
2-3 anchovy fillets (~10 g)
1 egg
50 ml milk
50 ml whipping cream
30 g wheat flour
20 g butter (optional, for the roux)
¾ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
3-4 bay leaves (1 per dish)

Directions

Finely mince the pork liver, pork fat, onion and anchovy together. Pass it twice through the meat grinder, or blend it smooth in a food processor or with an immersion blender.

Stir in the egg, milk, cream, wheat flour, allspice, thyme, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth and even. If you want a classic roux, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and thin it with the milk and cream to a smooth mixture, then stir that into the liver — otherwise stir the flour in directly.

Grease 3-4 small dishes or foil trays and divide the mixture among them, so they are about three-quarters full. Place a bay leaf on top of each.

Cover each dish with foil.

Place the dishes in the air-fryer basket and make a water bath: set a small ovenproof bowl of water beside the dishes, or place the dishes in a larger ovenproof dish with a little water in the bottom.

Preheat the air fryer to 345°F (175°C) and bake the pâté covered with foil for 30-40 minutes. Small dishes take about 25-30 minutes, deeper foil trays about 35-40 minutes.

Take the foil off for the last 5-10 minutes, so the surface takes on a lightly golden color.

The liver pâté is done when it is firm and baked through and no longer pink inside. The internal temperature should be around 165°F (75°C), and a skewer should come out clean.

Let the pâté rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve it warm on rye bread, or let it cool completely and slice it for classic cold cuts.

Notes

Dish size is key: a large pâté dish rarely fits in an air fryer, so use small dishes or foil trays. Aluminum dishes conduct the heat best and give the most even bake.

A water bath and foil keep the pâté soft and prevent a dry, dark surface. Take the foil off at the end if you want some color on top.

If you want a richer, softer, grandmother-style pâté, increase the fat toward 250 g and use pure cream. Keep 200 g fat and milk for a firmer pâté that is easy to slice.

If the mixture is very soft and hard to slice after cooling, put it in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before slicing.

Air fryers vary in power and heat distribution, so check the internal temperature or use a skewer rather than going by the clock alone.