Vegan Wellington
This vegan wellington is a fun plant-based take on a popular high-end meal. With vegan beef, walnuts, and mushrooms, this recipe is rich and hearty. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to make, and goes perfectly with any holiday menu.
Wellingtons are a popular item at steakhouses and other fancy restaurants, as well as at Christmas dinner tables all over the world. But there are two big issues I have with the wellingtons that you see Gordon Ramsay yelling about on TV. First, they’re incredibly expensive to order or make. And second, they’re made out of beef.
That’s why I came up with this vegan wellington recipe, which solves both of those problems. It has everything that makes a beef wellington popular, but it’s fully plant-based, and you can make it at home for a low price. This vegan wellington uses plant-based beef, chopped walnuts, and a lot of mushrooms to replicate the flavor of steak. Herbs and vegetables add depth and brightness to the dish, and the puff pastry makes it look just like a wellington you’d find if you dropped $80 at a high-end restaurant.
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make this juicy, hearty vegan wellington for the holidays. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the quantities for the ingredients.
- Puff pastry – Make sure to thaw your puff pastry before making this recipe.
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion – You can use a white onion or a red onion if that’s all you have.
- Carrot
- Celery stalks
- Button mushrooms
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Dried rosemary
- Dried thyme
- Low-sodium soy sauce – Soy sauce may seem like an unconventional ingredient, but the umami flavor helps the dish taste more meaty.
- All-purpose flour
- Frozen petite peas
- Ground vegan beef – Use whatever brand you prefer.
- Walnuts
- Vegan butter – You’ll want to use unsalted vegan butter for this recipe.
How to Make a Vegan Wellington
Here’s how to make this fun dish. It might look fancy, but it’s surprisingly easy to make.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and salt. Stir the mixture occasionally, and cook until all of the veggies are soft, and the mushrooms have released their liquid. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Then add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and soy sauce. Cook while stirring until the mixture becomes fragrant, which should take about a minute. Transfer the veggies into a mixing bowl.
- Roll out the puff pastry. Take your puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that’s roughly 13×10 inches.
- Make the filling. When the veggies have cooled down a little bit, add the vegan ground beef, chopped walnuts, peas, and flour to the mixing bowl. Combine the ingredients with the vegetable mixture using your hands.
- Shape the filling. Place the mixture on top of the rolled out puff pastry. Use your hands to shape the filling into a log shape in the middle of the pastry.
- Wrap the filling. Fold the long edges of the puff pastry over the top of the filling. There should be some overlap in the center. Get water on your finger, and run it over the seam to seal the puff pastry. Repeat the process with the short ends of the pastry, then flip the vegan wellington over so that the seams are on the bottom, and place on the baking sheet.
- Score the vegan wellington. Brush vegan butter over the top of the puff pastry, and then use a paring knife to score three X’s on top of the wellington.
- Bake. Cook the vegan wellington until the pastry is golden and flaky, and the filling has reached 165F. Let the wellington rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and eating.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tricks and tips for you when making this vegan wellington.
- Experiment with different mushrooms. I usually use button mushrooms for this recipe, because they’re readily available, affordable, and taste great in this dish. However, button mushrooms are very basic, so if you feel like adding some extra flavor to this hearty plant-based wellington, try mixing up the mushrooms and using ones that have more flavor.
- Tent the wellington. Keep an eye on your vegan wellington while it’s in the oven. You want to make sure that you cook the dish all the way through, so that the pastry isn’t raw, and the filling reaches a temperature of 165F. If you notice that the puff pastry is getting pretty dark, but the wellington isn’t done cooking, then cover it with aluminum foil. This will allow you to keep baking the vegan wellington without burning the puff pastry.
- Let it rest. You always hear that you should let meat rest after cooking, but that’s also true with vegan meat and mushrooms. As you cook the vegan wellington, the juices from the vegan beef and from the vegetable mixture will start to move towards the surface of the wellington. By letting the dish rest, you give those juices time to get reabsorbed by the filling. The result will be a vegan wellington that’s firm, but still remarkably juicy.
How to Store and Reheat a Vegan Wellington
This vegan wellington will last in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, cover in aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 5-10 minutes, until warmed all the way through.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can definitely freeze this vegan wellington. Just place it in an airtight container, and it will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat the wellington directly from the freezer, though it will need a slightly longer cooking time.
More Vegan Meat Recipes
I hope you like this vegan wellington as much as I do. If so, then check out some of my other recipes that star vegan meat.
Vegan Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 pound button mushrooms, chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup frozen petite peas
- 1 pound ground vegan beef
- ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and soy sauce, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a mixing bowl to cool until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, roll the puff pastry into a 10×13-inch rectangle.
- Add the flour, peas, ground beef, and walnuts to the vegetable mixture. Use your hands to combine everything evenly.
- Transfer the filling to the pastry, then shape it into a log in the center of the pastry. Wrap the long edges of the pastry over the filling so they overlap in the center. Wet your finger and run it along the seam to help it seal closed.
- Fold the short ends up and seal the same way. Flip the wellington over onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Use a sharp paring knife to score three X’s in the top of the wellington to vent.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden and the pastry is flaky and cooked through. A thermometer in the center should register 165°F. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This was Absolutely delicious!! And beautiful to look at. made the recipe exactly as is except used Impossible Burger ground which was only 340 grams but it worked perfectly. What a super recipe-thank you Jessica! There will be nothing leftover to freeze.
I’m so happy to hear that Valerie! Thanks so much for sharing with me, and you’re so welcome!!
It is delicious! Green lentils instead of ground vegan beef. Thank you so much for this confort and delicious food!
Thank you for that tip of green lentils as I didnt want a sub meat on this occasion. I’ll be trying this recipe tomorrow x x
this sounds delicious. I am wondering if I could put it all together, and then refrigerate it for a few days unbaked, so that I could then cook it Christmas day ?
Hi Tess,
I would prep the veggies, then prep the puff pastry right before baking so it doesn’t get soggy or anything! Hope this helps so much!
I’m planning to try this! Just checking: do you cook the vegan ground meat separately first, or add it raw to the cooked vegetables? Thank you!
Hi Shemaia,
You don’t cook it first you add it raw to the cooked vegetables! I hope this helps and enjoy so much!
If you plan on cooking this in advance and then freezing, would you make it all up and then freeze without putting it in the oven?
Hi Natalie,
Yes you can make it all and then pat it all together EXCEPT the puff pastry. I would recommend thawing it, slightly reshaping (since thawing might affect the shape) and then covering it with the puff pastry then baking for the best results. I hope this helps! Thawing the filling overnight in the fridge will be the best way to maintain the shape of it, although you could also just shape it however then once thawed, shape it back into the log shape before wrapping it with the puff pastry.
Thanks so much Jessica – I love your recipes and use them all the time!
Aw thanks Natalie! So happy to hear that!!