This show-stopping Vegan Wellington is beefy, hearty, and flavorful! Filled with lentils and vegan beef, this pastry-wrapped main is incredibly delicious and perfect for the holidays.
Trust me when I say that no one will be missing the meat at your vegan holiday celebration when you serve a Vegan Wellington! This impressive main dish is made with a savory vegan beef and lentil filling before being wrapped in puff pastry and baked. So delicious and savory, every bite will wow your guests!
Making a vegan wellington is surprisingly easy. The ingredients are simple, plus with all of the vegan ground beef options available nowadays, this vegetarian dupe ends up tasting somewhat similar to a real beef wellington.
Slice it up and serve this golden brown, buttery wellington with a side of mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and sweet potato casserole. A big ‘ol drizzle of gravy completes the meal!
What is a vegan beef wellington?
This recipe takes after the traditional wellington recipe, which is made by wrapping beef tenderloin in puff pastry, then baking it until the meat is cooked through and the pastry is golden brown. Instead of beef, a vegan beef wellington uses vegan ground beef, mushrooms, and lentils in the filling. It bakes easily in the oven and turns out super savory and delicious!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Puff pastry – You can find vegan puff pastry in the frozen aisle of most grocery stores. You can try gluten free puff pastry (I haven’t tested this) or use gluten free pie crust instead.
- Onion and garlic – Yellow or white onions are best.
- Vegan beef crumbles – Impossible or Beyond Beef are super meaty and delicious. You could also use rehydrated TVP or your favorite frozen beef type crumbles. Or use a mix of chopped mushrooms and walnuts!
- Herbs and spices – Like dried thyme, sage, paprika, fresh parsley, and black pepper.
- Soy sauce – Or gluten free tamari.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce – You can substitute this for more soy sauce.
- Quick oats – Or use certified gluten free oats.
- Ground flaxseed and water – Flax eggs help bind the filling and prevent it from crumbling.
- Lentils – Canned green or brown lentils, black beans, or chickpeas.
- Vegan butter
- Olive oil
How to make a vegan wellington
The puff pastry can take some time to thaw, so make sure to transfer it to your refrigerator the night before making the wellington or keep it on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling:
- Saute the onions, vegan “beef”, and garlic together in a skillet. Mash the lentils in a separate bowl. Add the beef mixture and flax eggs to the lentils and stir to combine.
- Roll out your puff pastry and pour the meaty mixture into the middle. Pack it tightly together into a loaf shape.
- Fold the sides of the pastry over the top of the loaf.
- Pinch and seal the edges. Use a little water to help it seal.
Place the assembled wellington on your pan seam side down. Brush the tops and sides with melted vegan butter and score the dough with a knife into a criss-cross pattern.
Bake the vegan beef wellington until the pastry is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve!
How to score puff pastry
Scoring (or slicing) puff pastry helps the steam escape from the filling and makes for a beautiful presentation. It’s easy! Just drag a sharp knife diagonally through the top of the wellington about 3 or 4 times and continue the other direction so you end up with a criss-cross pattern. Each slice should be 1-inch apart.
Frequently asked questions
- Is puff pastry vegan? Most storebought frozen puff pastry is surprisingly vegan-friendly! Pepperidge Farm makes an accidentally vegan puff pastry that’s delicious and really easy to work with. You should be able to find it or similar brands in the frozen section at most major grocery stores
- Can a vegan wellington be made ahead of time? Absolutely! To make your vegetarian wellington ahead of time, make the filling and assemble it in the pastry. Wrap the unbaked wellington in plastic and keep it in the fridge 1 day ahead of serving.
- How do you store the leftovers? Wrap up the individual slices or the leftover wellington in plastic or keep them in an airtight container. The leftovers store well in the fridge for two to three days and can be reheated in a 350ºF oven.
Want more impressive vegan holiday mains?
The holidays are a time for lots of delicious food, so be sure to check out my other vegan Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes!
Vegan Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry vegan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 12 ounce package vegan beef I used Impossible
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- few shakes black pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 5 tablespoons water
- 15-ounce can lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
- fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
Thaw puff pastry and preheat oven
- Set the frozen puff pastry out to thaw while you prepare the filling. It will take about 30 minutes to thaw.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a baking pan.
Prepare the filling
- In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, then add the vegan beef.
- Use a wooden spoon to break the "beef" into crumbles, and cook until browned.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat, and add the thyme, sage, paprika, black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and quick cooking oats. Stir and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Make your flax eggs – Stir the ground flaxseeds and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the drained and rinsed lentils. Mash with a potato masher or fork until they are broken down a bit, but they shouldn't be pasty. Leave some texture. Add the slightly cooled mixture from the pan along with your flax eggs and stir well to combine.
Assemble the wellington and bake
- Once the puff pastry is thawed, roll it out to about 9×12 inches.
- Scoop the meaty mixture in the middle of the puff pastry. Leave an inch of space on all sides. Pack the filling tightly using your hands, into a loaf type shape.
- Fold the sides of the pastry over the top of the mixture. Pinch and seal the edges. If needed, use a little water to help it seal.
- Place the wellington on the prepared pan, seam side down. Handle gently.
- Brush the tops and sides with melted vegan butter. Use a sharp knife to score the dough in a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Puff pastry is usually vegan, but check the ingredient list to make sure. I used Pepperidge Farm.
- I used Impossible brand, but Beyond or other brands work just as well. You could also use rehydrated TVP, or even a combination of mushrooms and chopped walnuts for a more “whole food” version.
- I used canned lentils to make the recipe easier, but feel free to cook your own from scratch. Or use a different bean, like chickpeas or black beans.
- Make ahead – Prepare the unbaked wellington ahead of time and wrap well in the refrigerator for up to a day.
- Leftovers – Leftover wellington heats up well and will keep for 3-4 days. If serving for a holiday, I recommend baking it right before serving for best results.
We love this recipe and have made it so many times. This is our go to holiday dish. We like it so much that I recently used the filling ingredients from this recipe to make meatballs and they came out great! The only change I made was not cooking the Impossible Beef before combining it with everything else, so it stuck together better. Amazing recipe!
Hi Wren. Great idea! I’m thrilled you are loving the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful idea and review! Happy cooking!
This was amazing! We made this for Easter and our meat and potatoes grandma (who we didn’t tell it was vegan at first) ended up taking the leftovers home with her because she loved it so much! I will definitely be making it again! So good!
Grandma must have loved it for sure, which is so fun! I am so glad the Wellington was a hit! Thank you for your fabulous review and fun feedback! Happy cooking!
My husband and I embarked on our very first plant-based holiday adventure, and I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed with the task of preparing a Christmas dinner. However, I stumbled upon this incredible recipe that not only turned out to be delicious but also remarkably simple to make! To complete our festive feast, we complemented it with your vegan gravy and a side of your mashed potatoes. Thank you once again, Nora, for making our plant-based holiday truly memorable!
You are welcome, Denise! I’m so glad you loved the Wellington! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review!
This looks great, and I’m excited to make it. However, flax seeds are a difficult item for me to get. As I’m vegetarian rather than vegan, are there any more easily available substitutes?
Thank you!
I’m not totally sure. The flax seeds + water help hold the mixture together. It’s possible real eggs would work if you aren’t vegan, but I’m really not sure as I’ve never tested that (I don’t eat eggs).
Hi Nora! I am excited to try out this delicious recipe for Christmas Day dinner along with your mashed potatoes recipe! I have a question though. Since I don’t have any of the beans you listed to use, is it okay to use pinto beans? Those are the only ones I have. Can I also just leave them out of the recipe, will that affect the recipe? What other simple substitutions are available? I am eager to really try out this recipe. Thank you for your time Nora!
Sure, you could use pinto beans or another bean. They will be noticeable but I think that would be good! You could just leave them out as well. I hope you love this recipe and the mashed potatoes. Thank you!
Hi Nora,
I’m making this for Christmas Day. If I’m making it ahead and want to freeze it should I just freeze the ‘meat’ or should I bake the whole thing, let it cool then freeze it complete?
Thank you,
Dawn
Hi Dawn. The wellington freezes well, so you can bake the whole thing and freeze it after it’s cool. Hope this helps! 🙂
Some recipe mechanics of this were a little off, unless I missed something.
The amount of filling this makes is double what fits inside the 9×12” pastry, and more than 1” of space on all sides is needed to fold the dough around the Wellington – 2.5” on each side is closer to what is needed to fit around the filling and seal it.
Using the recommended dough size yields a pastry that will not serve 8 people. I would recommend making the same amount of filling but plan on making two smaller Wellingtons using 2 sheets of pastry.
I just pack it up nice and high in the middle, then wrap it up! It’s quite tall and I pack it tightly.
I was initially intimidated by this but it was really, really quick and easy to make. And it tasted absolutely amazing! Thank you!
You are welcome, Stephanie! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback!
This was awesome! I just did a trial run for Thanksgiving next week. Do you have any suggestions for the filling to be a bit firmer, maybe if I reduce the lentils?