Publised on 02/12/2022. Last Updated on 06/12/2024 by Richard
An easy vegan wellington, ideal for a vegan Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner or even just a classic Sunday lunch! Don't forget the vegan gravy though!
What better way to finish a vegan Christmas dinner than a whopping great big vegan wellington! I mean look at it! Flaky golden vegan puff pastry with a meaty centre packed with veggies and a rich buttery mushroom pâté layer to tie everything together! I'm crying because of food again, aren't I? I think it's the holiday spirit!
Oh and look, this isn't an exclusively Christmassy recipe, so you can serve how you like! This vegan wellington is so easy to whip up so therefore it's ideal for any wintery dinner - your classic Sunday Roast or a school-night quickie! It's like a big, festive version of my Vegan Sausage Rolls, and I think you're gonna love it!
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🧈 Vegan Wellington Ingredients
There are three elements to this vegan wellington so it's a little heavy on the number of ingredients but don't worry! The process is super easy and the finished product will blow you away! Are you ready to get cracking because I am!
For the Vegan Meat Layer
- Beetroot
- Parsnips
- Onion
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Olive oil
- Vegan mince (aka ground)
- Sage leaves
- Thyme
- Sherry
- Dried apricots
- Vegan beef gravy granules
For the Mushroom Pâté
- Vegan butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms)
- Vegan stock cube
- Marmite (or any yeast extract)
- Walnuts
For the Vegan Pastry
- Vegan puff pastry ("ready rolled" variety)
- Soy milk
- Maple syrup
As always, don't panic because you cant see the amounts! The full recipe with quantities is at the bottom of the page in the Recipe Card section! I wouldn't trick you like that! Just keep scrollin' baby!
🥣 Method
Four steps stand between you and the best vegan wellington you've ever tasted but what are they?? There's only one way to find out! You know when you start a movie and you think "wow, I really wonder where this story will take me?", well it's kind of like that! You have to hang out for a bit to find out the answers, and no, this blog post was not written by an AI bot. Ready to get started?
1. Roast the veggies! A big portion of the vegan meat filling comes from veggies and herbs. That's how we're gonna make it taste festive after all! So first step is to roast some beets, onions and parsnips with some garlic and rosemary! MMmm fragrant!
2. Make the vegan meat filling! Now we're going to make the filling. Using a food processor, pulse your roasted veggies with some vegan mince (aka ground). I use mince from The Meatless Farm but you can even use vegan burgers. It's the same thing!
3. Wrap the wellington! This is the only tricky bit. I recommend wrapping your vegan meat filling in cling film aka saran wrap like a big sausage and placing in the freezer for a bit. Then spread the mushroom layer out on another piece of cling film and use the plastic wrap to help fold it around the meat filling. Nice even layers!
4. Score the pastry! The last layer is, of course, the vegan puff pastry. Once wrapped and folded under the filling, brush the pastry with soy and maple syrup then score with a very sharp knife! If you brush with soy milk AFTER scoring, you won't get a dramatic contrasty design, so brush first!
🧞♂️ Hint
Vegan puff pastry works best with dry fillings, but obvs we don't want a wellington with a dry centre. To make sure our puff pastry cooks properly, I'd advise putting a baking tray in the oven when you pre-heat the oven so things get hot from the bottom up. Place the tray with the wellington on it ON TOP of the hot baking tray in the oven when you're ready to bake. A little extra step but guaranteed no soggy bottom!
🔄 Subs and swaps
Wellingtons for all because inclusivity, yeah! Here's how to make this vegan wellington friendly for ALL diets! It's 2022 friend - coeliacs exist!
- Gluten Free - This is a simple swapsie scenario! Obvs you'll need vegan puff pastry (which is stocked by most good supermarkets) but also you'll want to double check that your vegan mince (aka ground) is gluten free too!
- Soy Free - Obvious sources of soy in this recipe include the soy milk glaze (which can easily be subbed for any other plant milk) but also be sure to check your vegan butter, vegan mince and puff pastry for soy and make a swap to another brand if necessary!
Let me know if you decide to make any swaps or subs via my instagram! I love to see you at your ingenious best!
🍪 Vegan Wellington Sides
You've got yourself a banging vegan wellington but WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH IT?? Here's my list of classic accompaniments to get on that plate pronto!
- Vegan Gravy - Essential because it brings the moist! Sorry! Had to be said! My recipe is super easy and quick but packs an umami meaty punch because of all that marmite!
- Roast Potatoes - Follow my secrets for the most insanely crispy vegan roasties EVER!
- Vegan Pigs in Blankets - Going for vegan Christmas dinner across the board!? Time to get those vegan pigs in blankets on!
🔪 Equipment
Only a few bits of kit required for this one because it's such an easy recipe! Vegan wellington is classic for a reason so ave a rummage through the cupboards for this stuff and then get started:
- Oven
- Roasting Tray
- Food Processor
- Large Frying Pan
🤷♀️ Vegan Wellington FAQs
A: Yes! This vegan wellington freezes perfectly because it's magnificent! Just before baking, freeze the wellington until firm then place in an airtight container and return to the freezer for up to a month.
A: This vegan wellington uses vegan mince as the meat replacement and it also uses vegan puff pastry (most brands are vegan anyway) and a creamy, buttery vegan mushroom pâté!
Vegan Wellington
Equipment
- oven
- Roasting Tray
- Food Processor
- Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the Vegan Meat Layer
- 250 g beetroot peeled and quartered
- 250 g parsnips peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 6 stems rosemary 2 stems finely chopped, the others whole
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 400 g vegan mince aka ground
- 10 sage leaves very finely chopped
- 6 sprigs thyme de-stalked and leaves very finely chopped
- 25 ml sherry
- 50 g dried apricots
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegan beef gravy granules I use Bisto, or sub for 1 vegan stock cube
For the Mushroom Layer
- 50 g vegan butter
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic roughly crushed
- 500 g mushrooms I used chestnut mushrooms
- 1 vegan stock cube crumbled
- 1 teaspoon marmite or any yeast extract
- 70 g walnuts
For the Pastry
- 550 g puff pastry "ready rolled" variety
- 4 tablespoon soy milk
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
To Make the Vegan Meat Layer
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the beetroot, parsnips, onion, garlic and 4 stems of rosemary in a roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Once roasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool.250 g beetroot, 250 g parsnips, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 6 stems rosemary, 4 tablespoon olive oil
- Remove the rosemary from the cooled, roasted veggies then transfer everything left in the roasting tin to a food processor. Pulse a few times until the veggies are very finely diced but not blended smooth.
- Add all the remaining meat layer ingredients and pulse again a few times or until everything is evenly distributed but not blended.400 g vegan mince, 10 sage leaves, 6 sprigs thyme, 25 ml sherry, 50 g dried apricots, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoon vegan beef gravy granules
- Remove from the food processor and transfer to sheet of cling film. Roll the filling mixture into a tight cylinder and place in the freezer to chill while you make the mushroom layer.
To Make the Mushroom Layer
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the vegan butter. Once hot and melted, add all the remaining mushroom layer ingredients and fry until the mushrooms are starting to brown and all their water has evaporated from the pan.50 g vegan butter, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 500 g mushrooms, 1 vegan stock cube, 1 teaspoon marmite, 70 g walnuts
- Remove from the heat and spread the mushroom mixture on a baking tray to help it to cool rapidly. Once no longer hot, transfer the mushroom mixture to the food processor and pulse until blended to a chunky pâté texture.
- Spread the mushroom filling out over a sheet of cling film in one large square, slightly longer and 3x the width of your roll of vegan meat filling.
- Remove the vegan meat filling from the freezer (don't worry if it's not frozen solid - it's not supposed to be). Very carefully unwrap it and place on the centre of the mushroom layer.
- Use the cling film to lift the mushroom layer up and over the vegan meat filling, wrapping it around the entire circumference.
To Make the Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Unroll the puff pastry onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Carefully lift the mushroom-wrapped vegan meat filling using the cling film and roll it into the centre of the puff pastry.550 g puff pastry
- Wrap the pastry around the filling layers. Roll over so the smooth side is on top. Combine the soy milk and maple syrup in a small bowl and brush all over the top of the wellington. Score with a sharp knife and then bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Slice and serve hot.4 tablespoon soy milk, 2 teaspoon maple syrup
Derek B
This is the second time I have made this delicious vegan wellington. I am making in advance and freezing for Christmas day this year, what would the recommended cooking time/temperature be for this wellington when frozen? Or should it be defrosted first?
Merry Xmas.
Ancor
This was great thank you!
Taryn
I just prepped this Wellington for early Christmas with my extremely skeptical non-vegan family who agreed to try a vegan main. I nervously made a tiny one to test bake today. OMG it's delicious!! I'm SO excited to serve this to them. Had to sub a few things I couldn't find (marmite - I subbed miso, and for the gravy granules - I subbed a Japanese curry block). It turned out moist, nicely seasoned and great all by itself but I think it'll slay with the vegan mushroom gravy on the side. Thank you!!!
Allison
This was amazing - impressed both vegans and non-vegans! Thanks!
Nick Parkes
Do I add the mince raw?
Nick Parkes
Answer: yes
Made this today and it was good so we will be having it on Xmas day too.
Forgot to add the sherry(I had Chinese rice wine) but nevertheless it looked amazing and tasted good too, served with sprouts, carrots, new potatoes and gravy.
It took me about 3hrs.