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Impress your guests with this gorgeous Vegan Wellington! The filling is meaty, satisfying and ever-so-tasty! It's surprisingly easy to make too!
If you haven't tried a Vegan Wellington before, you may want to try it out this year. It really makes a statement! You'll need very simple ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store.
The base of the filling is made with mushrooms and chickpeas that are broken down for a nice meaty texture. Then I mixed it together with perfectly sautéed veggies, mouth-watering seasonings and then wrapped it all in a puff pastry. It's heavenly!
If you want to get crazy, you can make this Vegan Holiday Roast that I posted last week, too. Options are always nice to have!
For sides, you can serve Sourdough Stuffing, Sautéed Veggies, Apple Cranberry Sauce, and a big festive salad. Oh, and you gotta have Savory Mushroom Gravy too!
Is puff pastry vegan?
YES!! Most store-bought puff pastry sheets are accidentally vegan. Can you believe it? You can find them in the freezer section and some are in the refrigerated section.
Pepperidge Farm is the most readily available and can be found at most grocery stores and I believe Walmart and Target carry it too.
Aussie Bakery has cleaner ingredients than most puff pastry brands and it's nice to work with too. However, it's almost impossible for me to find. I purchased at Whole Foods a few times, but I haven't seen it in a long while.
Wewalka can be found in the refrigerated section and it's by far, my favorite puff pastry to work with. It's soft, pliable and can easily be sealed with your hands. The ingredients are fairly clean and I think it tastes the best too. *note: on the package, it says "may contain traces of milk". I called the company and they confirmed that they don't use any animal ingredients in their puff pastry.
How to make Vegan Wellington Filling
(printable version in recipe card below)
STEP 1 - Sauté onion, celery, and carrots over medium heat until softened.
STEP 2 - Add garlic, thyme, sage, and rosemary and sauté for one minute.
STEP 3 - Now add mushrooms and sauté until softened and their moisture is fully released. The pan should be dry.
STEP 4 - Add the tamari sauce and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
STEP 5 - Mash chickpeas in a large bowl just enough to break down beans. Leave lots of texture.
STEP 6 - Add the cooked mixture, breadcrumbs, walnut meal, flax mixture, Worcestershire, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Combine well. Taste for seasoning and add more if preferred.
How to wrap puff pastry
If your pastry sheet is frozen, you'll need to thaw for about 30 minutes before beginning. Also, you may need to roll it out to approximately a 10x13 size.
Shape the mixture into a solid log and place it in the middle of the pastry sheet. Pick up one side and wrap it over the loaf and repeat on the other side. Gently press to seal together. *If it doesn't seal easily, just brush a little non-dairy milk in that area and seal.
Roll up each end and press gently to seal. If you have a lot of extra length, trim the dough first before sealing to avoid a doughy texture at the ends. I cut a V-shape out of the top flap of each end (see above photo).
Flip the loaf over so and brush the top and sides with melted vegan butter. Now gently cut diagonal slits across the whole top of loaf about 1-inch apart and repeat in the opposite direction.
Place in the oven until heated throughout and the pastry is golden brown (about 30-35 minutes.) Let sit 10 minutes before gently cutting with a sharp knife. Don't forget the gravy! ENJOY!!
Can Vegan Wellington be made ahead?
Absolutely!! Just prepare it up to the baking point and refrigerate it in cling wrap or a tightly sealed container.
The baking time will be approximately 20-30 minutes longer and I would reduce the heat to 375 °F. You can turn the heat up the last 15 minutes if the top needs more browning.
To reheat fully cooked leftovers, cover the portion you'll be eating and heat in the oven at 375 °F until heated throughout.
Need more holiday dinner inspiration? You'll find so many tasty options in this recipe roundup by Stacey Homemaker. They are all unbelievably drool-worthy!
I'd love to hear from you
If you make this Vegan Wellington, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Recipe
Vegan Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry , thawed if frozen (about 10X13)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax meal + 5 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil , or preferred cooking oil
- ½ medium onion , diced
- 2 small carrots , diced small
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 8 ounces mushrooms , minced or finely chopped
- 1.5 tablespoons tamari sauce , low sodium (sub soy sauce)
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) , drained well but NOT rinsed
- ¾ cup unsalted walnuts , ground into a course meal (measured whole)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs , more if needed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 min. It will thicken and gel up a bit.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Now add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until softened about 6-8 minutes.
- Add garlic, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until they soften and release their moisture about 5-7 minutes. You want the pan to be dry. Now add the tamari and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher. Don't over mash - just mash enough to break down whole chickpeas, but leave lots of texture.
- Now add the cooled mixture, breadcrumbs, walnut meal, flax mixture, Worcestershire, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Combine well with a spatula and use your hands if needed. Taste and add more seasoning if preferred. (If the mixture seems too wet, you can add another ¼ cup of breadcrumbs or rolled oats - You should be able to form it with your hands easily)
- Using your hands, shape the mixture into a solid log that will fit in the middle of the pastry sheet (with a few inches of slack). Make sure log is packed well.
- Unroll puff pastry sheet and lay it over the baking sheet (or a flat surface if you need to roll it first). Place the loaf in the middle of the pastry sheet. Pick up one side and wrap it over the loaf and repeat on the other side. Gently press to seal together (don't force if it doesn't close, just thin & lengthen the loaf or remove some mixture and form again). *If pastry doesn't seal easily, just lightly brush a little non-dairy milk in that area and seal.
- Now roll up the ends and press gently to seal. If you have a lot of extra length, you may want to trim the dough first before sealing. Otherwise, the ends of the loaf will be very doughy. Flip the loaf over so the sealed edges are facing the baking sheet.
- Brush the top and sides with melted vegan butter. Using a sharp knife, gently make diagonal slits across the whole top of loaf about 1-inch apart. Now repeat going the other direction to criss-cross slits (see process photos in post above).
- Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until heated throughout and the pastry is golden brown. Let sit 10 minutes before gently cutting with a sharp knife. I felt it was easiest to cut into the slits that were made earlier. Serve with Gravy if desired. Enjoy!
Jess
This was a lovely recipe. I substituted the celery for another carrot, and used soy sauce instead of Tamari. The meal was successful with the whole family. The kids gobbled it up.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jess, I am glad you all enjoyed this! It is also a family favorite. 🙂
Sarah
Just wanted to say I’ve made this recipe 10 times in the past year or so. It’s always a crowd pleaser and wows my non vegan family and friends.
I always keep puff pastry in my freezer now just encase. I’ve tried other Mushroom Wellington and in my opinion this one is the best by far.
Thank you for sharing! If your looking, look no further… make this baby!
Melissa Huggins
Hey, Sarah! I really appreciate your feedback 🙂 We love this recipe too, and I am happy you get to share this vegan version with your family and friends. Thank you! 🤤🥰
Kevin Lawrence
Lovely recipe. Easy to make. i used chestnuts instead of chickpeas and I put a layer of spinach over he mushrooms.
Thankyou!
Melissa Huggins
Great subs Kevin! I am glad it turned out well, thank you for trying my recipe.:)
Angela
Made it tonight
Thank you it was delicious
Melissa Huggins
Thanks for trying the recipe, Angela! I am pleased you enjoyed it. 🙂 Please feel free to browse through my page and try other yummy vegan recipes there.
Alice Gove
I made this with a seniors cooking group I run as an idea to serve for Christmas dinner, it was a massive hit. Super delicious!
Melissa Huggins
I love this feedback! Thanks Alice. 🙂
Ann
Hi! Can I use red beans instead of chickpeas?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Ann, yes, you can use red beans. Thanks for stoping by 🙂
Daksha
My husband and I loved this! Turned out absolutely delicious, despite me not realizing I didn’t have chickpeas and subbing green lentils in instead!
Thank you so much for giving us a new holiday favourite 🙂 Wondering whether it’s possible to freeze leftovers after baking and then reheat using the foil method? Or does it need to be assembled but not baked for best freezing?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Daksha, I am pleased to hear it! 🙂 I am glad you made it work by using lentils instead. Yes, you can absolutely freeze and reheat leftovers. To reheat fully cooked leftovers, cover the portion you'll be eating and heat in the oven at 375 °F until heated throughout. 🙂
Ange Ahlers
Such a tasty, textured meal and so easy to prepare. Even the non vegans raved about it. Served it with homemade Vegan gravy. I will definitely make this again!
Melissa Huggins
That is awesome, Ange! I'm so happy it was a hit. Thank you for giving it a try and sharing your feedback. 🙂
J
I made it as a vegetarian wellington and OMG It was so good. I made veg gravy on the side as well which made this wellington tastes REMARKABLE. This will be my go-to Christmas menu going forward. Loved it. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe
Melissa Huggins
My pleasure J! I am so pleased you liked it. 🙂
Ellen
2nd Wellington I’ve made (tried a lentil one from another site that took longer and didn’t hold together) and this one was amazing! Everyone - vegans and non vegans - enjoyed it. It tastes like stuffing (which I love) inside of a pastry. Made it exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hello Ellen, You are welcome and I am so pleased that this recipe worked for you. 🙂
Jackie
I made this for a Christmas dinner and it was delicious. The herbs and spices were perfect.
Melissa Huggins
Glad to hear this, Jackie. Thank you for giving it a try and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Cathy
Melissa, It is just me and my husband this year for Christmas and I decided to make your Vegan Wellington. OH MY!! Sooo amazing! Big, huge flavors. I was a little concerned it would be the same as your Shepherds Pie which we love but no. This has a unique flavor profile. SOOO GOOD!!! Will be making this again for a special dinner. I am going to try making the filling ahead and freezing it to cut down on the labor for the day. Thanks again so much! You made our Christmas Dinner so special!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Cathy, I am so happy that you both loved this recipe and it was part of making your Christmas day special. 🙂
Patricia Nantais
Thank youuuuu for this recipe... I no longer buy Tofurkeys or Holiday Roasts ... this recipe is ihmaaaaazin!!!
Melissa Huggins
You're most welcome, Patricia! Thank you for trying the recipe. 🙂
Amber
Thanks for this delicious looking recipe! Going to make it tonight 🙂 just wondering about the 1 15 oz can chickpeas ... as 1.15 oz would be 32 grams? And do you have any thoughts on what Christmas side dish (vegetables) wpuld be the perfect match?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Amber, you'll need a 425 gram can of chickpeas. I think sautéed green beans or asparagus would work really well alongside this dish. Hope this helps. Have a Merry Christmas! 🙂
Anita Sahoo
This is a great recipe. I made this for my plant-based boyfriend on his birthday. The only thing I adjusted was not add the tomato paste and adding more seasoning like Worchestershire Sauce. It was perfect... comforting and still elegant.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Anita, I am happy that you made the recipe work for you. 🙂
Gail McCord
When replacing the walnuts (replace them with 1/3 cup rolled oats, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds. ) do you need to ground the seeds or pulse the oats? Thank you. I'm trying this for the first time on Christmas Day. Fingers crossed!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Gail, I usually pulse the seeds into a course ground and the oats I just pulse a few times to leave more texture (for chew). Thank you for trying this for Christmas. You can also make it the day before, fully assembled, and pop it in the fridge. It worked perfectly! Have a Merry Christmas! 🙂