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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!
Katharina
Very tasty. I've made it for Christmas. A winner indeed.
So flavorful.
It looks amazing.
It is festive.
Thank you for this recipe.
Melissa Huggins
Aww, I am so happy you loved this recipe Katharina. 🙂 You are very much welcome.
Susan
I made this a couple of years ago and found it to be very tasty. My vegetarian sister has requested I make it again. The measure for the walnuts is confusing though, whole in a simple weight measurement would improve ease of use of the recipe.
Linda
Every place is out of puff pastry this year! Can I use crescent roll dough instead? (We're vegetarian--not vegan--so we're ok with the non-vegan ingredients.)
Yim
I made this Vegan Wellington tonight (as a test) and it was delicious! I added a bit or cayenne pepper for some heat and some nutritional yeast and black olives. It was truly a great, hearty meal! Will be making this for our Christmas dinner. Thank you.
Melissa Huggins
That is great, Yim! Glad you like it and I'm sure everyone who will eat it for Christmas will be impressed. 🙂
Kath
Made it loads! Everyone loves it!
Melissa Huggins
I am glad to hear it Kath! Thanks for the great feedback.:)
Ann
Hi, is it 115 oz chickpeas or 1.15oz?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Ann, it's one can of chickpeas (15 ounces). Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Laura
Can't wait to make this for Christmas. I want to make it ahead, how many days would it be fine to leave in the fridge before baking (wrapped in cling wrap)?
Thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Laura, you can prep it 1-2 days in advance wrapped in cling wrap. I'm glad you'll try it. Merry Christmas! 🙂
Gail
Amazing! I've been making this for a few years now and always a hit with everyone, vegan or not. Thank you! Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
That is great, Gail! I am so glad you get to share this with everyone. 🙂
Andy
Super simple, really tasty. I subbed in sweet potato for the carrot which made it quite sweet, slightly upped the herbs, pepper, Worcester sauce etc only slightly as used extra mushrooms. Think this is now on menu for Christmas dinner 👍☺️
Melissa Huggins
This would be perfect for Christmas Andy! Thanks for trying it. 🙂
Alicia
Hey there!
Really excited to make this for Thanksgiving.
Are there any other nut and/or non nut substitutes for the walnuts?
If you have a few options for both that would be amazing.
Thank you!
Alicia
Pam
I love this recipe and did it as a taster to begin with which we loved so have some mixture left to make another small one for us does the mixture freeze?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Pam, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for giving it a try. Yes, you can freeze the mixture in an airtight container for 3-4 months. 🙂
Paige Greene
LOVE this nutrient dense and super tasty recipe. I had one question - at what point can I freeze this? As its wrapped in the puff pastry before I bake it? Thanks!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Paige, I'm so glad you love it. Yes, you can freeze it before baking and when it's wrapped. To bake the wellington from frozen, just wrap it in foil and bake it at 375 F. for about 30-40 minutes (or until heated throughout). Then turn the heat up to 400 F and remove the foil to brown the pastry. Cook until golden. 🙂
Dolores
Hi! Just make the loaf and it good so far. Can I put it in the puff pastry and refrigerate until tomorrow and then put it in the oven tomorrow? Or should I put the loaf in the refrigerator and wrap it in the puff pastry tomorrow and bake? Not sure if the pastry will get soggy.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Dolores, you can assemble the entire loaf and cover it until you're ready to bake. I haven't any issues with the pastry getting soggy. I'm so happy you made it. Thank you! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Debbie
Can you use chickpea flour instead of the breadcrumbs? And what can you use instead of mushrooms?
Christine Birch
Fantastic recipe. Made this for a dinner party for 6 and it was perfect!
Melissa Huggins
That is great Christine. Glad you all enjoyed it.:)
Allie
This was super delicious - really great. Fantastic you can make it in advance as well
Melissa Huggins
Glad you think so Allie! This is perfect for the holidays. 🙂
Laura
What could I use instead of mushrooms?
Amy B.
I’ve used Japanese eggplant twice because my niece hates mushrooms. It’s still delicious!
Ritu
This looks great! I am planning on making 2 for Christmas and pre making them. Is there a substitute for vegan Worcestershire sauce you recommend? I normally would just add soy or tamari but ask since I notice tamari is already an ingredient.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Ritu, you can just leave it out, but if you want to replace it, you can use barbeque sauce or vegan steak sauce. Also, you can also use a combination of 2 teaspoons of ketchup, 1.5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce. These options won't perfectly replicate Worcestershire, but they will add a wonderful flavor and subtle zing. Please reach out if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! 🙂