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I Finally Cracked the Code on Easy Beef Wellington – delicious, tender, juicy roast covered in pate and mushrooms and baked in a perfect flaky, buttery puff pastry.
Beef Wellington is a traditional classic British dish – of steak or roast, covered in pate and chopped mushrooms, cozied up in a flaky, buttery layer of puff pastry and baked to perfection! It’s a perfect main dish for Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, or New Years – but is hearty and delicious enough, you’ll want it for a Sunday supper.
This Is How I Make Beef Wellington Without the Stress – this method is simplified from the original, so it can be made with puff pastry sheets and a whole lot less stress.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
How to Make Beef Wellington
One of my favorite parts of Beef Wellington is that it *looks* like it took all day – it is a dish with a reputation for being fussy, but it’s actually quite easy to make, even if you’re a beginner cook!
To start, we will chop mushrooms and a shallot to make a duxelle – which is just a fancy term for diced mushrooms with onions. Then we will sear the roast, as we lay out puff pastry, spread a thin layer of pate (or a pate substitute) on puff pastry, top with mushroom duxelle, and place the browned roast on top. Fold it together, give it a little egg bath, and bake to golden brown!
Serve with some Easy Eggnog, a Sparkling Cranberry Punch, or some Traditional French Vin Chaud (Mulled Wine) – and get to celebrating!
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Ingredients for Beef Wellington
To make this easy beef wellington, you will need the following ingredients:
- Puff Pastry – Puff pastry is a laminated dough that is made from folding butter into flour, rolled thin, folded over, and re-rolled. This process creates an incredibly delicious and flaky pastry crust. I used pre-made sheets, but if you’re adventurous try making it yourself.
- Beef Roast – Wellington is traditionally made with an eye of round roast since that cut mimics the shape of the famous boot – hence the name. Many fancier establishments use beef tenderloin. Whole beef tenderloins are delicious but quite expensive. I used an eye of round roast.
- Duck Live Pate – Pate is a “forcemeat” made of duck, duck livers, herbs, fat, spices, and brandy or cognac and cooked in a terrine. You can find pre-made packages in the deli section of most large supermarkets.
- Cremini Mushrooms – Cremini Mushrooms are the brown version of the white button mushrooms more commonly found.
- Shallot – Shallots are from the allium family and are cousins of onions. They’re
- Chives – Chives are also from the allium family. We eat the scape or leaf of the chive, and they have a milder flavor than an onion. Chives are often used in duxelles, such as the mushroom mixture in this dish.
- Butter – Butter adds a ton of flavor to the mushroom duxelle, and the fat helps the mushrooms brown.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil brings a great nutty flavor and mixes well with the butter in the mushrooms.
- Garlic – Another member of the allium family, garlic’s earthy and sharp flavors go amazingly well with mushrooms.
- Egg – The key to a deep, golden brown pastry crust is brushing the outside with egg wash – a beaten egg with a little bit of water or milk.
Steps to make Beef Wellington with puff pastry
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:
Prep
Make duxelle. Cut up your mushrooms, shallots and garlic and saute them in a pan with butter and olive oil. Cook under medium-low heat until soft and slightly brown. Set aside to cool.
Arrange Puff Pastry
Lay puff pastry out into a long strip. Place duxelle on pastry, spread out enough to cover roast on all sides. Place roast on puff pastry.
Wrap Roast
Wrap roast entirely in duxelle and puff pastry. Use any excess to make a little decorative topping, optional.
Bake
Egg wash and bake until roast is 125 degrees and crust is flaky and golden.
Rest & Slice
Let Wellington rest at least 15 minutes, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Easy Beef Wellington Tips
Sear roast before cooking. Searing your roast before coating in pate and duxelle, then wrapping in puff pastry, helps to give extra color and flavor to your roast by adding caramelization and tons of rich, meaty flavor without adding more ingredients.
Start with cold beef: Chill the seared beef completely before assembling to keep the pastry from melting and getting soggy.
Dry the mushrooms well: Cook the duxelles until all moisture evaporates—this is the single most important step for crisp pastry.
Season every layer: Lightly season the beef, mushrooms, and prosciutto individually so the final Wellington is perfectly balanced.
Use prosciutto as a barrier: Wrapping the beef and duxelles in prosciutto helps lock in moisture and protects the puff pastry from sogginess.
Wrap tightly: Use plastic wrap to roll the beef mixture into a firm, compact log before adding pastry—this keeps its shape while baking.
Keep pastry cold: If the puff pastry gets soft, pop everything back in the fridge for 10–15 minutes before baking.
Seal the edges well: Brush seams with egg wash and press firmly to prevent leaks.
Vent the pastry: Cut small slits or decorative vents in the top so steam can escape and the pastry stays crisp.
Use a thermometer: For perfect doneness, aim for 120–125°F (49–52°C) for medium-rare before resting.
Rest before slicing: Let the Wellington rest 10–15 minutes so juices redistribute and slices stay clean.
Slice with a sharp knife: A long, sharp blade gives neat slices without crushing the pastry.
How to Prevent a Soggy Bottom
- Cook the duxelles until completely dry: There should be no visible moisture left—this is the most important step.
- Use prosciutto as a moisture barrier: Wrap it snugly around the beef and mushrooms to protect the pastry.
- Chill before baking: A cold Wellington goes into the oven cleaner and gives the pastry time to puff before absorbing moisture.
- Preheat the pan and oven: Bake on a fully preheated sheet pan in a hot oven so the bottom pastry starts cooking immediately.
- Elevate slightly: Place the Wellington on parchment set over a wire rack on the sheet pan to allow heat circulation underneath.
- Finish on the bottom rack: Move the pan to the lower third of the oven for the last 5–10 minutes to crisp the base.
What Temperature to Cook Beef Wellington to
Know your temperatures. The following temperatures will tell you how done your beef Wellington is after a 10-minute rest period after baking (as the Wellington will continue to cook 10 degrees after removing from the oven.)
- Medium rare – 130-135 degrees
- Medium – 140-145 degrees
- Medium Well – 145-150 degrees
- Well Done – 150 degrees+
My Pro Tip
Beef Wellington Temperature Tips
Always use a high-quality meat thermometer when cooking to be sure you have the perfect doneness for your beef Wellington!
The temperature below shows when to REMOVE meat – it will cook another 10 degrees while tented with foil.
- For medium-rare beef Wellington, the in-oven temperature should be 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit when removing from the oven.
- For medium beef Wellington, the in-oven temperature should be 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit when removing from the oven.
- For well done Beef Wellington, the in-oven temperature should be 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can adjust your cook time based on those temperatures – and remember the sides will be closer to well done while the middle will be much more red/pink – so you can still serve everyone a slice they prefer.
Puff Pastry Beef Wellington FAQs
For medium rare beef Wellington, cook to 125 degrees F.
Beef Wellington is medium rare at 135 degrees, which in our opinion, is the perfect temperature – however, that is the finished temperature for beef Wellington. Since roasts are so large, they tend to carryover cook quite a bit after removing from oven. To get perfect medium rare, you actually need to cook to 125 degrees – so it can carryover cook to 135 as it rests.
If you’re looking for a different doneness, use the guide below:
125 degrees – medium rare
140 degrees – medium
150 degrees – well done
A duxelle is just a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms and onions or shallots, as well as other aromatics, used to flavor dishes.
If you’re not a fan of pate, you can use just the mushroom duxelle (I’ll make a bit extra and blend some to get a texture similar to a pate, then coat with the rest of the duxelle – as I like the texture difference with a bit of chopped mushrooms and smooth pate-like flavor); vegetarian pate, tuna pate, or even parma ham!
Excess moisture is the usual culprit. The mushrooms weren’t cooked dry enough, the beef wasn’t fully chilled before wrapping, or the pastry didn’t get enough bottom heat.
Yes. You can assemble it up to 24 hours in advance, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving for best results.
Absolutely. Searing adds flavor and helps seal in juices, which keeps the beef tender and the pastry drier.
For medium-rare, remove it from the oven at 120–125°F (49–52°C) before resting. The temperature will rise as it rests.
This usually happens when seams aren’t sealed well or steam has no place to escape. Seal with egg wash and cut small vents in the top.
Yes. Assemble completely but do not bake. Freeze tightly wrapped, then bake from frozen, adding about 15–20 minutes to the cooking time.
Roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, green beans, or a simple salad pair beautifully without overpowering the dish.
What to Serve With Beef Wellington
We love serving Beef Wellington with vegetables – like roasted asparagus, roasted parsnips, stuffed acorn squash, or green bean casserole!
Beef Wellington is also delicious with broiled lobster tail for a holiday dinner – there is nothing more impressive, and only you will know it didn’t take you forever!
We love serving beef Wellington with our soft and buttery parker house style rolls, or delicious light and fluffy yeast rolls – it’s also great with fresh baked no-knead bread!
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Easy Beef Wellington (Beef Wrapped in Pastry)
Ingredients
- 1 Package puff pastry
- 1 eye of round beef roast or similar beef roast
- 6 oz package of duck liver pate
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1 medium shallot
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of chives
- 4 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Remove your beef roast from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your oven to 425oF
- Chop your mushrooms and finely dice the shallot and garlic cloves
- Saute the mushrooms and shallots butter and olive oil on medium-low heat until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and chives and cook until the mixture is completely soft and beginning to brown.
- In a large skillet over high heat, brown your roast on all sides with a tablespoon of olive oil. You’re trying to develop the Maillard reaction on the outside of the roast, not cook it fully.
- When all sides are browned, remove from the hot pan and allow to cool for 5-7 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll out your puff pastry to a large rectangle, big enough to cover your roast completely.
- Beat your egg thoroughly, and set aside while you prepare the Wellington.
- Using a spoon, spread out the duck pate on the pastry in a rectangle to cover the roast.
- Spread your mushroom mixture on top of the pate.
- Place the roast, upside down on top of the pate and mushroom mixture, and begin to fold over the edges of the pastry to cover the roast. Use your fingers and a little water to crimp the pastry. Use a knife to trim off the excess pastry on the ends.
- Roll out the excess pastry and cut out three leaves or other decorative elements to place on top of your Wellington.
- Brush the fully assembled Wellington with egg wash.
- Bake in a 425oF oven for 35-45 minutes depending on the size of your roast. Your Roast is fully cooked when the pastry is golden brown and delicious and the beef has reached an internal temperature of 135oF.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
