This vegan mushroom wellington makes an impressive and delicious centerpiece to any festive meal. It’s got a flavorsome mushroom and nut filling, whole roasted portobellos, cranberry sauce and is covered by beautifully braided puff pastry.
Wellington is a favorite festive dish - whether you are celebrating Christmas, Thanksgiving or another a special occasion!
We took inspiration from a couple of other vegan wellingtons when developing this recipe. Most of the mushroom wellington recipes we found use spinach as a main ingredient. We tried and found that using spinach in the wellington made it not as rich tasting as we wanted.
So we came up with this filling which is full of savory mushroom flavour and the richness of nuts.
We also took inspiration for the braided top from this vegan beetroot wellington. It might look fancy and difficult, but it’s surprisingly easy when you know how to do it. Our step by step pictures will help you!
Ingredient tips
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan mushroom wellington:
- Vegan puff pastry - We recommend a block for best results. If you only have prerolled sheets which are smaller, you could join them together with the seam underneath the filling, or have less overlap on the top. In UK most of the Jus-Rol brand is vegan and in the US Pepperidge Farm is too.
- Portobello mushrooms - These get roasted whole and make a nice ‘meaty’ contrast to the rest of the filling. Chose mushrooms of a similar size. You can fit three or four whole portobellos in the wellington depending on how big they are.
- Mushrooms - For the filling, you can use white or chestnut mushrooms, or other more gourmet or wild mushrooms if you fancy.
- Olive oil, onion & garlic
- Mixed nuts - We’ve tried out a variety of different kinds of nuts such as cashews, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts. You’ll want the raw, unsalted kind. We usually use a combination of three different types of nuts and buy organic nuts in bulk.
- Balsamic vinegar - Gives a slight sweetness and depth of flavor to the filling.
- Soy sauce - Seasons the mushrooms and brings out more umami. We recommend an organic soy sauce or tamari.
- Dried herbs - We use herbs de provence, or a mix of rosemary, thyme and sage. If substituting fresh herbs, use three times as much.
- Vegetable bouillon for a bit of seasoning and depth.
- Chia seeds - The gelling properties of chia seeds helps to absorb liquid and hold the filling together so the wellington slices well.
- Cranberry sauce - We recommend our easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe, but you can use a shop bought version too.
- Soy milk and maple syrup make the glaze for the pastry.
- And optional sesame seeds are the final touch on top.
Step by step
Making the filling
Step 1 - Rub the portobello mushrooms in oil, then place face down on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes at 180C. Excess liquid can be kept set aside and used in gravy.
Step 2 - In a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped and then spread on a baking tray to toast for 5-10 minutes in the oven, until starting to brown.
Step 3 - Fry the finely chopped onion in the olive oil until translucent.
Step 4 - Add the finely chopped mushrooms and cook until they have shrunk down and released their liquid.
Step 5 - Add the garlic & herbs and continue cooking for another minute.
Step 6 - Deglaze the pan by adding the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and bouillon powder.
Step 7 - Finally add the toasted nuts and chia seeds and stir the mix until combined.
Step 8 - Optional, if the mixture seems too crumbly / dry to hold together add a splash of the portobello mushroom liquid or water.
Assembling the wellington
Step 1 - Roll out your puff pastry to a 14 inch / 35cm square and transfer to a piece of baking parchment or silicone liner.
Step 2 - With half the filling, make a line down the center third of the pastry, leaving an inch uncovered at each end.
Step 3 - Place the roasted portobellos evenly spaced on top of the filling. Lightly press them down.
Step 4 - Add the remaining filling in the spaces around and on top of the mushrooms to make an even log shape.
Step 5 - Place small spoonfuls of the cranberry sauce over the top of the mushroom mix.
Step 6 - Cut four notches in the pastry at the corners of the filling.
Step 7 - Trim four triangles at each corner so you end up with two flaps at the end of the filling.
Step 8 - From the edges of the filling, cut an equal number strips of pastry about 2.5cm or ¾ inch wide on a slight diagonal towards you.
Step 9 - Fold up the end flaps, then working alternately from side to side, fold over and cross the pastry strips over the filling. Pinch the end of the final strips to the side of the pastry to seal.
Step 10 - Brush with soy milk and maple syrup mixture, then sprinkle with optional sesame seeds.
Substitutions and variations
For a gluten free mushroom wellington, you can buy gluten free puff pastry and use gluten free tamari sauce instead of the soy sauce.
If you want to try a nut free alternative, you could experiment with using a mix of sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of the nuts.
If you don’t want to do the braid on top, you can put the filling to one side and fold over and seal it. Just lightly score the pastry on the top to help it puff up.
And as an alternative to cranberry sauce, you could just stir some dried cranberries into the filling. They won’t have the same spicy tartness of the sauce, but they’ll add a note of sweetness which is nice.
Serving and storage
To transfer to a serving board, we lift it by holding baking paper and then slide it off with the help of a spatula.
For easy cutting, we find a serrated bread knife works well to slice the wellington.
This vegan mushroom wellington goes great with:
- Roasted potatoes
- These maple and mustard glazed carrots
- Some brussels sprouts or other greens
- More cranberry sauce
- And plenty of homemade vegan gravy
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s best reheated in the oven, rather than a microwave, so the pastry stays crisp.
You might wanna check out these other tasty vegan Christmas recipes:
Our really Easy Nut Roast
These incredibly delicious Vanillekipferl Crescent Cookies
And our fan favourite Mushroom Pate
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 block vegan puff pastry or sheet
- 3 - 4 portobello mushrooms see notes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup (150 g) mixed nuts e.g. hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews,...
- 3 cups (200 g, see notes) mushrooms finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dried herbs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp stock powder or bouillon
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp cranberry sauce
For the glaze
- 1 tbsp soy milk
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp sesame seeds optional
Instructions
Making the filling
- Rub the portobello mushrooms with some oil, then place face down on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes at 180°C (355°F). Excess liquid can be reserved to make gravy, or adjust the filling later.
- In a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped and then spread on a baking tray to toast for 10 minutes in the oven at 180°C (355°F), until starting to brown.
- In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the onions until translucent, around 5 minutes.
- Add the finely chopped mushrooms. Cook until they have shrunk down and released their liquid, which takes another 5-10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic & herbs and continue cooking for another minute or two.
- Deglaze the pan by adding the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and bouillon powder.
- Finally, take the pan off the heat and add the toasted nuts and chia seeds. Stir the mix until combined. If the filling seems a bit dry, add just a splash of the portobello liquid or water.
Assembling the wellington - step by step pictures in the post above.
- Preheat the fan oven to 200°C (390°F).
- If you use a block type puff pastry, roll out your puff pastry on a lightly floured board to a 14x14 inch (35cm) square, and transfer it to a piece of baking parchment or silicone liner. Pre-rolled puff pastry sheets are usually smaller and rectangular, you can still use a sheet but won't have so much pastry overlap for the braid.
- With half the filling, make a line down the centre of the pastry, leaving an inch uncovered at each end.
- Place and lightly press down the roasted portobellos evenly spaced on top of the filling.
- With the rest of the filling, cover the whole mushrooms, and fill any gaps to make an even log shape.
- Place small spoonfuls of the cranberry sauce over the top of the mushroom mix.
- Cut four notches in the pastry at the corners of the filling, then trim the corner so you end up with two flaps at the end of the filling. (see pics!)
- From the edges of the filling, cut an equal number strips of pastry about 2.5cm / ¾ inch wide on a slight diagonal towards you.
- Fold up these end flaps, then working alternately from side to side, fold over and cross the pastry strips over the filling. Pinch the end of the final strips to the side of the pastry to seal.
Cook
- Combine the soy milk and syrup and brush all of the pastry with it, top and sides, using a pastry brush.
- Sprinkle the wellington with sesame seeds (optional).
- Cook the wellington in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C (390°F). Turn the tray around halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Debbie Pauls says
Could you let me know what puff pastry you use? I’m only familiar with the sheets; what is the “block type” and where might I find it?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Debbie, Great question - we use a block of Jus-Rol puff pastry, which you roll out yourselves. We are based in the UK, so not sure if that is available where you are? A block weighs 500g, so you can use the equal amount in sheets and join them together to get the right size. Hope that helps!
Lisa says
I've made this a few times and it is consistently fabulous. It is more time consuming, in my experience, than it's held out to be; I'm not sure whether the published "prep time" is supposed to be for the assembly, or the actual prepping (washing and chopping mushrooms, etc.). It doesn't matter -- it is well worth it -- but I'm putting it out there so someone else reading the comments might expect that going in. The taste is absolutely delicious, as is the texture. The presentation is....well, what can I say, it's going to get compliments for looks alone even from people who won't eat it because they "don't like mushrooms." Don't skip the cranberry sauce, especially if you can make your own (it is SO easy to do, and so fast, and so very worth it); the color of that cranberry sauce adds greatly to the visual "ooh! aaah"" when you cut into it, and the taste works beautifully with the rest of the ingredients. I made it for Thanksgiving during the pandemic lockdown; subsequently I made it for a family Thanksgiving gathering where it was so well received I expect I'll be asked to bring it again, and I'm making it for another holiday gathering as I write. My only complaint -- which has absolutely nothing to do with the Wellington, to be fair -- is that I haven't been able to make it for Christmas dinner because of certain familial...expectations...about the menu that tie up the oven, and I haven't figured out how to get this on the table! No matter, really; this way I can make it when fewer people are around, leaving more for me! If you haven't made this and you like mushrooms, I don't know what you're waiting for. It's a delicious, elegant and elevated dish.
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Lisa, thanks for your endorsement and feedback 🙂
The prep time includes veg prep, measuring the ingredients and assembly of the wellington - although the first time making a recipe it always takes a bit longer. Once you are more familiar with a recipe, it usually won't take you quite as long. Also, the time that it takes to chop vegetables can hugely depend on a person's knife skills 😀 The 30 minutes is how long it takes me before the wellington went in the oven.
To speed it up, you can chop the onions and mushrooms in a food processor. Hope this helps!
Thanks again for your stunning review 🙂
Love, Sophie and Paul
Milly says
Looks amazing! Can I make this a day or two before cooking it? Will the pastry go soggy if I do this? Thanks
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks Milly! I'd suggest making the filling a day or two in advance, storing in the fridge and then assembling in the pastry on the day. That way you can do most of the work beforehand, but not risk the pastry getting soggy. Hope that helps 🙂
Tammy says
This has been our go to Thanksgiving recipe for a couple years. It is fantastic!
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Tammy, That's so lovely to hear! Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy 🙂
Mary says
Made this for Christmas Day and it turned out spectacularly!
Sophie and Paul says
We're honoured that you made it for Christmas day Mary! Delighted to hear that it was a success and thank you so much for taking the time to let us know. Wishing you a lovely rest of the festive season.