Beef wellington is the ultimate, show-stopping centrepiece for a special meal… But it’s not exactly quick and easy to knock together. So can you get ahead of yourself, make it in advance and have it ready?
Can You Freeze Beef Wellington?
Yes, you can freeze beef wellington for up to 3 months. You need to ensure it is airtight, and you also need to consider the ingredients you have used. Pastry, mushrooms, beef and pate will all freeze well individually.
Does Beef Wellington Freeze Well? Sometimes
Can You Refreeze Beef Wellington? No
How to Freeze Beef Wellington
You would think that a dish as complicated as a beef wellington would be difficult to freeze but it isn’t! To freeze it just do the following:
- Protect It: Once your beef wellington is prepared using your favourite recipe, wrap it tightly in cling film making sure it is airtight. It wouldn’t hurt to double-wrap the beef wellington just to make sure.
- Label: Label it, so you know when to use it. This is especially important if you have a vegan wellington, also frozen. You don’t want to serve the wrong wellington!
- Freeze: Pop it in the freezer. It really is that simple.
Yes, beef wellington that has not been cooked can be frozen. It just needs to be popped into a freezer bag to keep it airtight. Be wary that it will be very fragile so be gentle.
3 Tips for Freezing Beef Wellington
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing beef wellington to have the best results:
Do a Test Run
Although it is possible to freeze this dish, if you are planning on making this meal for a special occasion it would be recommended to do a test run before the big day – just to see how your particular recipe reacts and to make sure that you have a cooking method worked out too!
Cook From Frozen
Cooking the beef wellington from frozen is a great way to retain the texture of all the elements. Remember to add around 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time to allow it to thaw throughout.
Be Gentle
Beef wellington takes a lot of effort to make and can be quite fragile. When placing it into the freezer, be gentle, as you don’t want to ruin all your hard work.
How Long Can You Freeze Beef Wellington?
You can freeze the prepared dish before it is cooked for up to three months but you might lose some of the flavour – especially in the pastry.
When freezing pastry it is recommended that you don’t freeze it for too long so bear this in mind when preparing your beef wellington for freezing.
Uncooked beef wellington can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours on a covered dish. Cooked beef wellington will keep for between 3 and 4 days and can be warmed up or enjoyed cold.
How Do You Defrost Beef Wellington?
Many cooks choose to cook their frozen beef wellington from frozen and find that this works quite well. Just pop it into the oven as you normally would but expect it to take longer than you would normally expect.
This can help to retain the structure and taste of the pastry, just be careful to make sure you cook it slow enough to cook the inside as well as the pastry or it will become inedible.
If you do need to defrost your beef wellington then pop it onto a dish then put it in the fridge to defrost overnight. How long it takes will depend on the size of the beef wellington so yours may need slightly less or more time.
Can You Refreeze Beef Wellington?
Pastry tends to be quite a temperamental food item and that’s why we would avoid refreezing beef wellington. You’ll end up with soggy pastry when you next go to cook it and no one wants soggy pastry.
Instead, try to thaw the amount you’ll need.
Does Beef Wellington Freeze Well?
This question can depend on many factors, from the recipe used, the ingredients and even how the beef wellington was prepared and par-cooked in the first place.
In theory, there is no reason that this shouldn’t freeze well and taste almost as good if not as good as a fresh version.
Just be aware of the pastry. Pastry does freeze but it can become difficult to work with when it’s defrosted and if frozen for too long can lose some of its flavours.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing beef wellington or wellington in general, then these may help:
You’ll be pleased to hear that vegan wellington freezes particularly well. You’ll often find that they’re made with mushrooms as they make a great substitute for meat and mushrooms freeze particularly well, thankfully.
Most supermarket wellingtons will outline on the box whether it is suitable for home freezing or not. Generally, they will claim it is not because it can cause the pastry to become a little soggy and that would impact their brand image.
