Take the guess work out of cooking steak by using a sous vide circulator. With sous vide cooking — gently and at a precise temperature — results are guaranteed! Which is why we think these sous vide filet mignon should be pretty high on your list of things to make!
Here’s why we love them so much:
- Cooking steak with an immersion circulator in a water bath means they are not only cooked to your perfect desired doneness, but that they are more evenly cooked, from edge to edge.
- The filets are juicy and impossibly tender.
- Using the reverse sear method, you can quickly achieve that golden brown, crusty exterior that is so desirable in a steak.
- You can sous vide steak ahead of time (by a few hours!), let them hang out, then sear when ready to eat!
- While it’s delicious on its own, we are serving a rich gorgonzola cream sauce on the side and it is fab!
These sous vide filet mignon rival anything you get from a fancy pants steakhouse, but at a much lower price point and without a whole lot of fuss. Now that is something we can for sure get behind!
Love filet, but don’t own a sous vide precision cooker? Make sure to check out our whole beef tenderloin! It cooks at a low temperature in an oven and is 100% completely foolproof (we don’t say this lightly)!
Ingredients For Sous Vide Filet Mignon Recipe
For the steak
- 4 Filet Mignon, about 1 ½ – 2 inches thick
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Filet mignon is the fork tender cut of steak from the heart of the beef tenderloin. If you were to purchase a whole beef tenderloin and slice it yourself, you’d get about ~10 (1 ½ – 2 inch) thick filets out of it.
For the gorgonzola cream sauce
- Butter, shallots, and garlic (to flavor the sauce!)
- Heavy cream, gorgonzola cheese, Parmiggiano Reggiano, Kosher salt, and black pepper
Gorgonzola cheese and steak go together like peanut butter and jelly! They are a match made in heaven, and you will love spooning this creamy sauce on top!
Cooking Steak Sous Vide
With sous vide precision cooking, you have complete control over the cooking temperature and doneness of your steak. Whether you prefer rare, medium-rare, medium, or well-done, you simply set the temperature and a timer, and your results are guaranteed.
Stress free steak? Yes, please!
Perhaps the other greatest bonus from cooking filet mignon sous vide is that the steaks are cooked evenly from edge to edge. You just don’t get that when you pan sear or cook from start to finish on the stove top!
It’s the temperature of the sous vide water bath that will determine the overall doneness of the steak. We are die hard medium-rare steak lovers, so to us the perfect temperature is 130 F (54 C).
- Setup and preheat the sous vide circulator.
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then season generously with Kosher salt and black pepper on all sides. For this recipe, we’re using 1 ½ – 2″ thick steak.
- Seal the bag and remove all air.
- Cook the filet.
- Remove steak from the bag.
- Finish on stovetop by reverse searing in a cast iron pan or stainless steel skillet, adding any aromatics.
- Allow the steak to rest (this is a great time to make the gorgonzola cream sauce!) for a minimum of 5-10 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
- Reheat and pour pan drippings from stove top over steak, then slice and serve. Always finish with a generous sprinkling of Maldon sea salt, our favorite flaky salt!
How Long To Sous Vide Filet Mignon
First, let’s talk temperature. Fill a large pot or container with water, then attach the immersion circulator. Make sure the container is large enough to fit the bags while fully submerged with enough water. Set the temperature according to desired doneness below:
- Rare– 120F (49C) to 128F (53C): cool red center; just a step above raw
- 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours
- Medium-rare– 129F (54C) to 134F (56C): warm with a pink to red center; soft and juicy
- 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours
- Medium– 135F (57C) to 144F (62C): more gray-brown than pink
- 45 minutes to 4 hours
- Medium-well – 145F (63C) to 155F (68C): just a hint of pale pink in the center; on the chewy side
- 45 minutes to 3 hours
- Well-done– 156F (69C)and up: no pink whatsoever; tend to be touch and very chewy
- 1 to 3 hours
We recommend cooking and eating filet mignon medium-rare.
This chart assumes a thickness of 1 ½ – 2 inches per filet, which is standard.
A thinner steak will take less time to cook (and is more likely to be overcooked when finished in a cast iron). A thicker steak will take a bit longer. If the steak is thicker than 2 inches (up to 3 inches), err on the side of caution and cook the steaks closer to the end of the allotted cook time.
To cook steaks directly from freezer, allow 1 additional hour in the sous vide circulator from above.
Don’t own a vacuum sealer? Check out this helpful guide on using the water displacement method to securely seal food in Ziploc bags.
Why The Reverse Sear Works
Alright, so you’ve got perfectly cooked filet mignon thanks to your trusty sous vide circulator. Now what?
Now we reverse sear! Yes, you could eat the steak without searing, but finishing the filet on the stovetop will give it a crust! And isn’t the crust the best part of a steak? We agree.
Finish the filet mignon in a skillet. Heat a large cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet over high heat. Let it heat for 5 minutes, then add a few tablespoons of a high smoke point oil: canola, grapeseed, or vegetable oil work great.
Carefully place the filets into the hot cast iron, then cook for 1 – 1 ½ minutes total, flipping the steaks over every 15 seconds. The steaks should form a golden brown crust on each side.
If desired, before adding the steaks to the pan, you can add unsalted butter and fresh herbs (such as rosemary or thyme), then spoon the melted butter over the filets while they cook.
Either way, allow the filet mignon to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This is a great time to make the gorgonzola cream sauce!
Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
While certainly optional, this cream sauce made with gorgonzola cheese is a beautiful condiment to sous vide filet.
What is gorgonzola? It’s a veined Italian cheese made from unskimmed cows milk that can be either creamy or crumbly, is salty, and has a bit of a bite from it’s blue veining (similar to blue cheese).
It is generally considered to be milder than blue cheese, but still funky. And we mean that in a good way! Here’s how to make the rich gorgonzola cream sauce:
- Melt butter in a sauce pan, then sweat shallots and garlic.
- Pour in the heavy creamy, bring to a boil, then reduce until thickened.
- Add the gorgonzola cheese and Parmesan, then stir until melted.
- Season with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve immediately with steak!
What To Serve With Filet Mignon
- Herb-scented mashed potatoes
- Duck Fat Potatoes
- Shredded Brussel Sprouts Salad
- French Green Beans with Walnut Vinaigrette
- Chopped salad
- Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts or grilled asparagus
Don’t forget the wine! We recommend going with a medium bodied red (a filet is much leaner than, say, a ribeye steak or strip steak, where we’d pair a much fuller wine). We recommend Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, or a nice Syrah!
More sous vide recipes to try!
If you make our Sous Vide Filet Mignon recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more impressive dinner recipes, check out the following:
- Braised beef pappardelle
- Pan seared duck breast
- Salmon piccata
- Roast rack of lamb
- Pan seared scallops
Sous Vide Filet Mignon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Filet
- 4 (8 oz) filet mignon steaks cut about 1 ½-2" thick
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh rosemary or thyme optional
To Sear Steaks
- 3 Tbsp canola oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For The Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot minced, about 2 Tbsp
- 1 clove garlic minced, about 1 tsp
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz Gorgonzola crumbled
- ¼ cup Parmiggiano Reggiano
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Setup sous vide circulator. Fill a large pot or container with water (large enough to fit sealed bags with filets), then attach sous vide circulator and set to desired temperature (see chart below). We recommend 130 F for medium-rare.
- Prepare the steak. Season steak on all sides with Kosher salt and pepper. Place steaks in vacuum seal bags (2 filets per bag), add any fresh herbs (if using), then seal. Use a vacuum sealer to remove all air. See note for instructions on using a Ziploc bag instead.
- Cook filets. When water has come to temperature, place sealed bags into the water. If all air has been removed properly, they will not float. For medium-rare, cook for 1 hour – 1 hour 30 minutes. Carefully remove bags.
- Reverse sear. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Meanwhile, season filets on all sides with additional salt and pepper. When very hot, add oil. Carefully place steaks in the hot pan, then cook for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, flipping the filets over every 15 seconds, until a deep golden sear has formed. Transfer to a plate, allow steaks to rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
- Make the gorgonzola cream sauce. While the steak is resting, make the cream sauce. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add shallot, then cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic then cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Pour in heavy cream, then increase the heat to high. Boil and reduce until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Add gorgonzola and Parmiggiano Reggiano, then whisk until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve gorgonzola cream sauce on the side of steak.
Notes
- What temperature should you set the Sous Vide circulator to?
- Rare – 120F (49C) to 128F (53C): 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours
- Medium-rare – 129F (54C) to 134F (56C): 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours
- Medium – 135F (57C) to 144F (62C): 45 minutes to 4 hours
- Medium-well – 145F (63C) to 155F (68C): 45 minutes to 3 hours
- Well-done – 156F (69C) and up: 1 to 3 hours
- Read this guide on using the water displacement method to securely seal food in Ziploc bags without a vacuum sealer.
- To cook steaks directly from freezer, allow 1 additional hour in the sous vide circulator from above.
Let us know your thoughts!