Sous vide is perfect for steak and there’s nothing like sous vide filet mignon! Thanks to your immersion circulator, you are guaranteed a perfect medium-rare with minimal effort on your part. Sometimes referred to as a tenderloin steak, there are few cuts that melt in your mouth quite like this.

Sous vide filet mignon with blue cheese gravy and mashed potatoes on white and pink plates.

If something is “hard” to cook, sous vide it! Double that if it was expensive. Whether it’s crème brulee, delicate fish, or in this case, an expensive cut of beef, sous vide will help you nail it every time.

When cooking sous vide, the cooking environment is the exact temperature you want the interior of your food to come to. As long as you don’t cook these beef tenderloin cuts longer than 4 hours, you can’t overcook them!

If you’re looking for even more sous vide recipes to incorporate into your daily routine, make sure to check out my cookbooks.

Sous Vide Filet Mignon Time and Temperature Guide

I love a medium-rare steak, especially for cuts like filet mignon. The fattier the cut is, the higher in temp I tend to go, but for something like this, I stay pretty low.

If you’re cooking below 130 degrees F, do not cook longer than 3 hours for food safety reasons. In general, don’t cook this cut longer than 4 hours or you risk over tenderizing and making it mushy.

The best time and temp for medium-rare filet mignon is 129 degrees F for 2 hours.

ResultTemperatureTime
Rare121-126 degrees F1-3 hours
Medium-Rare127-132 degrees F1-3 hours
Medium133-137 degrees F1-4 hours
Medium-Well138-141 degrees F1-4 hours

Where to Find Filet Mignon

Although often available at the grocery store, you might have a little trouble finding it there. Your best bet is to go to a local butcher. If you scan the cases and don’t see “filet mignon,” look for “tenderloin steaks” and ask the butcher if they’re filet mignon. Filet mignon is cut from the most tender part of the tenderloin, so it’s not always the same thing but often is!

How to Make Sous Vide Filet Mignon

This really couldn’t be easier. Preheat a water bath using your immersion circulator to 129 degrees F for medium rare steak (honestly, I don’t think filet mignon should be served any other way!).

I season mine really simply: just salt and pepper, maybe a couple of sprigs of rosemary if I have them in the vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal.

Don’t have a vacuum sealer? No problem. There are lots of other air removal methods you can use.

Then I cooked for two hours at 129 degrees F. Since these are thicker cuts, I’d recommend at least an hour and a half, up to 3 hours of cooking time.

How to Get a Good Sear

Getting a good sear is a careful balance of allowing enough time to char without undoing all the hard work you just did and accidentally overcooking the steak.

  1. Remove the steak from the vacuum seal bags and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Usually, I’ll do 3 layers of paper towels on my counter, set the steak on it, then top with another 3 layers of paper towels and press down on the top and all the sides. You can also use a clean dish towel.
  2. Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. If you’re looking for bonus points and have the forethought, preheat your skillet in a 450 degree F oven for 20 minutes before searing. A simple Lodge cast iron skillet works just fine, but I love my Finex. Make sure you’ve got your hood’s vent on full blast for this!
  3. Once hot, add ghee to the cast iron skillet. Ghee is just clarified butter. I use that instead of butter because the solid parts, which are strained out as part of the process of making ghee, are what burn. With ghee, you get all the flavor of butter, but it has a way higher smoke point. Make sure the entire skillet is well coated.
  4. Add the steak to the very hot skillet, and press down slightly. You can use a ceramic bowl or mug to do this, but a grill press works best.
  5. After about 30 seconds, check to see if you’ve got the char you’d like, then flip. Don’t leave the steak unattended: it’s easy to over cook!
  6. Remove to a plate once finished.

How to Make a Blue Cheese Gravy

Now, this step is definitely a “bonus points” step, but this blue cheese gravy is so, so worth it. Don’t get me wrong: I love compound butters on steak, but why do that, when you could have blue cheese gravy? Not to mention, it’s a breeze to make!

Blue cheese gravy ingredients on pink and white surface.

I typically do this in the same skillet I sear the steak in after searing.

Start as you would making any other gravy: melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes, until just starting to brown. Add chicken stock and let simmer until it reaches your desired thickness.

Then season with salt and pepper, stir in some sour cream for creaminess and tang, and finish with the blue cheese. That’s it!

Now generously pour that glorious sauce all over your filet mignon. Okay, don’t do too much: let the steak shine!

Even better, it tastes great on pretty much any side dish you pair here.

What to Serve with Filet Mignon

Sauces

The full blue cheese gravy recipe is in the recipe card below, but if you aren’t feeling that, I recommend:

Sides

You do you, but when you’re serving filet mignon, go for decadence the whole way through. It’s always nice to get some vegetables on the plate, but don’t hold back with the richness! Especially if you’re serving this for a special occasion.

Common Questions

Can I sous vide filet mignon from frozen?

If the steak cuts are seasoned and vacuum sealed in your freezer, you can absolutely sous vide them from frozen. Just make sure to cook for at least two hours.

What time and temperature for medium-rare sous vide filet mignon?

For medium-rare, sous vide at 129 degrees F for 2 hours.

How do I reheat filet mignon?

The safest way to reheat without overcooking is to vacuum seal the steak and sous vide at the original temperature you cooked it at for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story.

Sous vide filet mignon with blue cheese gravy and mashed potatoes on white and pink plates.
5 stars from 2 reviews

Get the Recipe:

Medium-Rare Sous Vide Filet Mignon

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Sous vide is perfect for steak and there's nothing like sous vide filet mignon! Thanks to your immersion circulator, you are guaranteed a perfect medium-rare with minimal effort on your part. Sometimes referred to as a tenderloin steak, there are few cuts that melt in your mouth quite like this.

Ingredients
 

For the steak:

  • 2 8 oz filet mignon steaks
  • kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp ghee

For the blue cheese gravy:

  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions
 

Sous Vide Filet Mignon

  • Preheat water bath using immersion circulator to 129 degrees F.
  • Season steaks liberally with salt and pepper.
  • Add the steaks to a vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, use another air removal method, like the water displacement method.
  • Add the vacuum sealed steaks to the preheated water bath and cook for 1 1/2-3 hours. Secure with sous vide magnets if you have them.
  • When the steak is done cooking, remove from water bath and remove steaks from bag. Pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels.
  • Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once very hot, add the ghee to the skillet. Sear steaks on each side for no more than a minute until well browned. Use a grill press to press the steaks for a better sear. Remove to a cutting board.

Blue Cheese Gravy

  • After searing the steak, make the blue cheese gravy. In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat.
  • Add the flour, whisk together, and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently.
  • Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer, whisking regularly, until mixture reaches desired consistency.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper, sour cream, and blue cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
  • Top the steaks with plenty of blue cheese gravy and serve.

Notes

  • To make sure the steaks are thoroughly dried before searing, wrap in paper towels and let sit for a few minutes to draw out excess moisture.
  • To get the cast iron skillet extra hot before searing, preheat in a 450 degree F oven for 20 minutes.
  • For more blue cheese flavor, top steaks with additional blue cheese crumbles after topping with gravy.
  • This gravy tastes great with mashed potatoes, too!
  • Nutrition information is for steaks without gravy.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dinner
Author: Chelsea Cole
Calories: 687kcal, Protein: 41g, Fat: 57g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 23g, Cholesterol: 178mg, Sodium: 111mg, Potassium: 689mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 5mg
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