Perfect Filet Mignon

Filet Mignon seared in garlic herb butter on the stove top and then finished in the oven is the absolute best way to cook a tender steak. This recipe turns out perfect every time! I have never made, nor have I ever enjoyed, a more delicious steak than this one.

I’ve made filet mignon this way more times than I can count. Below you’ll find the oven temperature, how long to cook it, a doneness chart and the tips I’ve picked up over the years, so your expensive steaks come out exactly the way you like them.

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Why This Filet Mignon Recipe Works

This is quite possibly my favorite dinner. Ever. That’s a pretty bold statement from a girl who lives and breathes recipes.

• Perfectly cooked: Each bite will deliver a crisp browned flavorful outside with a moist and tender middle.
• Best flavor: Fresh garlic and herbs infuse into the butter and all that flavor gets cooked into the steak.
• Accurate doneness: You can cook each steak exactly how you want: rare, medium rare, medium, or (gasp) medium well and well done. This is completely controlled by using an accurate meat thermometer.
• Better than a restaurant: Because filet mignon is expensive, it is most often enjoyed for a special occasion like date night or Valentine’s day. Even though the price of filet steaks at your local butcher is still very expensive, the cost will pale in comparison to what high-quality steakhouse filet mignons will cost.

Ingredients Needed

To make these tender juicy steaks, you will need a couple of filet mignon steaks, butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, as well as salt and pepper.

• Filet mignon: two steaks about 2 inches thick and close to the same size. I’ve bought both Prime and Choice, and honestly, it usually comes down to which ones look best that day. I often buy them at Costco, but my favorite place is The Meating Place in Hillsboro, Oregon, a local butcher that raises and sources local, sustainable cattle.
• Trim Choice steaks: Choice filets are cheaper, but they often come with a thicker strip of fat around the edge that can be tough to chew. I take a minute to trim it away before seasoning.
• Butter: the steaks cook in it, so use a good one. I use Kerrygold.
• Garlic and fresh herbs: smashed garlic cloves and sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

The exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below.

How to Cook the Best Filet Mignon

The absolute best way to cook this tender cut of meat is to sear the steaks in high-quality butter with fresh herbs and garlic. Once the steaks get a nice sear on both sides you will finish them off in a 400°F oven until they’ve reached the desired internal temperature.

Step 1: Prepare tools and ingredients

Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Generously coat both sides of the steaks with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Step 2: Add the Butter and Steaks to a Hot Pan

Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until it’s really hot. Nothing goes in until it is, or you won’t get that nice sear. Then add the butter, smashed garlic, rosemary, thyme and the steaks all at the same time.

Step 3: Sear the Steaks

Baste while they sear. While the steaks are searing, use a spoon to continually pour the melted garlic and herb-infused butter onto the top and sides of the steak. You want to infuse all of that flavor into the meat. Give each side 2-3 minutes and turn them only once, after they’re nicely browned.

Step 4: Finish in the Oven

Move the pan to the oven. Once you’ve seared both sides to perfection, finish cooking the Filet Mignon steaks in the preheated oven. Start checking with an instant-read thermometer after about 5 minutes, then rest the steaks on a plate, loosely tented with foil, for 5 minutes.

What Oven Temperature for Filet Mignon?

Finish filet mignon in a 400°F oven. It’s the question I get asked most in the comments, so here it is right up top. Preheat the oven while the steaks sit out, and it’s ready by the time they come out of the pan.

The oven bakes; it doesn’t broil. The stove gives you the crust, and the oven’s only job is to gently finish the center without burning the butter or overcooking the outside.

Filet Mignon Cooking Time

If you’re wondering how long it takes to cook a Filet Mignon, the total amount of time depends on a few factors:

1. How thick are your steaks?
2. What is the starting temperature of the meat (i.e. did you pull it straight from the fridge to the pan or did you let it come to room temperature first)?
3. How hot can you get your garlic herb butter and pan without burning the butter? There are a few tips and tricks to this step… keep on reading to find out.

All in all, the total cook time is about 15 to 20 minutes, start to finish, including the 2-3 minutes it takes to give each side a good sear and about 5 to 10 minutes to finish 2-inch steaks in the oven. Steaks that are still cold in the center need the longer end of that range. Add 5 minutes to rest before you cut in. It truly is an easy dinner recipe.

Internal Temperature Guide for Filet Mignon

Remove the filet mignon steaks from the oven when the internal temperature is about 5°F below your desired doneness. Place steaks on a plate and loosely tent with foil.

Although the USDA recommends cooking beef steaks to 145°F with a rest of at least 3 minutes, I prefer my steaks medium rare.

Common Filet Mignon Problems (and How to Fix Them)

These are the problems readers tell me about most in the comments, and how I fix them.

• The butter burns: butter burns fast in a really hot pan, especially in cast iron and on electric stoves. That’s why I now put the steaks in at the same time as the butter. The steaks immediately cool the pan just enough that the butter doesn’t burn. Keep it moving with your spoon, and if it still browns too fast, turn the heat down a notch.
• The kitchen fills with smoke: a hot pan and butter will smoke a little. Turn the vent fan on before the steaks go in.
• You took them too far: if you accidentally cook them too long and take the temperature too far, you will still need to allow the filet mignon to rest before cutting into them. Take them out of the hot pan to rest and transfer to a cutting board or plate. Resting in the hot pan keeps cooking them, and the temperature can climb well over 5°F.

PRO TIP: If you have the time, infuse the butter first. Put the butter, garlic and herbs in the pan over the lowest heat and leave it there, burner on, for an hour or even a few hours. The longer it infuses, the more flavorful it gets, and the results are phenomenal. When you’re ready, pour the butter into a bowl and pull out the garlic and herbs (they make a great garnish), get the pan screaming hot, add the steaks, then spoon the infused butter back in.

★★★★★

“This was my most successful Christmas fillet mignon ever! Thank you for the easily followed plan, and your wise side tips that eased me through the most enjoyable cooking experience I’ve had.”

Diane, reader review

Why Filet Mignon Steaks Are Best

Beef tenderloin steaks are expensive.

But they are absolutely worth the cost every so often for a special treat or for a holiday dinner. If you really want to go above and beyond, pair these steaks with some broiled lobster tails for the ultimate Surf and Turf dinner. Or you can make my recipe for lobster bisque and serve that with the meal.

Filet Mignon is expensive because it is arguably the most tender cut of beef. It is super tender because it is not a weight-bearing muscle and contains less connective tissue, thus making it more tender.

Tender beef is desirable beef. Desirable beef is expensive beef. The fact that beef tenderloin is a relatively small cut compared to other beef cuts adds to the hefty price as well. If you’re looking for a less expensive steak, T-Bone Steaks are another great option.

Worth it. So worth it.

Garlic Butter Filet Mignon Steak Bites

When I’m craving filet mignon but don’t have much time, or we really want that garlic butter in every single bite, I cut the steaks into bite-size pieces and skip the oven completely.

Season the pieces the same way, get the pan really hot over medium-high heat, then add the butter, garlic, herbs and steak bites together. Sear them for just a few minutes, turning to brown the sides and spooning the butter over them. Small pieces cook so fast that they never need to go in the oven.

Poke one of the bigger pieces with an instant-read thermometer to see how close they are, and pull them before they reach your preferred doneness. They keep climbing a few degrees even after they come out of the pan.

Side Dish Recommendations

• You can’t go wrong with perfectly cooked Baked Potatoes (hint: they are outstanding when you make them in the Instant Pot)
• Don’t want baked potatoes? Go the extra mile and make Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
• You can’t enjoy Filet Mignon without a dark green vegetable. What’s more perfect than Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus?
• You can’t go wrong with serving up a kale Caesar salad alongside your steak.

Any workarounds if you don’t have an oven safe pan?

You can put a metal baking pan in the oven while it preheats and then transfer everything in the skillet to the metal pan.

I don’t have fresh herbs. Can I use dried herbs or do you recommend leaving the rosemary and thyme out altogether?

Dried herbs are better than no herbs. Just don’t use as much as fresh!

What is the best process for searing 8 steaks if I want to cook for a large group?

A large 12″ skillet might fit all 8 steaks. If you need to cook them in batches, I would use the same pan to sear all of them in batches and then finish all of them off in the oven at the same time. Just be sure not to crowd when you sear but it’s probably okay to have them a bit closer in the oven.

Can you make bacon wrapped filets in this way?

You can! I would actually parcook the bacon in the oven on a baking sheet with parchment. Once the fat starts to render but it’s still very floppy, I would wrap the filets in the bacon and cook them right away. That way it will turn out nice and crisp without having to overcook the steak.

Is this better than grilling filet mignon?

I think so. I recently made steaks on the grill and regretted it, and a lot of readers who always grilled their filets have told me they’ve switched. The grill can’t give you the garlic herb butter bath.