Cooking filet mignon at home doesn’t need to be intimidating. With this easy pan-seared and oven-roasted method, you'll learn how to cook filet mignon like a steakhouse pro—without the white tablecloth or the big bill.
Start with a hot cast iron skillet to get that gorgeous sear, then finish the filet in the oven to the perfect doneness—rare, medium-rare, or however you like it. It’s quick, reliable, and ideal for a special meal at home.
We’re talking tender, juicy beef filets on the table in under 20 minutes. Just season, sear, bake, and rest. That’s it.
Jump To (scroll for more)
Featured Comment by Gina:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Perfect instructions, perfectly done, couldn’t be easier! The timing chart was very helpful. Thank’s doc."
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Filet Mignon Recipe
- Beginner-friendly: No fancy tools, no complicated steps. If you can use a skillet, an oven, and an instant-read thermometer, you can cook this steak perfectly every time.
- Juicy and tender very time: The sear-and-bake method is simple, fast, and gives consistent results—even if it’s your first time cooking filet.
- Fast and impressive: Start to finish in under 20 minutes. Great for date night, holidays, or just treating yourself on a Tuesday.
- No grill needed: Everything happens right on your stovetop and in the oven. Perfect for year-round cooking.
- Custom doneness: Learn exactly how long to cook filet mignon for rare, medium-rare, or well done—without guessing.
🔪 Ingredients
- Beef tenderloin filets — 6 to 8 ounces each and about 1 to 1 ½ inches thick. Look for choice or prime grade for the best results.
- Butter or oil — Real butter adds rich flavor, but high-quality oil works well too, especially if you're worried about smoking.
- Seasoning — Just kosher salt and black pepper does the job, but feel free to use your favorite steak seasoning. I often reach for my All-Purpose Seasoning Salt (salt, pepper, and garlic powder).
🧂 Optional: Add fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme to the top of each steak with a pat of butter before it goes into the oven for an extra boost of flavor.
👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Cook Filet Mignon
1. Preheat, rest, and season
Preheat your oven to 400°F. If you have time, let the filets rest at room temp for 30 to 60 minutes. Pat dry and season all sides.
2. Searing the filets
Melt butter in an oven-safe skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high heat. When hot, sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes to build that crust.
3. Finish in the oven
Transfer to the preheated oven. Cook to your desired internal temperature minus about 3°-4°. Medium-rare takes about 5-7 minutes in the oven to reach an internal temperature of about 130°F- 135°F(medium-rare).
4. Rest and serve
Move the steaks to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let them rest for 5 to 8 minutes. That’s how you keep all the juicy goodness inside.
For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
⏰ How Long to Cook Filet Mignon
For a 1-inch thick filet, medium-rare usually takes about 9 to 11 minutes total—that’s 2 to 3 minutes per side in a hot skillet and 5 to 7 minutes in a 400°F oven.
Guidelines for doneness levels and approximate oven time:
- Rare (125°–130°F) – A quick sear and just 4 to 5 minutes in the oven. Be careful—rare is tricky and easy to overshoot. See the note below.
- Medium-Rare (130°–135°F) – About 5 to 7 minutes in the oven after searing.
- Medium (140°–150°F) – About 8 to 10 minutes in the oven after searing.
- Medium-Well (150°–155°F) – 12 to 15 minutes in the oven. Not recommended.
- Well Done (160°F+) – 15 minutes or more. Not recommended.
✅ Pro Tips: Always remove the filet from the oven 3° to 4°F before your target temperature. It will finish cooking while it rests, and you'll keep the juices where they belong—inside the steak.
🔥 Quick Tips
- Use an instant-read thermometer. It's the only way to know for sure when you're done.
- Check early. You can always cook it more, but you can’t undo overcooked filet.
- Let it rest for 5 to 8 minutes after cooking. This is not optional—it’s how you get juicy results.
⚠️ Note for Rare Lovers
Rare filets are fussy to get right. If the steak is well-rested before cooking or thinner than 1 inch, it might only need a minute or two in the oven. Check the internal temperature before it even goes into the oven, and again just a few minutes later. You can do it, just cook with confidence and a good instant-read thermometer.
👍Tips for Success
- Use quality beef: Prime is best, but well-marbled choice grade works well too.
- Rest before cooking: Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. It helps it cook more evenly and hit your target internal temperature.
- No cast iron? No problem: Any oven-safe skillet will work. Just check the temperature limit.
- Salt timing matters: Season just before cooking or at least an hour ahead. In between, it can dry out the surface without time to recover.
- Rest after cooking: Don't skip the rest after cooking. The temperature will rise a few degrees, but more importantly, it gives time for the juices to reabsorb into the cells for extraordinary juicy tenderness.
🐄Other steak recipes
Want more ways to cook a perfect steak? Here are a few of our favorites:
Grilled Filet Mignon
The perfect Filet Mignon Recipe uses the tried and true sear and oven bake method to get the best filet mignon every time—moist, tender, and flavorful.
🍽️ What to Serve with Filet Mignon
During the resting period, top your filet with a pat of butter or compound butter for extra flavor. I recommend my Steak Butter with Garlic and Blue Cheese—it melts right in and adds a rich, savory finish.
Filet mignon pairs well with just about anything you’d serve at a nice dinner. Try it with:
- Oven Roasted Baby Red Potatoes or Parmesan Baked Potatoes
- A fresh salad or hot vegetables like Green Beans with Almonds or Roasted Asparagus.
- Crusty bread to soak up any juices left on the plate
Choose a red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet for a wine pairing.
❓FAQs
Cast iron gives even heat and a great sear—no hot spots, just results. It’s cheap, tough, and built for this kind of cooking.
Not well. Time alone won’t cut it. An instant-read thermometer is the only way to know when it’s done—and to avoid ruining an expensive cut.
Resting before helps it cook more evenly and hit your target temperature. Resting after lets the juices reabsorb for a moist, tender steak. Both steps matter.
Nope. For steaks that thick, use the reverse sear method—it cooks more gently and evenly with very thick steaks.
Yes, this sear-and-bake method works great for strip steaks, ribeyes, or sirloins. Just adjust oven time based on thickness.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Cook Filet Mignon (Sear & Oven Method)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 2 beef tenderloin filet mignon - about 1-1½ inch thick and about 6-8 oz
- 1 tablespoon butter - or oil
- salt and pepper or other seasonings
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Preheat, rest, and season
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Start with 1 to 1½ inch thick filets, about 6-8 oz each, and trim well. Rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes if you have time.
- Pat dry well with paper towels. Season all sides to taste with the seasoning of your choice. Just kosher salt and black pepper or All-Purpose Seasoning, which adds garlic powder, is enough.
2. Searing the filets
- In a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.
- When hot, sear both sides of the filets for 2-3 minutes—sear, flip, sear, and give them a final flip before putting them into the oven.
3. Finish in the oven
- Transfer to the preheated oven. Cook to your desired internal temperature minus about 3°-4°. Medium-rare takes about 5-7 minutes in the oven to reach an internal temperature of about 135°- 140°F.
4. Rest and serve
- Remove from pan, tent lightly with foil on a plate, and rest for 5-8 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- An 8-oz filet will be about 2-3 inches in diameter and 1¼ to 1½ inches thick. Quality matters a lot with filets. Use prime if you can, but choice grade will work.
- Resting at room temperature will help you get the final internal temperature and cook evenly.
- I like to season with All-Purpose Seasoning (7:2:1) which is salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Try to season one hour before cooking or just before cooking.
- You may use butter or oil in the pan. Butter has a lower smoke point, but I have never had an issue.
- The pan and the butter should be hot, and the meat should be dry and seasoned before searing.
- Sear each side to approximately the final color you want and do a final flip just before going in the oven.
- If you want rare, especially if the filet is thinner, check the temperature when it goes in the oven. More discussion of rare steaks is in the recipe post.
- I suggest checking the internal temperature of the filet about 4-5 minutes after going into the oven.
- The time is very variable here, depending on the thickness of the meat, the exact starting temperature, the stovetop, the amount of searing, the exact oven temperatures, and the pan. There are many excellent reasons NOT to go by time. Time estimates are given as guides for time management.
- PLEASE USE AN INSTANT-READ THERMOMETER. DO NOT COOK BY TIME ALONE; YOU MUST CHECK INTERNAL TEMPERATURE.
- Times are provided to help with planning only. You are responsible if you overcook a filet. You can always cook it a bit more later, but you can not uncook an overcooked filet.
- Remove from the oven a few degrees below your final desired temperature. It will rise a few degrees when tented.
- Let rest for 5-8 minutes before serving.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally published March 10, 2012, updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Gail says
I’d like to make this for a party of 25. Can I sear the filet and store in fridge and bake it in oven later?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Gail,
Welcome to the blog.
I don't think you will be happy with the results of searing, refrigerating, and baking. Not that I have done it, but I'm thinking of fluid shifts in the steak and the outside overcooking by the time you get the filets cooked in the oven.
I don’t have a plan for cooking 25 filets and having them ready at the same time with this recipe. I do cook filets frequently on my grill, which is large enough for 25 filets, so you may want to check out my grilled filet recipe if that sounds like a good option. If you choose to use the grill, let them rest at room temperature, and monitor your grill and meat temperatures closely. You should definitely practice cooking filets several times before trying mass cooking.
Sorry, I was not more help.
Dan
PS Additional thought. While eating dinner, I did think of another solution. Use a large electric or stovetop griddle to sear, then move them to a preheated heavy sheet pan to finish.
Randy Bowman says
When pan searing what do you use if you don't have a cast iron pan ?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Randy,
Welcome to the blog.
Any oven-safe skillet will do. Most stovetop skillets are oven-safe to a set temperature determined by the manufacturer. Mine are all over 400°, mostly 450° or 500°. It was on the paperwork when you bought it but we all toss that, so do a search for your skillet and be sure they are oven safe to 400°. I will add that 400° oven is arbitrary and you can use 350° if needed, it will take a bit longer.
Now, it you just aren't sure. You can preheat an oven safe pan while searing and transfer the filets after searing on the stovetop to the oven pan to finish to temperature.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Gina says
Perfect instructions, perfectly done, couldn’t be easier! The timing chart was very helpful. Thank’s doc.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Gina,
Welcome to the blog. When I was rewriting I felt the frame around the timing chart was a good idea... it is what most people are looking for, so just highlight it.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Deborah L says
Dr Dan, This is an easy recipe and great taste! I'm thinking of making it as filet au poivre next time. Your sauce recipe says to add minced scallops. Really? Should that read scallions? or shallots? That seems an indignity to the scallops.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for the note and proof read. That paragraph was copied from a 2010 post that I deleted, so you are the first to find it in 13 years.
I changed it to green onions that I think most home cooks will understand better. I also gave the post a fast cosmetic buff-up but do not rewrite anything else. (opps, I did change the weight and thickness range to 1 -1/2 inches and 6-8 oz. I have been doing a lot of 6 oz filets over the summer.
Dan