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Snack & Appetizers

Vol-au-Vent (Puff Pastry Shells)

How to make vol-au-vent with puff pastry and egg, ready for sweet or savory fillings. Perfect as finger food for any party.
Recipe Vol-au-Vent (Puff Pastry Shells)
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Preparation 15 minutes
  • Cooking 15 minutes
  • Servings for 10 vol-au-vent

When you think of an appetizer with vol-au-vent, your mind immediately goes to those special occasions when you want to impress with elegance and simplicity. This vol-au-vent recipe is the real ace up your sleeve for any party or dinner with friends: a few ingredients like puff pastry and an egg are all you need to bake golden little cases ready to hold creative fillings, both sweet and savory. Perfect for an elegant buffet, buffet vol-au-vent can be customized in countless ways, letting you please all your guests without giving up flavor and creativity.

A great classic? Filled vol-au-vent with salmon, shrimp, or the famous mushroom filling. But to make your holiday table truly unforgettable, try mushroom vol-au-vent or a creamy version with cheese cream, ideal if you want a refined, indulgent appetizer. If you love experimenting with new fillings, on our site you’ll find lots of ideas for filled vol-au-vent, as in the guide Vol-au-Vent Fillings, or let yourself be inspired by the original Christmas Star Vol-au-Vent recipe for Christmas Eve dinner.

And that’s not all: the convenience of cooking them in the oven makes puff pastry vol-au-vent a very quick yet impressive solution, even if you’re short on time. If you love variations, don’t miss other tasty bites like the Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites, the Zucchini Puff Pastry Pinwheels, or the Christmas Tree Place Cards.

Curious to learn how to make vol-au-vent perfectly and choose the filling that suits you best? Scroll down for our step-by-step recipe: your holiday appetizer will come to life with inviting aromas and unmistakable flavors.

Ingredients for 10 vol-au-vent

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Method

  1. To make the Vol-au-Vent, unroll the two disks of puff pastry on the work surface, then use a 6-centimeter cutter to cut out as many circles as possible. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then arrange ten of the circles on it, spacing them apart from each other.
  2. Take the remaining circles and use a 4-centimeter cutter to make pastry rings. Go back to the baking sheet and prick the circles with the tines of a fork, then brush them with the beaten egg and place 3 pastry rings on top of each, brushing a little egg between one ring and the next.
  3. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C (400 °F) for 10-15 minutes, or until the vol-au-vent are golden and puffed. Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely, then fill the Vol-au-Vent with the filling of your choice. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can also make Vol-au-Vent in the classic flower shape: simply use a flower-shaped cutter.

Tips

For even better Vol-au-Vent, we recommend using Homemade Puff Pastry.

Storage

Empty Vol-au-Vent keep for a few days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Once filled, they keep for one day at most.

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