How to make Vol-au-vent Cases

These crispy flakey vol-au-vent cases made with puff pastry are the perfect base for a variety of your favourite fillings. They can be made ahead and filled at the last minute and are the best retro canapé or appetiser!

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes
• Step by step how to make vol-au-vent cases
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• Storage
• How to cook the cases in the air fryer:
• Suggested fillings for vol-au-vents
• More finger food recipes
• Vol-au-vent Cases

Why we love this recipe

• Growing up, the party food I looked forward to the most at Christmas was the vol-au-vent! Crispy puff pastry cases filled with a savoury filling, more often than not creamy mushrooms, sometimes chicken.
• I have tested many ways of making homemade vol-au-vents from scratch, and I feel I’ve cracked it! By using two layers of pastry, a ring of puff pastry on top of a circular base you end up with risen puff pastry cases a base that stays crispy, and fully cooked puff pastry.
• These 2 ingredient – and one of those is water – puff pastry cases are so simple to make and can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge then reheated to crispy perfection!
• These vol au vent cases can be made in the oven or in the air fryer.
• So much cheaper and tastier than store bought cases.
• You can easily scale up the recipe to make as many vol-au-vents as you like for a budget friendly canapé.

Ingredients Notes

• Puff pastry – In Australia I use a 24cm x 24cm frozen puff pastry sheet, weighing about 160g, but if you are in the UK you can use half a block of puff pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to ¼ cm thick or half a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry.
• Water – cold tap water.
• That’s it!!

Step by step how to make vol-au-vent cases

For full detailed recipe please scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post.

1. If your puff pastry needs defrosting, defrost it at room temperature – this will take an hour or so depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
2. Preheat the oven.
3. Cut out circles with a 6cm (2.3″) round cookie cutter.
4. Using a smaller, 4cm (1.57″) round cookie cutter cut holes in the middle of half of the circles.

5. Lay the large circles on a lined baking tin / baking sheet.
6. Brush the rings with a little water, and also brush the edges of the circles with a little water.

7. Gently press the ring over the circle.
8. Repeat with the remaining circles and puff pastry rings. Place them in the preheated oven.

9. Take out of the oven and cool for a couple of minutes until cool enough to handle, then taking a small sharp knife, carefully cut around the inner circle.
   • TIP: don’t cut all the way through the pastry.
10. Carefully remove the smaller circle, taking care not to rip the pastry.

11. You should be left with a little puff pastry cup like the image on the left below.
12. Place the vol-au-vent cases back in to the oven for 3-4 minutes to cook the insides.
13. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• Take care not to cut all the way through the pastry when cutting off the lid, otherwise your filling could leak out.
• Preheat the oven before you place the puff pastry cases in to bake. This helps them to rise.
• For a shiny top on your puff pastry cases, brush with a little beaten egg before placing in the oven. I don’t do this to keep the cost down.
• Leftover pastry / pastry scraps: you can either re-roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut out some more cases, or make puff pastry pinwheels.

Storage

You can make the pastry cases up to 3 days before you need them and reheat in a moderate oven or the air fryer for a couple of minutes to crisp up.

How to cook the cases in the air fryer:

1. Prepare the cases as for the oven put place them on a circle of baking paper / baking parchment on the air fryer basket, making sure there is a gap of 1-2 cm (⅓ – ¾ inch) around the edges to let the air circulate.
2. Bake at 180˚C / 356˚F for 6 minutes.
3. Leave to cool slightly then take off the lids.
4. Carefully remove the baking paper – the basket may still be hot so take care – then place the vol-au-vent cases back into the air fryer.
5. Cook at 180˚C / 356˚F for 3-4 minutes.

Suggested fillings for vol-au-vents

• Serve this retro hors d’oeuvre filled with prawn cocktail, creamy mushroom sauce or Coronation chicken.
• A couple of other budget ideas:
  • Spicy tuna vol au vents: To fill 6-7 cases, mix 1 small tin of drained tuna with ¼-1/2 a small spring onion, finely chopped, 2.5 teaspoons mayonnaise, pinch of salt and ¼-1/3 teaspoon Sriracha. Fill the cases with a teaspoon of the mixture and top with extra spring onion and optional black sesame seeds.
  • Spicy egg vol-au-vents: To fill 5 cases, mix 1 cooled hard boiled egg with 2 teaspoon mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and ¼ – ⅓ teaspoon Sriracha. Fill the cases with teaspoon of the mixture and top with finely chopped spring onions.

More finger food recipes