Gluten Free Vol Au Vent (With Mushroom or Smoked Salmon filling)
These light and flaky gluten free Vol Au Vent are a Retro meets 21st century classic that will give any party a boost. Made with perfect homemade Gluten Free Puff Pastry, I share two filling recipes (Garlic Mushroom or Smoked Salmon and Whipped Cream Cheese) to get you started. (Can also be made with bought puff pastry).
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Back to the future… My Gluten Free Vol au Vent Recipe
I was rather partial to a Vol au Vent back in the 70’s. They were always available at parties and Christmas and a must on the Boxing Day buffet table. I have no idea where they have been hiding since… But this ‘throwback’ seems to have made a comeback… And it’s only right I should create a gluten free vol au vent recipe to ensure we gluten-avoiders can enter the realms of time travel too.
Back in the day, we bought the standard, frozen, ready-made wheat variety. We baked them in the oven, filled them (usually with tinned tuna and mayo, chicken in white sauce, or egg mixed with salad cream) and Bob’s your uncle, we had a party set to go! While I’m sure they remain delicious, the traditional (now very retro) flavours seem rather outdated. So…
Read on not just for vol au vent pastry know-how, but recipes for a couple of more up-to-date fillings that are simple yet fitting for the times.
History of the Vol Au Vent
While those of us who were children of the 70’s have firmly claimed the Vol au Vent as our own, it is in fact, a creation that is more ‘antique’ than retro. Indeed, vol au vents first made their appearance in the Paris pastry store of Antonin Carême in the early 1800s. These flaky, buttery, circular, layered puff pastries made little baskets ripe to be stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings. All the rage in ‘posh’ 19th Century Paris.
Fast forward to post-war Europe and Vol au Vents reinvented themselves as something for the aspiring Brit… They were typically served as an appetiser and a ‘requirement’ for any party table.
The best Puff Pastry for Gluten Free Vol Au Vents
I’m not aware of any shop-bought gluten free vol au vents. So… if you want some, you have to make them at home. But can they be made with any gluten free puff pastry?
Technically yes! But the puff pastry you choose will massively impact the quality of the vol au vent. I’ve made vol au vents previously with chilled as well as frozen commercial brands and both in terms of flavour and puff, they’ve been ‘ok’. Just ‘ok’ and no more.
So, while you may choose to go down the shop pastry route (which is fine), it’s more than worth the (pretty minimal) effort of making your own. My epic Gluten Free Puff (Rough Puff) Pastry has been tried and tested on a multitude of dishes, including amazing vol au vents! And it’s honestly not as hard as you might think.
How to make Gluten Free Vol Au Vent cases
Once you’ve made or bought the gluten free puff pastry, making vol au vent at home is pretty simple. The basic process is this:
- Roll the pastry to about 4 to 5 mm thickness (or if using ready-rolled, unroll it). See ‘tip’ note below re ‘don’t roll the pastry too thin’.
- Cut circles (about 5 cm/2 inches diameter) using a sharp-edged cookie cutter.
- Brush off any excess flour from the circle tops.
- Cut a smaller circle (about 3 cm diameter) from the middle of half of the pastry circles.
- Egg wash the tops of all the complete circle bases.
- Brush the flour from the underside of the doughnut-shaped tops, before firmly (but gently) sticking each one to an egg-washed circle base.
- Egg-wash the top ring of each pastry, chill thoroughly and bake!
IMPORTANT: At all stages of the process, the pastry must remain cold! Thus, if it feels like it’s getting too warm and difficult to handle, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to firm up a little.
Can I use a different-shaped cutter?
Absolutely yes! The beauty of making vol au vents at home is that you can make them any shape you like. In the past, I’ve made them square, heart-shaped, triangular, straight-edged, frilly-edged… I’ve even made them shaped like Christmas trees!
The only proviso is this…
When choosing cutters, BOTH the cutter for the base piece and the cut-out ‘hole’ MUST be super SHARP. Cutters that are ‘rounded’, ‘lipped’ or blunt (such as the top of a glass) will squash the pastry edge. Squashed edges result in the layers compressing and getting stuck together. They then cannot separate and puff properly in the oven, resulting in either very uneven or poor rise in the vol au vent.
When cutting (and for the same reason)… CUT STRAIGHT DOWN and don’t twist the cutter.
Tips for making fabulous Vol Au Vent
① Keep it COLD
The most important rule when making vol au vent (or indeed using puff pastry for any recipe) is to KEEP IT COLD. If the pastry warms, the butter will melt into the dough and then it won’t puff in the oven.
So… Make sure the pastry stays cold at every stage, from rolling to just before baking. Work in smaller batches to roll, cut and stick if necessary. If at any point the pastry feels like it is soft and becoming more difficult to handle, pop it back in the fridge (transferring cut pieces carefully to a tray if need be) to firm up again.
② Don’t roll puff pastry too thin
When making gluten free vol au vent, do not roll the pastry too thin. The thickness of the rolled pastry will make a difference to the height of the baked pastries. If you want good puff and tall, proud vol au vents, the optimum rolled thickness of the dough is around 5 mm… Certainly for the top (holed) layer. If you want a finer base (and a more deeply-filled vol au vent), the base pastry layer can be thinner (at around 3 to 4 mm). It’s a little more effort (but only a little!).
If making thinner bases and thicker tops, split the pastry about two-thirds to one-third and use the smaller piece to roll more thinly for the bases.
③ Roll the puff pastry evenly
Rolling pastry (of any sort) evenly can be a challenge. I’m the first to admit my edges are often thinner than the middle. However uneven pastry may result in wonky vol au vents. So… here are three tips that can make a big difference to getting your puff pastry even:
- When rolling pastry with a traditional ‘straight’ rolling pin, push down on the pin from the centre of the stick. While it’s natural to hold the pin at the ends, this exerts more pressure at the edges, resulting in a thinner perimeter. Placing hands at the centre helps to keep the pressure (and hence the pastry dough) even.
- Invest in a French Tapered Rolling Pin. This is the sort that professional bakers often use. Its clever shape naturally exerts pressure at the centre, allowing for greater control and evenness.
- Use a rolling pin with thickness rings. This controls the depth of the rolled pastry automatically by adjusting the sized rings at each end. The downside is that the width to which the pastry can be rolled is limited by the length of the rolling pin.
Regardless of the pin used, don’t press too hard when rolling. Gentle is important to ensure the pastry is evenly rolled and also stays smooth with no cracks.
④ Use super-sharp cutters when shaping Vol au Vent
As already mentioned, it is really important to use super-sharp cutters when making vol au vent. See above for the what and why!
⑤ Brush off excess flour after rolling
Use a clean, dry pastry brush to remove any excess flour from the top of the pastry circles and both the top and underside of the upper (holed) pastry pieces. Excess flour may prevent the two pastry pieces from sticking together. And it may also harden when baked into a layer that is quite ‘crusty’ rather than flaky.
⑥ Do NOT egg wash the sides of the Vol au Vents
When egg-washing, be careful NOT to coat the sides. If the sides are egg-washed, this will stick the layers of puff pastry together and they won’t rise properly or evenly.
⑦ Fully preheat the oven before baking
To get the best rise on vol au vent, the pastry MUST be super-chilled and the oven MUST be super-hot. Make sure the oven is thoroughly preheated before baking.
If you’ve looked at the recipe card already (at the bottom of this post), you know that the oven is preheated to 220 C (425 F). Then, when the vol au vents go in, it’s turned down to 200 C (400 F) for the bake. The reason for this is two-fold:
- It ensures the oven is super-hot at the start of the bake.
- The extra heat helps to compensate for the coldness of the baking tray that has (most likely) just come out of the fridge (and which will immediately pull down the internal oven temperature).
Using the small pastry ‘cut-out’ from the Vol au Vent top
When the central holes are cut from the top layer of the vol au vent pastry, keep them! They can be baked to use as cute ‘caps’ on top of the filled pastries… OR (my favourite) can be made into mini bite-size Vol au Vent instead.
Can I make gluten free Vol au Vents ahead of time?
Vol au vents are best eaten when freshly baked. Thus, while they can be baked a day ahead, my advice is to construct them raw and keep them unbaked and chilled ready to cook when you need them. They can be stored unbaked for up to 3 days in the fridge (in an airtight container, layered between baking paper), then cooked as normal.
While I haven’t personally tested freezing them (yet), I am fairly sure they can be frozen raw and then baked when needed. As soon as I have had a chance to test, I will let you know for sure. Meanwhile, if you try it anyway, let me know the result.
How to use the offcuts of puff pastry
Although I don’t recommend using the offcuts of the rolled puff pastry to make more vol au vents, don’t throw them away and do NOT scrunch them up. Instead, dust off any excess flour and lay them together as a flat pile. Gently roll them to a thickness of about 4 mm, before cutting into strips and placing them on a baking tray. Top with egg wash and a little grated cheese or sea salt/seasoning and bake (15 to 18 minutes) for a tasty savoury pastry treat.
Filling ideas for Vol au Vent
I’ve shared two of my favourite simple recipes for vol au vent fillings on the recipe card at the bottom:
- Garlic Mushroom filling (which is delicious hot or cold).
- Smoked Salmon and Whipped Cream Cheese (cold).
However, vol au vents can be filled with pretty much anything, savoury or sweet. Here are a few suggestions to tempt you:
Savoury Vol au Vents
- Mushrooms in a white or cheese sauce
- Chicken in a white or cheese sauce
- Whipped cream cheese with hot smoked salmon, chicken, ham or anything else.
- Egg mayonnaise
- Classic Homemade Houmous with a slice of pickled beetroot
- Hummus with Caramelised Onion and Turmeric topped with crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Baba Ganoush (aubergine (eggplant) dip)
- Authentic Guacamole topped with a sprinkle of chilli and a tortilla chip
- Coronation Chicken
- Various patés
- Prawn mayonnaise
Sweet Vol au Vents
- Whipped vanilla cream and berries
- Homemade Nutella (or Nutella from a jar)
- Nutella Cream and Caramelised Hazelnut Crumbs
- Caramelised Banana Sauce
- Custard and fruit
- Strawberry Mousse
- Real Chocolate Mousse
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- Apple and Cinnamon Compote
Ready to make Gluten Free Vol au Vent?
Hopefully, you are now ready to make Gluten Free Vol au Vents. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. You can do this by comment (at the bottom of the post), by email or through message on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest).
For lots more Christmas inspiration, we also have a dedicated Index of our Gluten Free Christmas recipes. And for everything else, our main Gluten Free Recipe Index is a great place to start.
All shared with my love
NOTE: The RECIPE for the Gluten Free Puff (Rough Puff) Pastry used can be found as a separate blog post. Click THIS LINK
** © 2019-2024 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved. Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist. Or use for commercial purposes without prior agreement**
Gluten Free Vol Au Vent
Key equipment
- fridge
- pastry brush (two)
Ingredients
Vol au Vents
- 500 g rough puff (puff) pastry (approx weight) = 1 batch Gluten Free Alchemist Puff Pastry Or use ready-made puff pastry
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- drop of milk (for egg wash)
Garlic Mushroom Filling (enough for about half the vol au vent cases)
- 230 g baby chestnut mushrooms – finely sliced
- 1 large clove garlic – crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, dill or parsley – finely chopped (+ extra herbs reserved for garnish)
- large knob butter
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)
- salt & pepper (seasoned to taste)
- 100 g Greek yoghurt (approx)
Smoked Salmon & Whipped Cream Cheese Filling (cold filling)
- 100 g smoked salmon (cut into thin strips)
- 180 g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 100 g Greek Yoghurt or creme fraiche
- black pepper (a good grind to taste)
- 1 to 1½ tsp dill (finely chopped)
- dill sprigs and lemon (to garnish)
Instructions
Vol au Vents
- Make a batch of Puff (Rough Puff) Pastry using my recipe (or take your commercially-made puff pastry) and roll to a thickness of about 4 to 5 mm. See NOTE at the bottom regarding the thickness of the pastry (a 5 mm top layer is optimum, but the base layer can be around 3 mm as preferred).
- Select a medium-sized sharp-edged round cookie cutter (5 cm (2 inches) diameter is good) and get ready a suitable smaller second cutter that will provide enough of a ‘basket’ to fill, but still leave a reasonable edge to form the sides. The fat end of a sharp piping nozzle, measuring about 3 to 3¼ cm (around 1¼ inch) is perfect. (See NOTES re the sharpness of cutters)
- Use the larger cookie cutter to cut rounds from the pastry, cutting them close together to get the most vol au vents from the pastry. Keep a count to make sure there is an even number in total, and if using a thinner base, cut an even number of both bottom and top circles. (Set the off-cuts aside and see NOTES re how to use them)
- Transfer the cut base circles to a lined baking tray with a slight gap between each.
- Brush off any excess flour from the top of all the circles (you can do this on or off the tray, but it is important that you do this step).
- Using the smaller cutter, cut a hole from the centre of the vol au vent tops. (Set the small, central circles aside as these can be used to make either mini vol au vents, to use as 'hats' on top of the filled pastries, or baked with a sprinkle of seasoning for a savoury snack).
- NOTE: IF the pastry has become a little soft at this stage, pop the rounds (on lined trays in the fridge) for 15 to 20 minutes to make them easier to handle.
- Make an egg-wash by fork-beating the egg with a drop of milk.
- Brush the top of each whole (no hole) pastry circle with egg-wash using a pastry brush. This piece will form the base of the pastry basket and the egg wash provides the 'glue' to stick the two pastry pieces together.
- CAREFULLY take a holed (doughnut-shaped) pastry round and flip it over on your hand. Brush off any excess flour from the underside. This is important to ensure an even seal and to avoid the join becoming 'hard' on baking.
- Turn it back over and place the ring onto the egg-washed pastry base. Gently press around the whole perimeter to stick the two pieces together.
- Repeat the de-flouring and sticking process for all the pastry tops.
- Finally, egg-wash the top rim of the vol au vents, being careful NOT to egg wash the sides (as this will stick the pastry layers together and prevent an even rise).
- NOTE: The centre of the base will puff in the oven. To limit this, prick the internal hole with a toothpick a few times. OR just push it down with your little finger after baking and before filling.
- Place the prepared uncooked vol au vents in the fridge for AT LEAST an hour. Do NOT miss this step as the pastry needs to be very cold before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 220 C/425 F.
- When the oven is FULLY preheated, quickly transfer the vol au vent trays (batch bake if necessary).
- Shut the door and immediately turn the oven down to 200 C/400 F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and golden. (If making mini vol au vents, bake these separately as they will need less time (about 10 to 12 minutes)).
- Remove from the oven when baked and (if there is any oil at the base) transfer onto a piece of kitchen paper to absorb the excess, before popping on a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat the baking process for any remaining vol au vents, remembering to re-heat the oven to 220 C/425 F at the start of each bake.
- Once cool, gently push the central 'hole' down (which is likely to have puffed up from the base) with a little finger to make a basket. The vol au vents are now ready to fill.
Simple Garlic Mushroom Filling
- Slice the mushrooms, crush the garlic and chop the herbs.
- Place the butter and olive oil into a non-stick saucepan and place over a high heat until melted and hot.
- Fry the mushrooms for a few minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook through for a couple of minutes.
- Turn the heat down a little and add the lemon juice, herbs and seasoning (to taste). Then add the yoghurt and stir through for a minute or so until the mushrooms are evenly coated.
- Take the pan off the heat and fill the prepared vol au vent cases (there should be enough mixture for about 10).
- Top with a little herb garnish and a grind of black pepper and serve. Can be eaten hot or cold.
Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Filling
- Prepare the smoked salmon by cutting into thin strips (enough to top each of the vol au vents).
- In a medium bowl, weigh and beat together the cream cheese, yoghurt/creme fraiche and black pepper.
- Fold through the chopped dill (and any other preferred seasoning to taste) and use the mixture to fill the vol au vent cases (there should be enough mixture for about 10).
- Top each vol au vent with a spiral or 'scrunch' of smoked salmon.
- Garnish with dill sprigs and a grind of black pepper and serve with a garnish of (optional) lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Oh, my goodness those flaky layers! A feast for the eyes and I can just imagine how delicious they are!
Thank you Leslie. It was fun making them xx