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If you’re missing retro party food then wait no more – my Gluten Free Vol-Au-Vents are the perfect coeliac-friendly party food! Puff pastry cases with a choice of spiced egg or chicken and mushroom fillings.
I’ve never seen gluten free vol-au-vent cases in the shops since being on a gluten free diet. But I always felt like I was missing out on this classic party food.
Vol-au-vents are a classic seventies party food, made from a puff pastry basket filled with yummy, saucy treats.
They’re often a staple in any buffet and around Christmas-time all sorts of puff pastry creations seem to hit the shelves – but none of them gluten free.
I wanted to create two classics – a gluten free chicken and mushroom vol-au-vent recipe (delicious hot and cold) and a gluten free spiced egg vol-au-vent.
Made using my failsafe gluten free puff pastry recipe, these are perfect for Christmas party food or a buffet for any occasion.
The best gluten free puff pastry
You can make gluten free vol-au-vents using pre-made gluten free puff pastry, such as JusRol.
But I would highly recommend taking the time to make your own gluten free puff pastry using my recipe – it puffs up SO much better than anything pre-made.
My easy recipe only uses a few ingredients and is so much easier than you might think. I’ve even got a handy recipe video to guide you:
My top tip for making puff pastry is to definitely keep it as cold as possible. Don’t skip any of the chilling steps in the recipe!
It’s really important to ensure the lumps of butter don’t melt – as these are what gives the pastry it’s ‘puff’ in the oven.
So make sure when you’re creating this gluten free puff pastry that you always chill it between folds and keep it nice and cold until you’re ready to bake it.
The same goes with constructing the gluten free vol-au-vent cases. Once you have made them, you must chill them before baking.
This will ensure they puff up nicely with lots of room to add your fillings.
Chicken and Mushroom Vol-Au-Vents
For a gluten free vol-au-vent you can serve hot or cold, you have to give this chicken and mushroom filling a go.
This filling is a creamy mixture of chopped chicken and mushrooms, in a sauce with parmesan cheese and tarragon.
Chicken and mushroom vol-au-vents can be served hot or cold and are delicious either way.
Either fill the warm pastry baskets with the warm sauce or leave everything to cool before serving.
Spiced egg vol-au-vents
For a super simple, cold vol-au-vent filling, you have to try this easy spiced egg variation.
Hard boil eggs (this usually takes 8-10 minutes if you pop the eggs into boiling water) and then cool and chop them finely.
Make the sauce from mayonnaise, curry powder (check it’s gluten free and has no may-contain warnings) and mango chutney.
I love these spiced egg vol-au-vents as a cold treat and sprinkled with chopped chives they look just the part too.
Gluten free vol-au-vents FAQ
I have popped the full recipe in the card below but here are a few commonly asked questions about my gluten free vol-au-vents:
Are these gluten free vol-au-vents dairy free/vegan?
Currently my gluten free puff pastry recipe uses butter and I haven’t trialled it with a successful dairy free alternative.
You cannot make puff pastry with vegan margarine as it doesn’t stay solid so as yet this recipe contains dairy and is not vegan.
The pastry itself is egg free and if you want to keep the whole recipe egg free using my chicken and mushroom filling, simply brush with milk instead of egg wash.
It can however be vegetarian if using my gluten free spiced egg filling.
Can you buy gluten free vol-au-vent cases?
In the 20+ years I have had coeliac disease I have never seen gluten free vol-au-vent cases for sale in the UK.
But using this recipe is super easy and makes it way more fun!
Can I freeze these gluten free vol-au-vents?
If you want to get ahead when making these gluten free vol-au-vents then you can actually freeze them ahead of time at several stages.
You could make the puff pastry and then freeze the pastry dough after the final fold, ready to defrost, roll out the dough and construct the vol-au-vents.
You can also freeze the vol-au-vent cases once constructed, then defrost them and bake when ready.
And once they have baked you can cool and then freeze the cooked vol-au-vent cases and then defrost and fill when needed.
My gluten free vol-au-vents recipe
This recipe makes 12 gluten free vol-au-vent cases using a batch of my simple gluten free puff pastry.
I’ve also included two filling options – a creamy chicken and mushroom with tarragon and a spiced egg mayonnaise with chives.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And if you loved it, please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Vol-Au-Vents
These gluten free vol-au-vents are made using my gluten free puff pastry, and filled with either creamy chicken and mushroom or a spiced egg filling.
Ingredients
- 1 x batch gluten free puff pastry
- 1 egg (beaten)
For the chicken and mushroom filling:
- 25g butter
- 200g chicken breast
- 150g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 25g plain gluten free flour
- 250ml milk
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
For the spiced egg filling:
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 1 tsp mild curry powder
- Chopped chives (to garnish)
Instructions
To make the vol-au-vent cases:
- Make a batch of gluten free puff pastry from my recipe and then leave to chill for an hour in the fridge before making. When ready, roll the pastry out to around 4mm thickness.
- Using a round, 2.5-inch pastry cutter, cut 12 circles out of the pastry. Make sure you cut out the circles as close together as possible as you cannot re-roll puff pastry. See notes for ways to use the offcuts.
- Place 12 of the circles on a lined baking tray with even spacing between them and brush with beaten egg. Use a 1.5-inch round cutter to cut a hole in the centre of the remaining 12 circles. Place the centres to one side, then gently place the pastry rings on top of the other 12, complete circles.
- Prick the bottom of the 'baskets' with a fork - this stops them rising as much. Place the whole tray in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight) before baking - do not skip this step! You can also brush the small circles with egg and place them on the baking tray to make 'lids' for your vol-au-vents.
- When ready, pre-heat the oven to 200C / Fan 180C / Gas Mark 6. Remove the tray of vol-au-vents from the fridge, lightly brush the tops with egg and place them straight into the hot oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool while making the fillings.
For the chicken and mushroom filling:
- Chop the chicken breast into 1cm chunks, and finely chop the mushrooms. Add the butter to a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle over the flour, mix well then add the milk, parmesan and tarragon. Mix well and bring to the boil, stirring until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Remove from the heat and leave to cool before filling your vol-au-vent cases.
For the spiced egg filling:
- Peel the hard boiled eggs and finely chop. Add to a bowl along with the mayonnaise, mango chutney and curry powder.
- Mix together well before filling the vol-au-vent cases and sprinkling with chopped chives to garnish.
Notes
- If you want to make the vol-au-vent cases ahead of time, you can make them up to one day before and keep in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze them either once constructed (before baking) or once baked (before filling).
- For the puff pastry offcuts - do NOT scrunch them up! Instead lay them on a baking sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle with sea salt and grated parmesan. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 200C for delicious cheese straws!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 93mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 9g
NEED SOME MORE GLUTEN FREE baking INSPIRATION?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free party food recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free recipes a try for your next buffet!
- Gluten free sausage rolls
- Amaretti Biscuits
- Gluten free Cheese Straws
- Halloumi and Bacon Bites
- Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Cookies
I’ve also got my gluten free Christmas page with everything you need to enjoy a safe festive season.
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple to get you going:
- My FULL gluten free Christmas guide
- Gluten free Mini Cheddars
- Gluten free lebkuchen
- Classic gluten free mince pies
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
LIKE THIS GLUTEN FREE VOL-AU-VENTS RECIPE?
Make sure you pin the recipe card below for later!
About the author
Sarah Howells is a UK gluten free blogger and author. She has been living with coeliac disease since 2002. Her debut recipe book, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, is out now in the UK and to pre-order in the US.
Your vol au vent recipe worked fantastically. Thanks
I’ll be making more.