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Air Fryer Vol Au Vent Cases. How to use the air fryer and your favourite brand of puff pastry to make your own vol au vent cases.
You will love how golden your vol au vents are, how amazing they turn out and best of all chef Dom’s tips and tricks for making them much faster.
Table of Contents
- Vol Au Vent Cases
- What Is A Vol Au Vent?
- Can You Cook Vol Au Vents In An Air Fryer?
- Can You Freeze Vol Au Vents?
- What To Put In Vol Au Vents?
- Vol Au Vent Recipe Ingredients
- How To Make Vol Au Vents
- Prawn Vol Au Vents
- Listen To Air Fryer Vol Au Vents
- More Air Fryer Party Food
- Air Fryer Vol Au Vent Cases Recipe
- Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!
Vol Au Vent Cases
I learnt a lot of my early cooking skills (I am talking 20 years ago when I was 18/19) from watching Jamie Oliver on the TV, my chef boyfriend teaching me and an endless supply of magazines that I browsed through.
That was then and of course the boyfriend is now my husband of almost 19 years.
Though one thing I have got back into lately is the cooking magazines. On Portuguese prices they were just not worth it and its nice to go to Morrison’s or Asda and leave with a stack of magazines.
Whilst browsing through the magazines (I can’t remember which one) I saw a double page feature for making your own vol au vents using puff pastry.
I was fascinated and never though of making my own, it was something you bought already made from the supermarket.
I mentioned it to chef Dom and whilst making our air fryer beef wellington and having plenty of backup puff pastry, he set to work, making the best vol au vent cases I had ever tried.
We then loaded them up with prawns and went back to the 1980’s on each bite of these prawn vol au vents.
I just wonder what I am going to find next in these magazines!!!
Plus, as well as our free newsletter, we also have a free air fryer mini course. It is ideal for air fryer beginners or those that want to get more confident with their air fryer. The free course runs for 5 days with a new lesson delivered each day to your inbox.
What Is A Vol Au Vent?
Now that is a question. I would describe them as my favourite party food on a buffet. Alongside sausage rolls and quiche. So, no wonder after doing air fryer sausage rolls and air fryer quiche, that we are converting vol au vents to the air fryer too.
Vol au vents are like an open top pie that is loaded up with your favourite sandwich fillings, such as mushrooms in a sauce, chicken in a sauce or prawn cocktail. Though there are many variations and the most popular is the prawn cocktail.
The vol au vent is cut with a ring shaped circle in a similar way to how you cut doughnuts before cooking them.
There were most popular in the 80’s but many still feature them at a buffet.
Can You Cook Vol Au Vents In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can, and they are a lot better than they are cooked in the oven.
That is because you get the perfect crisp and wonderful golden colour thanks to the egg wash and the air fryer magic.
Plus, if you often overcook and forget about them in the oven, there is no need to worry about that in the air fryer.
Can You Freeze Vol Au Vents?
Yes, you sure can. But ONLY if they are frozen without their delicious fillings.
But if doing this, make sure they are cool first and then load them onto a baking tray.
Then freeze them and move into a zip loc bag.
If you go to the bag straight away, they will stick together.
Then after freezing vol au vent cases, you can defrost them and then load them up with your favourite vol au vent fillings.
What To Put In Vol Au Vents?
When I think of a vol au vent, I am always thinking about the best vol au vent fillings. The ones when I saw them on a buffet, I would choose them because their fillings were the best.
Whilst I am all for the prawn filling, it’s also about it being a crowd pleaser and making fillings that people will want to eat. Or if you are on a budget, choosing vol au vent fillings that are cheap to make.
With that in mind here are my favourite quick and easy vol au vent fillings:
- Chicken vol au vent
- Tuna and mayonnaise vol au vent
- Mushroom vol au vent
- Prawn vol au vents
Of course, if you are on a budget then you cannot beat the price of making mushroom vol au vents. You can simply cook our air fryer garlic mushrooms and coat them in Greek yoghurt, and you are done.
Or if you are making a Boxing Day buffet, note that instead of a chicken vol au vent you could make them with leftover turkey.
Vol Au Vent Recipe Ingredients
Pastry – You can use any brand of puff pastry for homemade vol au vents. I bought some frozen and then defrosted it, the day before. I also just used one pack and was amazed by how many vol au vents it made.
Egg – For that golden glow, you will want to egg wash your vol au vents prior to air frying them.
Fillings – Then of course, don’t forget about your vol au vent fillings. We went with prawn cocktail and used some Heinz sauce, frozen prawns and a salt, pepper, and chives for the seasoning.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this vol au vent recipe it has just been our Cosori Air Fryer XL. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer pastries.
How To Make Vol Au Vents
- Roll. Make sure your puff pastry is fully defrosted and leave it out for an hour to come to room temperature. Then roll it out.
- Cut. Then using your favourite medium cookie cutters, cut out 18 medium rounds. Then cut 9 of them with a small cookie cutter in the middle. The centre is then removed, and you can use these for tops for your vol au vent cases or use them for something else.
- Wash. Egg wash your full size ones and then place the rings you have made over them. The egg wash will then hold them in place. Then egg wash the tops again for that golden glow.
- Cook. Load onto a layer of foil in the air fryer basket and air fry for 8 minutes at 180c/360f.
- Beeps. When the air fryer beeps, remove from the air fryer, allow them to cool and then load up with your vol au vent fillings.
And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to make vol au vents using puff pastry.
Prawn Vol Au Vents
Now you have made your vol au vent cases and as you allow them to cool, its time to make your vol au vent filling.
I am demonstrating with prawn vol au vents, but you can do the same with other fillings.
- Place frozen prawns in a sieve or bowl in the sink and rinse with the warm tap until fully defrosted.
- Load the prawns into a bowl with your favourite cocktail sauce, plus any seasonings.
- Mix with a spoon until fully coated.
- Then load your prawn filling into the vol au vent cases.
Listen To Air Fryer Vol Au Vents
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More Air Fryer Party Food
- Air Fryer Pull Apart Bread Rolls
- Air Fryer Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Pigs In A Blanket
- Air Fryer Quiche
Air Fryer Vol Au Vent Cases
Ingredients
- Ingredients
Kitchen Gadgets:
Air Fryer Vol Au Vents Ingredients:
- 1 kg Frozen Puff Pastry
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
- 200 g Frozen Large Prawns
- 3 Tbsp Cocktail Sauce
- 2 Tsp Chives
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Make sure your puff pastry is fully defrosted and at room temperature first. Flour your puff pastry and your rolling pin.
- Roll out your pastry then cut with a medium cookie cutter until you have 18 rounds.
- Put 9 to one side and then cut the other 9 a second time with a small cookie cutter and then remove the middles. You now have 9 medium pastry circles and 9 mini circles that look like mini doughnut circles.
- Egg wash, the first 9 and then place the circles over them. The egg wash will then help the circles stick to them.
- Then egg wash again and place in the air fryer over a layer of foil.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 180c/360f and then allow to cool as you make your filling.
- Then add your fillings and then you can place your vol au vents on the buffet, or fridge if you are making them ahead.
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!
I am making these tonight for a party tomorrow I’m making quite alot prawn garlic mayo being my first choice I’ll be making a few extra of those ones to scoff along the cooking way
Next ones I’m making are
Seafood crab
Tuna mayo
Chicken tikka
Cheese and spring onion
Chicken and bacon
All just sandwich type fillings can i fill them and leave in fridge till t time tomorrow or will they go soggy?
Also any ideas to make them look nice on the platter I normally go as far as a sprinkle of paprika on the prawns or a chive on top lol
Thanks in advance for reading my post
Hi Michelle,
Yes the sandwiches could go soggy if you are using bread, Bread buns cut in half would be better, but if using bread butter the bread and put back in fridge then just fill them tomorrow. With the decoration, some cress, chopped cucumber, tomatoes in half, that kind of thing, all easy to do 🙂
Thank you for these my turned out fantastically well. I hoped that i could do these as we eat loads over the Christmas period and they were good. Perfect timings and great instructions.