Vol-au-vent fillings recipe

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Our vol-au-vent fillings are quick and easy to prepare and make the perfect snack to serve alongside drinks at your next party.

vol-au-vent fillings
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Makes6
SkillEasy
Preparation Time25 mins (may need an extra 5 mins)
Cooking Time15 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories98 Kcal5%
Sugars0.4 g0%
Saturated Fat4.1 g21%
Protein1.5 g3%
Fat7.2 g10%
Carbohydrates6.6 g3%

These vol-au-vent fillings can be made ahead and then spooned into cases just before serving to ensure the pastry remains crisp. 

If you’re looking for easy canapes, you can’t beat a classic vol-au-vent. The ingredients in this recipe make enough for 24 vol-au-vents which is six of each flavour. The nutrition listed is for six vol-au-vents with the mushroom filling. We have the other nutritional information below so you can see the calories for the other fillings. All the vol-au-vents are under 100 calories per piece. 

Ingredients

  • 24 ready made ready-made vol-au-vent cases

For the mushroom vol-au-vent filling:

  • 50g (2oz) mushrooms finely chopped
  • 15g (½oz) butter
  • 25g (1oz) cheese spread (e.g Primula)
  • 1 x 15ml (1 tbsp) Greek natural yogurt

For the chicken vol-au-vent filling:

  • 50g (2oz) roasted chicken breast or tikka flavoured chicken breast
  • 25g (1oz) cheese spread with chives
  • 1 x 15ml (1 tbsp) Greek natural yogurt

For the prawn vol-au-vent filling:

  • 50g (2oz) small prawns, reserve 6 for garnish
  • 25g (1oz) cheese spread with shrimp
  • 1 x 15ml (1 tsp) Greek natural yogurt
  • 1 x 5ml (1 tsp) tomato puree
  • 1 x 5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice

For the ham & pineapple vol-au-vent filling:

  • 2 slices of thin ham cut intosmall pieces
  • 25g (1 oz) pineapple pieces in own juice, diced
  • 25g (1oz)cheese spread with ham
  • 1 x 15ml (1 tablespoon) Greek natural yogurt

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. For the mushroom vol au vents: Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the chopped mushrooms, fry for 3 minutes until soft. Leave to cool. In a small bowl, combine the cheese spread, yogurt, and fried mushrooms, and spoon into 6 of the cases. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.
  2. For the chicken vol au vents: Cut the chicken breast into small pieces. In a small bowl, combine together the cheese spread, yogurt, and chicken, and spoon into 6 of the cases. Garnish with cut chives.
  3. For the prawn vol au vents: In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients together and spoon into 6 cases. Garnish with a prawn and sprigs of dill.
  4. For the ham & pineapple vol au vents: In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients together and spoon into 6 cases. Garnish with a slice of ham and a piece of pineapple.

Top tips for making our vol-au-vents fillings

This recipe makes six chicken-filled vol-au-vents. Each chicken vol-au-vent is 89 calories, 5.3g fat, 4.1g saturated fat, 6.6g carbohydrates and 0.4g sugar. 

This recipe makes six of the prawn-filled vol-au-vents. Each prawn vol-au-vent is 84 calories, 5.1g fat, 2.8g saturated fat, 6.7g carbohydrates, and 0.4g sugar.

This recipe makes six of the ham-filled vol-au-vents. Each ham and pineapple vol-au-vent is 84 calories, 5.3g fat, 2.9g saturated fat, 7g carbohydrates and 0.8g sugar. 

How do I stop my vol-au-vents from going soggy?

To stop vol-au-vents from going soggy, avoid filling the pastry too far in advance as it will absorb any moisture. Take the fillings out of the fridge about 10-15 minutes before you want to assemble and then fill the pastry cases just as you’re about to serve.

How many vol-au-vents should I serve per person?

If you are serving canapés at a formal stand-up drinks party, expect people to eat 4-6 over the course of an hour or two. If you are serving before a sit-down dinner, the drinks will probably not last more than an hour, and 4 should be sufficient, as people will not want to ruin their appetite. Vol-au-vents are relatively filling canapés as they have a lot of pastry plus a cream

Can I serve these vol-au-vents warm?

You can serve the chicken and the mushroom vol-au-vents warm - simply pop them in a warm oven for 4-5 minutes before serving. We recommend the prawn and ham and pineapple are served at room temperature. 

Can you buy ready-made vol-au-vents?

Lots of supermarkets sell fresh or frozen ready-made vol-au-vents. Although these can be a good filler for your party snacks, once you’ve made the fresh fillings for yourself and see how easy it is, you won’t want to buy the shop-bought versions. It’s also more cost-effective to make your own.

You could display your vol-au-vents on a cake stand and let your guests help themselves instead of walking them around on a tray. 

Mango Wood Cake Stand - View at H&M

Mango Wood Cake Stand - <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=43250&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww2.hm.com%2Fen_gb%2Fproductpage.0868648001.html%3Fhier_id%3Dgo_cmp-12828904709_adg-120373695726_ad-517818111771_pla-306501795780_dev-c_ext-_prd-en-0868648001001_sig-Cj0KCQjwwvilBhCFARIsADvYi7Ig4S7YJsLtaLJSUm7CGryke0qD3pZXY1tdxaBzTVe2kRDJJRRjVeEaAjkuEALw_wcB%26utm_source%3DGoogle%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwwvilBhCFARIsADvYi7Ig4S7YJsLtaLJSUm7CGryke0qD3pZXY1tdxaBzTVe2kRDJJRRjVeEaAjkuEALw_wcB" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View at H&M

We love the timeless design of this wooden cake stand. It is made from 100 percent wood and is easy to wipe clean. You can use it to display cupcakes or even your cheese board when you’re done serving canapes. 

Buffet foods can be more than crisps and sausage rolls. We have lots of ideas for you to browse including these smoked salmon and pea vol-au-vents and our meaty cheese and bacon vol-au-vents

Jessica Ransom
Senior Food Writer

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.