Can You Freeze Vol Au Vents?

How to Freeze Vol Au Vents

If you’ve prepared vol au vents for a special occasion and have some leftovers, there’s no need to let them go to waste. Whether they’ve already been cooked or are still raw, you can freeze vol au vents by following the steps listed below: 

1. Cool
   If you’ve cooked your vol-au-vent shells, you will need to allow them to cool before you freeze them. If you freeze them while they’re still warm, they will go soggy in the freezer. 
2. Wrap
   Place each vol-au-vent on a square of cling film and wrap it well. You can also use tin foil to wrap them if you prefer. 
3. Place Into a Container
   Place your individually wrapped vol au vents in a freezer-safe container. It’s best not to lay them on top of each other if you can avoid it, as it might affect their consistency. 
4. Label and Freeze
   Write the date that you baked the vol au vents, as well as their use-by date, on the lid of the container, before transferring it to the freezer. Remember, you can freeze vol au vents for around three months. 

3 Tips for Freezing Vol Au Vents

Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing vol au vents to have the best results:

• Don’t Fill Before Freezing – If you fill your vol au vents before freezing them, they will almost certainly go soggy in the freezer. Providing your chosen filling is freezer-safe, it’s a much better idea to add your filling to a freezer-safe bag and freeze it alongside the vol-au-vent shells. You can then defrost them at the same time and enjoy. 
• Defrost Before Cooking – While it’s perfectly fine to freeze uncooked vol au vents, you will need to defrost them thoroughly before cooking them. Cooking them from frozen will affect the consistency of your vol au vents, and it will also be difficult to work out the appropriate cooking time. 
• Buy Puff Pastry to Save Time – Homemade vol au vents are undoubtedly delicious, but if you’re preparing the pastry from scratch, you will need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen! To save your precious time, consider buying a pack of pre-made puff pastry from your local store, and then you only need to worry about shaping your vol au vents. Most shop-bought puff pastry rolls freeze extremely well. 

How Long Can You Freeze Vol Au Vents?

You can freeze vol au vents for around three months. 

The freezing time is the same whether they’re cooked or uncooked. But as we’ve already mentioned throughout, it’s best not to freeze vol au vents that have already be filled. You will likely find a soggy mess when you defrost them, which is certainly nothing to get excited about! 

You Can Freeze Vol Au Vents for up to 3 Months

How Do You Defrost Vol Au Vents?

You will need to defrost your vol au vents before cooking or reheating them. The best way to defrost them is to take them out of the freezer the night before you plan to fill them and allow them to thaw in the fridge.

Once they’ve thawed, follow the cooking instructions on your recipe to ensure they’re cooked to perfection. As for topping your vol au vents, you should only fill them immediately before serving, as this will reduce the risk of sogginess! 

Can You Refreeze Vol Au Vents?

While it’s safe to refreeze vol au vents that have been defrosted in the fridge, we wouldn’t recommend it. Refreezing pastry affects its moisture content, which can cause it to dry out, particularly if your vol au vents have already been cooked.

By wrapping your vol au vents individually before freezing them, you can easily remove only those that you need at any given time, reducing the need to refreeze vol au vents. 

Do Vol Au Vents Freeze Well?

Both uncooked and cooked vol-au-vent shells freeze extremely well for up to three months. You need to make sure they’re well wrapped and stored in a freezer-safe container so the delicate pastry isn’t damaged during the freezing process.

Also, you should avoid freezing filled vol au vents, as the filling will make them go soggy in the freezer.

Overall, vol au vents are an excellent party food to make ahead and freeze and will be thoroughly enjoyed by your guests when the time comes to serve them. 

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing vol au vents or vol au vents in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Puff Pastry?

Often, vol au vents are made from puff pastry. but can you simply freeze puff pastry? Yes, you can! If you want to learn about freezing puff pastry then read our dedicated guide here. 

Can You Freeze Blinis?

Another canape option is the blinis. If you want to freeze them then it’s good news because, yes, you can freeze blinis.