Puff pastry is such a versatile ingredient to cook with and it is so simple to use.
You don’t even have to make it anymore, you can purchase it from the grocery store and roll it out yourself or even buy it ready-rolled.
The possibilities are endless with this gravity-defying pastry from sweet desserts to savory main meals, there is nothing that can’t be done with puff pastry.
However, for this article, we are going to focus on the savory foods that we can make with puff pastry.
All of the recipes that we share below are simple to make and brilliant for busy midweek meals that the whole family will enjoy.
1. Puff Pastry Bites With Caramelized Onions And Mushrooms
The combination of caramelized onions and mushrooms is always a winner. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this recipe will appeal to you.
The flavors are so rich and intense that the experience of biting into these pastry bites will satisfy your family and friends every time.
What’s more, this recipe can be ready from scratch in an hour and a half with a lot of hands-off cooking time that allows you to do other things with your family or around the house.
2. Puff Pastry Cheese Pockets
These puff pastry cheese pockets make a great snack for your children when they have been running around outside or when they come home from school.
They are particularly good in the colder months when the children are coming inside with frozen fingers.
If they are still warm from the oven and the cheese is still gooey, they make the perfect warming treat to bring the feeling back to their hands.
This recipe can be ready in as little as one hour and only needs half an hour of hands-on cooking time.
3. Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Twists
The cheesy bacon-wrapped puff pastry twists are another great snack that can use up any leftover puff pastry and bacon rashers that you have in your refrigerator.
The bacon adds a nice extra flavor and crunch to the snack. The addition of cayenne pepper to the twists brings a kick of flavor that really elevates this snack.
If you are making these for children, you can omit the spice if necessary, alternatively, you can add extra spice if you like hot food.
4. Savory Prosciutto Puff Pastry Twists
These twists are similar to the bacon puffs above except they are less spicy and they are lighter.
They make a great addition to a party for your guests to nibble on or even as an appetizer at your next dinner party.
The flavors of the buttery, flaky, pastry with the salty taste of the prosciutto make for a delicious recipe that is sure to get your guests talking and your family sitting around the table.
The best thing is, that these twists only take 25 minutes.
5. Friday Night Puff Pastry Pizza
This recipe is a great way to add a twist to a family favorite, classic dinner.
The puff pastry base is a lighter alternative to a regular pizza base and can feel like a treat for your children.
This recipe is a great way to get your children and the rest of your family involved in preparing dinner and can help you to begin to teach your children about healthy eating and why it is so important.
These puff pastry pizzas only take half an hour to bake in the oven giving you just enough time to make sure the kids are washed up and the table is set before they are ready to eat straight from the oven.
6. Savory Pumpkin Tart
This savory pumpkin tart is a great vegan recipe that even the most dedicated carnivores will love.
During pumpkin season there can be an overwhelming amount of sweet pumpkin recipes doing the rounds.
From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin pie to pumpkin cookies, there is no shortage of pumpkin desserts and sweet treats.
However, pumpkins are a great savory food too as long as you get the seasoning right.
Drizzled with a creamy cashew and garlic sauce, this pumpkin tart makes a delicious and simple fall dinner that everyone will love. Even better, it only takes around half an hour from start to finish.
7. Savory Puff Pastry Pockets
These savory puff pastry pockets combine cheese and vegetables for a decadent and comforting snack that is sure to fill you up.
This dish also works really well as party finger food or as an appetizer at a dinner party.
Although they can be eaten cold, they are at their yummiest when they are still hot, straight from the oven.
From start to finish this recipe takes around 45 minutes and although the preparation may be fiddly and a little bit labor intensive, it will be worth it when you bite into that gooey, comforting pocket.
8. Spiced Potato Puff Pastry Baskets
These spiced potato puff pastry baskets are described as deconstructed samosas for people who struggle with the folding technique required to make traditional samosas.
They are essentially samosa fillings inside puff pastry vol-au-vent cases and they look like the perfect addition to your next party or buffet table.
These little pastry baskets are so intriguing and bursting with delicious flavors that your guests or family will adore.
Ready in about half an hour, these also make great snacks for your family on busy days.
If you wanted to get really creative you could try making one big basket to share for dinner.
9. Savory Christmas Trees
This is a great recipe for the holiday period, although if we’re being honest, you could make these at any time of year and simply call them puff pastry trees.
The flavors of cream cheese and salami work really well with the butteriness of the puff pastry and the addition of an olive in place of the Christmas star finishes the flavor profile perfectly.
If you don’t like olives you could substitute them with small chunks of cheddar cheese or any other small item you prefer. Similarly, if you don’t really like salami, you could swap it out for smoked salmon.
10. Puff Pastry Pinwheels
These puff pastry pinwheels are one of the most versatile recipes on this list and the recipe linked above features four different fillings.
However, there are endless options for fillings, simply use your imagination or the ingredients that you have left in your fridge or cupboards.
Pinwheels are so easy to make that you’ll wonder why it took you so long to try them once you’ve made them once.
Because there are so many fillings available this is a recipe that you can come back to time and time again to produce delicious snacks for the whole family.
11. Savory Baked Brie In Puff Pastry
This is one of the biggest dishes on this list and would work really well as the main course at your next dinner party.
Simply serve it with some sauteed vegetables for a decadent treat.
The brie cheese mixed with the Mediterranean flavors of olives and roasted peppers makes this a layered and interesting dish that is sure to keep your guests talking for weeks afterward.
Preparation of this dish will be easier if you own a cheese wire, but it is not necessary as a knife and a steady hand will suffice.
12. Savory Puff Pastry Crescents
These savory puff pastry crescents are like tiny, adorable savory croissants.
From a distance, they look like small cheese scones but as you get closer you can appreciate the details of these little savory treats.
This recipe is perhaps one of the most fiddly to create and you might need to practice them a few times before you present them to anyone, but that just means that there’s more for you to taste test.
You can make these tasty morsels in under an hour if you get really good at folding them.
13. Paneer Puff Pastry
These paneer puff pastry triangles add an interesting twist to your average cheese puff pastry snack.
The consistency of paneer is very different from cheddar or mozzarella. Unlike these cheeses, paneer doesn’t melt when it gets hot.
This means that the consistency of the puff pastry parcels is more substantial than other cheese pastries.
This recipe is a great option if you are looking for a mild cheesy taste but don’t want the cheese to melt into the pastry and leave an empty space in the middle.
14. Super Easy Pizza Rolls
These pizza rolls really are super easy. Ready from scratch in under 15 minutes, they are the perfect snack for your children after school or after they have been running around.
As with many of the other recipes in this list, you can get as creative as you want with the fillings.
A classic pepperoni is always a winner, but barbecue chicken can be a delicious treat for the family.
You could even make a mixture of fillings in the same log to give people a variety of flavors without having to use multiple sheets of pastry.
15. Puff Pastry Strudel With Vegetables And Cheese
This strudel is a great snack, appetizer, or party food that is perfect when served with a variety of dipping sauces to help cool the filling and add extra flavor.
Despite the high-fat content of the pastry, the decent amount of vegetables that are featured in this recipe balance it out a little bit.
The extra cheese grated on top of this strudel adds an extra layer of decadence to this dish.
16. Spinach Ricotta Puffs
Spinach ricotta puffs are another vegetarian dream snack.
These cute puffs are like semi-open parcels that are sure to fill a hole when you need them too.
Luckily, these delicious pastry treats can be ready in as little as 25 minutes and are relatively low calorie so you can enjoy more than one.
Because of the neutral flavors of ricotta and spinach, it is easy to modify this recipe to be spicier or feature other flavors through creative seasoning.
17. Stovepipe Savory Pastries
These stovepipe savory pastries are incredible party appetizers that can be made in advance and simply put in the oven when they are required.
You can also add different fillings to each one to provide some more variety for your guests.
While the preparation for these pastries takes up to an hour depending on which filling you choose to make, the actual cooking time is as little as 15 minutes. This is why they are great to make ahead of time.
18. Tomato Puff Pastry Tart
This tomato puff pastry tart is the perfect addition to your summer garden parties and barbecues.
The fresher the tomatoes the better, and if you can get tomatoes in different colors the visuals of the tart will be even more appealing.
The addition of basil to this recipe really lifts the flavors and makes it really fresh. Perfect for warm evenings with friends.
19. Ham And Cheese Puff Pastry Slab Pie
This ham and cheese puff pastry slab pie is a great way to use up leftover ham (see also ‘The 34 Best Leftover Ham Recipes To Try Out‘), cheese, onion, and even eggs.
Visually, this pie looks a bit like a cheese and ham toastie, but it is so much better.
Instead of the stodgy bread that can occur with toasties, you are left with crispy, flaky, and light pastry.
This means that the dish is not as heavy as a toastie but still has all of the great flavors you love.
20. Breakfast Puff Pastry
These breakfast puff pastries are an incredible way to start your day. If you eat a couple of these little parcels for breakfast, you will be on cloud nine all day.
Filled with sausage, egg, and apple for some crunch, they truly are breakfast in a puff of pastry.
There are so many different combinations of filling that you can choose to put in these breakfast pastries that you can have a different flavor every day of the week.
21. Potato Puff Pastry Recipe
This potato puff pastry recipe will make a great addition to your afternoon snacks or lunchtime light bites.
The Indian spices that are involved in this recipe guarantee to give you a warming sensation when you eat it.
You can serve it with hot masala chai, or with some simple raita dip. Great for winter afternoons and summer lunchtimes.
22. Cheddar Cheese Puffs
These cheddar cheese puffs are light and airy snacks that feature a hint of thyme.
If you can make these with fresh thyme from your own garden, they will taste even better.
The recipe suggests adding crumbled bacon to the mixture or switching up the herbs for other garden favorites such as rosemary or sage. Adding crumbled walnuts can also be a good idea.
23. Wild Mushroom Puff Pastry
Wild mushrooms give this puff pastry treat an earthy flavor that can be very popular with your family and friends.
The addition of roasted garlic helps to accentuate the natural flavors. If you can find wild garlic, the earthy, natural flavor palette will be even stronger.
The little touch of cheese that is in this recipe helps to bind the ingredients together and make it more indulgent.
24. Meat Stuffed Puff Pastry
These meat-stuffed puff pastries are a classic recipe. Much like pasties that are common in the UK, the puff pastry adds a lighter, flakier feel to the dish.
The puff pastry helps to reduce the heaviness of the dish and creates a great snack for almost any time of the day.
One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time or frozen.
25. Sauerkraut Strudel
If you or your family are fans of acidic, sour flavors, this is the recipe for you.
The smoked bacon in this recipe adds a different flavor to cut through the tartness of the sauerkraut.
This recipe is super easy to make and can be enjoyed straight out of the oven or chilled.
There are many different additions that you can make to the recipe to tweak the flavor slightly to your preferences.
26. Shrimp Puff Pastry
These adorable little shrimp puff pastry pies are the perfect addition to any party food table.
The slightly crimped edges of the lid give these snacks a cute appearance that makes them look almost too good to eat.
Luckily the aroma from them will make sure that your guests eat them up in no time.
27. Italian Savory Stuffed Puff Pastry Pockets
These Italian savory stuffed puff pastry pockets make a great snack or lunchtime item that will be both filling and light on the stomach.
The flavors from the meats and cheeses will really make you feel like you are relaxing in the Mediterranean rather than the US.
28. Easy Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
These sausage rolls are some of the heaviest and richest snacks on this list but they really are worth it.
There are many different ingredients that you can add to the base recipe to keep it interesting and tailor the flavor to your preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Best To Make Puff Pastry Yourself?
With most cooking items, it is recommended to make it yourself to ensure a high quality of ingredients.
However, there are so many great options for ready-made, ready-rolled pastry that there really is no need to worry about making it yourself.
Final Thoughts
There are so many ways to use puff pastry to make delicious savory snacks, lunches, and party food. You will be the star of every potluck and buffet table with these light and flaky recipes.
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