French onion puff pastry cups are a two bite size, hand held treat that make a perfect appetizer that’s sure to be a hit with all of your party guests.
Is Puff Pastry Vegan?
You betcha! Well, most brands are! It’s always great to double check the labels, but most puff pastry uses oil and shortening rather than butter, so it’s actually vegan. I like the Aussie Bakery brand, and use it to make my 3 Ingredient Vegan Pastelitos de Guayaba and Vegan Pizza Pockets — Just 4 Ingredients!.
French Onion Puff Pastry Cups are Easy to Make
These French onion puff pastry cups are an easy appetizer to make! It’s simply the start of my French onion soup, spooned into little cups of puff pastry, and baked until crispy and golden. The onions slow cook for about 30 minutes. As they cook you deglaze the pan a few times, each time scraping up the brown bits—that’s where all the flavor is! For the final deglaze you use sherry, a Spanish fortified wine, that gives it a final flavor punch.
More Appetizers for every Occasion
- Olive Tapenade
- Muhammara — Roasted Red Pepper Dip
- A Holiday Appetizer — Hummus for the Holidays
- Vegan Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs (+ stovetop instructions)
- Cranberry Salsa
- Throwing a Perfect Appetizer Party with Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine
Different Variations
I originally had a crescent shape in mind, hoping to form the puff pastry like an empanada. However, it was pretty tricky to fill them, and they only held a tiny amount of the onion mixture. While they looked pretty, they were pretty time consuming to make, and I wanted to make these really simple to assemble. If you were to serve these puff pastry cups as part of a meal, rather than an appetizer, I would use a regular sized muffin tray, and cut your puff pastry accordingly (making about 12 cups, rather than 24). Then each guest could enjoy one or two of the larger cups as their entree.
Vegan Wellington
You could even prepare this like a vegan wellington, for a holiday entree. Simply roll out a sheet of puff pastry, fill with the onion filling, then fold up the sides in any pattern that you like, and bake until golden. Don’t forget to brush the top with aquafaba for extra shine!
Let’s make French Onion Puff Pastry Cups!
Are you ready to make these! You’re just about an hour away from a really delicious appetizer that is sure to be a hit with all of your guests! Leave me a note in the comments letting me know how you like them!
French Onion Puff Pastry Cups
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds yellow onions, sliced into half moons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup sherry
- 1 package puff pastry (vegan) (thawed according to package instructions, see note)
- 1 Tablespoon aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) (or sub soy milk)
Instructions
- Pour olive oil into large pan. Cook onions on medium low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Covering the pan will make them release their liquid and soften them more quickly.
- Add garlic and salt, and thyme, and stir well.
- Add 1/4 cup of water, and use your spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have started to form. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup of water again, and repeat the deglazing process.
- Add 1/4 cup of water again, and repeat the deglazing process.
- Add 1/4 cup sherry and deglaze a final time. Continue cooking over medium low heat until sherry is completely absorbed by the onions. Discard the thyme sprigs. Set the onion mixture aside.
- While the onions are simmering and deglazing preheat the oven to 400°.
- Gently roll out thawed puff pastry on a floured work surface with a rolling pin (roll to about 9x12"). Don't work it too much or you will squish the layers.
- Cut the puff pastry into 3 inch squares (I got 12 out of each sheet of puff pastry, my box had two sheets).
- Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Place each square into one well of the mini muffin tray, pressing lightly to fit the cup shape. Poke the bottoms only with a fork (this prevents the bottoms from puffing up).
- Fill the prepared puff pastry cups with 1 heaping Tablespoon of the onion mixture.
- Brush the tops of the puff pastry with aquafaba for added shine (soy milk works for this vegan "egg wash" as well).
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
These were sooo delicious! I brought them to an omnivore potluck cocktail party, and they were the belle of the ball. Thanks for making me (and vegan food) look good!
Oh, I love to hear that! Thank you!!! So glad they were a hit—is there anything that puff pastry can’t do?
What a lovely recipe and they’re so cute too!
Thank you! Yes, they’re so cute and pretty for an appetizer spread! They’ll be the first plate finished at the party!!!