This easy puff pastry appetizer is perfect for serving at holiday parties or small gatherings! Savory mushroom and pea filling is rolled in a puff pastry crust and baked until golden brown and crispy. This mushroom appetizer is made with simple ingredients and is easy to prepare.
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Why You’ll Love These Puff Pastry Bites
✔️ Kid-friendly! It’s my youngest’s favorite. When we have guests over, she says this is the must-dish to make. When we make it for special occasions, it's often a crowd pleaser.
✔️Quick and easy. It’s fast to make, so it's great for entertaining.
✔️Puff pastry is freezable. Since puff pastry sheets are stored in the freezer, it’s a good idea to stock up and keep some on hand for the next party or when you need it. Also, the Trader Joe's puff pastry is a seasonal item, so I like to get a few boxes when I see it.
✔️Customizable. Once you get this recipe down, you can change it out for different fillings, savory or sweet!
Expert Tips
- To defrost the dough, place it in the refrigerator overnight. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until ready to use.
- It is easier to work with cold dough. It is still firm but moldable. Warm dough is sticky and more challenging to work with. Keep the puff pastry dough in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the appetizer.
- For a quick way to defrost, leave it out on the counter for about 1 hour.
- Use a pairing knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough or pastry sheet into squares.
Ingredients
Puff pastry - Using store-bought puff pastry is a huge time saver for this fun mushroom appetizer recipe. I prefer to use Trader Joe’s brand puff pastry when it’s available during the holiday season. It is affordable - a box is $4.99 compared to a competitor product, that's about double the price. It is also made with clean, basic ingredients and no additives, just wheat flour, water, butter, salt, and vinegar. One Trader Joe’s box of puff pastry has 2 rolls, which will make about 24 of these appetizers.
Shallot - Shallot has a milder flavor than an onion and pairs well with mushrooms. You can swap for a sweet or yellow onion.
Fresh thyme - Another great flavor pairing with mushrooms. Leave it out if needed.
Baby bella mushrooms - Can substitute for your favorite kind of mushroom, like white mushrooms, crimini, oyster, shiitakes, or even a combination.
Peas - You can use fresh or frozen peas for this recipe. I always have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer. If using fresh peas, just cook them for a bit longer. You can swap green peas for asparagus.
How to Make Puff Pastry Appetizers
Step 1. Sauté
Sauté shallot, garlic, and thyme in olive oil and butter for about 3 minutes or until shallot is softened. Add in mushrooms and cook until caramelized.
Step 2. Mix
Next, add in frozen peas and cook until thawed and the peas turn a brighter green. (if using fresh peas, cook for a few extra minutes.) Turn off the heat and let the filling cool down.
Step 3. Cut
Unroll the sheet of thawed puff pastry from the wrapping and cut the sheet into equal squares, about 3 inches each. I ended up with 4 rows and 3 columns, yielding 12 squares.
Step 4. Fill
Transfer cut squares of puff pastry to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spoon the mushroom and peas filling onto each square.
Step 5. Fold
Fold in one corner of the square over the filling, followed by the opposite corner closing in on top and creating a bundle.
Step 6. Bake
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the buttery puff pastry bites are golden brown and crisp. Serve warm.
Variations
You can change up the folding method for these puff pastry bites if you wish.
- Squares - Fold each edge of the square in to make a smaller square with an open center.
- Triangles - Fold the square diagonally to make a triangular shape.
- Cups - Push the pastry squares into a mini muffin tin to make a cup shape.
- Tarts - Roll out the puff pastry and place the filling all over, leaving a 1-inch edge with no topping. The best part is that no cutting is involved.
There are also numerous ways to change up the filling of these puff pastry bites with sweet or savory options. Here are some filling ideas to try.
- Asparagus and goat cheese
- Garlic scapes or ramps
- Caramelized onions and flavorful gruyere cheese
- Creamy brie cheese and your favorite jam (a sweet fig jam would work great in this combo)
- Fresh spinach and feta
- Apple cinnamon and maple syrup
- Pears with a drizzle of honey
Recipe FAQ
Puff pastry is usually good in the freezer for about a year. You can stock up when it is available so you have it on hand. Of course, check the expiration date before using.
Egg wash is simply a beaten egg or a mixture of egg with water, milk, or cream brushed on top which gives baked pastries a shiny crust. It can also act like a binder or adhesive when adding toppings to your pastry like sesame or poppy seeds, large salt or sugar crystals. For simplicity, I didn’t use egg wash in this recipe, but you can if you want to!
Transfer the puff pastry from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost the night before you want to make these easy appetizers. If you are short on time, you can leave the frozen puff pastry on the counter at room temperature for about an hour prior to using and it should be good to go. I recommend keeping it sealed in its plastic wrap until ready to use.
Puff pastry is a laminated dough, which means it has been rolled out and folded multiple times with layers of butter in between. The result is a puffy, flaky pastry dough. Phyllo dough usually does not contain butter, and while it is also flakey, it does not puff up when baked like puff pastry does.
More Puff Pastry Appetizers
Try these other appetizer recipes using flaky puff pastry:
Vegetarian Easy Recipes to Try
Puff Pastry Mushroom Appetizer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed for an hour on the counter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 thyme springs, removed from stem
- 4 oz baby bella mushrooms, diced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ heaping cup of frozen or fresh peas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Over medium heat, add olive oil to a pan, just enough to coat the pan and add a sliver of butter. Saute shallot, garlic, and thyme for about 3 minutes or until shallot is softened.
- Add mushrooms, season with salt. Add a sliver of butter if needed, and saute for about 7 minutes or until mushrooms are caramelized.
- Add frozen peas and cook for 1 minute or until thawed and the peas turn a brighter green. (if using fresh peas, cook for a few extra minutes.) Turn off the heat and let the filling cool down.
- Remove the puff pastry sheet from the wrapping, roll it out, and cut the sheet into equal squares, about 3 inches each. I ended up with 4 rows and 3 columns, having a total of 12 squares.
- Transfer cut squares of puff pastry to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spoon the mushroom and peas filling on to each square. Fold in one corner of the square over the filling, followed by the opposite corner closing in on top and creating a bundle.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the bundles are golden. Serve warm.
Notes
- The dough should be thawed out but still cold. Warm dough is sticky and hard to work with. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge and remove it just before shaping. If you are short on time, you can defrost the puff pastry at room temperature for an hour before using it.
- Feel free to use any mushrooms you prefer, like crimini, oysters, shiitake, white buttons, or a combination.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat them in the oven until warm.
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