Cream Puffs are a classic French dessert filled with sweet cream and dusted with powdered sugar. You haven’t enjoyed a cream puff until you’ve tried one freshly baked. The Choux pastry dough is easier than you think; just watch the video tutorial.
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Homebaked pastries are the closest thing to getting them freshly baked from a Parisian Bakery! My husband and I finally went to Paris in 2024, and we sure enjoyed visiting French Patisseries (a bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets).
I just love re-creating classic French pastries like Eclairs, Croissants, Scones, and, of course, these Cream Puffs, which are surprisingly simple to make.
Watch How to Make Cream Puffs
Homemade cream puffs are the ultimate treat. Watch the video tutorial, and you’ll realize how easy they are to make. You’ll make them over and over! Have fun and let me know if you get creative and experiment with different fillings or toppings. There are so many varieties!
Cream Puff Recipe
Cream puffs are an iconic and well-loved pastry found in French bakeries, but they are surprisingly easy to master at home. The pastry, also called pâte à choux dough, requires simple, inexpensive ingredients (milk, water, butter, sugar, salt, flour, and eggs), and it takes about one hour of your time from start to finish.
If you have made my Classic Eclairs, then you already know how to make these. The dough is the same and this cream puff recipe has an even easier filling. We use an easy sweetened whipped cream filling, but you can also make Pastry Cream to fill the centers if you want a more traditional filling.
Tools to Make Cream Puffs
You’ll be happy to know that you can make cream puffs with basic kitchen tools:
- 3 Qt Medium saucepan with a wooden spoon
- Electric Hand Mixer (or stand mixer with whisk attachment)
- Pastry Bag with 1/2″ Round Tip (without the tip, you can cut a 1/2″ diameter tip from a disposable pastry bag)
- Baking Sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper
What is Choux Pastry?
Choux Pastry (also known as Pâte à Choux) is a French pastry dough. It is pronounced “shoo pastry.” It sounds fancy but it is surprisingly easy to make and requires simple ingredients. Choux pastry is also used to make:
- Eclairs filled with custard and dipped in chocolate
- Profiteroles (like cream puffs but filled with ice cream, drizzled with chocolate ganache and frozen)
- Churros which are deep fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar
- Zeppole – an Italian donut
- Cinnamon Sugar Donuts – a family favorite in my Cookbook
Why do Cream Puffs Deflate?
There are 2 reasons cream puffs can deflate and go flat:
- Opening the oven early – the loss of heat hinders their ability to rise
- Under-baking – causes collapse shortly after removing from oven
Pro Tip:
If making larger, 2″ wide cream puffs, you will get 18 puffs which need to be baked longer (10 min at 425˚F then 25 minutes at 325˚F).
How do I know when Cream Puffs are Done?
The color is the best indicator of doneness and they should be deeply golden. You can take 1 cream puff out at the recommended time and break it open, the center should be mostly hollowed out. If the dough inside seems very moist and spongy, continue baking for another 2 minutes.
Can I Store the Cream Puffs Before Filling?
The shells can be made a day or 2 ahead. Let them cool to room temperature, cover lightly and store at room temperature. They tend to soften if made ahead.
To re-crisp the shell: bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 300˚F for about 5 minutes. Once cream puffs are filled, they are best enjoyed the same day or frozen.
Can I Freeze Cream Puffs?
When freezing filled cream puffs, be sure to fill the cream into the center, or cut off tops and add just enough cream so it is completely covered and hidden with the lid. You want to have the cream contained.
To thaw frozen cream puffs: leave them for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or 30 minutes at room temperature then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
More Classic Desserts to Try
The French are known for their incredible dessert and pastries. These Parisian desserts are simple and will make you feel like a pro!
- Charlotte Cake
- Almond Cake
- Creme Brulee
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Strawberry Scones
- Raspberry Macarons
- Crepe Cake
Cream Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Choux Pastry:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Ingredients for Cream Filling and Garnish:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 28 raspberries, optional
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar, to garnish
Instructions
How to Make Cream Puffs:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.
- In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring just to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
- One flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat stirring constantly for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to release extra moisture and partially cook flour. A thin film will form on the bottom of the pan and dough will come together into a smooth ball.
- Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute to cool mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing to fully incorporate between additions. Beat another minute until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip. Pipe 28 puffs, each 1 1/2” diameter and 1/2” tall rounds. Keep them 1" apart and avoid making peaks* but if you do get peaks, wet finger tips lightly with water and smooth them out.
- Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes in the center of the oven. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 20-22 min longer or until golden brown on top. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Filling for Cream Puffs:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups heavy cream, 4 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy with stiff peaks (2 min). Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
- Once cream puffs are completely cooled, fill them with cream. There are 2 ways to fill them: (#1) pipe the cream into the puffs by pushing the pastry tip into the side and piping until cream pushes back, or (#2) Cut off tops of puffs and pipe cream inside using a pastry bag, push a raspberry down into the center if desired, then cover with the tops. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I love making these cream puffs and eclares not just for me but for my customers
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
what went wrong,
Me and my family tried this recipe but the dough was to runny we followed the instructions and had the right ingredients.
Can you help
Hi Scarlett, if you find they are too runny, I would recommend keeping them an extra 30 seconds or so on the stove. I hope that helps!
I made the creampuffs the feeling was divine the pastry did not do what it was supposed to do and I followed and check the directions twice before I before I proceeded and it was a total failure so I am left with filling please let me know what I probably did wrong if anything
Hi Phyllis, it is difficult to say what could have gone wrong without more details. I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to see where things started to look different. Make sure to measure correctly so you have the right balance of dry to liquid ingredients.
Hi! I had a question as to what the sugar in this recipe does? Would it make much difference if I left it out?
Hi George, I love that this recipe has less sugar than store-bought, so they are a little less guilty, but this really wouldn’t work too great without it.
I put icing sugar in my whipping cream
Hi Natasha! Happy to have tried this recipe and turned out light and hollow cream puffs oumped with chocolate! My only concern is the ones I’ve baked tasted too eggy. What will you recommend to avoid this? Thank you.
Hi Jemimah, I haven’t had that experience, but it sounds like ingredients may have been added in the wrong order? Or maybe another ingredient was substituted? If ingredients are not added in the correct order, the dough won’t form properly. I hope that helps. They should not taste eggy or be flat. That is what I suspect happened. I suggest watching the video tutorial to see where things may have gone wrong.
I had this same experience. They baked perfectly and otherwise taste great except they did have an eggy flavour to them that you dont normally get with eclairs and cream puffs. Made this recipe 3 different times so far and they all had the same eggy flavour to them. Followed the recipe exactly and no substitutions.
I had the same experience. I tasted an eggy flavor that I wasn’t expecting and therefore didn’t like. I have made cream puffs with other recipes and never tasted that. No substitutes, no different order (not sure how one would do that since not a lot of ingredients and not a complex recipe), dough consistency seemed fine and I watched video.
Hi Mimi, there shouldn’t be a strong eggy flavor – were your eggs ok? I’ve had eggs go bad before so I make it a habbit to smell them after cracking. Sometimes outdoor draft can also make an egg-based recipe smell more eggy.
I made these today and they turned out great
I did 3 different flavors
Vanilla filling
Wild berry filling
And also a savory option jalapeno poppers.
My only question is with the whipped cream filling how long after making will they hold up. I wanna make some for a party but need to make the day before.
Hi Brittany, The shells can be made a day or 2 ahead. Let them cool to room temperature, cover lightly, and store at room temperature. They tend to soften if made ahead. Please see the section in the recipe titled: “Can I Store the Cream Puffs Before Filling? If you want to store them filling, it may be best to freeze them.
hi auntie,my name is aura and i would like to ask if it is necessary to use heavy cream
Hi Aura, I haven’t tried any other substitutions to advise.
So, I made my first batch today. Not even a baker.
I did the dough as it was, but in high elevation and a wonky stove, we had to guess the perfect time.
I did make them a bit to small.
I wish I could leave a picture…
I filled them with half pudding/half cool whip for more of a mousse, and melted chocolate chips and swirled them around.
There was one left by the end of the night.
These. We’re. Amazing. The bread ALONE was amazing! Like, you can do so much with the puffs alone.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that, Leslie. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I love cooking because of you. Simple, delightful, testy, and a pleasure to watch. I end your Videos with a smile. Thank you!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
I have made these cream puffs twice and each time they came out great. My first tries at puff pastries. The recipe is easy to follow. I even put some fresh raspberries in some. The only problem, if it can be called one, is that they did not stick around for very long. Everyone loved them.
Aren’t they delicious! I’m so happy you enjoeyd this recipe!
Hi Natasha, if I wanted to make bigger size cream puffs, would I just follow the recipe, put in bigger chunks in the tray, and cook for longer? Thank you!
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Did you use an American cup measure or the South African one, which is somewhat more?
Hi Vanessa, I hope this post on measuring helps you. We recorded how dry and wet ingredients are measured. We used American; I can’t say that I know the difference between the South African and American ones.
I have the grandkids coming over tonight, can I use 2% mik as it is all I have? Love your videos!
Hi Jane, I saw others commented and shared this “Omg it worked the first time I tried it! I didn’t have whole milk so I used 2% with a splash of heavy cream” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha. I’ve followed your recipe exactly. However, the dough was a bit ‘runny’ to be piped out before baking. Any idea where went wrong and suggestion to fix it?
Hi Yi, make sure to stir for about 2 minutes on the stove to release the extra steam and then the mixing afterward is important to cool it down and also to release some more steam. Lastly, be sure to measure ingredients correctly to ensure a good balance of wet to dry ingredients.
hello you are so awesome i love you so much and you have got me so much better at baking for mothers day i made my mom some cream puff with berries and she loved them thank you so much also your awesome
You are very welcome, Louisa. I hope you and your family will love all the recipes that you will try.
Hi Natasha!
I made the cream puffs today. My first attempt failed, I didn’t pay enough attention to how you piped the dough onto the sheet. I made them all in a swirling move, instead of swirling just the tip. They all deflated. I immediately made a next batch when I spotted the error. Not sure it was the swirling that caused it, or taking them out too soon.
The second attempt came out good, however a tiny bit moist on the inside, which had a little egg taste. It didn’t really bother me, but is that normal? I already baked them longer, I think for 26 min after turning the temp lower, because my test puff wasn’t hollow on the inside after 22 minutes.
Anyhow, they’re still really delicious! Half of the batch is in the fridge for tomorrow. I’m thinking to coat them in chocolate.. 🙂
I’m so glad that worked out the second time around Kiki. Piping it too big may result in them deflating and not turning out. I would also make sure your oven is calibrated and not running too low on heat.
Hi Natasha, I made these today and it was very easy. Thank you! My problem is that my puffs were too soft. They looked perfect but are lacking a bit of crispness. Any thoughts?
Hi Joanne, They tend to soften if made ahead. Please see the section in the recipe titled: “Can I Store the Cream Puffs Before Filling?
Amazing recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha, Love your recipes!! Just wondering would I get the same result using gluten free flour when making your cream puff recipe?
Thank you, Judy! I haven’t tested that with almond/gluten-free flour to advise. If you experiment please let us know how you like that.
Made these today, used salted butter and they turned out perfect. I did cook an extra 30 seconds after flour added.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Sandra!
Just curious–when a recipe calls for unsalted butter and then the same recipe gives an amount of salt to put in why not just use salted butter?
Hi Maggie, I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can easily adjust the salt level in the recipe, but that would work too if you just use salter butter.