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 followed the French traditional recipe without milk from a class I had taken, but it didn’t give me Natasha’s awesome results. This choux pastry is simple and perfect, and watching the video and seeing the expected texture before baking is really helpful. Thanks to Natasha, I succeeded in making this exquisite pastry that melts in your mouth!
Haven’t finished my cream puffs yet. So far so good. I’m a little curious, what tastes better in this cream puff, pastry cream or whipped cream?
It really depends on your personal preference but we use heavy whipping cream most of the time.
I made these tonight, very easy and clear recipe! Thank you! How many cream puffs per serving, please?
You’re very welcome, Stephanie! The serving size per the nutrition calculator is 1 cream puff.
I just made these for Christmas tomorrow! Excellent recipe! They taste so good. I baked 25 min for the 2nd timer to endure they were dry. I used a skewer to poke a few holes in each to allow steam to release while cooling. I won’t fill until Christmas Day but I did taste test one with my vanilla custard and it’s fabulous!! Recipe was very easy to follow. Thank you Natasha!
Wow, these were amazing! Super easy and soooo delicious. I can’t wait to make them again and share with family and friends! Thank you!
I made this recipe today and followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely the best cream puffs ever. So delicious that my family just about ate them all. Definitely recommend and will be making these again and again.
Thank you for your kind words, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made these with Gluten free flour and they turned out perfect. At first, I thought it might be a disaster since the dough came out almost gummy, but it finally came together and baked beautifully.
I tried 2 batches and unfortunately these didn’t raise as I recall they did when my mom made them. After some research, I found more traditional recipes from 80s without the milk. My understanding is that using water only will cause them to rise and you can make big cream puffs like mom used to! I trying that recipe next. These tasted good, but quickly deflated and I cooked one batch a little less than what it said to and the other batch longer and each time flopped. Once I also let cool with door open. I feel maybe recipe without milk will be more reliable?
Hi Alicia! We have successfully made this revoked several times with no issues. Most common reasons for deflating are oven temperature, underbaking, uneven pipping or pipping too large. How did the batter look? Was it runny, or similar consistency to mine in the video? Make sure you cook the flour long enough so it evaporates the liquid well before.
I had to make these cream puffs twice. My family really enjoyed them. They are not too sweet; just enough to satisfy your dessert cravings after dinner.
Great to hear that your family enjoyed the cream puffs!
Cream puffs always seemed so daunting. This recipe was straight forward and the result…wow!
Thank you for your awesome feedback! I’m so glad you loved them.
Hey! I’ve made these by my self once and they turned out great!! My whole family loves them, and we have friends that really like food, and they all loved them too. It wasn’t even as hard as I expected. I’m 15 so I was a little nervous when I made them, ( I watch baking shows and they always go on about how hard they are ) but they were amazing!! 🤩
Probaré usando su receta. Espero me salgan tan bonitos como a Usted.
TRANSLATION: “I’ll try using your recipe. I hope mine turn out as beautiful as yours.”
I hope you love it, Patricia!
Easy and delicious! Had to cut some time off the baking (4 minutes). I weighed the flour for a more precise measurement, which was key to the recipe success, I believe!
Would you kindly share what the weight of the flour was?
Wonderful directions! Puffs came out perfect and were easy to fill with whipped cream using a Wilton 230 piping tip. Making again for the second time this week; husband approved!
My dough is too soft and loose. So the puffs are too flat. Suggestions?
Hi Esther, its hard to say without being there, but that may be a measuring issue, the liquid to dry ingredient ratio may be off. I recommend double checking everything was measured properly. You can use our How to Measure guide. And be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
These were easy to make and tasted good, but they didn’t rise much. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Charlotte! See the section above for common reasons they deflate and don’t rise.
made the cream puffs for the first time. My party came out very sticky and thick, not sure what I did wrong. the puffs came out be funny looking. any idea what i did wrong. can I make the whipped cream tonight to fill and serve tomorrow
thank you
Annemarie
Hi Annemarie! Too much flour or not enough eggs can cause that. I used large eggs from the store. The dough should be smooth, pipeable, and slightly glossy. Make sure to Measure your ingredients correctly (specifically the flour). The whipped cream can deflate if made too far in advance, it’s best to make it prior to filling the cream puffs.
So yummy and easier than I expected! My friend and I both made cream puffs as a personal challenge and thought they would be hard to make but your recipe made it so easy and clear. This seems like such a fun party treat to bring! I would eat 3 of these at a time:)
Could you tell me where can I buy piping bag with the tips you have mentioned thankyou
Hi Jackie! If you click on “shop” from the menu at the top of the page, you’ll find then linked in my amazon storefront. You can also find them in baking aisles at local grocery stores, hobby lobby, Michael’s, etc.
Hi I live in Canada now for the heavy whipping cream we have whipping cream what percent of cream is used for the filling thankyou Jackie
Hello! According to research, you can use 473 ml of whipping cream with 35% milk fat.