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 made these tonight and they turned out AMAZING. I was nervous about using a nonstick pot because I couldn’t see a film come off of the choux but it didn’t make a difference. These were fairly simple to make and soo good, I will definitely be making them again and hopefully I will have raspberries next time!
Yes it’s also yummy with raspberries! Thanks for giving this recipe a try and I hope you enjoy all the other recipes too.
I only have 1% milk. Is there a way that I could some how use this and get by when making the pastry? I have everything else except this 🙁
Hi Aimee, I always make this with whole milk and I’ve never tested it with 1% so I would feel bad if I advised it and it didn’t work out. If you experiment, let me know how it goes. One reader did report that their dough was too runny with 1% so if you try it, I would keep it on the stove an extra 30 seconds to let some of the extra steam escape.
I only had 2% milk, and I used majority 2% with a splash of heavy cream and it worked out great!
Good luck Natasha
Thank you!
Just wanted to add that I didn’t have parchment paper OR a silicone mat, so I greased the one with Crisco and they still rose up beautifully and didn’t stick. Desperate times call for desperate measures! Thank you for this recipe, I needed a new challenge.
So great to hear that it was a success, Em! So true you have to be creative nowadays to make the recipe work without all the ingredients that you need. Good job!
Nastashas,
You mentioned if your puff is deflated, you put in the oven too soon. How long are you supposed to wait before putting it in?
Hi Breanne, if they deflated, it could be that you took them out of the oven too early.
I can’t wait to try these!
My grandma always made them from scratch, but my mom and I tried countless times, but we didn’t succeed.
Really hope this works
I hope you love this recipe Noa!
Hi Natasha i made your cream puffs and they were delicious. I topped them with some chocolate ganache so they were like mini eclairs. For sone reason though the inside was not completely hollowed out. I had to clean the insides a bit they were a bit doughy. Any idea why that could be? The outside was a lovely golden brown
Hi, it could be that the may have needed an extra couple of minutes in the oven.
Hi Natasha! This recipe sound sooo delicious! Will try in few days! How do you think, can I filled it with your home made caramel?
I haven’t tried that yet to advise but I imagine that should work! Please share with us how you liked it if you do an experiment.
Hi dear
I made cream puffs with your recipe ,they were very very great ,my problem is after I put them in the refrigerator the next day I found them wet (I kept them in a firm sealed box ).
Hi, if you stored them without cream, make sure they are at room temperature before refrigerating or the steam can get trapped – it’s best to keep moisture away from the cream puffs. If they are filled with cream, it’s best to enjoy them soon after piping in the cream. They will keep better in the refrigerator filled if you use a custard, but whipped cream is not as sturdy and can be pretty moist and can easilly deflate if not adequately beaten/whipped. Check out the custard recipe on our eclairs recipe.
I made these today they are delicious and turned out great.I have tried lots of recipes and they are all wonderful
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use self raising flour instead?
Hi Karen, I haven’t personally tried that yet to advise, but if you an experiment please share with us how it goes.
Hi! Thanks for the video. I don’t know if anyone had this issue, but I tried this recipe and it came out hardened and eggy on the inside. Not too mention the dough itself didn’t seem as pliable or ‘wet’ as the dough, it was tough to get through the piping bag. Any idea as to why?
Hi Jo, it sounds like maybe there was too much flour added. I would recommend watching our tutorial on measuring ingredients for baking and hopefully that helps. Also, maybe watch the cream puffs video tutorial and see where the dough started looking different from yours to identify the culprit.
The recipe looks so good. Do you think I can make it without a piping bag and just scoop the dough on the parchment paper?
Hi Lilia, I haven’t tested that but I imagine that may work. Also, a zip lock bag with a cut corner may work also. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha! My daughter who is ten made this by herself! The video was so helpful. She ended up spooning it onto the parchment paper and used your “wet finger tap” technique to smooth the top. They came out perfect and hollowed out as we hoped 🙂 Thank you for making your recipes so user friendly. We love watching all your videos together. God bless!
That is so cute, I can just imagine her doing the finger tap! Love it, thanks for your excellent feedback!
Just made these for the first time, and they came out so so so delicious, highly recommend!
Super! So happy to hear that your first time making this recipe was a success. I hope that you love every recipe that you try.
Natasha, this might be an odd question, but would the choux pastry be a good choice to fill with ice cream (as a sandwich) instead of the cream? Debating between choux pastry or brioche to try. Or would there be a better pastry to use for ice cream?!
Hi Kenneth! That should work! One of our readers has reported great results using that.
Thanks Natashas!
Will Try!
Filling with ice cream transforms your decadent dessert from a “cream puff” into a “profiterole.” You were simply ahead of yourself, Kenneth. =)
Thanks for the insight Michael!
Will try!
I love Saunders hot fudge ice cream puffs! I use this recipe to make the pastry then add vanilla ice cream inside the pastry and top with Saunders hot fudge and they turn out just like the ones I used to get at Saunders Ice Cream Parlor when I was a child! Ice cream is amazing in these pastry shells!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that with us.
i have never baked anything other than boxed cake. I love watching Natasha’s videos on facebook! I decided now was the PERFECT time to make these! it was super easy/fun…and they turned out DELICIOUS. my family and I are absolutely loving them!! thank you!!
And I love your comment and feedback, Mary. I am so happy that your first time making this recipe was a success!
Hi Natasha! Silly question, but I’m all out of parchment paper. Is it okay to grease the pan instead?
Hi Ali, that is a good question. It’s best not to grease the pan since that may cause the dough to go flat. If you have a silicone baking mat that would work, otherwise a non-stick baking sheet might be your best bet.
Im in love with this girl
Aaw thank you Miles!
Can I replace self rising flour with all purpose flour?
Hello Ying, I haven’t personally tried that yet to advise, but if you an experiment please share with us how it goes.
ying, it works quite well. they end up a little flatter but correct texture!
I also gave these a try due to the quarantine, came out almost perfect – my piping needs some work, but still were delicious! Filled them with some pastry cream! Yum!
Oh it sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing that with us and for giving this recipe a great review.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes! Everything we wonderful, but some of my puffs puffed too much into mini mountains. What could I have done wrong? They all looked about the same height and width and I made sure to wet down the peaks. Thank you!!
Hi, it could be due to the size they are being piped or maybe they need to be piped a little wider at the base rather than taller.
Wow these were amazing loved them! They were also pretty easy to make! I followed the recipe exactly!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Jennifer!
They turned out amazing! I would 10/10 recommend. I made them for my family because the covid-19 quarantine is driving me mad. I always thought cream puffs were something only the fanciest of chefs could make. Who knew they were so simple!
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Isn’t it amazing how easy this recipe is!
Amen, it’s prompting me to cook way more waist busting delights than I need. LOL
But, when I decide to cook some sweet stuff Natasha never fails to provide the perfect recipe.
My puffs (which came out beautifully) are now sitting on a rack cooling leaving me with the quandary of whether to fill them with whipped or Bavarian cream.
Hi Denise, I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes! I hope you love these cream puffs!