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
Made cream puffs twice and they are amazing .. Done it was th slice fresh strawberry and cream..
Yum! That sounds amazing! Thank you for that great feedback!
I made these for Father’s Day. They were a huge hit! The recipe is easy to follow and delicious. Thank you!
You are very welcome! Thanks for giving this recipe an awesome review.
Hi Natasha! I made the cream puff by using your recipe and direction, it came out pretty good. Only thing is i feel the shell is a little too doughy. how can i make it more fluffy, crisper , thin layer of the shell, and less doughy?
Hi Betty, it sounds like it needed a little more time in the oven to get that hollowed shell center. If you pull them out too early, they can seem flat and less hollow inside.
Best recipe ever!
I made this today and it tastes just as amazing as it looks!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Bekah!
hi love all your recipes i tried these cream puffs and they turned out so good thanks
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha..
Tried this recipe..turned out perfectly…
My family love it.
Thank you.
Wonderful! Thanks for your excellent review for this recipe.
Tried a small batch, a quarter of your recipe. It took less than a quarter of the entire prep and cooking time for my 1 and 1/2 year old daughter to finish off 4 of these pretty little things. I, my wife, and my older daughter just got 1 each. Going to make more of these.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I used this recipe to make cream puffs for the first time and they came out perfectly! The video and detailed instructions (down to the diameter and height of the piped choux) was excellent. I will use this recipe to make choux every time! Thank you!
That’s so great! Sounds like you found a family favorite!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use fresh milk instead of whole milk? or is full cream milk powder can be used as a substitute?
Thanks
Hi Kaves, I always make this with whole milk and I’ve never tested it with anything else so I would feel bad if I advised it and it didn’t work out. If you experiment, let me know how it goes.
Hiya,
Can i ask the grams for cup size.
Is it US size?
Hi Nipa, if you click the “metric” button in the recipe card, you will find it.
I just made these last night and they are amazing!!! everyone loved them.
Love it! Thanks for sharing your feedback with us.
Can you make the pastry ahead of time? And store it the fridge? Not bake?
Hi Jam, please see the section above titled: “Can I Store the Cream Puffs Before Filling?”
OMG this was literally something I thought I couldn’t make but it turned out Amazing
Yay so glad the end result was amazing, Ella. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
I love this recipe! I have made it several times and they are perfect every time. Would you recommend doubling the recipe or make one batch at a time? I want to make cream puffs and eclairs.
Hi Samantha, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I would do it one at a time.
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.
That is awesome to hear, Angie. Thanks for giving this recipe a great feedback!
I made these for my husband for our anniversary. Cream puffs are one of his favorites. That turned out great and he liked them. Thank you for this recipe.
So great! I’m sure you made him so happy, thanks for leaving a wonderful review!
I plan on making this recipe later today, but I have one question: what mixer attachment should I use to combine the eggs with the dough? I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer with all the standard attachments. Thank you!
Hi Hailey, I would use the whisk attachment since it will give you the closest results to the egg beaters on an electric hand mixer.
Hi Natasha . I made the cream puffs and they came perfect Know I’m going to try more recipes from you . Please can the recipe also in grms when the recipe say oz . we don’t use this measure . Thanks Doreen
Thanks for letting us know, Doreen. Most of our new recipes have grams conversion just click on “Jump to recipe” and Click “Metric” and it should be converted in grams. I hope that helps.
I made a mistake and piped each puff too big. I have 19. Would you suggest I bake them longer, sine they’re bigger? How much longer? Should I reduce the temp? TY
Hi Gina, you will probably need to bake longer as we did our eclairs (it is the same choux pastry dough).
I love this recipe! The instructions are well laid out and descriptive. I have tried other recipes and fail miserably and I know it is because they leave out useful steps about cooking the flour! I will always come back to this recipe as it had NEVER let me down!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Leah!