These homemade Cream Puffs are made with a light and fluffy pastry shell and a creamy custard filling. They’re a classic French dessert that’s easier than you might think to make at home.
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The Best Cream Puffs Recipe
Cream Puffs are a total classic, and something you may have never considered making at home. We’re here to show you just how easy it is to whip up both the light and airy pâte à choux pastry shells and the rich and creamy cream puff filling.
And please don’t limit yourself to just the custard in this recipe. Cream Puffs taste amazing filled with all types and flavors of creams, puddings, custards and even ice cream.
One of the best things about this sweet treat is that you can make the components separately, vanilla pudding and whipped cream, and they both hold beautifully, making this an excellent make-ahead dessert option. Another pro tip is that they actually taste incredible straight out the freezer, so feel free to serve them frozen, too. If you're looking for Chocolate Cream Puffs with chocolate pudding, we've got you covered there too,
What is pâte à choux?
Pâte à choux is a French pastry dough that is made by cooking butter, milk or water, sugar, salt and flour until a dough forms, then cooling it slightly in a mixer and slowly adding eggs until the correct consistency is reached.
The dough becomes puffed and semi-hollow as the moisture evaporates in the oven, making it perfect for filling. Baked pâte à choux is also used to make eclairs, churros, profiteroles, cheese puffs and more.
Ingredients in Homemade Cream Puffs
Pâte à Choux Dough
- Butter - use unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Water - water creates steam in the oven which is what helps Cream Puffs rise. You could also use half milk and half water.
- Sugar - just a touch of sugar is all you need.
- Salt - you’ll want to add just a bit here so that the flavor isn’t flat.
- Flour - all-purpose flour works great for pâte à choux.
- Eggs - make sure your eggs are at room temperature and not cold so they will be easier to incorporate into your dough.
Custard Filling for Cream Puffs
- Milk - whole milk works best for a custard like this.
- Sugar - regular granulated sugar is best for this recipe.
- Cornstarch - this helps to thicken the custard.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best. You could also use other types to create other flavors, such as banana extract, coffee extract, almond extract and more.
- Egg Yolks - these thicken the custard and make it silky smooth.
- Butter - use unsalted butter for the filling.
- Heavy Whipping Cream - this will be whipped separately and folded into the finished custard.
How to Make Cream Puffs
Make the Choux Pastry
- Cook the dough. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the butter, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the flour. Stir constantly and vigorously using a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 1 minute in order to remove a little more moisture and cook the flour.
- Transfer to a stand mixer bowl. Immediately transfer the cooked pastry dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment to release some of the steam.
- Add the eggs. Add the vanilla, then begin adding the eggs one at a time, letting each egg incorporate into the dough before adding the next. Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon texture when stirred with the paddle.
- Pipe. Remove from heat, then transfer the pâte à choux dough to a piping bag with a large round (or star) ½" inch piping tip. Pipe 1 ½"-2" rounds onto your prepared baking sheet, keeping them about 2" apart. Wet your finger and smooth out the tip on each round to ensure even baking and color.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 without opening the oven door and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cream puffs are golden brown.
- Cool completely. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Cream Puff Custard Filling
- Boil the milk mixture. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a boil, whisk and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens.
- Temper in the eggs. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk. With one hand, stream about ⅓ of the hot pudding mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly with the other hand. Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Whisk the entire custard over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
- Cool. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Transfer the hot custard to a large bowl or baking dish and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
Assemble the Cream Puffs
- Add whipped cream to the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Remove the cooled custard from the fridge, giving it a couple stirs, then carefully fold in the whipped cream using a rubber spatula.
- Fill and finish the Cream Puffs. Transfer the cream puff filling to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Poke a small hole on the bottom of each baked choux pastry using the end of a thermometer, a large skewer or a small paring knife. Fill each cream puff, then dust the filled cream puffs with powdered sugar before serving.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Frozen Cream Puffs taste like they are filled with ice cream, so feel free to serve them frozen or thawed.
- Cream Puffs are a great make-ahead dessert. The shells can be baked up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The filling can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. It then takes just minutes to reassemble once you are ready to serve.
- To save time, you can skip the homemade cream puff filling and use Instant Cheesecake or Vanilla Jello Pudding. Just mix up the pudding according to package instructions but reduce the milk by half. Cool completely, then fold it into 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Voila!
- You don’t have to limit yourself to just filling these with custard. Whipped cream, chocolate pudding, or even ice cream taste amazing in these little guys.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common reason that pâte à choux deflates is that it wasn’t given enough time in the oven to cook fully, and allow enough moisture to evaporate. If you find your puffs keep deflating, try reducing the oven temperature down to 400 or 375 degrees and baking for a longer time. Also, be sure to leave enough space in between each puff and do not open the oven door as that rush of air can also make them collapse.
The easiest way to refresh cream puff shells is to put them in a 325 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, let them cool completely and they should be as good as new.
Nope, any unfilled Cream Puff shells can be wrapped in plastic or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can fill your Cream Puffs up to a full day before you plan to serve, although it is ideal to eat them within a few hours of filling.
Storing and Freezing
- Refrigerator: filled Cream Puffs can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can also store the cream puff filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Frozen Cream Puffs: frozen Cream Puffs taste amazing, almost like they are filled with ice cream. You can also freeze both the baked pâte à choux dough and the cooled cream puff filling for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: to thaw, pull the pastry out to room temperature for a few hours, or overnight. The filling can be thawed overnight in the fridge. You may want to refresh the pastry in a 325 degree oven for about 5 minutes to remove any moisture, then let cool completely before filling with the thawed cream puff filling.
Cream Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- ½ cup Butter
- 1 cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 4 large Eggs room temperature
Cream Puff Filling
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
For Assembling
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream whipped
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Pâte à Choux Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the butter, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the flour. Stir constantly and vigorously using a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 1 minute in order to remove a little more moisture and cook the flour.
- Immediately transfer the cooked pastry dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment to release some of the steam. Add the vanilla, then begin adding the eggs one at a time, letting each egg incorporate into the dough before adding the next. Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon texture when stirred with the paddle.
- Remove from heat, then transfer the pâte à choux dough to a piping bag with a large round (or star) ½" inch piping tip. Pipe 1 ½"-2" rounds onto your prepared baking sheet, keeping them about 2" apart. Wet your finger and smooth out the tip on each round to ensure even baking and color.
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 without opening the oven door and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cream puffs are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Puff Filling
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a boil, whisk and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk. With one hand, stream about ⅓ of the hot pudding mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly with the other hand. Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Whisk the entire custard over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Transfer the hot custard to a large bowl or baking dish and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
Assembling Cream Puffs
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Remove the cooled custard from the fridge, giving it a couple stirs, then carefully fold in the whipped cream using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer the cream puff filling to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Poke a small hole on the bottom of each baked choux pastry using the end of a thermometer, a large skewer or a small paring knife. Fill each cream puff, then dust the filled cream puffs with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- To save time, you can skip the homemade cream puff filling and use Instant Cheesecake or Vanilla Jello Pudding. Just mix up the pudding according to package instructions but reduce the milk by half. Cool completely, then fold it into 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Voila!
- Another way to assemble is to slice each baked cream puff in half and pipe the cream puff filling onto the bottom half, placing the top half back on. Finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy!
Nutrition
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These classic homemade Cream Puffs have a light and airy pâte à choux pastry shell with a rich and creamy custard filling. They're a great make-ahead dessert and absolutely delicious.
Taylor
I've always been a little intimidated to make choux but this recipe was so easy to follow and perfect for this beginner baker! It came out wonderful - light, fluffy and just the right amount of crispy. Can't wait to try all different types of fillings!
Jill Baird
Hooray! I'm so happy you had such great success.
Ashley
These are so good. I made these for my husband's birthday and we all loved them.
Jill Baird
Happy birthday to your husband! So glad they turned out great!