Cream Puff Recipe

This cream puff recipe is light, airy, and filled with smooth, creamy pastry cream. These classic pastries look fancy but are actually easy to make at home with simple ingredients. Perfect for parties, holidays, or when you want a bakery-style dessert without the stress.

Why Make This Recipe

• Uses basic pantry ingredients
• Looks impressive but is beginner-friendly
• Light and not overly sweet
• Perfect make-ahead dessert
• Always a crowd favorite

How To Make Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

For the choux pastry

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs (room temperature)

For the pastry cream filling

• 2 cups whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar (divided)
• 4 egg yolks
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp butter

Optional toppings

• Powdered sugar
• Chocolate ganache
• Fresh berries

Directions:

1. Make the dough: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). In a saucepan, bring water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the pan. Cook 1–2 minutes to dry it slightly. Transfer to a bowl and cool 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth and glossy.
2. Bake the puffs: Pipe or spoon dough into 1½-inch rounds on a lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, then lower oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 15–18 minutes until golden and puffed. Cool completely.
3. Fill and serve: Make pastry cream by heating milk with half the sugar. Whisk yolks, remaining sugar, and cornstarch, then temper with hot milk. Cook until thick, remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Chill. Slice puffs, fill with cream, and top with powdered sugar or chocolate.

Prep Time And Nutrition Facts

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare, 35 minutes to bake, and 1 hour to cool, making a total of 2 hours. It makes about 20 cream puffs, and each one has roughly 175 calories.

How To Serve Cream Puffs

Serve chilled or at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate sauce. They’re perfect with coffee or tea.

How To Store Cream Puffs

Store unfilled shells in an airtight container for 1 day or freeze for 1 month.

Store pastry cream in the fridge for 3 days.

Filled cream puffs are best eaten within 24 hours.

Tips To Make Cream Puffs

• Don’t open the oven while baking
• Make sure puffs are golden before removing
• Cool shells completely before filling
• Fill right before serving for best texture
• Dough should form a soft “V” shape when lifted

Health And Benefits Of This Recipe

Cream puffs are lighter than many desserts because they use no oil and little flour. Eggs provide protein, and you can reduce sugar or use yogurt in the filling for a lighter version.

Variation

• Fill with whipped cream instead of pastry cream
• Add cocoa powder to make chocolate puffs
• Use lemon curd or strawberry cream for fruity flavor

FAQs

1. Why did my cream puffs collapse? They were underbaked. Bake until golden and dry.
2. Can I make cream puffs ahead of time? Yes, bake shells 1 day ahead and fill later.
3. Can I freeze cream puffs? Freeze shells only, not filled ones.
4. Do I need a piping bag? No, you can spoon the dough.
5. Why didn’t my puffs rise? Dough may have been too wet or oven opened early.
6. Can I make them gluten-free? Yes, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
7. Can I use whipped cream instead of pastry cream? Yes, it works great for a lighter filling.