This cream puff recipe is one of the desserts we make most often for showers and parties… partly because they are AMAZING (and of course they are delicious)!
However intimidating they seem, cream puffs are actually very easy to make (almost like magic)! We’ve laid it all out in simple steps with plenty of tips to help you create the perfect pastry right at home.
The pâte à choux (the pastry part) comes together very quickly and easily, and bakes up into wonderful treats that are light, crisp and so impressive.
You will love the golden shells, the tender bite, and that cloud of lightly sweetened cream inside. They look fancy, yet the method is straightforward and kid approved.
Cream puffs are the perfect bite-sized desserts for showers, parties, and get-togethers. For more bite-sized treats, try Sheet Cake Bites, Mini Lemon Drop Cakes, or Cherry Cheesecake Cookie Cups!
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Surprisingly easy to make. Don’t be intimidated, these elegant treats are much simpler to whip up than you think!
- Bakery-style dessert. They look incredibly fancy, making them perfect for wowing guests or just treating yourself to something special! They also freeze amazingly well for long-term storage!!
- Hot start, low finish. High heat creates lift, then lower heat dries the shells so they do not collapse.
- Steam does the rising. Water and butter create steam in the oven, making the puffs expand and hollow out.
Cream Puff Ingredients
Shell
- Water (1 cup cold): Provides moisture to create steam in the oven, which puffs the shells and makes them hollow inside.
- Unsalted butter (5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon): Adds richness and flavor, and the fat coats the flour for a smooth, shiny dough.
- Granulated sugar (1 tablespoon): Lightly sweetens the shells and helps with browning.
- Salt (⅛ teaspoon): Balances sweetness and sharpens overall flavor.
- All-purpose flour (1 cup): The structure builder; it sets into a crisp shell that holds the creamy filling.
- Eggs (4): The lift and structure; eggs emulsify the dough, add shine, and help the puffs rise tall in the oven. Room temperature eggs work best.
Filling
- Heavy cream (1 cup): Whipped into a soft, stable filling that is light yet indulgent.
- Powdered sugar (¼ cup, or to taste): Sweetens the whipped cream and dissolves smoothly for a silky finish. Sifted is best to remove clumps.
- optional filling – Add fresh berries, or use Lemon Curd, vanilla custard, or chocolate pastry cream.
How to Make Cream Puffs
PREP. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
DOUGH. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once a simmer is reached, remove from the heat. Stir in the flour all at once until the mixture forms a ball. Let stand five minutes
Using a wooden spoon or a hand mixer, add the large eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Mix until the dough is smooth and shiny.
Using a pastry bag and a large tip (or just a Ziploc bag with a hole cut in the corner) to pipe small rounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing about one inch apart. Use your finger to press down the little peaks at the top of the dough, so the puffs are smooth.
BAKE. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F for 15 minutes. The puffs are done when they are lightly golden brown and the insides are hollow. Let the puffs cool completely on wire racks.
FILLING. While the puffs cool, beat the whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer or wire whisk). Once the cream reaches your desired firmness, gradually beat in powdered sugar until it’s perfectly sweet.
- We use about 1 cup whipping cream with ¼ to 1/3 powdered sugar. It’s the perfect filling!
- Split each cream puff in half using a serrated knife, and place a scoop of whipped cream onto the bottom half of the puff. Top with the other half and dust with powdered sugar. Bon appétit!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Dry the dough briefly: after stirring in the flour, return the pan to low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, to evaporate excess moisture and ensure crisp shells.
- Cream puffs should be the same size so they cook at the same rate. Keep in mind that once the dough has been piped onto the baking sheet, do not add more dough to the original puff.
- The dough should have a glossy sheen and be easily piped. It should keep its shape. The dough will not turn out if it is too dry or too wet. See the FAQS for tips.
- Pipe evenly: keep the tip close to the sheet and pipe straight up and down for uniform rounds that bake at the same rate.
- Cool completely, then add the cream. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to two hours. Any longer, and the crispy shell will begin to soften.
- Prick the shells immediately to allow steam to escape. The trapped steam may cause the shell to soften and collapse.
Cream Puffs Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, or more or less to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, granulated sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer. (Be sure the sugar and salt dissolve before the mixture begins to simmer.)
- Once a simmer is reached, remove from the heat and stir in flour, all at once, until the mixture forms a ball. Let them stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well by hand or with a hand mixer between each addition. Mix until the dough is smooth and shiny.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large tip (or a resealable plastic bag with a hole cut in the corner). Be sure there are no bubbles in the piping bag and that the piping tip is in contact with the dough at all times to eliminate rippling.
- Pipe small (1–1½-inch) rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Use your finger to press down the little peaks at the top of the dough, so the puffs are smooth. (Tip: Make sure all the cream puffs are the same size, so they all cook at the same rate.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 minutes more. The puffs are done when lightly browned and the insides are hollow. Pull out of the oven and use a toothpick or thin skewer to poke a hole in each shell. Let the puffs cool completely.
Filling
- While the puffs cool, beat cream with a hand mixer or wire whisk until firm peaks form. Beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time until the whipped cream is as sweet as you prefer.
- When the puffs are cool, split each cream puff in half using a serrated knife.
- Place a scoop of whipped cream onto the bottom half of each puff. Top with the other half and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Make sure all the cream puffs are the same size so they all cook at the same rate. Keep in mind that once the dough has been piped onto the baking sheet, do not add more dough to the original puff.
- The dough should have a glossy sheen and be easily piped, and it should also keep its shape. If the dough is too dry or too wet, it will not turn out. See the FAQS for tips.
- Cool completely before adding the cream. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to two hours. Any longer, and the crispy shell will begin to soften.
- Prick the shells immediately to allow steam to escape. Otherwise, the trapped steam can cause the shell to soften and collapse.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
If the dough is too dry, the baked pastry will be dry and crumbly. If needed, add an extra egg. In a separate bowl, whisk an egg. Next, mix the whisked egg into the batter, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
The pastry dough needs to hold its shape when it’s piped onto the baking sheet. If the first couple of dollops are runny, stop and fix the dough. DO NOT add extra flour; instead, mix up an altered half batch:
Add ½ cup water, 3 tablespoons butter, ½ tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt, and ½ cup flour to a pot (NO eggs), and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and let it cool down.
Finally, add the cooled, no-egg, dough to the runny dough a bit at a time, mixing it into the dough well, until you get the right, pipeable consistency.
Store unbaked pastry dough in an airtight container or pastry bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store baked, unfilled shells in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To revive their crispness, place in the oven at 350°F for only 5-8 minutes (watch carefully), cool, and fill.
It is best to serve filled puffs immediately. They can be made a couple of hours ahead of time and refrigerated.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To freeze, flash freeze, and then place cream puffs in an airtight freezer-safe container and store for 2-3 months. Leftover puffs will not have a crispy texture. Do not heat leftover puffs or the cream will melt out. They still make a delicious treat.
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This recipe was originally published February 2013.
Adapted from Ambrosia Baking
Love this recipe…..but, why do my puffs collapse once out of the oven? Would I cook them longer?
I followed this recipe twice to the EXACT directions… but the pastery part didnt rise and they were flat both tmes. I incirporated the eggs 1 at a time after letting the heated mix cool for 5 min. My eggs are fresh and i measured exactly. Oven is calibrated.
I’m so sorry to hear the recipe didn’t rise for you! Sometimes the choux pastry dough doesn’t rise well if it is too wet/sticky, or the oven temp isn’t hot enough. Weather, altitude, etc. can affect baking, so maybe try bumping the oven temp up slightly? Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Great taste
can you freeze these and also i only have salted butter will it make a difference
Yes, you can freeze these a few different ways. There are more details on how to do that in the post. You can use salted butter… it may be a bit saltier tasting, but in that case, I’d suggest leaving out the salt that the recipe calls for.
Really excellent. More please.
I could overdose on these cream puffs! Unbelievably delicious!
I love homemade cream puffs! This recipe looks amazing!
These bring me right back to my childhood. My mom used to make these all the time! Yum!!
I love this recipe, however I couldnt give it a 5, as my sister in law makes a better shell!
Its more like “ popovers” or “Yorkshire pudding”
PS: love this site!
Easy to follow and way more delicious than store bought it frozen. I love the customizable flavor options for the cream too. Great recipe!
This is really a great recipe! They are really easy to make. And yummy too!😋😁
My mom makes these for holidays! All time favorite in our home! So addicting and yummy! Love how simple and easy the recipe is!
These are so easy to make and very good. Yummy!
So easy to make with minimal ingredients and impressive.
Yum!!
Easy rember it. Easy we love them . Grandkids love to help.
They came out perfect right out of the oven, but deflated once it cooled. I wish the tips for preventing them deflating were made part of the recipe (ie cutting while warm or using a fork to pierce them while still hot.
I’m making them now but my dough is runny what if anything can I do to make the dough stiffer before I bake ?
Hi Gloria! How did the cream puffs end up turning out? If that happens again in the future, I’m guessing there was too much egg added (the size of the egg can make a difference too). So, I wouldn’t recommend adding more flour to the runny dough to thicken because you won’t get the proper pastry shell. But instead, you could make a half batch of dough on the stovetop (minus the eggs) and then mix it in with the runny pastry. Then of course, to remember to add the eggs one at a time and then check the consistency of the dough after each egg is added. Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Hopefully they still worked out and were delicious!
Very good and easy to make
Not sure what’s going on. The very first batch I made a few weeks ago was perfect. Now today, both batches are coming out runny and I’m following the same directions exactly the way they’re stated here (including the one cup of all purpose flour). I’ve now had to throw out two batches which includes 8 eggs total. A waste when prices of eggs are so high. What is going wrong?
I’m sorry to hear you have troubles with your most recent batches. For some reason there probably was too much liquid in the form of the eggs, water or butter. Or not enough flour. But you don’t want to just add in extra flour… Here’s what I’d do to try to salvage the dough: “Make another half batch of the cooked dough with water, salt, butter and flour (with no eggs!). Once you’ve made that part of the dough by cooking it in a saucepan and you have the right consistency, let it cool down (covered). Add the cooled down dough to the runny dough a bit at a time, mixing it into the dough well, until you get the right, pipeable consistency.” (This info came from https://www.theflavorbender.com/how-to-make-perfect-choux-pastry/). Best of luck!!
So easy to make and so good! Addicting!
Couldn’t agree more! 😉 So glad you loved it!
1st batch came out runny because my eggs were extra large. 2nd batch I only put in 3 extra large eggs, so the dough was better, but they burned on the bottom even before turning the oven down. Going to youtube to watch a tutorial before wasting more ingredients.
So sorry to hear you’ve had some troubles with the cream puffs. A video tutorial is a great idea… we do have a video showing how to make these on this post. If you scroll down just a bit from the top, you will find the video there.
Are you using a dark sheet pan? If so, I highly suggest you use a light shiny aluminum pan. It definitely makes a difference!
Very easy to make love that there a little bigger than bit size, this will be my go to recipe but… my buttons got a little to dark, I trued taking them out a little early… but that didn’t seem to help so I tried lowering the 450 to 425 I hope this will do the trick
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!! Hopefully lowering that temp worked for you.
Just got them out of the oven and they look fantastic. I did not use a pastry tube I use the two spoon method.
I’m making a pudding type filling
Superb
Thank you so much!! Glad you think so 🙂
Thank you
You are so welcome! Hope you like them!
Hi,
I folowed your recipe exactly. They rose beautifully while in the oven, but deflated when they came out. What happened? I’m planning on filling them with matcha powdered whipped cream.
Thanks,
Joni
I was craving cream puffs and found this Great recipe! The only thing it is lacking are pictures! I didnt really know how big to make the dough rounds once they were on the cookie sheet.. Or if what i made lOoked normal. They smell amazing and i cant wait to eat them! (They are in the oven now) thanks for the recipe 🙂
You are welcome! I am sorry I don’t have pictures. Hope you liked them!
I love cream puffs. I sometimes forget about them. I like the texture of the crust and cream together.
WOWZERS!!! These are AMAZING!!! I always thought they were so hard to make so i never tried them!! Boy was I wrong! EASY and delicious!
Oh these are so good. Yum
These were easier to make thAn i thought they’d be. Theyre beautiful to serve at a babY or bridal shower.
Yummy! I love these!
What a delicious sweet treat! This is exactly what I was looking for to cure my sweet tooth!
Cream puffs are so good!! Love making them for parties, because they are always a hit!
these are great! So delicious and fun to make with my girls.
Wow. these do look easy to make!
Is it possible to make the puffs tonight and fill them tomorrow before my luncheon? Is it best to store air tight?
I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you in time. How did they turn out? Did you fill them the next day?
It All Looks Great ! ! !
Thank so much!! 🙂
I am just getting ready to pop these bad boys in the oven- they are so easy to make! One question, and I hope I didn’t miss something obvious…. How many should a batch yield? I know it doesn’t really matter if one is bigger than the other or is it possible to have a cream puff too big?! Just curious about how many I should expect to have based on the size shown in your picture! Thanks.
I have been making these for years the cream is delicious but they are also great with the pudding of your choice.
I made these 3 times tonight and they are way toooo runny….what am i doing wrong ???….H E L P
Add more of the water, butter, salt , and sugar mixture to the runny batch, it will make it thicker again
so, these are awesome as cream puffs, but my mom’s restaurant used to stuff them with homemade chicken salad. they were our most popular catering food!
I love cream puffs but I have never been brave enough to try them but these look delicious and totally doable. Thanks for sharing
These look so delicious. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for having your link parties. Blessings to you, Jo-Ann
Delicious!
Yum!! Did I say yum??? Those look fantastic!
I’ve been making cream puffs for years also with whip cream, pudding and here’s another alternative. Take 2 cans of drained white crab meat, add about 1 heaping T of chopped green onions, a dab of mayonnaise and 8oz of softened cream cheese. Mix altogether and then stuff your cream puffs and you’ll have yummy appetizers that people just gobble up. Non filled cream Puffs also freeze well.
Anything that comes from Charles & Tracey Drake and this Recipe Book Is Wonderful and 5 star Ratings from Me ! ! I Use to Manage and Cater Large Parties 50-1000 +over night ! ! !