Light, airy, and filled with sweet cream, this homemade Cream Puffs recipe is easy to make and perfect for holidays, parties, or an elegant dessert any time.
Cream puffs are a classic dessert that look impressive but are much simpler to make than you might think. Made with light choux pastry and filled with a smooth, creamy filling, these treats are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Whether served for a special occasion or enjoyed as an everyday dessert, homemade cream puffs always feel like something extra special.
Table of contents
Why We Love This
- Light and airy texture: The choux pastry bakes up perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and hollow on the inside.
- Simple ingredients: Basic pantry staples come together to create an impressive dessert.
- Creamy homemade filling: The freshly whipped cream filling is rich, smooth, and not overly sweet.
- Perfect for any occasion: These cream puffs feel fancy enough for holidays but are easy enough for everyday treats.
- Make-ahead friendly: The shells and filling can be prepared ahead of time for stress-free entertaining.
Supplies Needed
- Pastry Bag
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Parchment Paper
- Basting Brush
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- Butter. Use unsalted butter to control the salt level in the dough.
- Sugar. Plain granulated sugar adds just a hint of sweetness.
- All-purpose flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup for the most accurate measurement.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs blend more easily into the dough and help create the airy structure.
Filling
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Keep the cream cold until ready to use so it whips up light and fluffy.
- Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps for a smooth, creamy filling.
- Clear Vanilla Extract: Clear vanilla keeps the whipped cream bright white, but regular vanilla extract works just as well if needed.
Find the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.
Variations
- Chocolate Cream Puffs: Dip the tops of the cream puffs in melted chocolate or drizzle chocolate over the filled puffs.
- Fruit-Filled: Add fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries inside with the whipped cream for a fruity twist.
- Flavored Cream: Flavor the whipped cream with chocolate, coffee, or citrus zest for a unique taste.
- Pastry Cream Filling: Swap whipped cream for classic vanilla or chocolate pastry cream for a richer filling.
- Mini Cream Puffs: Make smaller bite-sized cream puffs for parties or dessert platters.
- Toppings: Dust with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or sprinkle with chopped nuts for extra texture and flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1 – First, go ahead and preheat your oven.
- Step 2 – Second, get a baking sheet out and line it with either parchment paper or a silicone mat. This will help with cleanup.
- Step 3 – Now that you have that ready, start making the batter for the choux pastry dough. You will need a large saucepan for the butter, salt, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Step 4 – This next step is quick so be ready! Add the flour with a wooden spoon to the mixture and stir until it’s all mixed well.
- Step 5 – Once this is mixed together, put the pan back on the stove and continue cooking on medium heat. You will need to stir this constantly until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
Step 6 – Remove the pan from heat and transfer the flour mixture to a bowl to cool. Use the remaining egg to make an egg wash with water and whisk together. You will need this later so just set aside.
Step 7. Combine mixture together.
Step 8 – Get out a large disposable decorator piping bag and put the pastry dough mixture inside. Use a large round tip and pipe circles on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Each circle should be 2 inches in diameter.
Step 9 – Take a look at each circle and see if there are any pointed peaks you need to smooth. If so, moisten your fingers and very gently smooth them out. Brush each cream puff with egg wash.
- Step 10 – Bake until the puffs rise and turn golden brown. This takes less than 30 minutes and can vary based on the oven. I like to keep an eye on them.
- Step 11 – Let them cool on a wire rack.
Step 12. Make the filling using a chilled mixing bowl and beaters. Next, add the pastry cream to the bowl and beat with a stand mixer until you see soft peaks. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 13. Lastly, add the custard filling to the pastry bag with a tip. Prepare the cream puffs by cutting the top portion off or you can leave them as is and fill without removing them.
- Step 14 – Do not fill the cream puffs more than 4 hours prior to serving. This is important.
- Step 15 – Top with powdered sugar and any toppings you desire such as fruit. I think they look so pretty dusted with powdered sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons this can happen.
-Make sure the cream puff ingredients are combined correctly at the right temperature. The milk mixture needs to be hot when you add the flour so that you see the film form on the bottom of the pan.
-There needs to be space in between each cream puff on the baking sheet. This is so they have room to expand and the steam to escape without damaging the cream puff beside it.
-Do not open the oven to check on them. The cold air will cause the cream puffs to deflate.
-Underbaking can also cause the cream puffs to deflate.
The cream puffs will stay puffy if stored properly. Place your leftover cream puffs in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Place in the refrigerator with any leftover frosting.
Cream puffs are best served immediately when you have filled with cream filling. If you would like to make ahead, do not add filling no more than 4 hours ahead of time.
The cream puff filling is made with heavy whipping cream and blended with powdered sugar. Make sure to add in clear vanilla extract to give it that warm flavor.
You do not want to store cream puffs in the fridge longer than an hour because it can cause them to soften. If you plan to make them in advance and fill later, store them at room temperature up to 24 hours.
Yes! You can freeze them up to 2 months as long as you use a freezer bag or container. However, only freeze the cream puff without filling and do that step when ready to serve.
Pro Tips
- Measure Carefully: Cream puff dough relies on proper ratios. Measure flour accurately by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Cook the Dough Fully: When cooking the dough on the stovetop, stir constantly and cook until it forms a smooth ball and leaves a thin film on the bottom of the pan. This step is key for structure.
- Cool Before Adding Eggs: Let the dough cool slightly before adding the eggs so they don’t scramble. The dough should be warm, not hot.
- Add Eggs Gradually: Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. The dough should be smooth, glossy, and pipeable.
- Use a Piping Bag: Piping the dough creates evenly sized cream puffs that bake consistently and look more polished.
- Do Not Open the Oven Early: Keep the oven door closed while baking so the puffs can fully rise and set without collapsing.
- Let Puffs Cool Completely: Allow the baked cream puffs to cool fully before filling to prevent melting the whipped cream.
- Fill Just Before Serving: For the best texture, fill the cream puffs close to serving time so they stay light and crisp.
More Easy Desserts
- Divinity Candy Recipe
- Angel Food Cupcakes Recipe
- Homemade Whoopie Pies Recipe
- Lofthouse Cookies Recipe
- 3 Ingredient Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe
- Lemon Cupcakes Recipe
Give these classic Cream Puffs a try and enjoy every light, airy bite filled with sweet, whipped cream. If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating and comment to let us know how they turned out and how you served them.
Cream Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs plus 1 for egg wash
- Filling
- 2 cups very cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract ** see notes
- Garnish optional
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat
- In a large saucepan add water, butter, salt, and sugar
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and remove from heat
- Quickly stir in flour with a wooden spoon until well combined, about 1 minute
- Return pan to stove and continue cooking, stirring constantly until a film forms on the bottom of the pan
- Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a large bowl, let cool slightly
- Add 4 eggs, one at a time, stirring to incorporate each egg completely before adding the next egg
- Make an egg wash with the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon water, whisk together and set aside
- Transfer dough mixture to a large disposable decorator pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Pipe circle 2 inch in diameter onto parchment paper
- Moisten your finger with water and gently smooth out the pointed peaks if necessary
- Brush surface of cream puff with egg wash
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until puffs rise and are golden brown
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks
- Filling
- While cream puffs are cooling, place large mixing bowl and beaters in freezer to chill
- When the cream puffs are cooled, remove bowl and beaters from freezer
- Add heavy cream and beat until peaks form
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form
- Fit a pastry bag with a tip and fill with cream
- Cut top portion of the cream puff off with a knife, then fill with pastry cream, replace top
- Or you can leave the cream puff whole and fill
- Add cream no more than 4 hours prior to serving
- Dust with powdered sugar or berries, if desired
- Store in refrigerator
Could not pull the recipe up. All the introduction, but no recipe
There is a printable recipe card toward the bottom of the post and a jump to recipe button at the top of the page. I hope you try these out and enjoy them!