Classic Cream Puffs Recipe You Can Master at Home

December 28, 2025

Cream puffs, or profiteroles, are light, hollow shells of choux pastry filled with something creamy and topped with a glossy chocolate sauce for a simple but elegant dessert. This step by step guide walks through each stage in detail so you can confidently make classic cream puffs at home.

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup of water
1 cup of all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter
4 eggs at room temperature

Filling

Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream or pastry cream (all optional)

Chocolate sauce

½ cup of heavy cream
12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat and Prepare the Trays

Start by getting the oven and baking sheets ready so the dough can go in as soon as it is mixed, which helps the cream puffs rise properly.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray and set them aside; you will bake 12 cream puffs, 6 on each tray so they have enough room to expand without touching.

Keeping the trays prepared before you cook the dough avoids delays, which is important for choux pastry because it benefits from going into a hot oven while it is still slightly warm.

2. Cook the Water, Butter and Salt

This step creates the base for classic choux pastry by melting the butter into the water and infusing it with salt before adding the flour.

Add 1 cup of water, 1 stick of unsalted butter and ½ teaspoon of salt to a medium saucepan.
Place the pan over medium low heat and bring the mixture to a full boil, allowing the butter to melt completely into the water.
As soon as it reaches a boil, turn off the heat; this timing is important so the fat and liquid are hot enough to absorb the flour smoothly without scorching.

The mixture should look uniform, with no separate pools of melted butter floating on top of the water before continuing.

3. Add Flour and Form the Panade

The panade is the thick paste formed when hot liquid and flour are stirred together and it is the foundation that gives cream puffs their structure.

With the pan off the heat, add 1 cup of all purpose flour all at once to the hot liquid.
Immediately stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the flour is completely incorporated and no dry pockets remain; at first it will look messy, then quickly pull together into a ball.
Turn the heat back on to medium and cook the dough, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes; the mixture will become smooth, glossy and will start to leave a thin film on the bottom of the pan.

Cooking the panade on the stove helps evaporate excess moisture, which keeps the cream puffs hollow rather than soggy in the center.

4. Beat in the Eggs

Eggs transform the panade into a pipeable or spoonable choux dough that puffs dramatically in the oven.

Scrape the hot dough into a large mixing bowl and let it cool just a couple of minutes so the eggs do not scramble when added, but are still going into a warm base.
Add the 4 room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well with a whisk or wooden spoon after each addition until fully incorporated before adding the next.
The dough will look separated and curdled at first when each egg goes in, but keep beating until it becomes smooth again before proceeding.
After the final egg is mixed in, the choux dough should be thick, smooth and shiny, and when lifted with a spoon it should fall back in a heavy ribbon.

Room temperature eggs blend more easily into the warm dough, which means you do not have to overwork the mixture to achieve a smooth consistency.

5. Shape the Cream Puffs

The dough is now ready to be portioned into mounds that will puff up and form hollow centers ready for filling.

Using two spoons, scoop and drop the dough into 12 rounded mounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly with six mounds per tray.
Dip a fingertip in a little water and gently smooth the tops and any rough edges or peaks on each mound so they bake evenly and do not burn on the tips.
Aim for mounds of similar size so all cream puffs rise and bake at the same rate.

Smoothing the tops prevents tiny protruding tips from browning too quickly and helps each cream puff bake into a more uniform round shape.

6. Bake and Cool the Shells

Proper baking time and cooling are essential for dry, crisp shells that stay hollow and do not collapse when filled.

Place the trays in the 400 degree oven and bake the cream puffs for about 45 minutes until well risen and deeply golden.
Avoid opening the oven door during baking, especially in the early stages, because sudden temperature drops can deflate the puffs.
Once baked, remove the trays from the oven and let the cream puffs cool completely on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before filling.

The shells should feel light for their size and sound hollow when gently tapped, a sign that the interior structure has formed correctly.

7. Make the Chocolate Sauce

The chocolate sauce is a simple ganache style topping that adds a rich finish to the cool, creamy filling and crisp shells.

Set up a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Add ½ cup of heavy cream and 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips to the bowl.
Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate chips melt completely and the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Remove the bowl from the heat and let the chocolate sauce cool for about 2 minutes so it thickens slightly and is warm, not scalding, when poured over the cream puffs.

The gentle heat of a double boiler prevents the chocolate from scorching and keeps the sauce silky.

8. Fill and Assemble the Cream Puffs

Once the shells are cool and the sauce is ready, it is time to assemble the dessert.

Take each cream puff and, using a sharp knife, slice off the top third horizontally to create a lid and a base that resembles a little bowl.
Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside each base or use sweetened whipped cream or pastry cream if preferred.
Set the tops back on like lids, then drizzle the warm chocolate sauce generously over each filled cream puff just before serving.

Serving the cream puffs soon after assembling keeps the shells crisp while the cold filling and warm chocolate provide a pleasing contrast.

9. Helpful Tips for Perfect Cream Puffs

For consistently good results, it helps to understand a few key points about working with choux pastry and timing. First, focus on cooking the dough long enough on the stove before adding the eggs, because that early cooking step evaporates extra moisture and gives the dough strength, which in turn allows it to puff dramatically without collapsing. Stirring constantly during this phase ensures the flour cooks evenly and prevents scorching on the bottom of the pan, a detail that affects both texture and flavor.

When adding the eggs, patience matters; each egg should be completely absorbed into the dough before the next one goes in, even if the mixture looks broken along the way. This gradual incorporation builds a strong yet flexible structure that traps steam in the oven and creates a hollow interior, which is exactly what is needed for stuffing with ice cream or cream. It is also important to stick close to room temperature eggs, because cold eggs can tighten the dough and make it more difficult to achieve the smooth, ribbon like consistency associated with successful choux.

Shaping the dough with two spoons keeps the process approachable, as no piping bag is required, but it is still essential to create fairly even mounds and smooth their surfaces with water dampened fingertips. Uneven or jagged bits on top are the first areas to burn, and once they overbrown they can introduce a bitter taste, so taking a few extra seconds to neaten each mound pays off during baking. Leaving ample space around each puff on the tray helps hot air circulate, which promotes even rising and browning.

During the baking step, resist the urge to open the oven door, especially in the first half of cooking, because the sudden loss of heat and steam can cause the delicate puffs to sink before their structure sets. If the puffs are removed too early they may look inflated at first but will quickly deflate as the interiors are still too moist and soft to support the crust. Allowing them to bake fully to a deep golden color and then cool thoroughly on the tray lets residual steam escape so the centers dry out properly.

Finally, when assembling, wait until the shells are completely cool before adding ice cream or cream, or the filling will melt and the shells may soften too quickly. Using a warm but not boiling hot chocolate sauce preserves the integrity of the filling while still giving that luscious, flowing effect over the top. These small considerations turn a short ingredient list into a dessert that looks impressive and tastes like something from a pastry shop.

10. Essential Equipment Guide

Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
Large mixing bowl
Whisk (or wooden spoon for beating eggs)
2 baking sheets
Nonstick cooking spray
Knife for slicing puffs
Heatproof bowl for double boiler
Pot for simmering water (double boiler base)

11. Nutritional Information

Approximate values for one cream puff filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce (assuming 12 servings):

Nutrient	Approximate amount per cream puff
Calories	260–300 kcal
Carbohydrates	24–28 g
Protein	4–6 g
Fat	16–20 g
Saturated Fat	9–12 g
Sodium	170–220 mg
Sugar	14–20 g

Values will vary depending on the exact ice cream or cream filling used and the portion of chocolate sauce on each serving.

12. Pairings

Serve with fresh berries such as strawberries or raspberries for a bright, fruity contrast to the rich chocolate and cream.
Pair with hot coffee or espresso to balance the sweetness of the dessert.
Offer alongside a glass of cold milk or a mild black tea for a softer, family friendly pairing.

13. Variations

Fill the puffs with sweetened whipped cream instead of ice cream for a lighter, airy center.
Use pastry cream for a more traditional profiterole style dessert with a custardy filling.
Swap semisweet chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips if a more intense chocolate flavor is preferred.

14. Time and Yield

Prep time: About 25–30 minutes, including cooking the dough, beating in eggs, shaping and making the chocolate sauce.
Cook time: About 45 minutes for baking the cream puffs, plus a few minutes for melting the chocolate and cream.
Servings: Serves 6, about 2 cream puffs per person, for a total of 12 cream puffs.