Gougères (French cheese puffs)
Light, cheesy choux buns — crisp outside, hollow, cheesy inside. Perfect for parties or as a savoury nibble.
Gougères are little choux pastry clouds studded with cheese — impossibly light but full of savoury punch. They’re the kind of thing the French serve with a glass of something fizzy and a smug smile.
Make these for parties, a starter or a cheeky canapé. Once you’ve got the panade technique down they’re quick to assemble and incredibly moreish.
Ingredients
- 250 ml whole milk
- 125 ml water
- 100 g unsalted butter — cut into pieces
- 150 g plain flour — sieved
- 5 ml fine salt
- 0 ml cayenne pepper — optional
- 0 ml freshly grated nutmeg — optional
- 5 large eggs — reserve one for glazing
- 150 g grated Gruyère — packed, not sifted
- 50 g grated Parmesan — or another hard cheese
Equipment
- saucepan
- piping bag and 1 cm plain nozzle (or sturdy freezer bag)
- baking tray
- baking parchment
- wire cooling rack
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Combine whole milk, water, unsalted butter, fine salt, cayenne pepper and freshly grated nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the liquid just comes to a simmer.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the plain flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a smooth ball (the panade). Return to low heat and cook, stirring, for 90 seconds to dry the paste — you should see a thin film form on the base of the pan.
Transfer the panade to a large bowl (or leave in the pan off the heat) and let it cool for 2 minutes so it's warm rather than hot. This prevents the eggs from cooking when added.
Beat in the large eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Reserve one of the eggs for glazing. Continue until the batter is smooth, glossy and drops slowly from the spoon — it should be pipeable but hold its shape.
Fold in the grated Gruyère and grated Parmesan until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Spoon or pipe (use a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle) heaped tablespoons of mixture onto the prepared tray, spacing about 3–4 cm apart. Beat the reserved egg and brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg.
Bake at 220°C fan/240°C conventional for 10 minutes to give the gougères an initial lift — do not open the oven door during this time.
Immediately reduce the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes, until deeply golden and dry to the touch. The interiors should sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 5–10 minutes before serving so steam escapes and the interiors set slightly.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Reheat briefly in a hot oven (200°C fan/220°C conventional) for 3–4 minutes to re-crisp if needed.
Tips
- Cook the panade until a thin film forms on the pan base — this removes excess moisture and ensures puffed, hollow centres.
- If the batter looks too stiff to pipe, beat in a tiny extra egg (or a tablespoon of warm milk) until it reaches the right dropping consistency.
- You can pipe the gougères onto a tray and freeze raw; bake straight from frozen adding 3–5 minutes to the total time.
- Store leftover gougères in an airtight container and re-crisp in a hot oven for 3–4 minutes before serving; avoid microwaving as they go soggy.
- Grate your own cheese for better melting and flavour; pre-grated cheeses often contain anti-caking agents that affect texture.
Substitutions
grated Gruyère → mature cheddar, same weight
Stays closegrated Parmesan → pecorino, same weight
Noticeably differentplain flour → gluten-free plain flour blend suitable for baking, same weight
Noticeably differentlarge eggs → pasteurised liquid whole egg, equal volume
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 220
- Calories
- 10 g
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 380 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Why didn’t my gougères puff up?
Most likely the panade wasn’t cooked enough (too wet) or the oven temperature was too low. Ensure you cook the paste until it forms a film on the pan and start with a hot oven for the initial lift.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes — make the choux, pipe onto trays and freeze. Bake from frozen, adding 3–5 minutes to the bake time.
How do I stop the gougères going soggy?
Cool them on a wire rack straight from the tray so steam escapes. Re-crisp in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving.
Can I make bigger or smaller gougères?
Yes. Smaller ones (1 tsp) need less baking time; larger ones will need longer and you may need to lower the oven after the initial blast to dry the centre without burning the outside.
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