Gougères are savory French cheese puffs made from pate a choux dough with Gruyere cheese. They are perfect bite-size appetizers and today you’re going to learn how to make them with loads of step-by-step photos and a video. You’re going to want to add these to every party menu from now on!

A basket full of gougeres with one split in half.

Today we are tackling a popular French pastry – gougères! These beautiful little cheesy, airy, ADDICTING gougères are made from pate a choux dough (hello cream puffs, profiteroles and eclairs!) that is loaded with Gruyere cheese.

They make the perfect appetizer or addition to your wine-tasting night. If you’ve ever thought that these were too difficult to make, tackle one batch and you’ll want to make them ALL THE TIME.

Baked gougeres on a round cooling rack.

What Are Gougères?

Gougères are savory French cheese puffs, made of pate a choux dough that is mixed with cheese. Historically, they were served cold in wine cellars during tastings, but they can also be served warm or at room temperature as a traditional appetizer. The size of gougères can vary wildly, anywhere from bite-size 1-inch pastries to four inches in diameter.

The cheese traditionally used in gougères is grated Gruyère, other cheeses can be substituted. Drier cheeses like Parmesan work well since they don’t create additional moisture during the baking process, which has the potential to create soggy gougères.

Usually cheese is the only filling used, but sometimes an additional savory filling is added, such as mushrooms, ham or beef.

All of the ingredients for gougeres laid out.

How to Make Gougères

While they look impressive and might be intimidating, gougères are fairly easy to make. Once you tackle them the first time, you’ll want to churn out multiple batches the next time you need bite-size appetizers!

  • Pate a Choux Dough – Gougères are based on this classic pastry dough that’s also used to make things like profiteroles, cream puffs, and eclairs. The dough is made from butter, water, milk, flour and eggs. I also add some salt and pepper for flavoring. The butter, water, milk, salt and pepper are brought to a boil, then the flour is added and the dough is mixed until it appears to have dried out (and there will be a bit of a “crust” on the pan). Off the heat, the eggs are beat in one at a time (using either an electric mixer or by hand) until a silky smooth dough is formed.
Side-by-side photos of making pate a choux dough in a pot.
A collage of four photos showing the addition of eggs into the pate a choux dough.
  • CHEESE! By far the most important part of gougères is the cheese; I use a hefty amount of Gruyere, which is my absolute favorite for this recipe, but if availability or cost is an issue, you can substitute an equal amount of grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese. As you mix the cheese into the still-warm dough, it begins to melt into the dough.
Adding Gruyere cheese to the pate a choux dough.
  • Pipe or Scoop – Traditional gougères are made by placing the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip and piping the dough onto a baking sheet in rounds. You can also use a cookie scoop or two spoons to dollop the dough onto a baking sheet. I left them rustic looking, but you can use slightly wet hands to smooth out or shape the mounds.
Gougeres dough piped into mounds on a baking sheet.
  • Bake – The gougères are baked first at a very high temperature so the blast of hot air gives them maximum puffiness, then the temperature is turned down for the remainder of the bake time so that they can finish baking completely inside without scorching the tops.
Baked gougeres on a baking sheet.

Gougères Recipe Notes

  • You can substitute grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese for the Gruyere.
  • You can substitute ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper for the black pepper if you prefer an all-over spicier flavor.
  • You can use all water instead of half water, half milk.
  • You can mix the eggs into the dough using a simple wooden spoon, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer.
  • The dough can be portioned onto the baking sheet using a pastry bag with piping tip, a cookie scoop, or two spoons.
  • The baking time listed is for 1 to 2-inch gougères; if you choose to make them larger, I would reduce the initial bake time at 425 degrees to 5 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees until finished.
  • Freshly-baked gougères are best eaten the same day that they are made, though you can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and eat at room temperature, or re-heat in a 325-degree oven.
  • To Freeze Un-Baked Gougères: Prepare the dough and pipe onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the gougères are completely frozen, 1 to 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake from frozen, bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • To Freeze Baked Gougères: Cool completely after baking, then place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, place in a 350-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until warmed through.

If you’ve ever been intimidated by French pastries or just looking to try something brand new to you, I hope you’ll give these light, airy, cheesy gougères a try!

If You Like Gougères, Try These Recipes:

Watch the Recipe Video:

A basket of gougeres pastries.

Four years ago: Chewy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Five years ago: My Grandma’s Biscotti Recipe
Six years ago: Soft Pretzels
Eight years ago: Apple Cinnamon Bread

Gougères Recipe

Gougères are savory French cheese puffs made from pate a choux dough with Gruyere cheese. They are perfect bite-size appetizers!
4.47 (39 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Place the butter, milk, water, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add all of the flour at once, reduce heat to medium-low and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and appears to dry out (a film or “crust” will develop on the sides and bottom of the pan), another 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Immediately place the dough into a mixing bowl and beat on low until it stops steaming and is just warm to the touch, approximately 1 minute.
  • Increase mixer speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each until fully incorporated and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the cheese and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The final dough will appear smooth, creamy, and shiny.
  • Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip (I recommend Ateco #809), and pipe 1-2 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets. Alternately, use a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. You can wet your hands and gently smooth out the scoops, if you’d like.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake until puffed and golden brown, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • You can substitute grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese for the Gruyere.
  • You can substitute ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper for the black pepper if you prefer an all-over spicier flavor.
  • You can use all water instead of half water, half milk.
  • You can mix the eggs into the dough using a simple wooden spoon, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer.
  • The dough can be portioned onto the baking sheet using a pastry bag with piping tip, a cookie scoop, or two spoons.
  • The baking time listed is for 1 to 2-inch gougères; if you choose to make them larger, I would reduce the initial bake time at 425 degrees to 5 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees until finished.
  • Freshly-baked gougères are best eaten the same day that they are made, though you can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and eat at room temperature, or re-heat in a 325-degree oven.
  • To Freeze Gougères: Prepare the dough and pipe onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the gougères are completely frozen, 1 to 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake from frozen, bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • To Freeze Baked Gougères: Cool completely after baking, then place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, place in a 350-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until warmed through.
Calories: 76kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 22mg, Vitamin A: 185IU, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Did you make this recipe?

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[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]