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Home French

Gougeres – French Cheese Puffs (finger food!)

By:Nagi
Published:6 Dec '19Updated:24 Oct '21
85 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Gougeres are French Cheese Puffs served with pre dinner cocktails, as finger food at parties, and in place of boring bread rolls to dunk into soups and stews. One of the best things I ate in France!

Simple to make, they reheat 100% perfectly – but the best part is smugly telling your friends “they’re French, darling” (I hear this in a posh British accent😂).

Tray filled with freshly baked Gougeres

Gougeres recipe – French Cheese Puffs!

This Gougeres recipe comes to you via the hostess of a charming bed & breakfast called La Saura in Burgundy, France. We had a week long stay there just a couple of months ago, using it as our home base to explore the region.

And after a long day of sight seeing,  there are no words to describe our delight when we arrived back at the villa to be greeted with a pile of warm cheese puffs, fresh out of the oven, washed down with sparkling Kir Royales.

So very chic. So French!!

La Saura - amazing French villa bed & breakfast in Burgundy, France

Close up showing hollow inside of Cheese Puffs

What Gougeres taste like

They’re crusty on the outside, soft and hollow on the inside, and they’re very, very cheesy. Essentially, they are the savoury cheesy version of everybody’s favourite Profiteroles!

As with profiteroles, I’ve been tempted to pipe something into the hollow centre. But to be honest, these cheese puffs have enough flavour as they are – certainly plenty of cheese – so anything more would just make it overly rich.

Plus, the light-as-air texture is the signature feature of Gougeres! (Also, here’s how to pronounce Gougeres 😂)


What you need for Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

Here’s what you need to make Gougeres. It’s adapted from this recipe (it’s in French!), with the minor change being an increase in cheese (under instruction from Jocelyn the B&B host who gave me this recipe!😂).

What goes in Gourgeres (cheese puffs)

Best cheese for Gougeres

The cheese that is traditionally used is gruyere, Emmental or Comte. I’ve also made these with Swiss, cheddar and tasty (Aussie/NZ cheese) and they came out just as good. So I imagine they will be just fine with any other cheese as long as it’s the melting sort (ie not feta, parmesan, ricotta).

Also, I’d recommend avoiding mozzarella – it doesn’t have enough flavour or salt.

IMPORTANT: Grate the cheese yourself, unless you’re fortunate enough to be living in France in which case you have access to the finely shredded Emmental sold at the shops. Typically, store bought grated cheese is  thicker than shredding your own, so it might weigh down the batter and prevent your Gougeres from puffing up which would be so sad. 😢


How to make Gougeres

These French Cheese Puffs are as fabulously easy to make as they are to eat. The part where the egg is mixed in does require some vigorous mixing to incorporate the egg fully – it’s a good arm work out! If you want to take a more leisurely path, just use an electric beater. 🙂

How to make Gourgeres (French Cheese Puffs)

Close up of Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

How to serve Gougeres

Ah, the best part – how to eat them!!

In France, they are served as appetisers and on the side of meals in place of boring old dinner rolls.😉

With Meals

Gougeres are placed on tables in bread baskets before the meal is served, to nibble on then to dunk into soups and thick stews, and mop plates clean. Here are a few suggestions for dishes to create your own French Provincial extravaganza!

Close up of French Onion Soup with cheese toast
French Onion Soup
Chicken with Creamy White Wine Sauce and Bacon - So easy to prepare, then just let it braise in the oven until the chicken is tender. The sauce is incredible! www.recipetineats.com
Creamy Chicken in White Wine Sauce (with Bacon!)
Coq au Vin in a pot, ready to be served
Coq au Vin
Close up of spoon scooping up thick and creamy Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and Potato Soup
French Salad Dressing (French Vinaigrette) - Made with olive oil, mustard, white wine vinegar and eschalot/shallot. Keeps for up to 2 weeks. www.recipetineats.com
French Salad Dressing (French Vinaigrette)
Spoon scooping up Creme Brûlée
Crème Brûlée (French vanilla custard)

Pre dinner nibbles

Serve them as finger food at parties, or pre dinner nibbles with cocktails – specifically, Kir Royales (French champagne cocktail) if you want to be on theme!

In fact, the actual Gougeres in the photos and most of the ones in the video (some fell into my mouth🤷🏻‍♀️) were taken to a Christmas party the next day. They go soft after they cool down, but a few minutes in the oven was all they needed to resurrect their perfect crispy exteriors, so they are 100% perfect for making ahead! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Tray filled with freshly baked Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

French Cheese Puffs (Gougeres)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Appetizer
French
5 from 26 votes
Servings24
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Fabulous light-as-air cheesy puffs that are crusty on the outside, hollow and soft on the inside. In France, they're served as nibbles with pre dinner drinks, as finger food at gatherings and for dunking into soups and stews! (How to pronounce Gougeres)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (250ml) water
  • 80g / 5.5 tbsp butter , unsalted, cut into 1.5 cm / 0.5" cubes
  • 1 cup (150g) flour , plain / all purpose
  • 3/4 tsp salt , kosher/cooking salt
  • Pinch nutmeg (powder or freshly grated)
  • Pinch black pepper
  • 4 eggs (~60 - 65g / 2oz each)
  • 200g / 2 cups Gruyère cheese , freshly shredded (Note 1)

Topping

  • 50g / 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, extra , freshly shredded (Note 1)
  • 1 egg yolk , for brushing

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan). Lightly grease 2 trays then line with parchment / baking paper.
  • Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil until butter is full melted.
  • Remove from stove, add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated.
  • Return to stove on LOW heat and mix for 1 minute (this dries the mixture out, see video for before/after).
  • Remove from stove, leave for 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 egg, mix vigorously until incorporated - batter splits at first, but it always comes together!
  • Add 3 more eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Good arm workout! (Or use electric beater)
  • Stir in 2 cups cheese.
  • Drop 1 tablespoon mounds onto trays (small cookie scoop is ideal, otherwise use a measuring tablespoon and a teaspoon to scrape out. Can make larger - good for dunking!)
  • Brush with yolk, then top with a pinch of reserved Cheese for topping.
  • Bake 25 minutes.
  • Allow to cool for 15 minutes so they become crusty and inside dries out a bit.
  • Serve warm as pre dinner nibbles, finger food at gatherings, or dunk into soups and stews!

Recipe Notes:

1. Cheese - In France, it's most commonly made with gruyere, Emmental or Comte. Should work just fine with other cheeses that melt well like cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss cheese. Do not use mozzarella (doesn't have enough salt), soft cheeses like feta, ricotta etc and it won't work with parmesan or other cheeses that don't melt.
IMPORTANT: Use freshly grated or, if you are lucky enough to be in France, the finely shredded Emmental sold in packets at the store. Don't use store bought shredded cheese - it's too chunky and it might weight the puffs down so they won't puff up!
2. Reheating - Cool completely then store in an airtight container. They will soften, so to make them crusty again - reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven for 7 minutes until golden and crusty.
3. Recipe source - adapted from this recipe (it's in French) via Jocelyn, the wonderful hostess of La Saura in Burgundy, France.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 102cal (5%)Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 7g (11%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Cholesterol: 54mg (18%)Sodium: 197mg (9%)Potassium: 27mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 239IU (5%)Calcium: 83mg (8%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: cheese puffs, french appetizer, gougeres
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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85 Comments

  1. Marlene Micallef says

    November 10, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    5 stars
    My gougeres were simply amazing. And co spidering it was my first time ever doing choux pastry, I was mind blown. BUT…. they stuck to the baking paper 😔 this also happened to me when I made slice. I sprayed the pan then lined with paper. Any suggestions what I’m doing wrong?

    Reply
  2. Bell says

    June 9, 2023 at 12:21 am

    My first fail! Not sure why my mix turned out very runny, I had 1 cup of water with the 80g of butter, then added 1 cup of flour. I couldn’t get it the right consistency, perhaps I let the water/butter cool down too much? My mix was far too runny so I ended up having to add more flour which ended up turning it into more of a bread. It still tasted nice but not was I was going for unfortunately

    Reply
  3. Jake Barclay says

    March 8, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    5 stars
    I think my eggs were bigger than Nagi’s, so I ended up with a runnier dough, but I just put them in a mini cupcake pan and they turned out great! I was really surprised how they puffed up despite having no raising agent. They were absolutely delicious and I only had to dirty up one dish!

    Reply
  4. Carol says

    December 15, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    How do u save recipe to recipe box or copy

    Reply
    • Rita Melville says

      July 24, 2023 at 9:59 am

      I go to PRINT at the top and then copy the print version. I then paste into my recipe file.

      Reply
  5. Delphia says

    July 27, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    Just divine, I trust in the recipe!! Yes, it split, yes, it came together. Bragging to the family that I can now cook french food! Husband loves them cold.

    Reply
    • Tina Reiko Parkhill says

      December 25, 2022 at 12:59 am

      Mine did not puff up well. They just flattened out and spread…they tasted fabulous, though. Any advice for next time (there WILL be a next time!)

      Reply
  6. Erin says

    July 16, 2022 at 2:26 am

    5 stars
    I made these for a social viewing of Le Tour de France! French snacks for a French Race 😄
    Who knew choux pastry was so straightforward?!
    They were even better after reheating as they were that much more crispy on the outside and soft, light and cheesy inside!
    Thanks Nagi (and Jocelyn)! 😄

    Reply
  7. Michelangelo says

    June 25, 2022 at 2:32 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy to make. If I wanted to make them in minature size (teaspoon size), what adjustment to baking time and temperature would you suggest?

    Reply
  8. Valerie Harrison says

    May 3, 2022 at 1:25 pm

    5 stars
    Your recipes have been my go to lately. I just made the baked quesadillas and they were awesome. Tonight I’m trying the puffs (very good)and hope they will be the safe amount of for my bread cravings. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 4, 2022 at 3:50 pm

      That’s assuming that you can restrict yourself to one or two Valerie – I can’t!! N x

      Reply
  9. Megan says

    April 10, 2022 at 4:22 am

    5 stars
    Made this recipe today for a get together I have later tonight. Anytime a recipe uses weights for measurements, you can count on it being reliable. Followed the instructions, exactly, except to cool my dough I put it in my kitchen aid and mixed it on medium speed for a bit to cool the dough faster before whipping in the eggs. Cannot wait to bring these to the party later tonight!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 10, 2022 at 6:23 pm

      You’ve got that right Megan – weights is the way to go when cooking for accuracy and best results!! N x

      Reply
  10. Bron says

    February 23, 2022 at 5:22 pm

    5 stars
    So easy! So delicious!

    Reply
  11. Georgia says

    January 27, 2022 at 5:10 am

    This is the first time that I have made Gougeres. The recipe was easy to follow and they turned out great. I plan to serve them with a ham salad, chicken salad, salmon spread or with meats and cheeses. They don’t have a strong flavor so today I made Asiago and sprinkled super hot habanero on half of them. I liked the suggestion of adding finely chopped green onion that someone made as well. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 27, 2022 at 8:37 am

      All of those are great variations!! N x

      Reply
  12. Helen says

    January 14, 2022 at 12:02 am

    Hi Nagi from the U.K.
    Your recipes are amazing!! I just made the focaccia which was lush and before I make the cheese puffs can you advise if they can both be frozen? Thank you

    Reply
    • yasmin says

      January 21, 2022 at 10:35 pm

      5 stars
      I have made them. they are great. Freezing them is no problem. I reheated in the oven them straight from freezer

      Reply
  13. Louise says

    November 21, 2021 at 4:48 am

    So delicious & easy! Thank you for sharing such a fabulous recipe!

    Reply
  14. Catherine Jameson says

    October 19, 2021 at 6:14 pm

    5 stars
    YUM! Well… have just made these using a cup of cheddar and one of Red Leicester. I’m using a benchtop oven and had two trays, one on top of the other. The top one started to darken so I swapped them over after 13-14 minutes. They have just come out, I forgot the egg topping and extra cheese and they taste fabulous, but… they didn’t maintain a ball shape! Rather they kind of spread out into super-thick little pancake shapes. However they are still puffy inside (I didn’t let them cool for 15 minutes either.) Very tasty but I’m wondering what makes the difference in terms of letting them hold their shape?

    Reply
    • Catherine Jameson says

      October 19, 2021 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      Okay so I went hunting for reasons for flat gougeres, and I found three main reasons. Firstly the softer the cheese, the heavier it will be. Secondly it makes a difference when the salt goes in, and here I have to confess (forgive me Nagi!) that I did not use three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, but only half – because, y’know, I’m thingie about salt. Well, it makes a difference, not only in quantity but when it’s added – if you add it directly to the eggs combined in a bowl and then add a third or a quarter of the bowl at a time, the salt helps the egg proteins to expand quickly and then set, helping to hold big bubbles of air inside the gougere. Lastly, adding an extra egg white may help – it adds protein to aid structure and water to add steam, to help the expansion/ bubble process.

      https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/576-bringing-back-gougeres

      Reply
      • Nagi says

        October 20, 2021 at 9:00 am

        It sounds like you figured it out! N x

        Reply
  15. Toni A Brockington says

    October 18, 2021 at 5:38 am

    It would be SO helpful if your recipe had included information on how many pieces this recipe makes!

    Reply
    • Jodie says

      December 15, 2022 at 3:51 pm

      It states in recipe 24 pieces..

      Reply
  16. Nata says

    September 21, 2021 at 2:51 am

    5 stars
    I made it . It was a big hit in my family. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  17. Sherrill says

    September 7, 2021 at 8:14 am

    Love these little nuggets of heaven. So easy to make and are great with soup. Will they work with gluten free flour?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 7, 2021 at 1:36 pm

      Unfortunately they won’t sorry Sherrill! N x

      Reply
  18. Awais says

    April 27, 2021 at 1:42 am

    Hi Nagi. How many days in advance can these be made?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2021 at 11:39 am

      Hi Awais, I’d say 2 days – see the reheating tips in the recipe notes. N x

      Reply
  19. Rachael says

    February 27, 2021 at 1:01 pm

    5 stars
    These are so delicious, just made a batch for a small dinner party tonight,to have alongside your brisket recipe. With a side of your no mayo coleslaw (a game changer). I used Norco natural elbo style cheese and they had great flavour! Thank you for another winner.

    Reply
  20. Pamela says

    January 14, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    This looks so amazing! Add me to the list of people asking if you can make the batter ahead of time, refrigerate, and then bake when you’re ready. 🙂

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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