Gougères are the undeniable stars of my bread basket. These airy, cheesy bites vanish faster than Cartman with a bag of Cheesy Poofs. Come to think of it—they are basically fancy French cheesy poofs. You can load your basket with cornbread, focaccia, and artisan sourdough, but don’t be surprised when your guests dig through the selection just to get to these golden gems.
One of my favorite local restaurants treats gougères like a delicacy—served sparingly, almost like edible treasure. But the real joy? At home, you make the rules. You can bake a whole batch and go back for seconds (and thirds) without judgment or a server’s raised eyebrow.
Why I’m Obsessed
They’re irresistibly good and deceptively easy to make. I usually whip up a big batch ahead of time and stash them in the freezer. That way, whenever the craving hits or guests drop by, I just pop a few in the oven—25 minutes later, I’ve got the ultimate pre-dinner nibble or a cozy sidekick for soup and salad.
Gougères pair beautifully with compound butters, but they’re equally divine dipped in a little “Italian butter” (aka herbed olive oil). But the real trick? Eat them warm. Trust me. It’s not just about texture—it’s a full-on sensory moment. Warm gougères are soft, crispy, melty magic, and if you’re not eating them straight off the tray, you’re missing out.
Let’s Make the Gougères
Line 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper (to fit in your freezer) then bring the water, butter and salt to a boil in a heavy bottom pot.
Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the liquid is absorbed.
Lower the heat to medium low, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until it looks like mashed potatoes. Return the pan to the heat and stir for 3-5 more minutes until it is nice and doughy. A film may form on the bottom of the pan – don’t worry, that’s okay. The dough is ready when it’s thick and smells nutty.
Transfer the dough to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on low speed for 1 minute to cool the dough. Add 1 egg at a time, incorporating each egg into the dough before adding the next egg. The dough will come together after adding the last egg.
Add the grated cheese and blend it in. Don’t over mix the dough.
Scoop out gougeres onto the baking sheet using 2 big spoons or an ice cream scoop to form uniform size balls
Freeze and Bake Later – Recommended for Convenience
Freeze on the baking sheet(s) overnight and bag them in serving portions of 6-8 per bag. They will keep for two months. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375.
Bake for 25-30 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet until the tops are golden brown
Serve warm with Italian Butter! Get the recipe HERE
Bake Immediately
Preheat the oven to 400 and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake 20-25 minutes more without opening the oven.
Warning: Be careful of burning the tops. There is a fine line between done and over-cooked
Wrap in a towel in a bread basket. Serve warm
Gougeres
Savory French puff pastry with gruyere cheese!
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 25-30 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 8 TBL unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs – room temperature
- 1–1/2 cups finely grated gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Don’t forget to bring your eggs to room temperature!
- Line 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper (to fit in your freezer) and bring the water, butter and salt to a boil in a heavy bottom pot
- Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the liquid is absorbed
- Lower the heat to medium low, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until it looks like mashed potatoes
- Return the pan to the heat and stir for 3-5 more minutes until it is nice and doughy. A film may form on the bottom of the pan – don’t worry, that’s okay. The dough is ready when it’s thick and smells nutty
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on low speed for 1 minute to cool the dough
- Add 1 egg at a time, incorporating each egg into the dough before adding the next egg. The dough will come together after adding the last egg
- Add the grated cheese and blend it in. Don’t over mix the dough
- Scoop out gougeres onto the baking sheet using 2 big spoons or an ice cream scoop to form uniform size balls
Freeze and Bake Later – Recommended
- Freeze on the baking sheet(s) overnight
- Bag them in serving portions of 6-8 per bag. They will keep for two months
- When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375
- Bake for 25-30 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet until the tops are golden brown
- Serve warm with Italian Butter! Get the recipe HERE
Bake Immediately
- Preheat the oven to 400 and bake for 5 minutes
- Reduce the heat to 350 and bake 20-25 minutes more without opening the oven
- Warning: Be careful of burning the tops. There is a fine line between done and over-cooked
- Wrap in a towel in a bread basket. Serve warm