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Gluten Free Cream Puffs and Eclairs

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Gluten free Cream puffs and eclairs are one of the most elegant desserts! With a drizzle of chocolate ganache or salted caramel, or whatever you fancy. Making cream puffs and eclairs doesn’t have to be a daunting task. One simple dough recipe (pate choux) and you can easily pipe it into any shape you want.

gluten free eclairs filled with cream and topped with chocolate ganache and salted caramel on a black cooling rack with a spoon and gluten free cream puffs in the foreground

Don’t be scared of gluten free pate choux! It is easier than you’d think to make gluten free eclairs and gluten free cream puffs. Once you start making them, you’ll find lots of ways to use them. One of my favorite is to fill them with chicken salad for Sunday brunch.

You can fill your gluten free cream puffs with any of your favorite fillings, I used simple whipped cream for the gluten free cream puffs pictures. I did splurge on the toppings a bit and used a chocolate ganache and salted caramel sauce. 

If you want to put a fun flavor spin on your gluten free pate choux,  try these gluten free matcha cream puffs or gluten free tiramisu cream puffs next! They both have an easy dairy free substitute.

 

 

gluten free eclairs filled with cream and topped with chocolate ganache and salted caramel on a black cooling rack with a spoon and gluten free cream puffs in the foreground

How to make gluten free cream puff dough (also known as gluten free pate choux):

If you’ve never made cream puffs before, the recipe will look a little odd. It starts with boiling water with melted butter, that you then add gluten free flour to and stir to make a very thick paste.

As you stir the gluten free flour into the water,  the gluten free pate choux will pull away from the sides of the pan because the proteins in the flour will gelatinize.

This actually helps to create the bonds that hold the gluten free pate choux together, allowing it to be puffed up with steam and without exploding.

The hot water is crucial to getting the right texture and shape for your gluten free cream puffs.

Allow the gluten free flour paste to cool, and then stir in the eggs one at a time. 

It is easiest to use a stand mixer (transfer the dough) or an electric hand mixer to mix in the eggs. You can also use a sturdy wooden spoon and get your workout for the day in. It take a lot of elbow grease to get everything mixed together! 

gluten free eclairs filled with cream and topped with chocolate ganache and salted caramel on a black cooling rack with a spoon and gluten free cream puffs in the foreground

How to pipe gluten free pate choux? 

Gluten free cream puffs and eclairs are some of the easiest shapes to pipe.

Dots and lines, it doesn’t get any easier than that!

I used a large french tip to pipe my cream puffs and eclairs, which is why you can see those little faint ridges. The dough puffs up a lot when you bake it, so  the ridges aren’t as distinct. I just love how fancy they look!

You can also use a round tip, or simply use a large ziploc bag and snip the tip off of a corner so you have a hole about 1/2 inch in diameter.

Scoop the gluten free pate choux into your piping bag or plastic bag and line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. 

To make gluten free eclairs: Hold your piping bag at about a 45° angle and pipe a line 2-3 inches long.

To make gluten free cream puffs: Hold your piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet and  pipe a dot about an inch tall. Alternatively you can use a spoon to scoop a heaping teaspoon of gluten free pate choux. 

 

gluten free eclairs filled with cream and topped with chocolate ganache and salted caramel on a black cooling rack with a spoon and gluten free cream puffs in the foreground

How to bake gluten free eclairs?

When baking gluten free cream puffs, eclairs, or anything made from pate choux dough it is very important that you let the the oven preheat BEFORE you put the dough in the oven. 

There isn’t any leavening in gluten free pate choux to help the dough puff up, it needs steam.

The dough puffs up because as the moisture in the dough heats up it creates steam which lifts the dough up and fills the inside of the gluten free cream puff or eclair with air.

The steam is created when they are baked. If the oven is too cool, they won’t rise and puff up.

It is also important not to under-bake your gluten free cream puffs.

I’ve found that when I under bake them the quickly deflate, and then where are you supposed to put the whipped cream?

 

gluten free cream puffs filled with cream and topped with salted caramel on parchment paper with a black cooling rack with gluten free eclairs in the background

Pro tip: if you are making both gluten free eclairs and gluten free cream puffs with the same batch, don’t put them on the same pan or bake the pans at the same time. The gluten free cream puffs will cook faster than the gluten free eclairs. If you open the oven to remove the gluten free cream puffs, your gluten free eclairs will deflate.

I really love how versatile gluten free cream puffs are, and pate choux in general.

This time I filled my gluten free cream puffs with whipped cream, sweetened with just a touch of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla.

I drizzled the tops with some chocolate ganache and salted caramel just for fun!

You can also fill cream puffs with pudding, custard, mousse, or one of my favorites: go for a savory approach and stuff it full of chicken salad. The possibilities really are endless!

Can you make gluten free cream puffs dairy free or vegan (egg free)?

I’ve made dairy free gluten free cream puffs many times and they turn out just as good. Simply use your favorite gluten free vegan butter instead of the dairy butter called for in the recipe. My favorites are Earth Balance and Melt.

Because of the number of eggs in this recipe, I don’t have an egg substitute that I would recommend. If you try one, comment and let me know how it worked! 

gluten free eclair filled with cream and topped with salted caramel on a piece of white parchment paper with a spoon and gluten free cream puffs and gluten free ecliars in the background

 

Just a quick reminder before the gluten free cream puff recipe:

Tips to the perfect gluten free cream puff or eclair:

  • Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir the gluten free flour into the boiling water and butter. It will get very stiff! 
  • Wait the full 10 minutes before adding your eggs. If the flour paste is too hot, your eggs will scramble on contact! 
  • Use an electric hand mixer or transfer our gluten free pate choux to a stand mixer to beat in the eggs. 
  • Make sure your oven is preheated. Consider getting an oven thermometer if you don’t have one, since this is a recipe where oven temperature is crucial. You can find an oven thermometer for less than $10 on Amazon. I discovered my oven often runs 25°-50°f hotter than it is supposed to. 
  • Don’t put gluten free eclairs and gluten free cream puffs on the same pan, or bake them in the oven at the same time. 
  • Do not underbake your gluten free cream puffs, they will deflate.
  • Don’t open the oven to check! Even opening for a few seconds can deflate your gluten free cream puffs.
Yield: Aproxx 30 mini cream puffs, or 20 small eclairs, or 12 large cream puffs or eclairs

Gluten-Free Cream Puffs and Eclairs

Gluten-Free Cream Puffs and Eclairs
Cream puffs and eclairs are one of the most elegant desserts! With a drizzle of chocolate ganache or salted caramel, or whatever you fancy. Making cream puffs and eclairs doesn't have to be a daunting task. One simple dough recipe (pate choux) and you can easily pipe it into any shape you want.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or dairy-free butter substitute (like Earth Balance, Melt, or Coconut Oil)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup my gluten free flour blend
  • 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 4 eggs

For the Filling

  • approx 3 cups of your desired filling choice whipped cream, pudding, mousse, citrus curd, or savory chicken salad(I used whipped cream today)
  • Optional- powdered sugar, salted caramel, or chocolate ganache for topping

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat bring the butter, water, and salt to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the GF flour blend and xanthan gum, working quickly to avoid large lumps. The dough will pull away from the sides of the pan and appear quite gummy.
  3. Let cool at least 10 minutes and then beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. (I find using a mixer, heavy duty hand or transferring the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer, is easiest.)
  4. Load the dough into a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice (I used a french tip) OR a large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
  5. Preheat your oven to 400F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  6. Pipe your dough onto the prepared baking sheets leaving at least 3 inches between shapes.

For Cream Puffs

  1. Pipe approx 1 heaping tablespoons worth of dough into a ball shape (hold bag perpendicular to pan, pipe and then release. You can smooth the top off using a slightly wet finger)

For Mini Cream Puffs

  1. Pipe just as the cream puffs but use about half as much dough, about 2 teaspoons worth.

For Eclairs

  1. Pipe a line of dough approx 1 inch tall, 1 inch wide and 3 inches long, OR make them larger and pipe 1 1/2 inches tall, 1 1/2 inches wide, and 5-6 inches long
  2. Bake for approx 30 minutes, the dough will be a darker golden brown and firm to the touch and the puffs will have risen quite a bit. If you make larger eclairs or larger cream puffs they may require slightly longer baking time.
  3. Let cool completely. Split in half, scrape out any soft dough, and fill with your desired filling. Alternatively fill using a pastry bag fit with a round tip.
  4. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with ganache or caramel sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1 cream puff
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 51mg Sodium: 83mg Carbohydrates: 13g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 8g Protein: 3g
© Brianna
Cuisine: American / Category: gluten free dessert recipes
Gluten Free Cream Puffs and Eclairs are easier to make than you'd think! Easy Gluten Free Pate Choux recipe that you can fill with your favorite fillings. #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreebaking

Comments

    • I’m sorry Stacey, it looks like I forgot to add the link. All of my flour blends are here. I’ll go back and add the link right away.

      Reply

    • Your class sounds great, now to prcitace at home!! Those cupcakes look delicious! No baking here yesterday but a lemon cake in the oven and a boiled chocolate cake about to go in!!

      Reply

  10. Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share this week!

    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

    Reply

    • A part is whatever increment you want. As long as you use the same “part” for all of the flours/starches you are fine. So you can use 1/2 cup for each part if you only want to make 2 cups total flour, or you can use 2 cups for each part if you want to make 8 cups of flour. I formulated the blend this way so that you can make as much or as little as you need.

      Reply

  16. Your rice flour blend looks great, however I also have a potato sensitivity in addition to the gluten. What is the best thing I can substitute for potato starch (or flour) in recipes? I am new at all this. THANK you for any help you can give.

    I

    Reply

    • Hi Paula,
      I’d suggest substituting cornstarch or more tapioca starch for the potato starch. The results won’t be exactly the same, but should be similar. I don’t know of any substitutes for potato flour, I don’t normally use it in my recipes.

      Reply

  17. Good Morning! JUST made this on the weekend and wanted to THANK YOU! The cream puffs were so light and airy! I always try to find some sort of nice dessert for my fiance, and can never quite find a good one or one that tastes like the food he had before he was diagnosed with celiacs. This recipe has topped them ALL! Will definitely use for this holiday season! Thank you so much!!

    Reply

  18. My first batch is baking in the oven. I think they are going to turn out!

    I’m curious, though – the instructions say to:
    2. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the GF flour blend and xanthan gum, working quickly to avoid large lumps. The dough will pull away from the sides of the pan and appear quite gummy.
    3. Let cook at least 10 minutes and then beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. (I find using a mixer, heavy duty hand or transferring the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer, is easiest.)

    Does this mean that I should put the mixture BACK on the heat for 10 minutes? It isn’t clear what to do with it. I returned it to the heat and just kept mixing it.

    I’ll let you know how they turn out, but would like to get that step 3 clarified. 🙂

    Thank you – Oh wait! I just tasted one out of the oven – DEE-licious! My guests are going to be impressed (and they taste like regular cream puffs – not like GFers!)

    Thank you so much. Looking forward to your response.

    GwenEllyn.

    Reply

    • Hi GwenEllyn,
      Thank you for catching that. It appears to be an auto-correct typo. You are actually supposed to let it cool for 10 minutes. Because the typo was an actual word I missed it. Letting it cool just keeps the eggs from scrambling as they hit way too hot flour paste.
      I’m so glad that you made them, and that they turned out so well!
      Brianna

      Reply

      • Wow! I think because I kept ‘working’ the pastry, the reheating didn’t cause a problem. I’ll remember to COOL them for 10 minutes next time. 🙂

        I just had another one, in fact, with a little turkey salad in it. I’m excited to share them with friends and you’ve made their making so easy. They are on the 5 star list!

        Thanks for your prompt response.

        GwenEllyn.

        Reply

  19. I just saw your eclairs on a recipe round up, oh my! They look sensational, I’ve not had eclairs in four years, now I’ll have to try some 🙂

    Reply

  20. I am so thankful for this recipe because of my gluten intolerance/sensitivity and because of my love for this recipe which I thought I could no longer have. I was wondering though if you could post the recipes for the salted caramel and the chocolate gnoch as well because I would like to also experiment with these but would like to use the right recipe. If you could just link it to this page or email me when you post them so I can find them I would so appreciate it. Thanks!

    Reply

  21. Absolutely amazing! My entire family love them! I’ve looked everywhere for a good recipe and this is easily the best! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  22. If I use an all purpose plain flour is it going to turn out? The only things I have in my cupboard are corn flour and GF plain flour! (the plain flour is majority rice flour and potato starch)

    Reply

    • It may or may not, I can’t tell for sure. I recommend using my flour blend because that is what I tested the recipe with. If you are not using my flour blend I suggest using one similar. If you do try something different let everyone here in the comments know how it turned out.

      Reply

  23. I am wondering if anyone has tried making these two days before using them, and how they stored them to keep them fresh? I’ve read many different opinion on other sights, but would like know if anyone was successful , or not, storing this recipe..
    I want to serve them at my daughters birthday on Monday, and I would like to make them ahead of time. Thanks

    Reply

    • I’ve frozen them with success. Freeze them right after you fill them, and then just bring them out to thaw several hours before you want to eat them.

      Reply

    • For most baking, yes! It isn’t a straight across sub for wheat flour though. You’ll need to use xanthan gum or something else to give your recipes structure.
      I have found that my blend doesn’t work well in yeast breads and rolls, or for pasta dough. The higher starch content makes it more like cake flour. It is perfect in cakes, cookies, quick breads,and muffins!

      Reply

  25. I tried making these and OMG this is the best thing I’ve ever baked! They are amazing! Thank you so much. I went gluten free 5 years ago and I’ve craved eclairs and this is the first time I’ve satisfied that craving haha

    Reply

    • Hi Cotton,
      That should work perfectly! Just be sure your cream puffs are completely cooled or they will get soggy. You may also want to prick them on the bottom when they come out of the oven to release the steam. I’d place them in a ziploc bag after they were cooled. Happy Baking! -Brianna

      Reply

  27. I’ve made these three times in the past month! I am not GF and am obsessed with GOOD eclairs, but haven’t been able to find any good ones since I moved. Whenever I go home, I buy a big box to take with me on the plane and my husband, who is allergic to wheat, always thought I was crazy. I decided to try and make some for him, but expected them to be obviously GF and therefore not that good. WOW was I WRONG! I never comment on things, but I just had to say thank you! Not only does my husband now share my obsession, but they’re as good as the ones from home! ❤️❤️

    Reply

    • Hi Francesca,
      Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I’m so happy you have been enjoying this recipe so much, and that you can share these with your husband. This is high praise! If you haven’t already, I’d love for you rate the recipe.
      Have a great weekend, and happy baking! -Brianna

      Reply

  28. Just made these for the second time and success! I’m not on a gluten free diet but my daughter in law is gluten intolerant so when we have family get togethers I always try to have something on hand we can all enjoy. The first time I tried this I only made a half batch to test and it didn’t go so well. The only gluten free flour I can find in my neck of the woods is Robin Hood all purpose gluten free. I don’t use gf flour often enough to make up my own blend so I have to adapt. I used the half cup first time around (half batch remember?) and it was so stiff and thick I knew it wouldn’t work out well. Letting it sit for about 20 did get rid of the grittiness the flour seems to have but it was way too much. The taste was there but they were heavy and no hollows inside. This time I made a half batch again and this time only used 1/3 cup instead of the half and that seems to be the magic number. I’ve made cream puffs many times over the years and these turned out fantastic – you can’t tell these are gf! I can’t wait to surprise her with these on her birthday/their anniversary next week!

    Reply

    • Hi Jane! I’m so happy you gave them another try! I haven’t ever baked with Robin Hood All-purpose gluten free flour before. I suspect it absorbs more liquid than the gluten free flours I’ve used, which is why the dough was too stiff the first time. I’m happy that using a little bit less flour solved the problem! Happy Baking!

      Reply

      • Just wanted to let you know that I brought these to our belated Easter/her birthday/their anniversary dinner tonight and they were a hit! At first my daughter in law sat there with a sad look on her face as everyone else dug into them – I guess she’s so used to going without treats like these for so long it never occurred to her that these were gluten free. She had actual happy tears in her eyes with the first bite 🙂 Thank you for helping me surprise her with something she can love without causing her grief!

        Reply

        • Jane, you made my day! I’m so happy to hear your daughter-in-law enjoyed them so much. It sounds like you had a lovely Easter.

          Reply

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