Gruyere Cheese Puffs (Gougères)

French Gruyere cheese puffs (gougères) are a perfect cheese appetizer to start a party. This quick and easy recipe serves 28 puffs in just 45 minutes. And they do not last long: both kids and adults love them equally!

If you have never tried these drool-worthy cheese choux puffs, you should definitely give it a try. They just melt into your mouth.

You make one-two bites and grab another puff. I even got to the point that I would not have enough cheese puffs to take pictures for this post. They are so tasty!

What are French cheese puffs?

French cheese puffs (Gougères in French) are pastry bites with a crisp shell made with a choux pastry (pâte à choux in French) and loaded with cheese.

They are made with the same type of dough as sweet cream puffs, but authentic cheese puffs are made with Gruyere cheese.

As for the origin of savory cheese puffs, it is considered that they come from Burgundy, where they are usually served cold in cellars while wine tasting.

Gruyère cheese

Gruyere cheese (the correct spelling is Gruyère in French) is a hard Swiss cheese named after the town of Gruyères.

It is a type of cheese combining flavors with a nutty note. It is sweet but slightly salty.

The best substitutes of Gruyere cheese are Emmental, Jarlsberg, Beaufort, Comte, or raclette, according to The Spruce Eats. Enjoy the video of how to make Gruyere cheese.

Why you should try this recipe

1. The use of basic ingredients makes this French cheese puffs recipe budget-friendly.
2. These classic gougères are the perfect one-bite dinner party appetizer or fun party snack: they perfectly pair with a glass of wine, beer, other drinks, or on their own.
3. The make-ahead option saves time before your guests arrive.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Milk: use whole milk to make this recipe.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter cut into small pieces.

Salt: it enhances the flavor of the choux pastry.

Flour: use all-purpose flour here.

Eggs: use large eggs at room temperature.

Gruyere cheese: use it fresh, finely grated. Replace Gruyere cheese with Comte, Emmentaler, sharp cheddar, or a mix of cheeses, but aged and drier cheeses are preferable.

Ground pepper (to taste), grated nutmeg (optional).

How to make Gruyere cheese puffs

Heat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the choux pastry dough, cut the butter into small cubes. Then, in a medium saucepan, combine water, milk, place butter, and salt (photo 1).

Bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, remove the pan from heat and stir in the sifted flour.

Stir the flour in with a wooden spatula or a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth.

Bring the pan over medium heat and stir the preparation with the spatula to dry it out.

Once the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and the bottom of the pan, it is ready to remove from heat (photo 2).

Transfer the gougère dough to a bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and let it cool for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using the medium-low speed, add whole eggs, one at a time. Before adding the remaining eggs, wait until the first egg is well incorporated into the choux dough (photo 3).

Add grated Gruyère cheese, season with black pepper and nutmeg, and mix just to combine.

Place the pâte à choux in a piping bag with a wide plain tip - Ateco plain pastry tip 806.

Pipe about 28 mounds of the size of a small cherry tomato on lined baking sheets or a silicone mat.

Using a silicone brush, brush puffs with the beaten egg (egg wash).

Sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese on top of each puff (photo 5) and bake gougères for 25 to 30 minutes (photo 6).

Recipe variations

Gougères as savory choux pastry are served as appetizers. Their star ingredient is Gruyere cheese, but they can be made with different variations.

Dorie Greenspan adds chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans and Dijon mustard to the choux dough while making her Walnut-Mustard Gougeres.

Bee from Rasa Malaysia uses minced Italian parsley to make Gruyere gougères.

David Lebovitz recommends adding chopped chives or fresh thyme to his Gruyere puff recipe.

Oregon Live comes up with the combination of chopped mushrooms, shallots, and crumbled blue cheese in their recipe.

Jen from Baked by an Introvert adds minced bacon and garlic cloves to make her cheesy puffs.

How to serve gougères

Serve gougères cheese puffs warm, well cooled, or reheat at 350 degrees F/175 degrees C for 5 minutes.

You can garnish them with a cream cheese mousse or bechamel sauce. In this case, serve Gruyere gougères as soon as they have been filled to prevent the cheese choux pastry from softening. 

According to Marmiton,

You can transform this dish as a starter, by garnishing the gougères with foie gras, or with a stuffing made of fresh goat cheese, mixed walnuts, and a little chives.

It is super good to enjoy gougères accompanied by avocado salad or a glass of sparkling wine or champagne.

Storage

French cheese puffs are best eaten on the same day they are made. To store them, place cooled puffs in an airtight metal box and keep them for a few days.

To freeze, spread puffs on a baking sheet and freeze them. Then place puffs in a zip-top bag and freeze for a few months.

To serve, take puffs from the freezer bag and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F/175 degrees C for 8 to 10 minutes.

Expert tips

1. Prepare all the ingredients before you start making cheese puffs. Use freshly grated cheese.
2. Stir in the eggs, using a stand mixer or a hand whisk, working without stopping.
3. Replace Gruyere cheese with Comte, Emmentaler, sharp cheddar, or a mix of cheeses, but dry, aged cheese is the best option.
4. Using a pastry bag, pipe tablespoon-size mounds, or smaller balls if you want to make bite-sized puffs.
5. Use two spoons to portion the dough onto the parchment if you do not have a pastry bag.
6. NEVER open the oven door while baking a choux pastry: gougères or choux buns deflate immediately if they are not golden brown yet.

Frequently asked question

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.foodandwine.com/. It was originally published on October 17, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.