Grab this amazing recipe to make sugar-free cream puffs. Filled with light, no sugar added whipped cream, they make a delicious low-carb dessert without sacrificing taste. Small, simple changes in a classic recipe reward you with an amazing French dessert.

If you ever wanted to master choux pastry, this is your chance!
Why? Because I will reveal the secrets and a technique for a cream puff recipe that guarantees the perfect cream choux puffs (choux à la crème in French).
Jump to:
What are cream puffs?
Cream puffs are light, airy, and crisp puffs made in the shape of a tiny, round "cabbage" and filled with vanilla pastry cream or Chantilly cream.
Their main key element is a beautiful choux pastry. "Choux" is a French word translated as "cabbage" and pronounced as "shoo" or "chu."
Why "cabbage"? Because a cute little puff looks a bit like cabbage if you squint, but you have to squint a lot. Smile!
Choux pastry (pâte à choux in French) is a unique pastry that is“cooked” before it is baked and uses steam created by the mixture with the eggs.
Why you should try this recipe
These healthy cream puffs are made sugar-free; the sugar-free cream filling is as light as possible.
They make a festive low carb, low-sugar treat, a dreamy dessert perfect for Valentine's Day or any other special occasion.
Playing with the amount of sugar-free whipped cream allows for cutting calories in the puff dessert.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Find the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.
Water: it is an essential ingredient of the choux pastry. Replace it with milk or use half of the milk and half the water if desired.
Salt: a pinch of salt enhances the flavor of the pastry.
Butter: use unsalted butter, cold or softened, and cut it into cubes.
Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Eggs: use whole large eggs at room temperature. To weigh the eggs, beat them, and use a kitchen scale, how much of the mixture you need.
Flaked almonds are optional, but they bring beauty, texture, and crunchiness to the dessert.
Whipping cream: use your favorite brand of whipping cream with at least 30% fat content or heavy whipping cream with 35% fat content and higher.
Vanilla bean is the best ingredient for making whipped cream because it provides an incredible flavor without any added sugar. Replace it with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if desired.
How to make sugar-free cream puffs
To make choux pastry, preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C.
Take parchment paper and, with a pencil, draw 12 circles of about 1.5 inches/4.5 cm in diameter. Then turn the paper over and place it on a baking sheet/s.
Combine water, butter cut into small cubes, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to medium-high heat and wait till the mixture boils.
Once the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat. Add all-purpose flour all at once, mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes smooth.
Bring the preparation back to medium to low heat and cook the pastry until it pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 to 2 minutes (photo 1).
Transfer the pâte à choux to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes.
Beat eggs for an omelet in a small bowl. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer, add beaten eggs gradually into the dough, whisking well after each addition (photo 2).
Transfer mixture (ready choux dough) to a piping bag fitted with a round tip - Ateco plain pastry tip 809.
Pipe 12 choux puffs of about 1.5 inches/4.5 cm diameter on the prepared baking sheets (covered with the parchment template).
Using a pastry brush, brush each bun with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with flaked almonds (photo 3) and bake until golden brown for 30-35 minutes without opening the oven.
Then poke each choux puff's side with the tip of a small sharp knife and bake for 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack (photo 4).
To make the whipped cream, use an electric or a stand mixer to whisk whipping cream with the scraped vanilla seeds until firm (photo 5).
To assemble cream choux puffs, cut each puff shell in half horizontally with a serrated knife and place the tops onto parchment paper.
Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with an open star pastry tip and pipe a rosette onto each puff's base. Cover it with cream puff tops (photo 6).
Recipe variations
Aiming to limit the carb load, only natural ingredients, including sugar-free whipped cream, are used.
While making choux pastry, it is used the only carbohydrate that is all-purpose flour.
There are also a few ways to make lighter cream puffs and cut calories in the recipe without anyone noticing.
First, make bite-sized choux puffs, piping buns of 1.5-inch/3.5 to 4 cm. Yes, by making 16 low-carb mini cream puffs approximately, you will remove about 50 calories from each choux puff.
Second, pipe a smaller rosette of the whipped cream onto each cream puff shell.
Just this tip shaves about 65 calories from each of the puffs if you make 12 of them.
Finally, you can make small 16 puffs with little whipped cream and omit flaked almonds on top of your choux dessert.
All this removes almost 100 calories from each cream puff!
Storage instructions
Choux pastry made with whipped cream is best eaten on the day of making. Don't store it for longer than 24 hours, even refrigerated.
Can you freeze cream puffs? You can freeze only the cooled, unfilled choux puffs.
Wrap them with plastic or place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature and crisp in the oven at 350 degrees F/175 degrees C for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let the puffs cool before assembling.
Expert tips
- Don't boil water for a long time before adding flour: if water evaporates, it will affect the balance of the ingredients.
- If you do not have a pastry bag, use two teaspoons to form rounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Never open the oven door while baking choux puffs.
- While assembling the puffs, place 1 to 3 fresh raspberries in the center of the puffs if desired.
Frequently asked question
Choux pastry is made with a few ingredients, including eggs. So it naturally has a beautiful egg flavor, plus a buttery undertone. The egg mixture makes the puffs puff while baking; it makes the inside of the choux puff hollow.
Craving more sweets? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe to receive new recipes. Also, have a look at my favorite baking tools I use daily.
Need to adjust your baking pan size?
No worries! This simple cake pan converter is here to help. Easily adjust any pan size to fit your needs with just a click.
Recipe card
Sugar-free Cream Puffs
Grab this amazing recipe to make sugar-free cream puffs. Filled with light, no sugar added whipped cream, they make a festive dessert without sacrificing taste. Small, simple changes in a classic recipe reward you with a delicious French dessert.
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (plus freezing time)
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: No-sugar-added Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
For the choux pastry:
- ½ cup + ½ tablespoon (125 g) water
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 oz. (60 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (125 g) whole eggs
- 0.7 oz. (20 g) flaked almonds
For the egg wash:
- 1 small egg
For the whipped cream:
- 1 ⅔ cups + 5 tablespoons (450 g) whipping cream
- 1 vanilla bean
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- To make choux pastry, preheat the oven to 355 F/180 C. Take parchment paper and, with a pencil, draw 12 circles of about ⅕ inches/4.5 cm in diameter. Then turn the paper over and place it on a baking sheet.
- Combine water, butter cut into small cubes, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat. Add all-purpose flour all at once, mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes smooth. Bring the preparation back to medium heat and cook the pastry until it pulls away from the sides of the saucepan (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- Transfer the pâte à choux (choux pastry dough) to a medium bowl or stand mixer bowl. Let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Beat eggs for an omelet. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer, add eggs gradually into the dough, whisking well after each addition.
- Place the choux dough in a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809. Pipe 12 choux puffs of about ⅕ inches/4.5 cm diameter on the baking sheet covered with the parchment template. Using a pastry brush, brush each bun with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake for 30-35 minutes without opening the oven. At the end of baking, poke each choux puff's side with the tip of a small knife, and bake for 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- To make the whipped cream, use an electric or a stand mixer to whisk whipping cream with the scraped vanilla seeds until firm.
- To assemble cream choux puffs, cut each puff in half horizontally with a serrated knife and place the tops onto parchment paper. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with an open star pastry tip and pipe a rosette onto each puff's bases. Cover the puffs with the tops.
Notes
- Don't boil water for a long time before adding flour: if water evaporates, it will affect the balance of ingredients.
- If you do not have a pastry bag, use two teaspoons to form rounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Never open the oven door while baking choux puffs.
- While assembling the puffs, place 1 to 3 fresh raspberries in the center of the puffs if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream puff
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 41 mg
- Fat: 17.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.8 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 91 mg
Keywords: sugar free cream puffs, healthy cream puffs, healthy cream puffs recipe
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 originally published on June 12, 2021. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Shashi says
I simply love this recipe - my mom is diabetic, and I cannot wait to try this out for dessert the next time she comes over!
Irina says
Perfect, Shash! Your mom will be delighted. 🙂
Kushigalu says
These cream puffs look amazingly delicious. I love the recipe. I should make this soon for my family.
★★★★★
Irina says
Sure thing, Kushigalu! Please, enjoy the recipe!
AISilva says
At first, I saw your photos and thought they looked so delicious! Then I noticed you put raspberry filling in as well, and nobody in my family will be able to resist these. Thanks for this great recipe for no sugar cream choux puffs!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, AISilva, for visiting the recipe. Please, let me know how your baking went!
Katie C says
Such a simple but delicious recipe! I love how there is no added sugar and can't wait to try this with all the different fruits!
★★★★★
Irina says
It sounds great, Katie! Please, let me know what fruit you tried! 🙂
Jessica Formicola says
These cream puffs look perfectly fluffy and delicious! I am going to try my hand at them this weekend!
★★★★★
Irina says
Jessica, it sounds like a great plan for the upcoming weekend! 🙂 Happy baking, and enjoy it!
Christine Cooray says
This looks great, but I'm wondering where the raspberry insert is?
Irina says
Christine, the raspberry insert is seen in a step-by-step photo. I did not take a final picture of the cut.
BB says
Thanks for the recipe. My diabetes recently jumped out of control, so I've been on a low-carb diet for the past few weeks. All of a sudden, I got a mad craving for cream puffs. Now, thanks to you, they're in the realm of possibility.