With their light and puffy pastry shells and creamy, tangy lemon curd filling, these lemon creme puffs are love at first bite! They’re made using just a handful of pantry ingredients and can easily be prepared in advance.
Why you’ll love this creme puff recipe:
As much as I love my dainty little macarons, sometimes all I want is a quick and easy dessert that doesn’t require a bunch of fuss. Luckily, these creme puffs with lemon curd filling check all the boxes!
- Despite their fancy name and elegant presentation, creme puffs are a surprisingly effortless dessert you can make in just 1 hour.
- They’re undeniably pop-able, meaning if you’re anything like me you’ll pop them into your mouth one after another without any self-control!
- I love them for their airy, crispy exterior, and creamy, perfectly sweet, filling.
After dozens of creme puff recipe tests, I’ve discovered the secret to a perfectly puffed-up shell, making my lemon cream puffs practically failproof! Hint… water should be the base of the batter, not milk!
What are creme puffs?
Creme puffs, also known as cream puffs or profiteroles, are small, round pastry balls made with a classic French choux pastry. The pastry is baked until puffy and stuffed with all kinds of delicious fillings like whipped cream, custard, ice cream, and frostings. The puffs are served plain or finished with toppings like powdered sugar, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce.
Available in a variety of flavors like simple raspberry creme puffs, pumpkin cream puffs, and this lemon creme puffs recipe, the treats are always rich, buttery, and deliciously creamy.
Key Ingredient Notes:
I’ve tested this recipe numerous times and concluded that water should be the base of the batter, unlike my classic eclair recipe, which uses half milk and half water. I realized that milk adds too much fat to this batter, which prevents the shells from puffing up.
For the Pastry Shells
- Unsalted butter – This adds flavor and prevents the dough from clumping.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the dough so your creme puffs don’t taste like a savory pastry.
- Salt – A little goes a long way to enhance the rest of the ingredients and balance the sweetness.
- All-purpose flour – This forms the base of the dough, providing structure for the pastries.
- Eggs – Whole eggs add a rich flavor and texture that helps the creme puffs hold their shape. Let them come to room temperature for easy mixing!
For the Filling
- Heavy cream – This forms the base of the filling. Cold heavy whipping cream will whip up more quickly!
- Lemon curd – I use homemade lemon curd, but you can substitute your favorite store-bought variety.
- Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) – Technically optional but highly recommended, this adds an extra touch of sweetness and creates a bakery-worthy appearance.
How to make lemon creme puffs:
Before you get started, preheat your oven to 425°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Prepare the Puff Pastry Shells
- Combine ⅔ cup of water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling, add the flour all at once, and reduce the heat to medium.
- Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to form a ball. Then, continue mixing until a light crust forms on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix for a few minutes on low speed until the dough is at room temperature.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. This helps the egg absorb into the dough quicker so you’re not mixing forever!
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag.
The Dough consistency
The dough should not be too runny or too thick. To test the consistency, lift the beater up and the dough should slowly fall into a thick ribbon, leaving a V shape at the end. See the image above left.
- Pipe the dough into small rounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving them a couple of inches apart.
- Level the peaked tops with a wet fingertip.
- Bake the dough, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through. The pastry shells should be golden brown, crispy, and puffed up!
- Transfer the dough shells to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Cream Filling
This lemon whipped cream has an intense lemon flavor. If you want milder lemon flavor, feel free to reduce the lemon curd amount. TIP: Start with half of the lemon curd amount and add more to taste.
- Whip the heavy cream until hard peaks form using a electric hand mixer.
- Fold in the lemon curd and gently mix just until smooth.
- Transfer the filling to a pastry bag with a filling tip Wilton 230!
Fill the Creme Puffs
- Pipe the filling into each pastry shell through a small hole on the side.
- Dust the filled creme puffs with powdered sugar, if desired.
How to fill creme puffs
Most pastry shells have a small hole somewhere, but you can also make a small slit with a knife.
Or, cut the shells horizontally and pipe the filling as I’ve done with my raspberry creme puffs.
Tips for Success:
- For smooth creme puff shells, use the largest round piping tip you have on hand. Hold the piping bag at a 90° angle, and pipe the round with one big squeeze. Avoid swirling or ruffling while you squeeze.
- After piping, level the peaked tops with a wet fingertip. If you don’t level the peaks, the pointy tops are likely to burn during baking.
- If the creme puffs go flat as they come out of the oven, it means they are slightly undercooked and need to be baked a bit longer. Simply put them back in the oven, and bake for a few more minutes.
- To make the fluffiest whipped cream, use cold (not room-temperature) heavy cream. Even better, chill the bowl, and whisk in the freezer before mixing.
- For sturdy, stable whipped cream, beat on low speed. High speed doesn’t mean better results! You want to slowly incorporate air into the heavy cream.
Make-Ahead Tips
Fully assembled creme puffs should be filled right before serving to prevent the crispy shell from becoming soggy.
You can make the creme puff shells and lemon curd filling in advance. Then, store them separately until you’re ready to serve. I recommend making the whipped cream when you’re ready to assemble the dessert.
- Unfilled creme puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Homemade lemon curd will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Serving Suggestions:
Creme puffs are versatile little treats that can be stuffed with a variety of different fillings, topped with melted chocolate, or decorated with sprinkles. That’s part of what makes them so dreamy!
- Fill creme puffs with plain whipped cream, pastry cream, or even ice cream!
- Dip the tops into silky smooth chocolate ganache or white chocolate ganache. Then, add sprinkles or flaked sea salt while the ganache is still wet.
- Try flavored whipped cream variations using raspberry jelly, pumpkin puree, or Nutella.
Storing Tips:
For the best texture, filled creme puffs should be enjoyed within a couple of hours. But, that doesn’t mean leftovers need to go to waste! Store leftover lemon creme puffs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
FAQs:
Creme puffs are an absolutely delightful dessert, whether enjoyed cold or at room temperature. Since the shells should cool completely before being filled, they’re not usually eaten while hot. It also depends on the ingredients in your filling. Dairy-based creme puff filling should be kept chilled until you’re ready to serve.
Eclairs and creme puffs are incredibly similar! They’re both made with choux pastry, filled with cream, and topped with melted chocolate. However, eclairs are log-shaped and aren’t as versatile as creme puffs. Creme puffs can be prepared with a variety of different fillings and toppings, while eclairs are traditionally made using just pasty cream and chocolate ganache.
Deflated or collapsed creme puffs are usually caused by runny choux pastry or not enough baking time. Simply return the shells to the oven, and bake until golden brown and puffed up. The choux pastry batter should be smooth and glossy and slowly run into a thick ribbon. If you suspect your choux pastry is too thin, refer to my ultimate guide to choux pastry for troubleshooting options.
More Lemon Desserts:
Lemon Creme Puffs
Ingredients
For pastry shells:
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) water
- 4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 2/3 cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
For Filling:
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2/3 cup (180 g) lemon curd Note 1
- Powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
To make the pastry shells:
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone mat.
- In a medium saucepan with heavy bottom, combine water, butter, sugar and salt and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- Once the butter is fully melted and the mixture is boiling, remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Then put it back on the burner on medium heat.
- Using a wooden spoon, continuously stir the mixture. The dough will start to form into a ball. Keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until light crust forms on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the dough into a medium bowl. Using a electric hand mixer, mix the dough for a few minutes on low speed until the mixture cools to room temperature. (Alternatively, you can use a wooden spoon. Mixer is not required here!)
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. This will help to get egg absorbed into the dough quicker.
- Transfer the batter into a pastry bag and pipe into 1.5-inch rounds couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Level peaked tops with wet fingertip.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets top to bottom and back to front half way. The pastry shells should be golden brown, crispy and puffed up. Transfer the shells onto a cooling rack to cool completely. (TIP: If the pastry shells fall flat when you remove from oven, it means they are under-baked. Simply put it back into the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until they puff up again.)
To make the lemon whipped cream:
- Whip the heavy cream until hard peaks form using a electric hand mixer.½ cup heavy whipping cream, 2/3 cup lemon curd
- Fold in the lemon curd and gently mix just until smooth.
- Transfer the filling to a pastry bag with a filling tip Wilton 230!
To fill the creme puffs:
- Pipe the filling into each pastry shell through a small hole on the side. (Mine usually have a small hole somewhere, but you can also make a small slit with a knife.)
- Arrange the creme puffs on a platter and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.Powdered sugar for dusting
⭐️ Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review and let us know how you liked it!
Tips & Notes
You can make the creme puff shells and lemon curd filling in advance. Then, store them separately until you’re ready to serve. I recommend making the whipped cream when you’re ready to assemble the dessert.
– Unfilled creme puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months.
– Homemade lemon curd will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Storing Tips:
For the best texture, filled creme puffs should be enjoyed within a couple of hours. But, that doesn’t mean leftovers need to go to waste! Store leftover lemon creme puffs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on June 15, 2015.
I’m making these beauties this weekend! Mmmm can’t wait.
Yay, I’m so excited for you, Simona. I just made some cream puffs the other day, but I’m craving more. Let me know how yours turn out, or share a photo if you don’t mind. 🙂
hey i love this reciepe but the second time that i did it, the dough was too runny and obviously slipped easily by the sleeve pastry
Hi, Yoe! Glad you love this recipe. If the batter got too runny, it may be due to large eggs. Did you by chance use extra large eggs, or something?
My puffs did not puff – Any idea what could have gone wrong? They looked like the pictures until coming out of the oven. They were more puffy when they came out of the oven but sank as the cooled. Perhaps they were too wet?
Emmy, it sounds like the creme puffs are a little undercooked. You can put them back in the warm oven and cook for a few more minutes. They usually puff back up. They just need to dry out inside to stay puff, as they cool. Hope this helps.
I made these yesterday to take to a barbecue. They were delicious! And I have never actually made cream puffs before, shocking! They were super easy to make and your recipe was perfect for helping me get perfect little cream puffs. The only issue I had was mine got a little dark at 25 minutes in the oven so next time I will try a little shorted cook time and keep a closer eye on them the last 10 minutes. Thanks for the great recipe! PS, I also made your homemade lemon curd and it is amazing! I need to find another recipe to use the rest of it or I might just eat it with a spoon 🙂
Kati, I’m so happy you’ve got to try these little gems! Here’re a few other recipes you can use your leftover lemon curd: https://www.sweetandsavorybyshinee.com/tag/lemon-curd/. Thanks for sharing your feedback. 🙂
Oh my goodness I haven’t made cream puffs for years! Just the thought of these lemon cream puffs is enough to change that though!
Yes, yes!! They are fantastic! 🙂 Thank you, Kaylene!