Gluten Free Gougères (aka Cheese Puffs) are savory choux pastry buns made with cheese. They’re crispy, airy, cheesy, delicious, and easy to make!
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Gluten Free Gougères
I’m here with great news! Gluten Free bread doesn’t have to be boring and bland!
Introducing gluten free gougère (aka cheese puffs). A gougère is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese. Usually, they’re made with grated Gruyère, Comté, or Emmentaler. You’re welcome to try other variations if you’d like.
Remember that choux dough recipe we walked through earlier this month? You’re going to get to put it to use again in another French baking session. Grab your apron and let’s jump in!
What You Need To Know About This Gougères Recipe
While these are great on their own but they’d also be spectacular served with a Gluten Free Charcuterie Board! You can also make them a bit larger to use as a sandwich roll or keep them bite-sized for mini sandwiches.
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Gougères Ingredients
- Gluten Free Flour – I used my Nightshade Free Gluten Free Flour Blend in this recipe.
- Xanthan Gum – omit if your flour blend contains it.
- Unsalted Butter – I prefer using butter with at least 82% milk fat.
- Granulated Sugar – optional but adds a little flavor to an otherwise flavorless dough.
- Salt – fine sea salt is my preferred salt for baking and cooking.
- Water – I use all water for my Choux Pastry for a sturdier dough. You can use all milk or half milk + half water if you prefer. Using milk with produce a slightly more flavorful and richer pastry but the pastry will be a bit softer and won’t’ get quite as crisp.
- Eggs – Use large eggs for this recipe, which is the standard size egg I use in all my baking recipes.
- Cheese – I use Gruyere in this recipe but feel free to use an Extra Sharp Cheddar or other hard or semi-hard cheese.
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Equipment Needed
- Half Sheet Pan with Parchment Paper or a Silicone Baking Mat
- Small mixing bowl
- Medium saucepan
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Large Piping Bag with a large round tip
- Wire cooling rack
How to Make Gougères
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
Step 2. Make the Choux Pastry dough.
Step 3. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let the dough cool, no more than 5 minutes. Then, use the paddle attachment to start beating the dough before adding the eggs. This will help re-incorporate the butter if it has separated a bit.
Step 4. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the first egg. Once the egg is beaten and incorporated, add the second egg. Repeat this step until all the eggs have been mixed into the dough.
Step 5. Once all the eggs are added, mix for 30 seconds to a minute until the dough is well mixed. Then, add the cheese and mix until incorporated.
Step 6. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe or use a medium scoop to portion the dough, spaced about 2 inches apart.
Step 7. Smooth out the pastries with water to prevent any points from burning.
Step 8. Bake the Gougères for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. Then, remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to quickly poke a hole in the side of each pastry to help the steam release. Return the pastries to the oven, turn the oven off, and leave them in there for another 10 minutes.
Step 9. Remove the baked pastries from the oven and cool on a wire rack before serving. They can be served warm or at room temperature.
Tips for Making Cheese Puff Pastry
- Watch the VIDEO for step-by-step visuals on how to make Choux Pastry. The method is basically the same but you mix the cheese in at the end.
- The recipe yield varies based on the size and type of pastry you’re making but this recipe makes enough for almost 2 1/2 dozen cheese puffs. If you use a scoop instead of piping, you’ll have closer to 1 1/2 dozen.
- Extra Sharp Cheddar can be used in place of the Gruyere.
- Leave the pastries in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to an hour to completely dry them out, just make sure the oven is off.
- These make bite-sized pastry. Feel free to make them larger, just increase the baking time.
Other Gluten Free Choux Pastry Recipes To Try
- Cream Puffs
- Eclairs
- Profiteroles
- Churros
- French Crullers
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Gluten Free Gougères (Cheese Puffs)
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 4 oz. Gruyere Cheese finely grated (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, mix together your gluten free flour and xanthan gum and set aside.
- Add the butter, salt, dry mustard, water, and milk to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Decrease the heat to low and add all of the flour into the hot liquid. Immediately stir it in the flour until it's moistened and has absorbed all the liquid. The dough will start to form into a ball. Continue to cook over low heat for about a minute.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let the dough cool, no more than 5 minutes. Then, use the paddle attachment to start beating the dough before adding the eggs. This will help re-incorporate the butter if it has separated a bit.
- With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the first egg. Once the egg is beaten and incorporated, add the second egg. Repeat this step until all the eggs have been mixed into the dough. The dough will look curdled at first but with the addition of each egg, the dough will smooth out and come together. Scrape down the bowl as needed during this process.
- Once all the eggs are added, mix for 30 seconds to a minute. Then, add the cheese and mix until incorporated.
- Please note, gluten free choux pastry dough is much thicker than traditional dough made with all-purpose flour but should still be pipe-able.
- Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe into rounds about 1 1/2 inches wide (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough) or use a medium scoop to portion the dough. Space the rounds about 2 inches apart to allow for the pastry to puff while baking. Use kitchen shears to help snip the end of the pastry, if needed.
- Once you've piped your rounds, dip your fingers in a small bowl of water then smooth out the top of the pastries. You want the surface of the dough as smooth as possible. This will prevent any points from burning and will help form a nicely shaped pastry.
- Then sprinkle a very small amount of water over the pastry dough/baking sheet - you shouldn't be leaving large puddles of water, just enough to mist the baking sheet.
- Bake the Gougères for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. Then, remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to quickly poke a hole in the side of each pastry to help the steam release. Return the pastries to the oven, turn the oven off, and leave them in there for another 10 minutes. When done, the pastries should be dry in the center and hollow on the inside. You can leave them in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to an hour to completely dry them out, just make sure the oven is off.
- Remove the baked pastries from the oven and cool on a wire rack before serving. They can be served warm or at room temperature. They're great with a Gluten Free Charcuterie Board!
Notes
- Watch the VIDEO for step-by-step visuals on how to make Choux Pastry. The method is basically the same but you mix the cheese in at the end.
- The recipe yield varies based on the size and type of pastry you're making but this recipe makes enough for almost 2 1/2 dozen cheese puffs. If you use a scoop instead of piping, you'll have closer to 1 1/2 dozen.
- I used my Nightshade Free Flour Blend. If you use a flour blend that contains xanthan gum, omit the amount called for in the recipe.
- If you're sensitive to salt, decrease the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Extra Sharp Cheddar can be used in place of the Gruyere.
- The water sprinkled on the pastry dough will create steam in the oven to help the pastries rise and puff.
- Fill with whipped cream for cream puffs, ice cream for profiteroles, and pastry cream for Eclairs.
- Gougères are best eaten the day they're baked but leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. To re-crisp the shells, bake them for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
- To freeze the dough, shape and smooth the Choux Pastry into your desired shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Then freeze until the dough is frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and keep frozen for up to a month. Bake from frozen when ready to bake - do not thaw before baking. Frozen pastry may take a few minutes longer to bake.
- Baked cheese puffs can also be frozen. Defrost at room temperature then re-crisp them in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
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Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
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