Profiteroles don't have to be limited to sweet desserts – these savory profiteroles are perfect for your next party appetizer! And I'm showing you how to make choux pastry from scratch and how to whip up this easy, delicious, herbaceous filling.
Why this recipe works
The light choux pastry is filled with an equally light filling, so they are not heavy on the stomach. They help take the edge off your hunger while you're waiting for the main meal.
The filling is whipped to create a light, airy inside. This keeps the rich filling from overpowering the delicate pastry.
The garlic and herbs are a savory profiterole flavor match made in heaven. This filling has subtle, balanced flavors and makes for the perfect tasty bite.
Ingredient details & note on substitutions
Although I usually love offering substitution advice, my advice for this recipe is to not substitute any of the ingredients. Following are the details for each ingredient in the recipe.
Choux Pastry Ingredients
Milk - use whole dairy milk for this recipe for the most consistent choux pastry.
Butter - use unsalted butter. This is important so you can control the level of salt in the mix.
Flour - this recipe uses unbleached all-purpose flour.
Eggs - The eggs for this pastry cannot be substituted with vegan alternatives.
Garlic & Herb Cheese Filling
Heavy cream - Don't substitute for half and half or similar.
Cream cheese - Your favorite brand of full fat or low fat cream cheese will work, and it must be at room temperature to work in this recipe.
Butter - Again, use unsalted butter.
Parmesan cheese - fresh grated or pre-grated both work in this recipe.
Garlic - you can use fresh or dried garlic in this recipe.
Dill, Chives, and Parsley - use fresh herbs, not dried. You can use any combination of herbs you like. Dill, chives, and parsley are my go-to, but tarragon, basil, and rosemary are lovely, too.
How to Make this Recipe
We will start by making the choux pastry, then pipe it, pop it in the oven, and while it is baking, we will make the filling.
Homemade Choux Pastry
Add the milk, butter, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture just barely comes to a boil.
Then, remove it from heat and add all the flour in one go. Mix well with a wooden spoon and quickly to absorb all the liquid.
Return to the heat and cook 2-4 minutes until the dough clumps together and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
It's ready when the wooden spoon can stand upright when you stick it in the dough. Move the dough to a large bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
Next, with a mixer or whisk, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
The dough consistency should be like a dry custard. Scoop some dough on a spoon and hold the spoon vertically by the handle, the dough should form a "v".
Note: If all the dough falls off the spoon, it is too wet. If it doesn't form a slight "v" then it is too dry and you need to add a little more egg.
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How to Pipe Choux Pastry
Pipe 12-15 1.5-2-inch circles per baking sheet using a piping bag with a large tip, or you can use a gallon-sized ziopper bag as a piping bag.
Note: I use a Wilton 1A or 2A to pipe the choux dough.
Wet your finger and use it to smooth & flatten any points or bulges.
Garlic and Herb Savory Filling
Beat all the filling ingredients together in one large mixing bowl to soft peaks.
Using a piping bag and a smaller piping tip (or just a zipper bag again), pipe your filling inside your pastry shells until they feel full. You should be able to feel they are full before it starts to push the filling out of the cream puff.
Serve your savory profiteroles right after filling!
Profiterole FAQs
Your dough consistency should look and feel like a dry custard. You can test this out by by scooping your dough on a spoon and holding the spoon vertically by the handle, the dough should form easily form a v shape as it falls.
Filled profiteroles taste the best when they are fresh, but you can eat them the next day if kept refrigerated in a sealed container.
Choux pastry can be fickle - The most common cause of this problem is an uneven oven temperature. I recommend using an oven thermometer to verify your oven is calibrated, and check for hot and cool zones that you can try to avoid when baking.
You can prep the profiteroles a few days in advance. Make sure to store your unfilled pastry shells in a sealed container in the pantry overnight, and only fill with fresh filling right before you're ready to serve.
Related Recipes
Step up your appetizer recipe game this holiday season with a few of these scrumptious party nibbles.
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Garlic & Herb Savory Profiteroles
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 240 ml whole milk
- 4 oz. unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 135 g all purpose flour unbleached
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
Garlic & Herb Cheese Filling
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 4 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon chives finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Choux Pastry
- Preheat to 370F with the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Add the milk, butter, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture just barely comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add all the flour in one go. Mix well with a wooden spoon and quickly to absorb all the liquid. Return to the heat. Cook 2-4 minutes until the dough clumps together and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. It is ready when the wooden spoon can stand upright when you stick it in the dough. Move the dough to a large bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
- With a mixer or whisk, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. The dough consistency should be like a dry custard. Scoop some dough on a spoon and hold the spoon vertically by the handle, the dough should form a "v." If all the dough falls off the spoon, it is too wet. If it doesn't form a slight "v" then it is too dry and you need to add a little more egg.
- Pipe 12-15 1.5-2-inch circles per baking sheet using a piping bag with a large tip, using a spoon, or using a gallon sized Ziploc bag as a piping bag. Wet your finger and use it to smooth & flatten any points or bulges.
- Ideally, bake each sheet one at a time. Bake 25 minutes. Poke each with a toothpick. Bake an additional 8-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Garlic & Herb Cheese Filling
- Beat the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl to soft peaks.
Garlic & Herb Profiteroles
- Using a smaller piping tip, pipe your filling inside your pastry shells until full. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in June of 2019 but was republished with FAQs and tips in September of 2022.
Madison Bussow
Hi there! I'm going to make this tomorrow and was just wondering, if I'm using a KitchenAid mixer for the filling, should I be using the whisk or paddle attachment? Do you whip the heavy cream and then beat in the cream cheese and butter, or all at once?
Candice
Hi Madison,
You beat them all at once, and the whisk attachment works best. The key to this filling is room temperature cream cheese & butter.
Enjoy!