Vegan Cream Puffs (Choux à la Crème)

🧾 Ingredients (makes ~12 puffs)

🥐 Choux Pastry

• 1 cup water

• ¼ cup vegan butter

• 1 tbsp sugar

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup unsweetened plant milk (soy works best)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

🥥 Cream Filling

• 1½ cups coconut cream (chilled overnight, solid part only)

• 2–3 tbsp powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional: vegan custard or pastry cream instead of whipped coconut cream

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1️⃣ Make the Choux

1. Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F. Line a baking tray.

2. In a saucepan, bring water, vegan butter, sugar, and salt to a boil.

3. Reduce heat, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the pan.

4. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes.

5. Gradually stir in plant milk and vanilla until dough is smooth and pipeable.

2️⃣ Bake

6. Spoon or pipe dough into small mounds.

7. Bake 20 minutes at 220°C / 425°F.

8. Reduce heat to 190°C / 375°F and bake 10–15 minutes more until puffed and golden.

9. Turn off oven, crack door open, and let puffs dry inside 10 minutes.

3️⃣ Fill

10. Whip chilled coconut cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

11. Slice puffs or poke a hole and pipe cream inside.

🍽️ Finish & Serve

• Dust with powdered sugar

• Drizzle with melted dairy-free chocolate

• Serve immediately or chill

💡 Tips for Success

• Don’t open oven early—steam = puff power

• Soy milk gives best structure

• Fully cool shells before filling