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Snack & Appetizers

Homemade Savory Cream Puffs

Savory cream puffs made with choux pastry and filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, ricotta, and dill: an elegant finger food for the holidays.
Recipe Homemade Savory Cream Puffs
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 20 minutes
  • Cooking 50 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Savory Cream Puffs are a perfect Christmas appetizer, elegant and refined in appearance, with traditional flavors. Made with classic Choux Pastry, these Savory Filled Cream Puffs hold a velvety cream of ricotta, cream cheese, and smoked salmon blended together, and we decorate them with small pieces of smoked salmon and sprigs of dill, whose aromatic flavor pairs well with the filling and adds a lovely touch of color.

As you will see, the recipe for these Salmon and Cream Cheese Puffs is really simple: just follow the choux pastry method to the letter to get well-puffed, crisp cream puffs that hold the rich filling, with a wonderful contrast between the crunchy shell and the creamy center.

Also perfect for a more gourmet aperitivo with friends, the Savory Cream Puff Recipe is very practical and versatile too, because you can make as many versions of the filling as you like, getting creative with the ingredients you have on hand and following your imagination.

If you are looking for more Choux Pastry Recipes, we suggest trying Éclairs, Sweet Filled Cream Puffs, Zeppole di San Giuseppe, Mini Paris-Brest, and the indulgent Hazelnut Cream Puffs. If instead you are hunting for Christmas Appetizers with Salmon, take a look at our collection, where you will find all the Best Christmas Salmon Appetizers.

Now let’s put on our aprons and preheat the oven: today we are making tasty, crisp Savory Cream Puffs together.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the Savory Cream Puffs, start with the Choux Pastry: in a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the butter and the pinch of salt, then add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a whisk to get a smooth mixture. Keep cooking for another couple of minutes, until you have a firm ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
    Savory Cream Puffs, step 1: choux pastry dough cooked in a saucepan
  2. Once the mixture is cool, add the first egg and stir with a wooden spoon until it is completely incorporated, then add the second egg and incorporate that one too. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, put the mixture in a pastry bag with a large plain tip, and pipe the cream puffs well apart from each other. Bake them in a preheated conventional oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 30 minutes. Once they are puffed and golden, turn off the oven and open the door slightly, leaving them to rest for about ten minutes. Then take them out and let them cool completely before filling.
    Savory Cream Puffs, step 2: the eggs worked into the choux dough
    Savory Cream Puffs, step 2: cream puffs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  3. Meanwhile, make the filling cream: in a blender jar, combine the ricotta, cream cheese, 150 g of the smoked salmon, salt, and pepper. Blend until you have a smooth, lump-free cream, then add the remaining smoked salmon cut into small pieces and transfer the filling to a pastry bag with a large plain tip.
    Savory Cream Puffs, step 3: the smoked salmon and ricotta filling
  4. When the cream puffs are completely cool, cut them in half, fill the bottom half with enough cream that it shows once closed, and cover it with the top of the cream puff. Finally, decorate the Savory Cream Puffs with sprigs of dill and serve. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can make Savory Cream Puffs with any filling, as long as it is always quite firm. For example, you can replace the smoked salmon with the same amount of drained tuna or cooked ham, then decorate the puffs with black olives, capers, or sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Or, if you love bold savory flavors, you can also make cheese Savory Cream Puffs with ricotta, mascarpone, and pecorino, then decorate them with an anchovy fillet in oil and a few thyme leaves.

 

Tips

What makes Savory Cream Puffs special is the contrast between the crisp choux pastry and the creamy filling, which is why we recommend filling them only shortly before serving, so the puffs don’t soften too much. If the filling cream turns out too dry and you can’t blend it, add a splash of milk, but don’t overdo it, because it still has to stay quite firm.

Storage

Filled Savory Cream Puffs should be eaten right away because, as mentioned, over time the filling tends to soften the pastry. If needed, you can keep them in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for 1 day. Unfilled cream puffs, on the other hand, keep for a couple of weeks in a cookie tin.

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