This easy recipe for Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs makes the most amazing, light, bright, and creamy puffs filled with homemade Meyer lemon curd and vanilla whipped cream! Everything can be made from scratch and these pastries are absolutely delicious!
After almost 10 years, our little Meyer lemon tree gave us some beautiful lemons! Since we live in Oregon, this is pretty exciting and maybe not so hard to believe since our weather isn't exactly citrus-worthy. However, the little tree made it happen just in time to try out this recipe for Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs!
I've been wanting to try to make cream puffs for quite some time and after obsessively watching the Great British Baking Show and seeing some Instagram pics, the timing was perfect. After you make this basic pastry dough or pâte à choux, you will be able to make these cream puffs and so much more!
Check out the web story for these cream puffs!
What are Meyer Lemons?
Meyer lemons are smaller and sweeter than regular lemons and have almost a vanilla-herbal thing going on in my opinion. They smell AMAZING! They are also darker in color than regular lemons. I promise it's worth it. If you can't find Meyer lemons or don't want to wait 10 years for your tree to produce (just kidding, I think we almost killed it, but that's another story...), then you can always just use regular lemons. If you do, a splash of orange juice may help balance the tartness.
What are cream puffs made of?
Honestly, I was surprised at how easy these were to make. The dough recipe is a basic choux pastry dough. This is the base for other pastries like éclairs and profiteroles. So if you are craving a filled baked treat, you can now take your pick! To get the "cream" in a cream puff, you can add whipped cream or pastry cream. Sometimes cream puffs are confused with profiteroles. The difference is that profiteroles are frozen and cream puffs are not.
Where do the lemon and cream flavors come from?
These cream puffs are lemon flavored from the lemon curd used in the filling. You can find my recipe for Meyer Lemon Curd on my site or use store-bought lemon curd. And the cream is from homemade whipped cream. You can also use store-bought whipped cream or make your own as indicated in the recipe card.
Ingredients Needed to Make Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs
- Meyer lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
- water
- whole milk
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- eggs
- heavy whipping cream
- powdered confectioners sugar
- vanilla extract
Tips for Making Homemade Cream Puffs
- You will need 2-3 medium-large Meyer lemons. They aren't usually very big, so keep that in mind. You can also use regular lemons.
- If you make your own lemon curd, it needs to chill for at least an hour, so make it first or ahead of time.
- Plan ahead and pull out your eggs, milk, and butter ahead of time because they need to be at room temperature.
- You need 2 pastry bags, one for the puffs, and one for the whipped cream (if you want it to be fancy). If you don't have pastry bags, you can always use ziplock bags and cut off one corner.
- Don't be like me and open the oven door a few times to check on your puffs, they need the heat to get puffy! In fact, just leave it closed the whole time 😆.
- Zest your lemons BEFORE your juice them.
- For the best results when making the whipped cream, make sure the cream and your bowl are nice and cold before you start whipping. Keep both in the freezer until you are ready to start.
- Store any leftover puffs in a covered container in the fridge. They will last 1-2 days.
Want more delicious lemon recipes?
- Lemon Lavender Bread
- Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
- Easy Lemon Curd Filled Cupcakes
- Lemon Cranberry Meringue Pie
- Lemon Curd Cocktail Recipe
Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs
Equipment
- fine mesh sieve
- round piping tip for the pastry
- star piping tip for the whipped cream (optional)
Ingredients
Cream Puff Batter
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, room temp
Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 5-6 tablespoon powdered confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup lemon curd or store-bought
Instructions
Cream Puff Pastry (choux pastry dough)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. This recipe makes about 24 puffs so it will take 3 batches to bake with 8 puffs per baking sheet.
- Add the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan on the stove and mix over medium to high heat. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Add flour and quickly stir into the mixture. It really starts to form more of a dough at this point.
- Return the pan to the stovetop on medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes, cooking until mixture pulls away from the pan and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. This happened pretty quickly for me.
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer or bowl and beat on low speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture has cooled. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed until each is fully mixed in. Mix until shiny and almost ribbon like.
- Place the dough in a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe round circles spaced at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Try not to pull up and leave a peak, but you can smooth down with your finger if needed.
- Place one baking sheet at a time in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, until golden and airy. Keep an eye on them because they brown quickly! Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat step 5 for the rest of the pastry dough and make sure your oven heats back up to 425°F before the next pan goes in.
Whipped Cream
- Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and begin whipping at medium speed. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip on medium speed. Add the vanilla and whip the cream on medium-high speed until nice and fluffy.
Assembly
- Once your puffs have cooled, cut them open with a serrated knife, trying to keep the top slightly attached. Your puffs should be airy inside with some nice holes to work with.
- At first, I placed a dollop of curd and swirled some whipped cream inside from a pastry bag. It worked fine but I really wanted to get equal amounts of whipped cream and lemon curd in each bite. So, I filled my pastry bag with half whipped cream and half lemon curd. It worked perfectly, like a swirl of frozen yogurt with two flavors. Yum!! Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar on top and enjoy!
Notes
- Make your own lemon curd or you can use store-bought.
- You can also substitute store-bought whipped cream or whipped topping for the homemade whipped cream in the recipe.
- Store any leftover puffs in a covered container in the fridge. They will last 1-2 days.
- Nutrition facts are for the cream puff only with no filling.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make These Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs?
If you get a chance to make these Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list and receive more fun and delicious recipes right in your inbox.
Alyssa Hixenbaugh says
Wow, these look so decadent and delicious! I need to make some asap.
Emily says
Oh yes, they are a must-bake. LOL!😂
Peg says
You do not have any steps numbered 8 -10 so in your instruction step #6 it is confusing when you state: "Repeat steps 8-10 for the other baking sheet and make sure your oven heats back up to 425°F before the next pan goes in."
Emily says
Peg, thank you so much for letting me know! I updated the recipe to try and make it shorter and missed that completely. It's been fixed, thanks again!🙂
Julia says
I love everything lemon and these sound amazing. I've not tried making my own lemon curd before but I'm going to give it a try. They look really good!
Emily says
Julia, if you love lemon, making your own lemon curd is going to be amazing!! I hope you love it!
Gabriela says
I had never seen this dessert before it seems like an absolute treat. I love how detailed you are when you give us all the steps to accomplish the perfect dish.
Emily says
It's a good one, Gabriela, and definitely a treat!
Jeannie says
this looks so mouth watering! I would eat these after my morning run, lemons are really refreshing.
Emily says
I would run so I could eat these, lol! Enjoy 😉
Patrice says
Your cream puffs look delicious. That's great that you were able to use Meyer lemons from your own tree!
Emily says
Lol, thanks! My little tree is small but might 🤣.
Leah says
Wow these sound so perfect for a summer potluck! I loooove lemon desserts this time of year.
Emily says
They would be perfect for a summer potluck!
Bobbie says
These lemon cream puffs sound delicious! I can’t wait to try 😊
Emily says
Thanks, Bobbie. Enjoy!
Susan says
These were so easy to make and the lemon filling was so special. I can't wait to make them again!!
Emily says
I’m glad you found them easy to make. I love it when that happens!
Nora says
This looks so delicious! I can't wait to try it for myself! Thanks for the great recipe!
Emily says
Thanks, Nora, I hope you enjoy them 😊.
Sara Rodriguez says
Those Lemon Cream Puffs looks amazing! So creamy and tasty!
Leslie says
I couldn't think of a more perfect dessert!
Maggie Unzueta says
Thanks for the step by step pictures. This is very helpful. Looks delicious!
Amy says
Was such a hit! They were so light and fluffy! Great recipe!
Sabrina says
This is something I always leave to the bake shop but you made it easy to follow at home, can’t wait to try it!
Raquel says
A delicious recipe - thanks for the step by step photos! Will make again!
Chef Dennis says
I can't believe I've never made cream puffs! This is one of my wife's favorite pastries, I can't wait to use your recipe to make them for her!!
Emily says
Yes, you have to make these! Your wife will be very happy indeed.
Sue says
I've made cream puffs and I've made lemon curd. But never have I put these together!! And I've never tried to make curd with Meyer lemons - why is this???? I will be correcting this oversight ASAP!
Emily says
I can't wait for you to try this combo, it's so delicious!