Gluten Free Pumpkin Cream Puffs

I love a good cream puff, and these Gluten Free Pumpkin Cream Puffs are the perfect way to celebrate pumpkin spice season. The light, airy choux pastry is filled with a creamy, spiced pumpkin mousse that’s flavorful and just the right amount of sweet. Perfect for a cozy afternoon treat or for impressing guests at your next holiday gathering.

What I love most is how easy they are to make ahead: the mousse can sit in the fridge for a day or two to let the flavors develop, and the puffs themselves can be baked ahead and refreshed in the oven if needed.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: The only pre-mixed gluten-free flour blend (combined with cornstarch) that generates a beautiful gluten-free choux my Cup4CupCopyCat Recipe or the ORIGINAL Cup4Cup (containing dairy). If you do not have access to Cup4Cup, you can use my homemade choux flour blend. The high cornstarch content is what creates light and crispy choux pastry.

Eggs: This recipe requires 175 grams of whole eggs. Lightly whisk 3 - 4 large eggs in a bowl, then weigh out exactly 175 grams in a separate container. If your eggs are on the larger side, 3 may be sufficient. Ensure the eggs are at room temperature before use.

Milk: You can use whole, 2%, or fat-free milk in this recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Cream Puffs. If you would like to reduce the dairy used, please substitute the milk with water. Please note that the choux pastry will be slightly lighter in color.

Canned Pumpkin: Be sure to grab 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. The cans look similar and often sit side by side at the grocery store. While I love making things from scratch, canned pumpkin puree is a convenient (and reliable) choice for this recipe.

Cream Cheese: For the pumpkin mousse, I use a full-fat block/brick of cream cheese.

Spices: I use a combination of pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger here. Feel free to adjust them to personal preferences.

Gluten Free Choux Pastry Dough

I make my choux pastry for gluten free pumpkin cream puffs in the food processor. You can make it in a stand mixer or even by hand, but I highly recommend using a Food Processor for the ease of it. Choux Pastry made with a food processor will be smoother which results in lighter and taller cream puffs.

1. Step 1: To make gluten free choux pastry, combine whole milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized pot and bring it to a boil at a medium heat.

2. Step 2: Once your liquid comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add all your sifted dry ingredients to the hot milk and water mixture at once. With a wooden spoon, stir until the gluten-free flour is fully incorporated. This will take anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. 
3. Step 3: Turn the heat back on to a very, very very low temperature and continue cooking the flour panade for one minute. Make sure to keep stringing the dough ball. It will form a film at the bottom of the pan.

4. Step 4: Transfer your flour panade to your food processor and pulse 4-5 times. The pulsing allows the steam and heat to evacuate.

5. Step 5: Take off the lid of your food processor and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes. If you add the eggs while the flour mixture is too hot, they will curdle and turn your gluten free choux dough into scrambled eggs with flour.

6. Step 6: While the dough cools, measure out 175 grams of whole eggs. To measure out 175 grams of whole eggs, combine 4 large eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, weigh out 175 grams. If your eggs are already on the larger side, 3 eggs most likely will be 175 grams. Eggs must be at room temperature. Using too much egg will cause a very runny choux dough that can not be saved.

7. Step 7: Once the cooked flour mixture has cooled down, turn your food processor on and add your egg mixture slowly through the feeder. Make sure to NOT add it all at once.
8. Step 8: After adding all the eggs, blend the mixture for one minute more. Scrape down the sides of your food processor and blend for another 30 seconds. The gluten-free cream puff batter will have a smooth and glossy look.
9. Step 9: Cover the pâte à choux with a lid or plastic and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. (I just place the food processor bowl in the fridge) This way it will be easier to scoop but also hold its shape better. No need to rush the process.

Baking Instructions

Make sure to preheat the oven to 375°F. Choux pastry rises from steam, not yeast or baking powder. The initial high heat turns the water in the dough into steam, forcing the pastry upward and creating a hollow center. It also helps the exterior set, preventing collapse as the inside continues to expand. Once the puffs have risen, lowering the oven temperature allows the interior to cook through and dry out without burning the outside.

1. Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Step 2: Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (around 1.5 Tablespoons), scoop the dough onto the baking sheet. Make sure to leave some room between the puffs, around 1-2", so they have space to rise. This recipe should give you 16 gluten-free cream puffs. This depends on the size of the cookie scoop you are using.
3. Step 3: Use a little cold water to dampen a finger and smooth out the tops of the gluten free choux pastry.

4. Step 4: Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. You can test the doneness by tapping on the bottom of a baked choux. If it sounds hollow, they are done. Should the cream puff still feel soft, continue to bake it. If you remove them too early, they will deflate. By all means, do not open the oven door during the first 25 minutes of baking.
5. Step 5: Turn off your oven and crack open the oven door. Allow the choux to sit in the oven to cool down for 20-30 minutes before removing it from the oven. This way, they will dry out and won't deflate.
6. Step 6: Remove the cream puffs from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before filling them with the pumpkin mousse.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Mousse

I kept the mousse filling for these gluten-free pumpkin cream puffs as simple as possible - and I make it right in my stand mixer.

1. Step 1: Add the COLD heavy whipping cream to the clean bowl of your stand mixer along with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

2. Step 2: Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream until medium peaks have formed. Overmixing the whipped cream can cause a grainy end product. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pumpkin mousse.

3. Step 3: Add the room temperature cream cheese to the bowl of the stand mixer (there is no need to wash it) together with the granulated sugar.

4. Step 4: Cream the cream cheese and sugar together using the paddle attachment until smooth. This should take about 1-2 minutes. You want to make sure there are no chunks of cream cheese remaining.

5. Step 5: Add the canned pumpkin puree and spices to the cream cheese mixture.

6. Step 6: Mix the ingredients together on low speed (pumpkin tends to splash). Use a flexible spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment to ensure everything is fully combined. (At this point, I like to try a bit to see if I need to adjust the spices)

7. Step 7: Retrieve the cold whipped cream from the fridge and gently fold it into the pumpkin mousse. Start by adding about ⅓ of the whipped cream to lighten the base, then carefully fold in the remaining cream. Avoid vigorous stirring, which can deflate the whipped cream and make the mousse runny.

8. Step 8: The finished pumpkin mousse should be smooth, with no visible streaks of whipped cream. Transfer it to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The mousse can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, and the pumpkin flavor will deepen the longer it rests.

How to assemble Pumpkin Cream Puffs

Make sure the baked cream puffs are fully cooled before filling them with the pumpkin mousse.

1. Step 1: To fill the pumpkin cream puffs, use a sharp knife (preferably serrated), and carefully cut the cream puffs in half to create a top and a bottom part.
2. Step 2: You can either use a spoon or if you would like to have some fancy-looking cream puffs, transfer the pumpkin mousse to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

3. Step 3: Pipe the pumpkin mousse on the bottom pieces of the cream puffs, top it with the top part, and dust each pumpkin cream puff with some powdered sugar if desired.
4. Alternative method: Poke a small hole with a pairing knife in the bottom of the fully cooled pastry. Insert the piping tip and gently squeeze in the mousse, stopping before it spills out. This method makes the cream puffs easier to eat (but a lot harder to photograph 😉 )

Making Ahead Tips (Storage & Freezing)

Dough: Gluten-free pâte à choux dough can be made up to 2 days ahead when properly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator. Bake as directed when ready.

Pumpkin Mousse: The pumpkin mousse can be made up to 2 days ahead. I actually prefer letting it sit in the fridge for a bit. This allows the pumpkin spice flavor to fully develop.

Baked, unfilled puffs: Fully baked and cooled pumpkin cream puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If the puffs soften after storage, refresh them in a 350°F oven for 5–7 minutes. Make sure to let cool completely before filling.

Filled cream puffs: Once filled with pumpkin mousse, store the Gluten Free Pumpkin Cream Puffs in the refrigerator. For the best flavor and texture, enjoy them the same day or within 2 days.

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.