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Dairy Free Chocolate Profiteroles

Imagine… Luscious scoops of ice cream tucked into crisp golden pastry shells and dripping with warm chocolate sauce. A simple yet elegant dessert–chocolate profiteroles!

Three Chocolate Profiteroles on a rectangular white plate

Click here to PIN Dairy Free Chocolate Profiteroles!

Why are they called profiteroles? From profit, the stem word, in both French and English. Restaurants put glamorous profiteroles on their menus because, you got it– they’re profitable! They’re show-stopping, inexpensive and easy to make!

The pastry dough for profiteroles is classic French pâte à choux made with eggs, butter, flour and sugar.  To make these dairy-free puffs, we trade coconut oil in for the butter.

The dough is shaped into rounds, either by dropping it from a cookie scoop or piping it out of a pastry bag. In the oven, it puffs up with an air pocket inside. The puffed rounds look a little like the heads of cauliflower and so comes the name, pâte à choux. Literally translated, it means “pastry resembling cauliflower heads!”

When these airy puffed pastries are filled with something rich, smooth and creamy, they’re known as cream puffs. But fill those cauliflower-looking cream puffs with a frozen indulgence instead, ta da—they become profiteroles!

eggs and pastry bag for Chocolate Profiteroles

Make them Dairy Free:

  • Choux pastry usually calls for butter. Not these, they’re made with coconut oil, an easy substitute for the butter.
  • Classically, vanilla ice cream goes in chocolate profiteroles. For a dairy-free dessert, fill your puffs with a coconut-based “nice cream.” I filled these with Coconut Bliss frozen dessert, which paired perfectly with the chocolate and orange zest.
  • Dip the top half of your cream puff in rich dairy-free chocolate sauce, simply bittersweet chocolate, coconut oil, and maple syrup.

Homemade chocolate profiteroles ~~ is your mouth watering in anticipation?

Just so you know, some of the links below are affiliates. When you purchase products via my links, it doesn’t cost you anything and I earn a tiny commission, which helps me continue to provide free content here on Letty’s Kitchen. Thank you!!

How to make chocolate profiteroles:

  • To help form your rounds all the same size, trace 2-inch circles on parchment paper, turn the paper upside-down on the baking sheet, and pipe your dough.
  • Very helpful tools for making the pastry shells:
    Baking sheets, parchment paper, heavy-duty stand mixer, disposable or cloth pastry bags, 5/8-inch plain pastry tip. (Affiliate links.)
  • *** If you don’t have all those tools, you can make do. Mix the dough with a strong arm and wooden spoon, and instead of parchment paper, a pastry bag and a pastry tip, you can lightly oil your baking sheets and use a small cookie scoop or a ziplock bag with a hole cut out to form the rounds.

For miniature profiteroles or cream puffs:

*** Using a small (#100) cookie scoop, portion the dough into rounds, about the size of a walnut. Bake at a lower temperature, 350° F. They will take less time to bake so keep a watch on them.

baked choux for Chocolate Profiteroles

Can you freeze cream puff dough?

  • Yes! You can bake the shells ahead and freeze them. To reheat, place the frozen shells in a 350° F. preheated oven for 4 or 5 minutes to thaw and re-crisp. 
  • Alternatively, you can portion the dough into the rounds and freeze them unbaked. If you wish, once they’re frozen you can take them off the baking sheet and store in a ziplock bag. When you’re ready to bake, arrange them back on the baking sheet, cover, and let thaw before baking. The frozen rounds don’t rise as high as fresh dough but it works pretty well–we often did that when I worked as a pastry chef. **** Be sure to wrap well so a skin doesn’t form on top of the raw dough.

Did you know?

  • When you pipe cream puff dough into rectangles and fill with creamy custard–they’re known as éclairs.
  • For a savory pop-in-your-mouth snack, mix grated aged cheese and pepper into cream puff dough–they’re called “gougères.”
  • Churros, the deep-fried Mexican treats, are essentially choux pastry piped using a star tip and fried.

You might also like:

closeup photo of Chocolate Profiteroles
This recipe comes from Simply Sweet Dream Puffs, (Affiliate link) a cookbook by my friend and fellow Utah blogger, Barbara Bakes.

  • In her cookbook you’ll find all about making cream puffs, eclairs, and profiteroles. And ideas for all sorts of sweet pâte à choux flavors. Think mango-lime cream puffs, strawberry cheesecake, and bananas foster profiteroles.
  • The cookbook also includes a gluten-free pâte à choux recipe. I didn’t try it, but judging from the dairy-free variation, they’ll bake up perfectly.
  • You might want to view Barbara Bakes cream puff video here.
  • Print Barbara’s free profiterole templates from here.
  • I received a Kindle edition of Simply Sweet Dream Puffs from Barbara’s publisher. All opinions are my own.
  • Simply Sweet Dream Puffs is available only as an e-book. You can order the Kindle edition via my Amazon Affiliate link. It’s also available wherever e-books are sold, including Barnes and Noble, and other on-line stores.


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This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase products via my links, it doesn’t cost you anything and I earn a tiny commission, which helps me continue to provide free content here on Letty’s Kitchen. Thank you!!

PS If you make this recipe and love it, please consider leaving a blog post comment. Your comments help other readers learn more about the recipe. If you’d also give the recipe a ✮✮✮✮✮ rating, I’d be delighted!

**** Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only. Nutrition calculations do not include the ice cream, as the numbers will vary depending on the ice cream you choose.

**** This is an update of the Chocolate Profiterole recipe I posted way back in February 2016.

Filed under: Recipes, Sweets

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31 comments

  • Letty they look fabulous! I’m so glad you liked the dairy free recipe! Great idea to fill them with dairy free ice cream too. Reply · 16 February, 2016

    • Thanks Barbara–the sauce is a keeper as well!!! Reply · 16 February, 2016

  • Susan

    I go for the classic combo of puff pastry, vanilla pastry cream, with a chocolate glaze. I also love a pastry cream filling flavored with an intense, tangy fruit, such as raspberries. The idea is that when you take a bite of the the assembled cream puff, you experience a burst of fruit f l a bit. Reply · 18 February, 2016

    • Yes, fruit in a cream puff. Barbara has quite a few in her cookbook! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Rachel F.

    Profiteroles are such a great dessert! How can anyone not just love them? Reply · 18 February, 2016

  • Jennifer

    I can’t say no to a rich chocolate eclair with the custard filling. Reply · 18 February, 2016

    • Neither can I Jennifer! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Ryan

    Definitely the cream puff. Reply · 18 February, 2016

  • Megan

    These look delicious, thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂 I have never tried my hand at making profiteroles-but I am excited to try making them this weekend! Reply · 18 February, 2016

    • Let me know how they come out Megan! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Emi Sorensen

    I love baking, but need to branch out. I would love to make delicious puff pastries! Reply · 18 February, 2016

  • Jessica

    These look delicious! Reply · 18 February, 2016

  • These look delicious!!! Reply · 18 February, 2016

  • Jenesee

    I don’t think I’ve tried anything besides a standard eclair, which I LOVE! Can’t wait to try more! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Kasi

    Looks super yummy! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Skylee

    Wow, my husband would love these! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Brittany

    I’m planning to try this out! It looks amazing! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Samantha

    These look so yummy! Can’t wait to try them! Reply · 19 February, 2016

  • Kris

    Thank you for the response, they turned out great and ended up making the perfect amount 🙂 Reply · 22 July, 2018

  • Carly

    Lovely recipe! This was my first time making choux pastry and I’m thrilled with the outcome! My 10yo daughter is allergic to dairy so she’s not been able to have cream puffs in many years. Thank you! Reply · 8 December, 2018

    • You are welcome Carly! I’m stoked you had success at first try! Reply · 8 December, 2018

  • Cheri

    I am not dairy free-I made them for my sister-these are fantastic & you would never know they aren’t dairy free. I made them as cream puffs with an almond milk pudding. Thank you for helping me give my sister a treat she never gets! Loved the freezing tip!! Reply · 28 January, 2020

    • You are welcome Cheri! I’m so happy to hear your sister and you enjoyed these as cream puffs. Reply · 28 January, 2020

    • Thank you Cheri! I’m so happy you and your sister liked these dairy-free cream puffs! Reply · 28 January, 2020

  • Amanda

    How big a round to these bake up to? I’d like to make finger food size piped with pastry cream. Reply · 18 November, 2020

    • Thanks Amanda. Absolutely you can bake them in smaller rounds for finger food or tiny desserts. Use a small (#100) cookie scoop or pipe into rounds about the size of a walnut or a bit smaller. Bake at a lower temperature, 350°F. They will take less time to bake so keep a watch on them. Reply · 24 November, 2020

  • Jen M

    Instead of baking and freezing ahead can you just make the dough and then bake them off next day or days after? Reply · 22 January, 2021

  • Jen M

    I see the suggestion that you can bake them ahead and freeze them. Can you make the pastry dough ahead and then bake them the following day or a couple of days later? Reply · 22 January, 2021

    • Yes! That’s how we did it when I was a pastry chef. The dough doesn’t rise as high as fresh dough but works pretty well. Be sure to wrap well so a skin doesn’t form and keep the dough from rising to its full potential. You can freeze the shapped rounds and when frozen, take them off the baking sheet and store in a ziplock bag. When you’re ready to bake, arrange them on the baking sheet, cover, and let thaw before baking. Reply · 22 January, 2021

  • Mel

    Outstanding- I’d been craving a chocolate eclair but I can’t eat dairy.
    I made a triple – about 40 balls of delicious!
    Everyone loved them. Reply · 12 June, 2022

    • Thank you for writing. I’m delighted you like the recipe! Reply · 17 June, 2022

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