Gougères are Burgundy’s savoury take on choux pastry: small, golden puffs with a crisp shell, a light, almost hollow centre and the scent of toasted gruyère. In the French wine region they belong with the aperitif, and on a platter they have a way of vanishing before you can count them.
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The base is a classic choux pastry dough with grated cheese, which you pipe into small mounds and bake in the air fryer in two batches. It takes a little patience at the stove, but the baking itself looks after itself, and you don’t have to switch on the big oven. Here are the techniques that make sure they hold their shape.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love gougères in the air fryer
Gougères are my go-to snack when guests come over. They look impressive, but they are made from perfectly ordinary ingredients: milk, water, butter, flour, eggs and a good, mature cheese. There is no yeast and no rising time – it is the steam in the dough that puffs them up.
That is exactly why they suit the air fryer. The small cooking chamber heats up quickly, and the hot air sets the crust while the steam lifts the mounds from the inside. The result is crisp, golden gougères with an airy inside and a toasted cheese top.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
In the oven you would typically bake a whole tray at a time. In the air fryer you bake in two batches, because the mounds almost double in size and need air around them – in return, your guests get them warm in two rounds. The dough is piped onto baking paper cut to fit the bottom of the basket, and the paper only goes in once the air fryer has preheated, so it doesn’t blow up against the heating element.
My kitchen test of gougères
I tested the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below, so the bottoms got a nice colour even though I neither shook nor turned them – and you don’t need to either. The times work out at 15 minutes at 180 °C per batch, followed by 5 minutes at 160 °C once a small hole has been pricked in the side of each gougère. Two batches make 40 minutes of cooking, and with 25 minutes of preparation the whole thing takes 65 minutes.
In my Philips XXL I also stick to two batches, so they can grow without touching each other. The clock is only a guideline: they are done when they are deep golden, light in the hand and sound hollow when you tap the bottom lightly.
Dry the dough out well until it leaves a thin film in the pan, and keep the air fryer closed for the first 12 minutes. Those are the two tricks that make your gougères rise and stay puffed up.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is a dough that is too wet. If you skip the drying-out step, or add too much egg, the dough can’t hold itself up, and the gougères spread out flat. Dry the dough out over low heat for 2-3 minutes, let it cool until lukewarm, and beat in the eggs a little at a time until the dough is glossy and hangs from the beaters in a thick, V-shaped ribbon. With large eggs you may not need to use all of them.
The next mistake is curiosity. If you open the air fryer or shake the basket during the first 12 minutes, the steam escapes too early and the mounds collapse. Leave them to it.
The last classic is taking them out while they are still pale. They can look done, but they sink shortly afterwards. Bake them until deep golden, prick a small hole in the side, and give them the last 5 minutes at 160 °C so they dry out all the way through.
How to serve gougères
Gougères taste best warm. Let them rest for a couple of minutes on a wire rack so the bottoms stay crisp. Here are my favourites:
- With a glass of chilled white wine or a kir, as in Burgundy
- On a tapas table with olives, cured sausage and pickled vegetables
- As an accompaniment to a clear soup
- On a cheeseboard with grapes and walnuts
Storage and reheating
Gougères are best on the day, but they keep for 1-2 days covered in the fridge. Reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 3-5 minutes so the crust turns crisp again. Baked gougères can be frozen for up to 3 months and warmed straight from frozen in the air fryer, without thawing. You can also freeze the raw, piped mounds on the baking paper and bake them straight from frozen at the same temperatures – just add 2-3 minutes to the first bake.
Gougères take a little work at the saucepan, but the air fryer handles the rest. Once you know how the dough should feel, they become a permanent fixture in your repertoire whenever you are pouring a glass for guests.
FAQ
Usually the dough is too wet, the air fryer was opened too early, or they were taken out while still pale. Dry the dough out well, keep the air fryer closed for the first 12 minutes, and bake them until deep golden.
Yes, emmental, comté or a mature Danish cheese all work well. Vegetarians should choose a cheese made with microbial rennet, as classic gruyère is made with animal rennet.
Yes. Raw, piped gougères can be frozen on the baking paper and baked straight from frozen at the same temperatures, with 2-3 minutes extra in the first bake. Baked ones can be frozen for up to 3 months and warmed straight from frozen in the air fryer, without thawing.
Recipe
Gougères in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Electric mixer
- 2 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Knife
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 60 ml whole milk
- 60 ml water
- 50 g butter (Cubed)
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 75 g plain flour (Sifted)
- 2 pcs eggs (At room temperature, beaten together)
- 75 g gruyère (Finely grated (or emmental))
- 1 pinch nutmeg (Freshly grated)
- 1 pinch white pepper
Topping
- 20 g gruyère (Finely grated)
How to make it
Preparation
- Bring 60 ml whole milk, 60 ml water, 50 g butter and 0.25 tsp salt to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. The butter must be completely melted by the time the mixture boils.
- Stir in 75 g plain flour all at once while the saucepan is off the heat. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and comes together in a ball.
- Dry out the dough over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it comes away from the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom. It must be completely dry before the eggs go in – otherwise it can’t carry them, and the gougères will collapse.
- Cool the dough in a mixing bowl for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times so the steam can escape. It should be warm, but not hot, when the eggs go in.
- Beat in 2 pcs eggs a little at a time with an electric whisk, waiting to add the next portion until the dough has absorbed the previous one. The dough is ready when it is glossy and hangs from the beaters in a thick, V-shaped ribbon.
- Add 75 g gruyère, 1 pinch nutmeg and 1 pinch white pepper, and stir it evenly into the dough.
- Pipe the dough into small mounds about 3 cm in diameter using a piping bag with a large, plain nozzle – or drop spoonfuls using two teaspoons. Arrange them on two sheets of baking paper cut to fit the bottom of the air fryer basket, and leave 3-4 cm between them, as they almost double in size.
- Sprinkle 20 g gruyère over the mounds once you have smoothed out any peaks with a wet fingertip.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan.
- Bake the gougères at 180 °C for 15 minutes, until they are well risen and deep golden. Do not open the air fryer during the first 12 minutes, and don’t shake or turn them – if the steam escapes too early, they collapse.
- Prick a small hole in the side of each gougère with the tip of a knife so the steam can escape. Then continue baking them at 160 °C for 5 minutes, until they are light and crisp and sound hollow when you tap the bottom gently.
Serving
- Serve the gougères warm with an aperitif. If you like, let them rest for a couple of minutes on a wire rack first so the bottoms stay crisp.
Our notes for the recipe
Dry the dough out well in the saucepan before the eggs go in – a dough that is too wet can’t hold its shape, and then the gougères collapse. Beat the eggs in a little at a time, and stop when the dough is glossy and hangs from the beaters in a thick, V-shaped ribbon. If the eggs are large, you may not need all of them. Keep the air fryer closed for the first 12 minutes so the steam can lift the dough. How to stop them collapsing:
The gougères are only done when they are deep golden, light in weight and sound hollow when you tap the bottom gently. If you take them out while they are still pale, they sink. The hole in the side and the last few minutes at 160 °C dry them out all the way through. Variation:
Use emmental, comté or a mature hard cheese instead of gruyère, or stir a teaspoon of Dijon mustard or a little fresh thyme into the dough along with the cheese. Vegetarians can choose a cheese made with microbial rennet, as classic gruyère is made with animal rennet. Serving:
In Burgundy, gougères are served warm with a glass of chilled white wine or kir. They also work nicely on a tapas table or as an accompaniment to a clear soup. Portion size:
The recipe makes about 20 gougères, which are baked in two batches in an ordinary air fryer. If your air fryer is smaller, you can make them in three batches. Raw, piped gougères can be frozen on the baking paper and baked straight from frozen at the same temperatures – add 2-3 minutes to the first bake.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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