Durian Cream Puff Recipe

Crisp, hollow choux shells piped full of cool durian cream — the durian cream puff is a little bakery showstopper you can absolutely make at home. Choux pastry has a scary reputation, but it comes together from pantry basics and a few simple rules.

This recipe walks you through a foolproof choux, a quick durian cream, and the tips that keep your puffs tall and hollow instead of flat and eggy.

What you’ll need

For the choux pastry (makes about 12 to 15 puffs)

• 60 g butter
• 125 ml water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 75 g plain flour, sifted
• 2 to 3 large eggs, beaten (add gradually)

For the durian cream

• 200 ml cold whipping cream
• 150 g durian flesh, deseeded and mashed smooth
• 1 to 2 tablespoons icing sugar, to taste

Use a smooth, ripe durian. Mao Shan Wang gives a rich, bittersweet cream that cuts the pastry’s richness, while D24 or Golden Phoenix make a sweeter, gentler filling.

Before you start

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Line two baking trays with baking paper.
• Have your beaten eggs ready in a jug — you add them a little at a time.

Step-by-step method

1. Cook the choux base

1. In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil so the butter fully melts.
2. Take off the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir vigorously into a smooth dough.
3. Return to low heat and stir for about a minute until the dough forms a ball and leaves a thin film on the pan.

2. Add the eggs

1. Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes so it does not scramble the eggs.
2. Add the beaten egg a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Stop when the dough is glossy and drops from the spoon in a thick “V”. You may not need all the egg.

3. Pipe and bake

1. Pipe walnut-sized mounds onto the trays, leaving space to puff. Pat down any peaks with a damp finger.
2. Bake at 200°C for about 15 minutes, then lower to 180°C for a further 10 to 15 minutes until deep golden and firm.
3. Do not open the oven early or they will collapse.

4. Dry them out

1. Turn off the oven, poke a small hole in each puff to release steam, and leave them inside with the door ajar for 5 to 10 minutes to crisp up.
2. Cool completely before filling.

5. Make the durian cream and fill

1. Whip the cold cream with icing sugar to soft peaks, then fold in the mashed durian.
2. Spoon into a piping bag and fill each puff through a small hole in the base, or slice in half and pipe.

Troubleshooting tips

• Flat puffs? The dough may have been too wet — add egg gradually and stop at the glossy “V”.
• Soggy inside? They need longer to dry out; the extra oven-off rest is important.
• Collapsing? Never open the oven during the main bake.
• Fill just before serving to keep the shells crisp.

Serving and storing

Durian cream puffs are best eaten the day they are filled, while the shells are crisp and the cream cold. Store filled puffs in the fridge for up to a day; unfilled shells keep a couple of days in an airtight container and can be re-crisped briefly in the oven.

Variations to try

Once you are comfortable with the basic puff, try these twists:

• Craquelin topping: add a thin disc of butter-sugar-flour dough on each puff before baking for a crackly, cookie-like crust.
• Mini profiteroles: pipe smaller mounds for bite-sized durian puffs, perfect for parties.
• Chocolate drizzle: a light drizzle of dark chocolate over the top balances the rich durian cream.
• Durian custard: for a firmer filling, fold the durian through a cooled pastry cream instead of whipped cream.

Whichever version you choose, keep the durian cream the clear star. The choux shell is deliberately plain so the fruit’s aroma and creaminess come through, so go easy on competing flavours and heavy toppings.

Get the right durian for it

The filling is the star, so use fruit you love. For a bold, bittersweet cream try our Mao Shan Wang durians; for something sweeter and softer, our Golden Phoenix durians are lovely. Browse everything in our durian catalog or compare flavours in the durian varieties hub.

Frequently asked questions

Want bakery-quality puffs without hunting for good fruit? Message us on WhatsApp for today’s freshest durians (prices are seasonal — message us on WhatsApp), delivered islandwide and dehusked to order. Start at our Singapore durian delivery page.