Dairy-Free Choux Pastry Recipe with Rosemary

Choux pastries are incredibly popular in the Caribbean and are often stuffed with pastes containing cheese or chicken or tuna. This recipe is a bit different from the typical choux pastry since it is dairy free!

The substitute for butter here is olive oil. Using a stand mixer when incorporating the eggs also adds air to the dough and causes it to puff up in the oven. Here’s more on my recipe.

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What is choux pastry

Choux (pronounced shoe) pastry, or pâte à choux is a perfectly versatile French pastry. It’s the starter for the likes of éclairs, profiteroles and chouquettes.

Usually, you’ll find butter, water, flour and eggs in the pastry. But some versions will ask for milk, sugar and salt too.

While baking, the water turns into steam and acts like a rising agent to puff up (pun definitely intended here, ha!) the pastry. The butter helps too. I’ve used coconut oil in place of butter before and it did not raise in the oven…. It did taste great though!

The puffing action creates large air spaces in the pastry that could be filled with your favorites. I love a good cheese paste mix with cheese, butter, Caribbean green seasoning, chopped cilantro leaves and chives. Yum, yum, yum! But you can go the sweet route too and fill it with custard or chocolate! Mmmmm.

Ingredients for dairy free choux pastry

My choux pastry recipe is not traditional. I use water, rosemary, olive oil, flour, eggs, salt and zest of a lime or lemon. That makes this recipe dairy-free.

How to make dairy free choux pastry

Step 1: Add 1 cup of boiling water and a rosemary branch to a small pot on medium heat. The rosemary taste barely comes through but you know it’s there and it gets a little stronger days later. If you want more rosemary flavor, add more branches or use dried rosemary leaves.

Step 2: Add the olive oil to the pot and bring to a boil.

Step 3: When everything is boiling, add flour and mix until a ball forms in the center. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Add the dough to a cake mixer and beat it for a couple minutes. I feel like this adds some air to the dough so it won’t miss the butter. At this point, your dough must be cool so it won’t cook or scramble the eggs.

Step 5: Add one egg at a time to the mixer and beat until it is fully incorporated. If you don’t like that eggy taste, add lime or lemon zest. You can also add in rosemary leaves or whatever other flavorings you like. I’ve used everything from chives, oregano, to basil.

Step 6: With everything added in, the mix becomes a creamy batter. If you have the patience, place this in a piping bag and make tiny, beautiful puffs. Pat down edges and points since they burn and become sharp while baking.

If you’re into ‘easier’ (or lazier) option, then use two spoons to make tiny balls. Or add a little oil to your hands and roll them out. Excuse the bad spacing!

Step 7: Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before filling with your favorites. I love adding herbed cheese paste.

Recipe