25 French Desserts You Can Totally Make at Home

French desserts have this reputation for being impossible to make, but honestly most of them just require a little patience and following directions carefully. These 25 recipes range from super simple to more challenging weekend projects. The French really know how to balance flavors and textures, and once you get the hang of a few basic techniques, you’ll be amazed what you can pull off in your own kitchen.

1. Crème Brûlée

This is basically vanilla custard with a hard caramel top that you crack with a spoon. The custard part is just cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla baked in a water bath. The tricky part is getting the sugar on top to caramelize without burning – you need a kitchen torch or the broiler. Don’t let the fancy name scare you, it’s really not that hard. The make-ahead factor is great for dinner parties since you can make them earlier in the day. Get the recipe here.

2. Chocolate Soufflé

These puff up dramatically in the oven but deflate pretty quickly, so you gotta serve them right away. The base is basically a thick chocolate sauce that you fold beaten egg whites into. The key is not over-mixing the egg whites or they lose their lift. Some recipes add a bit of espresso which makes the chocolate taste deeper. Individual ramekins work better than one big soufflé. Definitely a show-off dessert that’s easier than it looks. Get the recipe here.

3. Tarte Tatin

This is an upside-down apple tart that started as a mistake but became famous. You caramelize apples in a cast iron pan with butter and sugar, then put pastry on top and bake. When you flip it out, the apples are beautifully caramelized on top. The trick is getting the caramel the right color – golden brown but not burnt. Store-bought puff pastry works fine for this. Perfect for fall when apples are good and cheap. Get the link here.

4. Madeleines

These little shell-shaped cakes are tender and buttery with a slight lemon flavor. You need special madeleine pans which have the shell shape, but they’re not expensive. The batter is similar to pound cake but lighter. The classic has that little bump on the shell back which happens when the batter is the right consistency. These are perfect with tea or coffee and keep for a few days in an airtight container. Get the link here.

5. Profiteroles

These are cream puffs filled with ice cream or pastry cream and topped with chocolate sauce. The pastry (called choux) seems scary but it’s just butter, water, flour, and eggs cooked together. The dough puffs up hollow in the oven which makes perfect little shells for filling. You can make the shells ahead and fill them later. These look fancy but are actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of the pastry. Get the link here.

6. Crêpes Suzette

These are thin pancakes served with a orange butter sauce that’s usually flambéed with liqueur. The crêpe batter is thinner than regular pancakes and needs to rest before using. Making them takes practice to get them thin enough, but even imperfect ones taste good. The orange sauce is just butter, sugar, orange juice and zest. The flambéing is optional but fun if you want to be dramatic. Great for brunch or dessert. Get the link here.

7. Macarons

These colorful sandwich cookies have a reputation for being impossible, but they’re just finicky about technique. The shells are made from almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites. Getting the “feet” (the ruffled bottom edge) takes practice with oven temperature and timing. The filling can be anything from buttercream to jam. These are definitely a weekend project, not a quick weeknight dessert. But when they work, you feel like a pastry chef. Get the link here.

8. Clafoutis

This is like a cross between a pancake and a custard baked with fruit. Traditional versions use cherries but you can use any fruit really. The batter is just eggs, milk, sugar, and a little flour whisked together and poured over the fruit. It puffs up while baking but settles as it cools. Some French people insist you should leave the pits in cherries for better flavor, but that seems dangerous to me. This is one of the easiest French desserts to make. Get the link here.

9. Tarte aux Fraises (Strawberry Tart)

This has a crisp pastry shell filled with pastry cream and topped with fresh strawberries. The pastry cream is basically thick vanilla pudding made with eggs and cream. The strawberries are usually arranged in pretty patterns and sometimes glazed with apricot jam. This looks super fancy but isn’t actually hard if you make the components separately. Best in summer when strawberries are at their peak. The components can be made ahead and assembled day of serving. Get the link here.

10. Pot de Crème

These are individual chocolate custards that are richer and denser than regular pudding. They’re traditionally made in little covered pots but ramekins work fine. The base is cream heated with chocolate, then tempered with egg yolks. Like crème brûlée, they’re baked in a water bath for gentle cooking. These are make-ahead friendly and actually better after chilling overnight. Less fussy than soufflé but just as impressive. Get the link here.

11. Éclairs

These are oblong cream puffs filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate glaze. The choux pastry is the same as profiteroles but piped into finger shapes. The filling is usually vanilla pastry cream but coffee or chocolate work too. The chocolate glaze is just melted chocolate thinned with a little cream. Getting them the right shape takes some practice with the piping, but they taste good even if they look wonky. Get the link here.

12. Croquembouche

This is a tower of cream puffs held together with caramel – it’s the traditional French wedding cake. It looks impossible but it’s really just profiteroles stacked up and “glued” with hot caramel. You need to work fast with the caramel before it hardens. Some recipes wrap the whole thing in spun sugar which looks amazing but isn’t necessary. This is definitely a special occasion dessert that takes time but isn’t technically difficult. Get the link here.

13. Paris-Brest

This is a ring-shaped choux pastry filled with hazelnut cream, created to commemorate a bike race between Paris and Brest. The pastry is piped in a circle and sprinkled with sliced almonds before baking. The traditional filling is praline buttercream but you can use any cream filling. It gets sliced like a cake to serve. This looks fancy but uses the same techniques as éclairs, just shaped differently. Get the link here.

14. Mille-feuille (Napoleon)

This has layers of puff pastry with pastry cream in between and fondant or powdered sugar on top. The name means “thousand leaves” because of all the pastry layers. Store-bought puff pastry makes this much easier than making your own. The key is rolling the pastry thin and baking it until really crispy. Some recipes weight the pastry while baking to keep it flat. The assembly is straightforward but needs to be done close to serving time or it gets soggy. Get the link here.

15. Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart)

This has a crisp pastry shell filled with smooth lemon curd. The curd is made with lemon juice, zest, eggs, butter, and sugar cooked gently until thick. Some recipes top it with meringue but I think plain is better – lets the lemon flavor shine. The pastry needs to be blind-baked first so it stays crisp under the filling. This is tart and refreshing, perfect after a heavy meal. The curd can be made ahead which makes assembly easy. Get the link here.

16. Financiers

These small almond cakes are traditionally baked in little rectangular molds that look like gold bars. The batter uses almond flour and brown butter which gives them a nutty flavor and tender crumb. They keep well for several days and are perfect with coffee or tea. Some recipes add different flavors like lemon zest or berries. You can use mini muffin pans if you don’t have the special molds. These are simple but elegant. Get the link here.

17. Canelés

These have a dark, caramelized crust and custardy interior flavored with rum and vanilla. They’re traditionally made in special copper molds but silicone ones work too. The batter needs to rest overnight before baking which develops the flavor. Getting the right texture takes practice with oven temperature and timing. These are more of a project than a quick dessert, but they’re unique and delicious when done right. Get the link here.

18. Mousse au Chocolat

This is lighter and airier than American chocolate mousse. Traditional versions use just chocolate, eggs, and sometimes a little sugar – no cream. The eggs are separated and the whites are folded in for lightness. Some modern recipes add whipped cream for stability. This needs several hours to set properly in the fridge. The quality of chocolate really matters here since it’s the main flavor. Simple but sophisticated. Get the link here.

19. Baba au Rhum

These are small yeast cakes soaked in rum syrup. The dough is enriched with eggs and butter like brioche but baked in individual molds. After baking, they’re soaked with rum syrup until completely saturated. Some versions are filled with pastry cream or whipped cream. The soaking is what makes these special – they should be completely saturated but not falling apart. These are boozy desserts definitely for adults only. Get the link here.

20. Tarte aux Pommes (Apple Tart)

This is different from American apple pie – the apples are arranged in overlapping slices on pastry cream or frangipane (almond cream). The pastry is usually pâte brisée which is like a rich pie crust. The apples are often brushed with apricot glaze for shine. Some versions skip the pastry cream and just use butter and sugar under the apples. This looks really elegant when the apples are arranged nicely, like something from a French bakery. Get the link here.

21. Île Flottante (Floating Island)

This is poached meringue floating on crème anglaise (thin custard sauce). The meringue is usually shaped with spoons and poached in simmering milk or water. The custard is made with egg yolks, cream, and vanilla – similar to ice cream base but not frozen. It’s often topped with caramel or sliced almonds. This is elegant but not too heavy after a big meal. The components can be made ahead and assembled when ready to serve. Get the link here.

22. Saint-Honoré

This is named after the patron saint of bakers and has a pâte brisée base topped with choux pastry and cream. Small cream puffs are arranged around the edge and filled with pastry cream. The center is usually filled with crème chiboust (lightened pastry cream). It’s often decorated with caramel. This is definitely a special occasion dessert that requires several techniques but looks incredibly impressive when finished. Get the link here.

23. Opera Cake

This has thin layers of almond sponge cake with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. The layers are built up in a rectangular pan and the whole thing is covered with chocolate glaze. Each layer is supposed to be very thin which takes some skill with spreading. The flavors are sophisticated – almond, coffee, and chocolate work really well together. This is a project dessert that’s worth making for special occasions when you want to show off. Get the link here.

24. Religieuse

This looks like a little nun (religieuse means nun in French) and is made from two choux pastry shells of different sizes stacked on top of each other. Both are filled with pastry cream and covered with fondant in matching colors. A little buttercream collar is piped where they join. These are cute individual desserts that use the same techniques as éclairs. The assembly is a bit fiddly but not technically difficult. Get the link here.

25. Tarte Bourdaloue (Pear Almond Tart)

This has a pastry shell filled with frangipane (almond cream) and topped with poached pear halves. The frangipane is made with butter, sugar, eggs, and almond flour. Some recipes arrange the pears in a fan pattern which looks really elegant. The almond and pear flavors work perfectly together. This is beautiful enough for company but not too complicated to make. Best made with good ripe pears when they’re in season. Get the link here.