Classic French Almond Croissants

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 08/8/21
Tested by
Carrie Parente
Carrie Parente
Tested by Carrie Parente
on 10/1/20
Carrie is a freelance food stylist and culinary producer who loves having a table full of guests.
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Classic French Almond Croissants

The Spruce / Christine Ma
Prep: 40 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Rest Time: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 20 servings
Yield: 20 croissants
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
209 Calories
12g Fat
23g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 36mg 12%
Sodium 176mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 62mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Any classic French breakfast must include a croissant. Serve them with jam, maybe even a little cheese. But, for a genuinely sweet way to start the day, make it an almond croissant. 

This almond croissant recipe is the classic version of the breakfast pastry with a sweet almond filling or frangipane swirled throughout the dough and topped with toasted almonds baked right into the top. 

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"I'm always amazed at how flour, yeast, and a liquid can come together to form a gorgeous dough. This was actually fun to make as I haven't made croissants in years. I used the canned almond cake and pastry filling from the baking aisle of the grocery store and it was surprisingly quite tasty." —Carrie Parente

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Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons instant dry yeast

  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water

  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, cooled

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 4 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1/2 cup frangipane, or sweet almond filling

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Classic French Almond Croissants ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes.

    yeast and water in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. Add the bread flour, milk, sugar, melted butter, and salt to the dissolved yeast and water and mix the dough on medium speed for about 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of extra flour at a time, until the dough is just firm enough to hold a shape.

    dough in a stand mixer

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. Shape dough into a ball and loosely cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

    dough ball wrapped in plastic

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. Roll the dough into a 10-inch by 15-inch rectangle, and then cover it loosely and allow it to rise for 40 minutes.

    rolled out dough covered with plastic

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. Spread the rectangle with the softened butter and then fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.

    dough folded into thirds

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  7. Roll the long, thin rectangle back into the original 10-inch by 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds again, and then cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Repeat this process one more time.

    dough rolled out on parchment paper

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  8. Roll the long, thin rectangle back into the original 10-inch by 15-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough down the center lengthwise to create two 5-inch by 15-inch rectangles.

    rolled out dough cut into two pieces

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  9. Slice each rectangle across widthwise four times to create ten 3-inch by 5-inch rectangles. Finally, cut each rectangle in half diagonally to create 20 triangles.

    dough cut into triangles

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  10. Pull the tip of each triangle taut, spread a small spoonful of frangipane across each triangle, and then roll the croissants up from the base, curving the ends slightly to make a crescent shape.

    dough wrapped around the frangipane, shaped into croissants

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  11. Arrange each finished croissant on a lightly greased baking sheet with at least 1 1/2 inches between each pastry. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are nearly doubled in size.

    unbaked croissants on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  12. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk together to make an egg wash.

    egg wash in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  13. Brush the egg wash across the surface of each pastry and then sprinkle them with the sliced almonds.

    croissants brushed with egg wash and topped with almonds

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  14. Bake the croissants for 14 to 16 minutes until they are puffed and golden brown, and the almonds are toasted.

    baked Classic French Almond Croissants on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  15. Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the tops of the warm croissants.

    Classic French Almond Croissants topped with sugar on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

Tips

  • Like all croissants, they are best eaten fresh. They do not keep well and the almond version is no exception. You may manage a second day if you gently warm them in a hot oven for about 5 minutes.
  • If you'd like to bake these croissants in the morning, you can prepare them the day before and refrigerate, covered in plastic, overnight. Instead of letting them rise at room temperature until doubled in size (step 10), leave them in the refrigerator until the morning and then continue with the recipe.

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