Bakery Style Easy French Almond Croissant Recipe

Flaky, buttery, and nutty goodness awaits with my quick & easy Almond Croissant recipe! This authentically delicious French almond pastry is made in mere minutes using just 8 basic ingredients—including a premade bakery croissant for convenience. ⏲️

While I was living abroad in Paris, I became enamored with all kinds of French recipes—sweet & fluffy loaves of brioche, paper-thin Parisian crepes, French macarons, cream filled choux, and so many more. But of all the delightful bites I tried, croissants made their way into my daily routine. 

While I learned how to make a perfectly golden flaky-on-the-outside, stretchy-on-the-inside croissant from scratch during pastry school, I have a confession to make: it’s quite labor intensive! With multiple rounds of lamination (i.e. the process of rolling out dough, adding a sheet of cold butter, folding, re-rolling, re-folding, then refrigerating), it’s a lengthy process.

The real secret for bakeries is having an awesome machine called a sheeter, which is basically a giant mechanized pasta roller. It allows bakeries to churn out dozens and dozens of perfectly laminated pastries in a fraction of the time as homemade. That’s why I think you’ll love this easy recipe for twice-baked almond croissants—the hard part is already done for you!

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Almond Croissants

• Quick & Easy - The only real work you need to do is whip up a batch of frangipane, a.k.a. French almond cream. (Spoiler alert: it’s about as difficult as making cookie dough.) Then just spread your nutty creation inside and on top of a premade pastry and bake your way to golden brown glory!
• Budget-Friendly Glow-Up - Considering authentic French almond croissants run $5 or more apiece, this easy recipe is great to keep in your back pocket. You can use inexpensive grocery store croissants and turn them into a brunch-time marvel!
• Simple Ingredients - No need to make a run to a specialty store. The most “out there” ingredients are bakery croissants and sliced almonds!

🍴Ingredients 

• Butter Croissant - The better the plain croissant, the tastier your almond croissants will be. If you’re just making one, you may as well splurge on your favorite bakery’s offerings! Otherwise, I hear good things about Costco’s croissants which sell for less than $1 apiece. 
• Simple Syrup - You can make a batch with just sugar and water—simple indeed!
• Almond Cream - Aside from what’s already on the list for this easy croissant recipe, you’ll only need 4 extra ingredients to make a batch—butter, eggs, all-purpose flour, and vanilla extract. 
• Sliced Almonds - For adding texture, flavor, and an elegant aesthetic. 
• Powdered Sugar - Technically, this is optional, but a little dusting goes a long way for improving both the appearance and flavor of our twice baked croissant. If you’re fresh out, you can easily make your own using a food processor, a cup of white sugar, and a tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch. 

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

• Swap Your Nuts - While an almond filling is traditional, you’re welcome to swap in any other nut to make this frangipane croissant recipe. I used a hazelnut frangipane for this delicious pear tart that is simply divine!
• Chocolate Almond Croissants - Add a little pain au chocolat flair to your almond-filled croissant by layering in a few batons of dark chocolate.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

📖 How To Make Almond Croissants: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make Frangipane. Start my mixing together the almond cream in a mixing bowl and set aside for assembly and grab your simple syrup.

Step 2: Slice the croissant in half lengthwise using a serrated knife and the interior sides of the croissant with simple syrup.

Step 3: Assemble. Pipe the almond cream inside the croissant and place the top half on top. Pipe a few tablespoons of almond cream on top and press sliced almonds on top. 

Step 4: Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes until the almonds start to brown. Dust with powdered sugar before enjoying! 

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Brush for the best. Simple syrup adds moisture, but can also be used to add flavor. Feel free to infuse your syrup with a complimentary flavor like almonds, cinnamon, or stone fruit.
• Don’t turn it down if they get too brown. If the sliced almonds are browning too fast, tent the tops with foil, but continue to bake—both the eggs and flour in the almond filling need to cook through for food safety.
• Get a head start. Make your almond croissant filling in advance for easy assembly. This is particularly useful advice if you’re making a large batch of almond croissants for houseguests over the holidays! Frangipane can be refrigerated for up to 5-7 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
• Line your baking tray with parchment paper for speedy cleanup. 
• Didn’t finish? Use leftover/stale almond croissants for bread pudding, sweet breakfast bakes or use your plain croissants for a breakfast sandwich!

💭 Recipe FAQs

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