Paris Cooking Classes
Paris cooking classes are unusual: the best of them are pastry, croissants and macarons taught by chefs who make them for a living, and the best savoury ones start at a market. Compare the top-rated classes below, then read our notes on which format teaches what.
Three formats: croissant classes that teach lamination from scratch; macaron classes for the shell, the feet and the fillings; market-to-table classes with a chef, a market and a three- or four-course lunch you cook together.
What to expect: two to three hours for pastry, half a day for market classes; small groups of six to twelve; recipes to take home; your croissants or macarons boxed to carry away.
Price: roughly 100 to 130 dollars for pastry classes, 200 to 260 for a full market-to-table day with lunch and wine.
Croissant classes
The croissant is a laminated dough: butter folded into a yeasted dough in layers, chilled and folded again until there are dozens of them. The technique cannot be learned from a video, which is why Paris croissant classes are so highly rated: a chef watches your hands. Most run two to three hours in a professional kitchen near the centre, cover plain croissants and pains au chocolat, and send you off with a box of what you baked. Some add brioche or a pain aux raisins.
Macaron classes
Macarons fail on the shell, and the shell fails on the meringue and the folding. A two-hour class with a pastry chef covers the Italian or French meringue method, piping, resting, baking for the feet, and two or three fillings from ganache to fruit. You leave with a box and, more usefully, the ability to diagnose your own failures at home.
Market-to-table classes
The savoury option. You meet the chef at a neighbourhood market, shop for the menu, then cook a three- or four-course French lunch in a home kitchen or a school and eat it with wine. Menus follow the season: asparagus and lamb in spring, game and mushrooms in autumn. These are half-day commitments and the best value for people who cook at home.
Choosing
If you bake, take the croissant class. If you want a gift-worthy skill, macarons. If you want to eat well and learn French cooking as a whole, market-to-table. Families with children do best with macarons or a shorter pastry class; croissant dough is slow.
Read next: Paris market visit & cooking class: how it works · 3 days in Paris for food & wine · What to eat in Paris · French bistro dishes explained · Croissant vs pain au chocolat · Paris cooking classes: market, macarons & croissants
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Paris Cooking Classes
Frequently asked questions
Are Paris cooking classes in English?
The ones we list are. Most schools run English sessions daily and French ones separately.
Can I take my croissants home?
Yes; they are boxed at the end of the class. They are best the same day, and the dough recipe travels better than the croissants.
Which is better for a first class, croissant or macaron?
Macaron classes are shorter and more forgiving; croissant classes are more technical and more rewarding if you bake regularly.