The French pastry and cuisine are renowned as some of the world’s finest, celebrated for their rich traditions, high-quality ingredients, and the intricate techniques that make each tart, cake, and dessert an experience. Having the chance to savor these flavors and feel their unique textures on your palate is one of life’s great pleasures.
Therefore, if you find yourself in Paris, enrolling in French cooking classes is a wonderful idea. Whether it’s traditional recipes, baking, or pastry-making, these courses offer a fun and engaging way to experience French culture. It’s an ideal activity for couples or families with children, where you can learn to prepare exquisite French dishes, create delicious desserts, or even discover how to choose the best local market ingredients.
Today, let’s dive into the world of French cuisine and discover some of the top cooking classes in Paris, perfectly tailored to your interests. Here is a list of what I consider to be the ten best cooking courses in Paris that you shouldn’t miss.
1. Full-Day Cooking Class in Paris
For an authentic experience and a unique way to learn Parisian cuisine, this class is highly recommended. It takes you on a comprehensive journey, from selecting fresh ingredients at a local market to preparing a delicious lunch.
You’ll start with a guided visit to a nearby market, where you’ll be taught how to pick the freshest, highest-quality products. Your expert guide will show you what to look for and how to make the best choices.
Next, you’ll return to the cooking school, where a skilled chef will give you a hands-on lesson on preparing a four-course menu. You’ll learn traditional techniques in a fun, interactive setting. To enrich the experience, the chef will share fascinating stories about the cultural heritage of French gastronomy as you cook.
Finally, you’ll enjoy the meal you’ve prepared, paired with a selection of wines to complement the dishes. This course is perfect for solo travelers interested in French cuisine, meeting new people, or a fun outing for couples.
2. Pastry Class in Paris: Making Macarons with Chef Noémie
French pastry is considered the birthplace of culinary art worldwide. Its flavors, techniques, and artistry have set global standards, building a reputation that has evolved over centuries.
If you’re intrigued, this is one of the best masterclasses to learn how to make macarons in Paris. The session lasts 2.5 hours and takes place in Chef Noémie’s charming atelier, nestled in the heart of the city.
This course is suitable for beginners and experienced enthusiasts alike, as it covers everything from the basics to more refined skills, ensuring everyone can master the art of making these iconic French treats.
During the class, you’ll make two different kinds of macarons. At the end, you’ll take home a box of your creations, perfect for snacking or as a delicious souvenir from your trip. Chef Noémie will also share tips on where to find the best baking ingredients in Paris and recommend top local restaurants.
3. One-Day Cooking Course with a Three-Course Lunch
In this course, you’ll learn how to make a traditional French three-course meal, starting with a trip to a local market. Here, a chef will guide you in choosing the finest fresh ingredients, an essential skill in French cooking.
Back in the kitchen, you’ll prepare a complete menu, including an appetizer, main dish, cheese, and dessert. The chef will teach you step-by-step in an engaging and simple way, sharing anecdotes and culinary secrets that make the time fly by.
The highlight of the experience is savoring your creations at the end. You’ll share lunch with fellow participants and enjoy a selection of French wines, making it a perfect way to relax and celebrate your culinary accomplishments.
4. Visit a French Bakery with Breakfast
If you’re a fan of everything related to baking and find yourself in Paris, either visiting or living there, this course is a must-do. It gives you the opportunity to step inside a real French bakery and learn how to make a variety of traditional Parisian breads.
The experience begins in the most delightful way: a morning breakfast of freshly baked croissants and pain au chocolat. After enjoying these treats, you’ll be guided through the bakery in an educational yet fun way, learning every step of the baking process and even preparing some bread yourself.
This is hands down one of the most enjoyable and rewarding baking courses in Paris, with detailed insights into the world of French bread-making. Find more details and book your spot here:
5. French Bakery Course: Make Bread and Croissants
If you love bread and want to learn how to bake it, this two-hour class is the perfect choice. You’ll master the art of making authentic French baguettes and croissants under the guidance of an experienced baker who will teach you every step of the recipes.
The best part is that the class is hands-on and highly engaging, offered in multiple languages, including Spanish. You’ll learn how to bake golden, crispy-on-the-outside yet soft-on-the-inside bread, just like the ones sold in Parisian bakeries.
Classes are small, with a maximum of eight participants, and all materials and ingredients are provided. Plus, you’ll get to take the recipes home to continue perfecting your baking skills.
6. Entry to the Paris Chocolate Museum
If you’re a chocolate lover, a visit to the Paris Chocolate Museum is a must. Here, you’ll learn about the 4,000-year history of cacao and how it’s transformed into the delicious chocolate we all love.
The museum offers a self-guided tour, featuring videos by expert chocolatiers, interactive activities for both adults and kids, displays of chocolate-making tools, and, of course, tastings—which is the highlight for most visitors.
Some of the exquisite recipes you’ll learn about during your visit include:
- Paris-Brest: A choux pastry filled with praline and buttercream, shaped like a bicycle wheel, created in honor of the Paris-Brest cycling race in 1905.
- Macaron: A classic French pastry made with sugar, powdered sugar, egg whites, and almond flour.
- L’Opéra: A layered dessert made with almond sponge cake, chocolate, and coffee cream, a staple of French patisserie.
- La Religieuse: One of the oldest French pastries, created in 1855, made of choux pastry filled with cream and topped with whipped cream.
- Saint-Honoré: Named after the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, this dessert features puff pastry, cream, and small profiteroles.
- Milhojas: A rectangular pastry made of layers of puff pastry, pastry cream, meringue, and powdered sugar.
7. Pastry Class in Paris: Making Macarons with a Chef
Another pastry class in Paris that I highly recommend is this 150-minute session where you’ll learn to make authentic French macarons with a professional chef. You’ll be guided through every step of the process, from scratch, and no prior experience or cooking skills are required.
The class takes place in a culinary school, and here’s the breakdown of what you’ll learn:
- Start by preparing the perfect macaron batter all by yourself
- Master the baking technique to achieve that crisp exterior and soft interior
- Craft various fillings such as chocolate ganache, lemon cream, or salted caramel
Don’t worry if it sounds challenging; the chef tailors the instructions to all skill levels. At the end of the class, you’ll get to take home your macarons to enjoy or share.
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8. Authentic French Pastry Experience with Tastings
For true enthusiasts of French pastries, this 2.5-hour course is led by a genuine Parisian baker. You’ll learn to make doughs for bread and croissants in a real bakery setting, like Chez Manon or Au Pain de Manon. This hands-on experience gives you practical skills in an authentic environment.
You’ll be introduced to baking techniques in a way that’s engaging and suitable for all skill levels. Small class sizes ensure personalized attention and meaningful interaction with the instructor. It’s a fantastic way to enrich your stay in Paris and leave with new culinary expertise.
9. Macaron Class in Paris with Tea Time and Take-Home Box
Let me share a brief history of French pastry to emphasize how significant macaron-making is. It all began in 500 BC in Rome with a pastry chef named Therion, who created early pastries using fruits, honey, and flour. The first documented pastry guild, Pastellarium, emerged from this era.
By 1099, during the First Crusade, Europeans encountered the Muslim world and discovered new flavors and textures, especially through the use of sugarcane. These recipes made their way to Europe, and France was fortunate to adopt and refine many of them. By the 12th century, French pastry chefs were developing unique recipes that captivated society.
One pioneering pastry chef, Caribous, made fluffy pancakes, marking the beginning of a new pastry era in the increasingly influential city of Paris. French pastries became renowned for their innovation, and by 1971, Gaston Lenôtre founded the first culinary school in Paris, solidifying the city’s role in the world of pastry.
In this two-hour class, you’ll master this quintessential Parisian dessert in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Enjoy complimentary drinks and take your creations home in a beautiful box.
10. French Croissant Class with a Chef
One of the most enjoyable experiences you can have in Paris is a croissant-making class led by a professional chef. No prior kitchen skills are required, as everything is taught from scratch.
The course takes place in a fully equipped kitchen, where a French chef guides you through each step: from preparing the dough to laminating the croissants and baking them to achieve that perfect, crispy texture loved by Parisians.
Since the groups are usually small, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, and the chef will personally assist everyone.
These are my top recommendations for cooking classes in Paris. Each one is engaging and taught by passionate chefs who will share their expertise in a way that’s both educational and entertaining.