23 Classic and Modern French Recipes You Can Make at Home

Recipes 23 French Recipes Worth Making Chez Vous From bistro classics like cassoulet and croque monsieur to playful riffs like banana-pudding-inspired Paris-Brest. By Rebecca Firkser and Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors December 20, 2025 Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou French cuisine has a reputation for precision: glossy sauces, just-so pastries, and techniques that feel better left to chefs in starched jackets. But here’s the truth—many of the most beloved French recipes are deeply practical, designed for home cooks who value good ingredients, a little patience, and plenty of butter. Until you book that plane ticket, let these French recipes turn your kitchen into a brasserie. This collection spans timeless classics like ratatouille, salade niçoise, and croque monsieur, alongside modern, unfussy updates—think banana pudding –inspired Paris-Brest and coq au vin made in an Instant Pot . Whether you’re cooking for a dinner party or just craving something très bon on a Tuesday night, these are French dishes worth mastering at home. Photograph by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Luciana Lamboy 1/23 Tuna Niçoise Salad Also known as salade niçoise, this composed French salad is more assembly than recipe. Arrange, pour a glass of something crisp, and call it dinner (or lunch!). View Recipe Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Graylen Gatewood 2/23 Ratatouille A Provençal classic of zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes—here sautéed, then baked—this traditional French recipe is best served with crusty bread and spreadable goat cheese. View Recipe Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Leslie Raney Garetto 3/23 Chocolate Mousse A classic French dessert that proves simplicity wins. Use good chocolate, very cold cream, and stop whipping before you think you should. Serving a single big bowl is encouraged. View Recipe Alex Lau 4/23 Quiche Lorraine A French menu staple that’s far easier to make than it looks. Any deep-dish pie crust will do (even, shh , a store-bought pie crust ); the custard does the heavy lifting. View Recipe Photo by Peden + Munk 5/23 Paper-Thin Crepes French chef Ludo Lefebvre’s go-to crepe recipe works for sweet or savory fillings—from sugar and lemon to ham, cheese, and egg. Here, they’re served with a classic orange Suzette sauce and pourable milk chocolate ganache. View Recipe Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua 6/23 Eggs en Cocotte Jacques Pépin’s stovetop-steaming method simplifies this typically baked French classic. Perfect with toasted baguette and a simple salad. View Recipe Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Jennifer Ophir 7/23 Croque Monsieur This quintessential French ham-and-cheese sandwich is traditionally served as a bar snack. But it also makes an ideal brunch, lunch, or late-night comfort food. View Recipe Photo by Taylor Peden and Jen Munk / Courtesy Clarkson Potter, Random House 8/23 Strip Steak au Poivre A French steakhouse classic made weeknight-friendly. Crack your peppercorns fresh and coarse for maximum punch, and serve with an Extremely French Carrot Salad . View Recipe Photograph by Joann Pai, food and prop sryling by Rebekah Peppler. 9/23 Eggs Rémoulade Hard-boiled eggs get dressed up with classic French rémoulade—mayonnaise, herbs, capers, cornichons, and anchovies—for this easy party appetizer from Rebekah Peppler’s À Table . View Recipe Photograph by Aaron Barton, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon 10/23 Colossal Crème Brûlée One big dish > a dozen fussy ramekins. You’ll need a kitchen torch , but the crackly caramelized top is well worth it. View Recipe Photo by Alex Lau 11/23 Instant Pot Coq au Vin All the richness of the classic French braise, done in a fraction of the time (just 15 minutes!) thanks to the Instant Pot. View Recipe Photograph by Chris Bernabeo, food styling by Lauren Stanek 12/23 Pork Shank Garbure This hearty stew from the Pyrenees in southwestern France is built for cold nights and dinner parties. Make it ahead; it only gets better with time. View Recipe Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Taneka Morris 13/23 Chicken Roulade From the French rouler, meaning “to roll,” this elegant chicken dish (or should we say “plat poulet”) hides a Mediterranean-inspired filling of feta and oregano. It looks fancy, but the Provençal-style dinner is completely doable for home cooks. View Recipe Peden + Munk © 2017 14/23 Saffron, Orange, and Honey Madeleines From Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, these madeleines are fragrant, tender, and more forgiving than classic versions. View Recipe Photograph by Alex Huang, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro 15/23 Summer Bean Gribiche Gribiche—bright with Dijon, cornichons, shallots, and herbs—is the French sauce you should be using on everything. Here it dresses tender green beans, but it’s just as good spooned over roast chicken. View Recipe Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou 16/23 French-ish Onion Soup A vegan spin on classic French onion soup that doesn’t skimp on flavor. If you eat dairy, don’t skip the Gruyère-topped toast—it’s the whole point. View Recipe Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Luciana Lamboy, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams 17/23 Black Pepper Panisses With Cheddar Panisses—chickpea-flour fritters popular in southern France—are crisp outside, custardy within, and excellent served warm. Studded with cheddar and black pepper, they’re the ideal nibble for cocktail hour; have one with a French 75 . View Recipe Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens 18/23 Savory Cheese-Filled Croquembouche Traditionally sweet, this towering French pastry sculpture goes savory with gougère-style choux buns and peppery caramel. (Prefer cream puffs? This way for classic croquembouche → ) View Recipe 19/23 Pan Bagnat The Niçoise answer to the tuna sandwich, loaded with olive-oil-packed tuna, tomatoes, eggs, and a briny, garlicky relish on the freshest French baguette you can find. View Recipe Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon 20/23 Banana Pudding Paris-Brest Created in the early 20th century to honor the Paris–Brest bicycle race, this classic choux pastry gets a BA Bake Club –approved twist. Jesse Szewczyk folds nostalgic banana pudding flavors into the creamy filling for a dessert that’s equal parts French tradition and American comfort. View Recipe Alex Lau 21/23 Easiest Caramel Apple Clafoutis One of the most comforting French desserts, made even simpler. Custardy, lightly sweet, and perfect straight from the oven (but we wouldn’t say “no” to some French vanilla ice cream on top). View Recipe Alex Lau 22/23 Classic Cassoulet This iconic French recipe is a slow-cooked labor of love—and absolutely worth it. Plan ahead—there are a lot of ingredients, and not all are widely available in American markets—don’t rush, and trust the process. View Recipe Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon 23/23 Bûche de Noël The showstopper French Christmas cake. It’s a project, yes—but broken into steps, it’s more satisfying than stressful. View Recipe Rebecca’s work has appeared in TASTE, Eater, Food52, The Kitchn, Serious Eats, The Strategist, and NYT Cooking, among others. Previously, she was a staff editor at a handful of media publications, as well as a freelance recipe tester, culinary producer, and stylist. Before joining Bon Appétit and Epicurious, she was ... 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