You haven’t enjoyed an Eclair until you’ve tried a fresh homemade eclair filled to the brim with pastry cream and topped with chocolate ganache. Watch the video tutorial, and you will master these French eclairs in no time.
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Classic Eclairs Recipe
Learn how to make classic and easy “choux pastry” dough (the same pastry used for Cream Puffs as well as Churros and even Zeppole Italian Donuts) and a decadent homemade vanilla bean pastry cream that will have you licking the spoon and the bowl.
Eclairs are best eaten the day they are made, but I do love that they can be fully assembled a day ahead.
Video: How to Make Eclairs
I’ll show you how to make the easy dough (don’t worry, it only sounds fancy, but it’s actually simple to make), the custard filling, and the easy chocolate ganache to give your eclairs that classic French look and taste.
Also, I’m so embarrassed that (due to my occasionally shaky hands), my eclairs looked mildly inappropriate when piped. I only realized it after the fact and I couldn’t stop laughing. And for those of you who never would have noticed otherwise, I am doubly embarrassed!
Tools for Making Eclairs
- Large Piping Bag – reuseable or disposable works fine.
- 1/2″ round piping tip or a 16mm open star tip – you need a large tip to pipe the eclair dough into strips.
- Baking Sheet – a half sheet works great
- Silicone Liner or Parchment Paper
- Bismarck tip (or a small sharp tip like Ateco #16 or #352) – you could use a number of tips to pipe the frosting into the eclair.
Tips for Making Pastry Cream
Pastry cream relies on corn starch and egg yolks to thicken and the end result is incredibly smooth – like a decadent vanilla pudding. Mixing the softened butter is the secret to the amazing texture – don’t skip it!
- Pastry cream can be made 3 days ahead which is perfect for holiday entertaining.
- If making ahead, cover the surface directly with a sheet of plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a film.
- You can substitute the real vanilla bean for vanilla extract. I love seeing those little vanilla flecks in the eclairs (see recipe notes)
Pro Tip:
Pastry Cream will thicken as it cools and to loosen it up for piping, whisk until smooth.
What is Choux Pastry?
Choux dough is a classic pastry made with super simple ingredients (milk, water, eggs, flour, butter, sugar and salt). The key is to continue mixing the dough in the saucepan to release excess moisture until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan. Choux pastry is a soft dough that gets piped onto a baking sheet.
Getting the baking temperature right is the key to success. Starting the oven at 425˚F allows the pastry to rise beautifully, creating a hollow center for the filling. Choux pastry is then baked at a lower temperature to dry out the center.
Make-Ahead
- Eclair Shells – can be baked a day ahead and stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Shells can also be frozen in an airtight conatiner up to a month then thawed at room temp for 30 minutes. To re-crisp shells, bake thawed shwells at 300˚F for 5-10 minutes then cool completely before filling.
- Filling (Pasty Cream) – can be made a day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap directly over the surface and refrigerate. Re-whisk before piping.
- Glaze – I find it’s best to make the glaze when assembling the eclairs since you’ll need to reheat it to loosen it up again which won’t save you any time.
How to Store Eclairs
Filled Eclairs are best enjoyed fresh or eaten the day of assembling since they will start to soften once you pipe the cream in and add the glaze, but you can store in the refrigerator in an airtght container for up to a day.
More French Desserts and Pastries
My husband and I were able to visit France this year, and we spent a fair amount of time visiting the boulangerie (bakeries that sell bread) and pâtisseries (that sell sweet treats), where we sampled the best French pastries and baked goods. It’s such a treat to recreate our favorites that remind me of our time in Paris.
- Homemade Croissants – I finally nailed it!
- Cherry Clafoutis – breakfast or dessert
- Easy Crepes – our go-to crepes
- Fruit Tart – with the best crust
- Peach Galette – the easiest ‘pie’
- Chocolate Souffle – restaurant copycat
- Easy Almond Croissants – French bakery copycat
- Raspberry Macarons – filled with raspberry cream
Now go forth and conquer homemade eclairs!
Classic Eclair Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Choux Pastry:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Ingredients for Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
For the Chocolate Glaze:
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, *
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
How to Make Choux Pastry
- In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
- One flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes stirring constantly (to release extra moisture and partially cook flour), or until dough comes together into a smooth ball and a thin film forms on bottom of pan.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute to cool the mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate between additions. Beat until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
- Pipe eclairs over baking sheet lined with silicone using a 1/2” round tip. Pipe 18-20 (4” long and 3/4” wide) strips, keeping them 1 1/2″ apart.
- Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool while making pastry cream.
How to Make Pastry Cream:
- In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups milk, vanilla bean and scraped seeds just to a boil, stirring to prevent film from forming.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch and pinch of salt. Add 4 egg yolks and whisk until smooth, creamy and lightened in color – it takes a couple of minutes but it will get there.
- Gradually (so the eggs don’t curdle), while whisking constantly, add hot milk in a steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Pour mixture back into saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking constantly then whisk another 30 seconds until mixture is thick and pudding-like in consistency.
- Transfer pastry cream to a medium bowl (whisk in 2 tsp vanilla extract if using). Cut butter into pieces and quickly whisk into the custard until fully incorporated Cover with plastic directly over the surface of the cream, let it cool slightly then refrigerate 30 minutes or until cool.
- With a small pastry tip, poke 2-3 holes through the bottom of each cooled pastry. Pipe cream inside, scraping off excess. Refrigerate eclairs while making chocolate glaze.
How to Make Chocolate Glaze:
- Place 4 oz of chocolate chips into a small heat-safe bowl.
- Heat 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (in a saucepan or microwave) until it is just at a simmer then remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let rest 2 minutes then whisk from the center outwards until smooth sauce forms.
- Dip the top half of filled and chilled eclairs into the chocolate sauce, allowing excess to drip off.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
This éclair recipe was incredibly easy to follow! I doubled the batch on my first attempt, and it was a great success. The éclairs turned out perfect and were an absolute crowd pleaser.
I’ve tried it many times and it’s perfect. I’m wondering if the same method will work if I want to make one large eclair (as a cake)
Hi Pamela! That should work, but you may need to increase the baking time. Also, it will not puff up the same so layering it with pastry cream on top is a good idea.
All but one of my eclairs came out of the over practically flat and the cream was to runny, probably needs to harden more than 30 min in the fridge. ☹️
Hi Mira! Did you fully preheat your oven beforehand? Getting the baking temperature right is the key to success. Starting the oven at 425˚F allows the pastry to rise beautifully and then baking at a lower temperature allows the center to dry out. I recommend using an internal oven thermometer to check for accuracy (Amazon affiliate link). Also, be sure not to pipe too large and don’t overcrowd your pan. There needs to be room for air to circulate.
The cream should be ready in about 30mins but if it’s not cooled yet, keep it longer.
I added these so many time and always a perfection. The only thing is that the chocolate does not get hard when placing the eclair in the fridge. Still somehow sticky.
When I dip the eclairs I spend a bit of time wiggling the eclair to get rid of the access of chocolate.
Any tips is much appreciated.
It could be because it was not tempered (i.e., properly melted and cooled), it might not set properly if it was not tempered correctly. Also if you have added too much cream or butter, the ganache may stay soft and not harden as expected, even when chilled. If you would like to fix this, you could try melting the chocolate again with a bit less cream, tempering it properly, or even allowing it to set at room temperature before refrigerating it.
Choux pate was perfect I will make the custard filling tomorrow.
I’m taking dessert to a dinner party
That’s wonderful, Sharon! I hope they all love it!
Perfect recipe! Easy to follow. I’ve made them twice. I prefer milk chocolate chips though.
Hey, I want to try this recipe-it looks AMAZING but I was wondering if I could use something in place of cornstarch for the cream?
Hi Louise! I haven’t tested an alternative. Common substitutes are tapioca starch, flour, etc. I don’t know if any adjustments would be needed.
Hi, can’t the measurements here be done in grams instead of cups? It would be helpful if you could do it, thanks.
Hi! If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hello and thank you for this amazing recipe! Love your joyfulness in your videos – makes the process so enjoyable!
I always run out of the pastry cream : / Can I simply double the ingredients and follow the same instructions? Also, the underside of some of my eclair shells collapse, so the underside is concave, which makes them resistant to filling. Thoughts?
Thank you so much!
Hi Michele! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my videos. Yes, you can double the pastry cream recipe. Collapsed eclair are most often a result of underbaking. Getting the baking temperature right is the key to success. Starting the oven at 425˚F allows the pastry to rise beautifully, creating a hollow center for the filling. Choux pastry is then baked at a lower temperature to dry out the center.
A few things to help:
I encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to make sure you oven is fully preheated before you start to bake.
Check the consistency of your dough to make sure it isn’t too runny or wet. If your dough looks good, then I would watch your piping consistency. If they are piped too large or if there are inconsistent/uneven spots when piping, this can cause them to collapse. Lastly, if they are underbaked and wet in the inside, you can try to bake them a little longer and use a tooth pick to poke a small hole in the shells to release stem and continue to bake for a few more minutes to dry out. For the collapsed eclairs currently, you could cut them in half and fill them with cream.
It doesn’t work i tried it like 4 times i wasted a lot of ingredients i was so sure that it was going to work i watched the youtube video like 15 times yet the eclair dough didn’t work
HI Layane, I’d love to help you troubleshoot that. When did your dough start to look different compared to what you saw in the video? Also, did you make any ingredient substitutions? Can you share what you think went wrong or what exactly was going on that it didn’t work? What was the result?
Hello, I tried making the eclairs and did exactly as video and recipe instructed. The eclairs came out dark and cracked on the top, as well as the bottom going inward so I was not able to fill. I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Hi Jess! It sounds like they were possibly overcooked on the outside but still wet in the middle. This can happen if your oven runs too hot. This recipe was written for a conventional oven on regular bake mode. If you’re using a convection/fan oven, it would need adjusting because it bakes faster.
I also recommend using an In-oven thermometer (affiliate link) to check your oven’s temperature accuracy.
I made pastry cream for a cake I baked for my daughter’s birthday, but I had some leftover. I decided it’s time to try making eclairs. You make things look so easy. My question is, do I have to use whole milk? Will it not work if I used 2%? I have all ingredients except whole milk. Cheers!
Hi Karen! Yes, 2% works too.
I LOVE YOUR HAIR UP LIKE THAT, YOU LOOK SO PRITTY LIKE THAT.
You’re so nice! Thank you!
I’ve been following (and loving every recipe) Natasha for about 10 years, and her videos always make me smile. What a beautiful personality! Thank you Natasha.
Wow! Thank you so much for the love and support over all these years. I so appreciate it. I’m happy to know you’re loving the recipes.
Hi Natasha!
I do like to cook as well as bake. I have never attempted eclairs, however your instructions are wonderful! I am going to make this recipe for Christmas . Your video makes me feel more confident !!! I have your book , as well as pinned every recipe you show. I thoroughly enjoy all of your recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing :0)
Hi Donna! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes! I hope you love this one too.
When I watch your videos I feel as though I can actually try them without being terrified of failure. You make it cheerful and less intimidating.
Hi Nancy! That’s makes me very happy to hear. Thank you. I’m glad it’s helpful.
Excellent instructions…… very well done!
Hi Mike! I’m glad it was helpful.
My husband loves it when I make these. Very simple and so delicious. Watch the video and it will really help 😁
So happy to hear it was helpful!
First time making. Not all my eclairs had a good rise but didn’t have the correct piping attachment. The end result was incredible. Eclairs have always been my favorite and this recipe will be on repeat in my house.
I have a question. I wonder how I can bring these in for work the next day if I make them the day before–how long are they good for in the fridge?
Yes, you can make the recipe ahead just cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can store it also in an airtight container.