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 corn starch
- 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
Hi Natasha. These look amazing. Can they be made the day before a party?
Hi Simone, You can make the Choux Pastry Dough ahead, just cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Pastry cream can be made 1-3 days ahead also.
Or five egg yolks
Thank you for the recipe! Was trying to bake eclairs for my husband’s BD party, but they fell after decreasing the temperature to 325 F. The second round I was gradually decreasing temperature from 425 to 375 (get the number from other recipes). The result was very good. Hope this might be helpful for others having problems with eclairs falling in oven after the temperature change. The cream is super delicious in your recipe!!!
Hi Tanya! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. We haven’t had that experience, but we found most fall due to size.
The piping tip you used for the pastry looks different then mine. What kind of tip is it, because my eclairs came out kind of weird shaped. Also mine weren’t as high as yours..ugh..what did I do wrong
Hi Darla, we used this tip here. It is a Wilton 1A.
Hey natasha ..I’ve tried this recipe a dozen times and I love it!
I’m trying to make some alters to the recipe for one of my old relatives..so I have a couple of questions..could i use honey in the cream instead of sugar?And wheat flour in the pastry instead of all purpose?
Hi Sofia, I have not really tried this with wheat yet to advise. If you experiment, please share with us how it goes. Also, one of my readers wrote in saying: “I have used Maple Syrup instead of sugar for the Pastry Cream by adding just 1 teaspoon extra cornstarch, and it worked perfectly well.” I hope this helps.
Hey! I tried your eclairs recipe and it came out soo perfectly and it was heavenly 😍 afterwards, the batter turn out to be soo loose. What can be the reason?
Make sure to let it release the steam on the stove and also make sure to measure ingredients correctly to get the correct proportion.
Hi Natasha! I’ve tried two recipes from your site and they have both turned out beautifully. The Instant pot is so moist and tender. It was an instant hit with my family so I have made it a few times and it turns out great every time. I’ve used your cheesecake recipe also, the one with the waterbath. The first one was great! Absolutely beautiful. The second one? Not so good. It turned out I overbaked it. So now I’m going to try your eclair recipe. Let’s see how this one works. Off to bake!
Hello Kathi, thank you for sharing that with us. Practice makes perfect, I’m sure it will be great on your next try! I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
I just made them today for the first time and I can’t even believe I made them myself. It’s like pastry you buy from a french cafe. So So delicious 😋
Great job! I’m happy to know that it came out well. Thanks for your review!
Hi Natasha!!!!!!
Today I tried the eclairs recipie and they were another success! My family LOVED them!!!
Thank you for teaching such amazing recipies, watching you make something makes me feel confident that i can make it too! You make it seem so easy! 😊😊😘😘🥰🥰♥️♥️
I’m glad your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your great feedback with us.
Hi! Tried these out! Taste wonderful. But, I did the 10 mins on high and reduced the heat to 325. After 15 mins on 325, the buttom burnt, and they were golden. When I set the tray on the counter, most of them deflated and fell flat.
I used a conventional oven. My oven doesnt run hot and your other recipes work like a charm to the T. Any ideas what this could be from? Some are still raw from the middle. I did make medium sized batch compared to the large ones you made.
Hi Lili, it’s hard to say without being there, but it sounds like you took the correct steps process-wise. Was anything possibly altered ingredient-wise impacting the outcome? I’ve never experienced burning before; they should be just golden on the bottom. I suspected either your oven runs very hot or maybe you were doing this in a confection setting, but it sounds like neither was the case here. What a bummer! I hope you give this another try soon!
I am officially declaring you food queen. Wow! It was amazing, I will never settle for a pre frozen or soggy eclair from any bakery ever again! That custard was amazing, I wish I made a double batch. Wow so light and airy. I followed your recipe to the T!
I had difficulty piping the filling into the eclair, my bag and pipe were cheap. What piping set would you recommend? TIA!
Wow, that’s a nice title! Love it, thanks for your great comments and feedback. You can check out the kitchen tools and equipment that I use here on my Amazon Page.
Amazing recipe! I had so much fun making these and the result was delicious! The eclairs were light and airy, and not too sweet! I added 2 more tsp of vanilla extract to the cream to make it even more flavourful. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you fo sharing this lovely review with me, Emma! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Thank you so much for this recipe. My mother-in-law made eclairs a lot. When she passed away we didn’t have the recipe and I thought we would never have a good eclair again. I made these and they turned out wonderful. My husband said they tasted just like his mothers. I couldn’t have had a higher complement.
Hi Faye, I’m so sorry for the loss of your Mother-in-law. I’m so glad you found my blog and recipe to help keep those memories alive!
Can I us 1% milk or does it have to be homo milk.?
Hi Peggy, I haven’t tested this with 1% milk to advise on an outcome. One of our readers mentioned using 2% milk successfully. I hope this helps.
Hey! These look so good one question can i add lemon zest or juice to my pastry cream? Cant wait to try these.
Hi Lucy, I haven’t tried adding lemon to this, but it sounds like a fun and fresh addition perfect for a spring dessert! It’s hard to advise when to add it without experimenting, but I bet you can add the zest to the filling and sprinkle some over the chocolate before it sets. I hope you love this recipe, and I look forward to your feedback after you experiment.
hi natasha, i would love to know how long the pastry dough and the pastry cream can last in the fridge? because i might not make the whole recipe in one go.
thanks, i love this simple recipe 🙂
Hi Hanny, You can make the Choux Pastry Dough ahead, just cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Pastry cream can be made 1-3 days ahead also.
I tried making this 2 times, i followed the recipe exactly
But the shells stick to the parchment paper 😪 and it came out only half of the shell
Hi Var, they really should not be sticking to the parchment paper. Make sure you are not using wax paper which will stick. Also, make sure not to skip the step where you mix the batter over the heat to release the extra steam. Lastly, check out our post on how we measure ingredients to ensure that you have the right proportion of wet to dry ingredients. I hope that helps!
The pastry cream was easy to make and yummy thanks! I made the eclairs but like other reviews, they sunk pretty fast. I turned down the temp but maybe I took them out too soon. I didn’t want them to burn. Next time I make then – sooner than later – I’ll take the leap and leave them in there for the full 30. I’ll keep practicing as my toddlers keep eating them. Thank you for making these easy to make deliciousness!
Hi Rubab, I think you’re right; if they come out of the oven too early, they can go flat. Also, if they are piped too wide, they can flatten.
All of your recipes are fantastic!!! I made your baklava it came out so good I was asked to make it 2 more times. Keep the recipes coming.
That’s so great, Marilyn! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha! Thanks for the recipe. It looks amazing and I bet it tastes better! I have a question, for the choux pastry dough do I put the saucepan over low, medium, or high heat?
Hi Alaia, medium heat. We have it listed in step one and two. I hope that helps.