Best Eclairs Recipe
Posted Sep 19, 2019, Updated May 07, 2024
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This is the best Homemade Eclairs Recipe! The pastry and frosting are made completely from scratch and the filling is irresistibly delicious. Eclairs are an elegant dessert, perfect special occasions! Make-ahead and freezer-friendly.
This Best Eclairs Recipe is my husband’s favorite dessert of all time. His mom has been making these homemade Eclairs for over 45 years and when Ritch and I got married, she taught me how to make them too.
These Eclairs are good, like knock-your-socks-off delicious. But they’re not necessarily an “easy” recipe.
This eclairs recipe is really three recipes: one for the Choux pastry, one for the chocolate frosting and one for the eclair filling. We have the process down to a science, and I will be sharing it with you step-by-step.
I happily spend half a day making this eclairs recipe, or this tiramisu cake, for Ritch because they bring him so much joy (just like these brownies are my love language)! We always work as a team, which makes the process faster and more fun! Plus, I love that this recipe is passed on from his mom. I always remind my kids that these are “Mema’s Eclairs” so that we always think of her when we make them, and will for the rest of our lives!
Homemade Eclairs Recipe: Ingredients
There are three components to this Eclairs Recipe, and I’ll show you the ingredients I use for each of them!
Choux Pastry
The choux pastry only has 4 ingredients, water, butter, eggs and salt! I do not recommend making any substitutions. The only change that can be made in using unsalted butter instead of salted butter! (Note: you only need ¾ cup butter for the recipe, although 1 cup is pictured below)!
Eclair Filling
I do not deviate from these very specific ingredients because when I do, my husband notices (for example, I once tried to save $0.90 by buying generic pudding mix – and he tasted the difference).
However, you can try to make your own vanilla pudding instead of using the packaged pudding if you prefer.
Chocolate Frosting
This recipe calls for a frosting that uses melted chocolate. If you’d prefer an easier, cocoa-based frosting you can use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting instead. It’s just as delicious!
- Chocolate: I love Ghirardelli baking chocolate. This frosting is a little dark but still sweet! If you like a sweeter chocolate frosting, use semi-sweet or milk chocolate.
- Milk: I use whole milk in this chocolate frosting, but you can use 2%, half and half or cream if you’d like.
- Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
How to Make Homemade Eclairs Recipe
There are three separate components that make these homemade eclairs:
- Pastry Filling.
- Pastry Puffs (Choux Pastry)
- Chocolate Frosting.
Since each part requires the use of a standing mixer, I have the process of making of these mini eclairs down to a science! Don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the Eclair Filling
This eclairs recipe begins with making the pastry filling. Since involves chilling and whipping, it’s important to start with the filling first.
Begin by whisking together the milk and pudding mix, then letting it thicken in the fridge for 5 minutes while you whip the whipping cream. Using a whisk ensures there are no lumps in the pudding.
Next, add all the ingredients for the whipping cream into the bowl of a standing mixer and whip for about 60 seconds on high until stiff peaks form.
- A helpful tip: when you whip the whipping cream in your standing mixer, start by placing the mixing bowl in the refrigerator. A cold bowl aids in the whipping process immensely!
After the pudding is set up and the cream is whipped, gently fold them together or stir on low speed in the mixer.
Once they’re thoroughly combined, transfer the filling to a bowl (because we need to use the bowl of the mixer again), cover it and place it in the fridge while you make the rest of the eclairs recipe – the puffs and frosting.
Make the Choux Pastry
Once the eclair filling is chilling in the fridge, it’s time to make the pastry shells (or puffs as we call them)! This Choux pastry is pretty straightforward, but can be a little finicky!
Make the panade
The first step in making Choux pastry is making a panade, which is just a starchy thickener. To do this, start by melting butter, salt and water together. Then add flour all at once and whip it with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball.
Cool the panade
Transfer it from the hot pan to the bowl of your standing mixer to cool. The panade needs to cool before the eggs are added so they don’t cook when they hit the hot dough!
Once the dough is cooled, beat the eggs in one at a time. Then prepare to bake the pastry shells.
Fixing runny batter
If the batter is not thick enough to hold its shape when piped, you will need to add more flour. I have had to adjust the amount of flour if my eggs are larger than normal and my batter comes out too thin! Add 1 Tablespoon at a time as needed. The dough should be slightly runny, but still hold its shape when piped onto the pan.
Bake
You get to choose what shape you’d like to make the eclairs. Sometimes we pipe the filling into mini, oblong eclair shapes using a pastry bag and a wilton 1M decorating tip. I find it easiest to use a small (1.5 Tablespoon) cookie scoop to dollop a small amount of dough onto the greased baking sheet to make round eclairs! It’s really up to you!
Do NOT use parchment paper
Please do not use parchment paper to bake this eclair recipe. The eclair shells will stick to the parchment paper and they will be nearly impossible to remove.
Bake the pastry shells until they are golden brown but not too dark (about 20-25 minutes). The yield in this recipe really depends on the size you make the shells. We get between 30 and 50. When we make larger (about 2 Tablespoons per shell) round eclairs we get about 30, when we make smaller mini eclairs (about 1 Tablespoon per pastry puff) we get about 50-60.
After they are finished baking, remove them to a wire rack to cool. The shells need to be completely cool before filling/frosting. However they are fairly thin and cool pretty quickly.
Make the Chocolate Frosting
While your shells are baking, make the frosting. It’s a basic chocolate buttercream frosting that is a little on the dark side (insert Star Wars jokes here). Start by beating softened butter, melted chocolate and sea salt together until smooth.
Next, add powdered sugar and milk and beat until the frosting is light and spreadable.
Add more milk if necessary to make the eclair frosting spreadable, but I have found that 3 Tablespoons is exactly the right amount every single time. The more you whip the frosting, the lighter in color it will become.
Assemble the Eclairs
To assemble the homemade eclairs, begin by piping the filling into the shells using a small round tip. Using a tip is very helpful to ensure the homemade eclairs will be fully filled without making a mess.
Press the decorators bag full of filling into one side of the cooled pastry shell, then gently push the filling out until you see it start to ooze out a little bit.
Frost the Homemade Eclairs
Use your favorite decorators tip to frost the filled eclairs. For these photos I used the Wilton 2B tip (basket weave tip). I also like using the Wilton 1M decorators tip. You can frost them however you’d like.
I don’t recommend spreading the frosting onto the eclairs with a knife because the filled pastry shells are delicate. If you apply too much pressure you run the risk of crushing the eclair.
Chill
Place the finished eclairs in a single layer on a baking tray or in a container and store them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (until the frosting hardens). Then serve cold after chilling.
Store/Freeze
Once the homemade eclairs are chilled and the frosting is hardened, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tools
Having the right tools aids in the process of making these eclairs immensely! These are the tools I use to make them, as well as many other baked goods! I especially use these things to decorate cakes using our favorite homemade frosting recipe (another 45-year-old Mema recipe).
- Standing Mixer. A standing or handheld mixer will make this recipe much easier than if you were to make it by hand.
- Decorator’s bag. I use both reusable and disposable decorators bags. I have a hard time keeping the reusable ones clean, so I prefer disposable ones!
- Decorator’s tips. These are the tips we use in making this best eclair recipe:
- Wilton 2B tip. This is a basket weave tip. It’s SO EASY to frost this eclair recipe with it! Just move the piping bag in a zig zag motion!
- Wilton 1M decorators tip. I use this tip for EVERYTHING. Including making my favorite rose cake. Seriously, this is an absolute must-have if you enjoy baking and cake-making. Plus it’s only $4!
- Wilton Small Round Tip. This is used for filling the eclairs easily!
- Couplers
- Baking sheets
- Batter bowl with lid. I use this for storing the filling while making the puffs and frosting!
Eclairs Recipe FAQS
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer!
Yes! Store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month (if they last that long)!
These eclairs will last for 5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. They keep longer than that, but for their optimal taste and texture that is the timeframe I recommend!
As long as they puffed up in the oven this isn’t as big of a problem as it might seem. Obviously it’s not ideal, but the shells will puff up again as they are filled with the eclair filling.
Making the choux pastry is the most “advanced” part of this recipe, and it does take practice. So if at first you don’t succeed, try again!
When baked, the liquid in the choux pastry evaporates and creates steam, expanding the egg protein, causing the rise in the puffs. The eclair shells needs to be fully baked to ensure there is no moisture left on the inside. Even a small amount of moisture will cause the shells to deflate and go flat when they are removed from the oven.
You want the shells to be a deep, golden brown all the way around the shell. I honestly could’ve baked the shells pictured below for longer and they would’ve held their shape better.
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Best Eclairs Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Eclair Filling
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6.8 ounces French vanilla instant pudding (two 3.4oz packages)
- 2 cups whole milk
Pastry Puffs
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1½ cups water
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 eggs
Chocolate Frosting
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Mix together the French vanilla pudding and milk. Set aside in the refrigerator until it becomes thick (about 5 minutes).
- Add the whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer and whip on high speed until firm peaks form and hold their shape.
- Fold the pudding and whipped cream mixture together.
- Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
Make the Eclair Shells
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease three jelly roll pans and set aside.
- Measure your water, salt and butter into a 4-quart saucepan. Heat water salt and butter to boiling. Continue to boil the mixture until the butter is melted.
- Add the flour to the saucepan all at once and whip with wooden spoon. Mixture will form a ball in middle of the pan.
- Cool for about 5 minutes stirring to cool faster.
- Add eggs one at a time whipping with wooden spoon well after each. [Or transfer your mixture to a standing mixture and add eggs individually, beating well after each].
- Check your batter, if it is not thick enough to hold a shape when piped, gradually add more flour until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Put mixture into pastry bag and pipe out eclair shapes about 1 ½ to 2 inches long and 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool completely before assembling the eclairs.
Make the Frosting
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (60 seconds, then 30 second intervals until smooth), set aside.
- Place softened butter in the bowl of your standing mixer.
- Add chocolate vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add salt and powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
- Add milk and beat until the mixture reaches spreading consistency, wiping down the sides as you go. You may need to add more milk.
- Set aside (but keep at room temperature).
Assemble
- Put filling in a large piping bag fitted with a small, round tip. Gently pipe the filling into one end of the pastry puff. Repeating for each puff until they are all filled.
- Fill a large piping bag with your chocolate frosting and frost the eclairs in any way you’d like!
- Refrigerate until serving.
Video
Notes
- Chocolate: I love Ghirardelli baking chocolate. This frosting is a little dark but still sweet! If you like a sweeter chocolate frosting, use semi-sweet or milk chocolate.
- Milk: I use whole milk in this chocolate frosting, but you can use 2%, half and half or cream if you’d like.
- Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Store these eclairs in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month in an airtight container.
- Simply remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello,
I saw this recipe this past week and immediately put the ingredients on my grocery list. I made your chocolate chip cookies last summer and they were amazing! I only have one jelly roll pan. Can I just keep the pastry bag in the fridge while each pan cooks? I do have a couple shallow baking sheets. will those work as well? Thank you!
Can you tell me if the filling is the same as diplomat cream? or bavarian cream mousse?
Bonnie
For someone who has baked as much as I have, I found myself surprised I’d never made eclairs. CHANGED THAT! These were super easy, not super messy, and not time intensive. So fun! I cut half the powdered sugar from the filling mixture, and that was just perfect for us!! I also used a small cookie scoop to portion out the puff pastry dough. That worked fabulously for even sized, beautiful puffs!! They turned out looking and tasting stunning. I will definitely make these again! And again and again…thanks for sharing!
Can you make anything a day ahead of
Time? Ie the cream filling? Looks great!
Yes you could make the filling and frosting ahead of time. The frosting does need to be room temperature to pipe it easily on the eclairs!
Laura
I made these with my kids last week and oh my they turned out perfect. The pasty puffed up perfectly. We made them into bite size. The were a total hit and froze a bunch and take them out when we want a little something sweet. Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe. I never attempted anything like this but trying out new recipes with the kiddies as we have all this time at home together right now and loving it. Stay safe and thank you again. The recipe worked perfectly.
The recipe says salted butter for the pastry, but then you also add salt. Will it come out too salty?
Hi. Could we use custard instead of pudding?
Hello Noor! I have only ever made this recipe the way I have it written. Do you mean a box of custard mix or pre-made custard?
First pan fell flat, so thin. 2nd pan I made thicker ones.
Why are they falling?
Hey Nicole! Can you give me a few more details? Did you follow the recipe exactly? Why kind of pan are you baking them on and in what kind of oven?
Ohhhh my goodness! My family was blown away with these delicious lil morsels! I’ve never made eclairs, I thought to myself “well, she says you will get some that don’t puff but not to waste them (oh, trust..I wasn’t!) Totally thought since this is my first time, I’m probably going to have more than a few flat. NOPE! Dead serious, not one was flat! They are so beautiful and so delicious, my husband and boys can’t stop eating them. So, as I’m writing this review I have a batch in the oven of just “bite size!” Because, I’m afraid we will all become a bunch of cream puffs if they devour the rest lol. Going to deliver some to my sisters family tomorrow because this recipe makes plenty to share! Perfect recipe, will def be making again! PS, wish I could post a pic, they’re so cute!
These look amazing! Quick question, for the frosting the recipe show 4 oz 1 cup of unsweetened chocolate, can you clarify the correct amount?
Thanks!
Diane
Hey Diane! 4 oz = 1 cup chocolate chips! I will clarify that on the recipe!
Thank You! I made these today and all rave reviews! My neighbor boys were over too and they said this is the best dessert ever! We will be making these for all the special occasions, and the regular days too!