Let’s make bakery-style eclairs at home! I promise it’s really easy with very basic ingredients, and I’ll walk you through every step, from silky diplomat cream to crisp eclair shells to glossy chocolate ganache.
Classic éclairs are made of three components: choux pastry (pâte à choux), a creamy filling, and a chocolate glaze. They use the same dough as cream puffs and profiteroles, just piped into logs instead of rounds.
Growing up, éclairs were my mom’s specialty, so this time-tested recipe has years of tips baked in for guaranteed success.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
This classic French pastry looks sophisticated, but it’s truly simple to make. Don’t let the fancy name fool you!
Eclairs come together with a handful of pantry staples you probably already have on hand: butter, water, flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and chocolate. This is my go-to recipe, and I hope it becomes yours too.
Start with the filling
Make the diplomat cream filling first, as it needs time to chill while you make and bake the shells. Starting there ensures everything comes together at the same time.
Key Ingredients Notes
When I say you need basic ingredients, I mean basics! Here are the ingredients for eclair shells:
- Butter adds richness and helps create a tender interior and crisp shell. Unsalted butter provides better control over flavor, but salted butter works if you reduce the added salt.
- Water – A lot of choux pastry recipes call for equal parts water and milk. For eclairs, I prefer all water, as it yields lighter and crispier eclair shells.
- Sugar adds subtle sweetness and encourages browning. Only a small amount is needed, since most of the sweetness comes from the filling and glaze.
- Flour – All-purpose flour gives the choux pastry its structure. Measure accurately, preferably with a kitchen scale, to avoid dense or overly soft éclairs.
- Eggs provide moisture, structure, and lift as the éclairs bake. Use large, room-temperature eggs and add them gradually, as you may not need every last drop.
How to make diplomat cream filling
What is diplomat cream
Diplomat cream is pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. Pastry cream on its own is really just a thickened egg custard — rich and silky, but a little dense. Folding in whipped cream makes it lighter, airier, and more stable, which is exactly what you want oozing out of a bite of eclair instead of a heavy custard filling.
Let’s make the pastry cream first:
- Start by warming your milk in a saucepan over medium heat. If you’re using a vanilla bean, split it and toss it in now, seeds and all. You just want it steaming, not boiling, so keep an eye on it.
- While that warms, grab a bowl and whisk together your egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Really whisk it! You’re looking for a smooth, pale mixture with no lumps of cornstarch hiding in there.
- Now here’s the part where a lot of people rush and end up with scrambled eggs: slowly stream about a third of that hot milk into your egg mixture while whisking constantly. This is called tempering. You’re gently raising the temperature of the eggs so they don’t curdle. Once that’s whisked in, pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.
- Put it back over medium heat and whisk constantly. Don’t walk away here. In a couple of minutes, it’ll start to thicken up into something like pudding, and you’ll see the first bubble or two break the surface. That’s your cue to pull it off the heat. You’ve officially made a custard!
- Whisk in your butter and vanilla extract (if you didn’t use a bean) until it’s glossy and smooth. Then pour the whole thing through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. This catches any little bits of cooked egg so your custard stays silky smooth.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap right down onto the surface of the cream. This stops a skin from forming. Pop it in the fridge and let it chill completely for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Once it’s cold, let’s turn it into diplomat cream:
- Whip your cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar until you get soft, billowy peaks, not stiff, just holding its shape gently.
- Give your chilled pastry cream a good whisk first to loosen it back up, then fold in the whipped cream a little at a time. Fold gently! You want to keep all that airiness you just whipped in, so no aggressive stirring.
- Once there are no more streaks, you’re done. Keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to fill your shells.
Watch my pastry cream video tutorial.
Choux Pastry Dough
Let’s start with éclair shells, or choux pastry (pronounced “shoe” pastry). You can find even more tips and a troubleshooting guide in my Choux Pastry 101 guide.
- Add the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir now and then, just until the butter’s melted and the sugar’s dissolved. You don’t want it boiling yet. Once that’s done, crank the heat up to medium-high and let it come to a full rolling boil.
- As soon as it’s boiling, pull the pan off the heat completely and dump in all of your sifted flour at once. Now stir like you mean it, fast and vigorous, until every bit of flour is absorbed and you don’t see any dry streaks. This shaggy dough is called the panade, and it’s the base of your choux.
- Put the pan back on medium heat and keep stirring, really working the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan, for 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for it to pull together into a smooth ball and for a thin film to form on the bottom of the pan. That’s how you know you’ve cooked off enough moisture.
- Scrape the dough into a mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes, stirring it on low speed so the steam escapes and it doesn’t stay hot in the center. Don’t add eggs to hot dough, or you’ll cook them!
- Now add the eggs one at a time. Don’t dump them all in together. Beat each one in fully before adding the next. You’ll notice the dough looks like it’s falling apart at first, almost curdled. And that’s normal! Just keep beating, and it’ll come back together smooth.
- Stop and check after your fourth egg. You may not need that last one, so go by texture, not by count. Keep going until the dough is glossy and falls off your spatula or beater in a slow, thick ribbon, leaving a V-shaped batter on the beater.
- Transfer the choux dough into a large piping bag fitted with a round or star tip.
- Now, let it rest at room temperature for at least an hour before you pipe. This step matters more than you may think.
Why resting is important?
Resting gives the flour time to finish absorbing the liquid evenly throughout the dough, so it firms up slightly and holds its shape better once piped. Skip it, and the dough can be a little loose and uneven, which shows up as lopsided or unevenly puffed eclair shells later.
If you need more time, you can pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days, just make sure it’s wrapped up tight so it doesn’t dry out.
How to shape eclairs
- When you’re ready, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe the batter into skinny 4-inch logs, leaving a couple of inches between each one since they will puff up.
- If you get a little peak at the end of each log, just smooth it down with a wet fingertip. Otherwise, it’ll bake into a pointy little tip.
Baking eclair shells
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bake one baking sheet at a time for 30-35 minutes, until the shells are puffed and a deep golden brown. And I really want to stress this! Do not open that oven door for the first 25 minutes. I know it’s hard to resist peeking, but you’ll let steam escape, and your shells can collapse right in front of you. That steam is actually doing important work. It’s what puffs the shells up and creates the hollow center you need for filling.
- Once they’re out, turn off the oven, poke a small hole or slit in each shell to let steam escape from that hollow center, and slide the tray back into the still-warm oven for another 5 minutes. This dries out the inside and keeps them crisp for longer. Then move them to a wire rack and let them cool completely before you even think about filling them.
2 ways to fill eclairs
Option 1 – Slit and fill:
Take a small, sharp paring knife and cut a little slit along one side of each shell.
Fit a piping bag with a round tip, fill it up with your diplomat cream, and pipe it right into that hollow center through the slit until the shell feels nice and full.
Option 2 – Piped through the bottom:
This is the method I actually prefer, because it hides the fill point completely. Use a small round piping tip to poke two holes into the bottom of each shell.
Fill your piping bag with diplomat cream and pipe it through each hole, giving the shell a gentle squeeze until it feels heavy in your hand. That’s how you know it’s properly filled.
Chocolate Glaze
- Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it aside.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to simmer around the edges. You can also just microwave it in a heatproof cup until it’s steaming.
- Pour the hot cream right over the chocolate and then leave it alone for a minute or two. Resist the urge to stir right away, just let the heat do the work of melting the chocolate.
- Then whisk it together until it’s completely smooth and glossy. This is your chocolate ganache. If you’re using butter, whisk that in now for a little extra shine.
- Let the ganache sit for 5-10 minutes to cool and thicken a bit. You want it pourable but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, not thin and runny.
- Now dip the top of each filled eclair straight down into the ganache, give it a little twist, and lift it straight back up. Set them glaze-side up on a clean baking sheet and let them sit for 15-20 minutes so the chocolate can set before you serve them.
Expert Tips
- Slowly heat the water, butter, sugar, and salt together. The sugar and salt should dissolve completely before the mixture boils, or you’ll evaporate too much water and throw off your dough ratio.
- Always sift the flour before adding it to remove clumps, and dump it in all at once off the heat.
- Cook the panade for a full 3-4 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. This evaporates excess moisture so the dough can absorb more eggs, which means a better rise.
- Cool the panade before adding eggs, and add them one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
- Watch the final texture: the batter should be smooth, glossy, and fall off the spatula in a slow ribbon, not too thick, not runny.
- Rest the piped batter (or the batter in the bag) for at least an hour before baking; this helps the dough firm up evenly and gives you a more even rise.
- Pipe even, skinny logs. Wider piping means bigger but less delicate shells.
- Never open the oven door in the first 25 minutes of baking. Escaping steam can cause the shells to deflate before they fully set.
- I’ve tested dusting the piped dough with confectioners’ sugar right before baking, since some bakers swear it helps with browning and crackle. Honestly, I didn’t notice a real difference in the finished shells, so feel free to skip that step.
How to store homemade eclairs
Eclairs are best enjoyed within 6 hours of filling. After that, the crisp shell starts to soften from the moist filling.
If you need to store them longer, refrigerate filled eclairs in an airtight container for up to 3 days, though the shells will soften over time.
Make Ahead
To make ahead, you can bake and fully cool the shells 1-2 days in advance and store them at room temperature in an airtight container, then fill and glaze just before serving.
You can also freeze unfilled shells for up to 1 month. Re-crisp them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for a few minutes after thawing.
You can make the diplomat cream up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
FAQs
It’s best to serve eclairs within 6 hours of filling them, or the shells will get soggy. But leftover eclairs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Not exactly. Though they’re both made of choux pastry, they differ in shape and fillings. Eclairs are log-shaped pastry filled with pastry cream and grazed with ganache. Profiteroles, on other hand, round shaped pastries often filled with ice cream and glazed with ganache.
Eclairs are a classic French dessert.
Cream puffs are small round choux pastries, often filled with whipped cream. Eclairs, on other hand, are long choux pastries filled with custard filling.
Eclairs shells usually softens from the wet filling, like custard. However, the shells aren’t soggy.
Eclairs Video Tutorial
Chocolate Eclair Recipe
Ingredients
For Pastry Shells:
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 4-5 large eggs at room temperature
For Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups (500 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream cold
For Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (50 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter optional
Instructions
To make the eclair shells:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone mat.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Slowly heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and melt the butter. Once sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, increase the heat to medium high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Meanwhile, sift the flour.
- When the butter mixture comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from heat and add flour all at once. Quickly mix the mixture until all the flour is absorbed. (We just made panade!)
- Put the saucepan back to burner and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the dough, continuously mixing with a wooden spoon. The dough will start to form into a ball. Keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until light crust forms on the bottom of the pan. (Note: It’s important to cook for at least 3-4 minutes to dry out the panade.)
- Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment and mix it for a few minutes on low speed until the mixture is at room temperature, about 2 minutes. (No mixer? No problem. You can mix it with a wooden spoon!)
- Then add eggs one at a time, mixing the batter well after each addition. This will help to get egg absorbed into the dough quicker. Don’t add more than 2 eggs at a time! This is important, as you might not need to add all the eggs. The dough should be smooth and shiny, thin enough to slowly fall into a ribbon, but too runny.
- Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag, fitted with a round or star tip. Rest the batter for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Note: Make sure to close any opennings to avoid drying out the batter.)
- Pipe the batter into 4-inch skinny logs at least 2 inches apart. Level the peaked tops with a wet fingertip.
- Bake the shells for 30-35 minutes, or until the shells are puffed up and golden brown, one baking sheet at a time. (Note: Don’t open the oven door the first 25 minutes.)
- Once the shells are baked, cool until safe to handle, cut out 2 wholes on the bottom using a round piping tip, or simply make a small slit on the side of shells, using a small sharp paring knife. Arrange the shells back on the baking sheet with the holes facing up. And bake them again for another 5 minutes. This dries out the inside of pastry shells and make them extra crisp.
- Transfer the shells onto a wire rack and cool completely before filling.
To make the Creme Diplomat filling:
- In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla extract to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat off.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until pale. And then stir in flour and cornstatrch.
- To temper the egg yolk mixture, take about ½ cup of hot milk and add it into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring vigorously.
- Now, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with remaining milk. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. (Note: It's normal if the mixture looks curdled in the beginning, be patient and it'll smooth out.) To see if the mixture is boiling, stop whisking for a moment. If it's burping bubbles, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
- Run the custard through a sieve, if desired, and transfer into a clean bowl and cover with a plastic wrap, so it touches the cream and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. (TIP: Don’t be alarmed if your chilled pastry cream looks too thick and lumpy. Simply whisk it until smooth again.)
- Whip heavy whipping cream till hard peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream into the chilled pastry cream and gently fold until well combined. Transfer the filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
To make the chocolate glaze:
- Heat heavy cream until just simmer. Do not boil. Pour it over chocolate chips, and let it sit for good 2 minutes. Then stir it until smooth for couple minutes. Stir in butter to add some shine.
To assemble the eclairs:
- Pipe the filling through the prepared holes on the bottom or a side slit. And then dip each filled eclair in the chocolate ganache.
- Let the eclairs set for about 1 hour in the fridge before serving.
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Video
Tips & Notes
· Unfilled pastry shells can be stored at room temperature for 1 day, or frozen for up to 3 months.
· Pastry cream also can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. Make sure to cover the filling with a plastic wrap touching the entire surface of the cream.
· It’s ideal to assemble the eclairs the day of serving. Assembled eclairs should be refrigerated.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on January 22, 2013.
We are have so much fun making these eclairs!!! And so far so good … but the ingredients listed for the chocolate ganache says 1/2 cup cream to 1/4 cup chocolate … that just can’t be right … we went with the 1:1 ratio you spoke of in other places. Can you clarify.
Hi, Sarah Jane. I’m so glad you’re having fun baking eclairs!! Fod glazing, I prefer making thinner ganache as I prefer thinner glaze on eclairs. I find 1:1 ratio ganache better suited for filling or truffles.
can you use salted butter if you dont have unsalted
Hi, Lavina. Yes, you can use salted butter. Just omit the added salt.
Than you Shenee for getting back to more so soon ,I only had salted butter and wanted to make them
but was not sure they would turn out .