Caramel Eclairs

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our privacy policy.

Caramel eclairs combine rich caramel flavors in both the filling and topping. This recipe is a caramel lover’s dream come true!

Recipe At a Glance

In this caramel eclairs recipe, we double down on the caramel flavor, topping the eclairs with caramel sauce and filling them with caramel pastry cream.

The trickiest part of this recipe is making the caramel sauce. Once you get through that, it’s smooth sailing.

If this is your first attempt at making caramel or you’ve had mixed success, make the caramel sauce the day before you plan to make the eclairs. This way, you have enough time to give it a second or third try if things don’t go as planned.

Despite what many bloggers say, making caramel is tricky at first. Once you’ve seen sugar melt and have tried it a couple of times, it becomes much more manageable.

(I got caramel sauce right on my fourth attempt, but I hope you’ll do better with my instructions and tips.)

Once you have your caramel ready, all you need to do is cook vanilla pastry cream with the caramel sauce, bake the eclairs, then fill and top them.

Making caramel eclairs for the first time? Please read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

Caramel Sauce

• Sugar. Use white sugar in crystal form.
• Heavy cream.
• Unsalted butter.
• Salt. Salt is optional, but I highly recommend it. Salted caramel tastes much more interesting than caramel that’s just super sweet.

Pastry Cream

• Milk. Whole fat works best as the fat adds that extra bit of richness.
• Sugar. Regular white sugar works well, but feel free to use any sweetener you like.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch is best, but you can also use potato starch; just halve the amount. Check out my article on cornstarch versus potato starch for more details.
• Egg Yolks. Yolks make the pastry cream thicker and richer.
• Vanilla Extract. Vanilla extract adds an extra bit of flavor to the cream, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you skipped it.
• Butter. Use unsalted full-fat butter.

Eclairs

• Water and milk. Full-fat milk works best, but skim should work in a pinch.
• All-purpose flour.
• Unsalted butter.
• Eggs.
• Salt and sugar. Sugar alternatives are perfectly fine.

How to Make Caramel Eclairs

Our game plan is as follows:

1. Make caramel sauce. We start with the caramel sauce because we need it for the pastry cream. If this is your first time making caramel sauce, give yourself plenty of time for this step. Instead of 20 minutes, reserve an hour so you have enough time for a second or third try if needed.
2. Cook caramel pastry cream. We make the pastry cream before the eclairs so it has time to cool before we use it.
3. Bake eclairs.
4. Fill and top the eclairs.

Pretty simple, eh?

Let’s get to it.

Step 1: Make Caramel Sauce

(In case you were wondering, we’re using the dry caramel method here. Also, sorry for the photos from my phone, but I didn’t want to drag the saucepan each time to my photo gear and mess up the caramel in the process.)

1. Prep ingredients. Measure out all your ingredients beforehand. Once the sugar starts melting, things move fast. Leave the butter at room temperature to soften.
2. Warm up heavy cream. Heat your heavy cream until small bubbles form around the edges, then turn off the heat. Keep the pot on the stove to quickly bring the cream back to a simmer just before it’s needed.

3. Add sugar. Use a saucepan with a wide surface area and sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over it. The goal is just to cover the surface. Shake the pan gently a few times to distribute the sugar evenly. Keep the rest of the sugar handy for later.
4. Heat the sugar. Place the saucepan over medium heat and begin warming the sugar. Do not stir. Initially, nothing will seem to happen, but soon, the sugar will start melting from the edges.

5. Melt the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low to avoid burning the sugar, which happens quickly. Use a wooden spoon, heat-resistant spatula, or whisk (my preference) to gently move the unmelted sugar toward the warmer parts of the pan. Try to melt the sugar with minimal stirring. Once thoroughly melted, gradually add the remaining sugar, ensuring each addition is melted before adding more. Continue this process until all the sugar is dissolved, then reduce the heat to low.
6. Color check. Sugar turns from clear melted sugar to a light golden, then to a rich amber. That’s well caramelized sugar. If it goes further towards brown or black and smells burnt, it’s done for, and you need to start over. If that’s the case, try lowering the heat even more once the sugar starts melting.

7. Add heavy cream. Now it’s time to add the hot heavy cream. Pour in a bit of heavy cream (like a teaspoon or two) into the pot with melted sugar, give it a second or two so you don’t get burned if it bubbles vigorously, then stir gently until combined for a few seconds. Gradually incorporate all the heavy cream, increasing the amount slightly each time. If the caramel seizes (i.e., sugar re-crystallizes), pause the cream addition and heat the mixture while stirring gently until the crystals dissolve, then continue with the cream. If stubborn crystals persist, continue adding cream and strain the sauce later. Take the pot off the heat when you’re about halfway adding cream. The residual heat should be enough to keep the sugar from crystallizing while adding the cream. Again, put the saucepan back on low heat if you notice crystals forming. Definitely take the pot off the heat once you finish adding the heat cream. Congratulations, you’re done with the tricky part.

8. Add butter. Stir in the room-temperature butter until it melts and blends smoothly into the caramel.

9. Add salt. Sprinkle in a bit of salt, stir, and taste. Adjust with more salt as needed.
10. Strain. Pour the caramel sauce through a fine sieve into a container or jar to eliminate any crystallized sugar, ensuring a smooth texture.
11. Divide. Divide the caramel sauce in half. We’ll use half as the topping for our eclairs and the other half to make the pastry cream.
12. Cool and store. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. If not using immediately, refrigerate. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems too fluid right after cooking.

Step 2: Cook Caramel Pastry Cream

(Check out my caramel pastry cream recipe for more tips on making this pastry cream.)

1. Boil milk and caramel. Measure the milk into a pot and stir in the vanilla extract and the reserved caramel. If the caramel is cold when you add it, stir the mixture every minute or so until it combines with the milk. Bring the mixture close to a boil.

2. Prep yolks. While the milk is heating, whisk the yolks in a large bowl, then stir in the cornstarch and the sugar. Set aside.

3. Temper eggs. When the milk and caramel mixture is close to boiling, remove it from the heat. Gradually pour a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, constantly whisking to prevent the yolks from curdling. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times until you’ve incorporated all the milk. Keep stirring throughout.

4. Cook until thick and bubbly. Return the combined mixture to the pot you used for the milk. Cook it over low or medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and starts to bubble. This typically takes 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the pot and heat intensity. Avoid rushing the process to prevent the yolks from curdling.
5. Take off the heat and whisk. Once the mixture is thick, remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking for about a minute, bringing the mixture past the point of maximum thickness.
6. Stir in butter. Add the butter to the pot and stir until it melts and integrates into the cream.

7. Taste test. Sample the cream (be cautious; it’s hot) and add more sugar, vanilla extract, or salt if necessary.
8. (Optional) Strain. If you’re worried about any curdled egg yolk or crystalized sugar from the caramel, now’s the time to get rid of them.
9. Cover and chill. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming. Leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to cool slightly. Refrigerate if you’re not going to use it soon.

Step 3: Make and Bake Eclairs

(Read my articles on choux pastry and eclairs for more tips.)

1. Preheat Oven. Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).
2. Melt Butter and Bring to a Boil. In a pot, combine butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar, then bring the mixture to a boil, ensuring the butter is fully melted.

3. Add Flour. Take the pot off the heat, add all the flour to the mixture at once, and stir until it roughly combines. Bring the pot back to the stove and continue stirring with a spoon over low heat. The dough will thicken and clump quickly, but you should continue stirring the mixture for 2-3 minutes, ensuring all the flour is incorporated and no white floury spots are inside. While stirring, scrape the dough from the sides and bottom to prevent sticking. After 2-3 minutes, the dough should be glossy and easy to detach from the pot, and a thin layer, or film, should form on the bottom.

4. Transfer. Move the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Spreading it across the bowl can speed up cooling.

5. Prepare Eggs. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk them.

6. Make Dough. Once the dough has cooled slightly, start mixing it with a hand mixer at medium speed. After 20-30 seconds of mixing, add half the eggs to the dough and mix until incorporated. Repeat by adding half of the leftover egg mixture. Now it’s time to get the dough to the right consistency: you want it thick enough to hold its shape but still pipeable. The V-Shape test is the best way to check for that: Dip your mixer whisks or spatula into the dough and lift it. The dough should slowly fall off, eventually leaving a piece of dough hanging that forms a characteristic ‘V’ shape or a triangle at the end of the whisk or spatula. If the dough is not there yet, continue adding the eggs bit by bit and checking the consistency.

7. Prepare Baking Tray. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If you could use a guide for piping, draw straight 4- to 5-inch long lines (or 2.5- to 3-inch ones for mini eclairs) on the underside of the parchment paper as a guide, spaced about 2 inches apart. That will help you make the eclairs straight and of uniform length. Some baking mats already have the eclair shape on them, so consider buying one if you often bake eclairs.
8. Piping Prep. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. I use a Wilton 6B, which has an opening of approximately 15mm in diameter (a bit more than half an inch). Alternatively, use a plastic food bag with a corner cut off.
9. Pipe. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking tray, forming strips about an inch wide and 4-5 inches long (or 2.5 to 3 inches for mini eclairs), leaving more than an inch of space between each strip to allow for expansion. Hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle and pipe the eclair in one slow and smooth action. If the end of the eclair has an irregular shape that bothers you, you can smooth it out using wet fingers.

10. Bake. Place the tray in the preheated oven, then immediately reduce the temperature to 356°F (180°C). Bake for 40 minutes (30 to 35 for mini eclairs). Open the door a tiny bit (and leave them open) for the last 5 minutes for any buildup steam to escape. If the eclairs start to brown before the 35-minute (25- for minis) mark, lower the temperature to 320°F (or 160°C).

Step 4: Combine

1. Prep eclairs for piping. Grab a small round piping tip and gently poke three holes (two for minis) in the bottom of each eclair, ensuring the hole is large enough for the piping tip to fit. Alternatively, you could make similar holes using a paring knife. These holes will help us pipe the filling inside the eclairs. If you prefer, you can slice each eclair in half horizontally using a serrated knife, creating a top and a bottom.

2. Whisk pastry cream. If it’s been refrigerated, the pastry cream will have a stiff, pudding-like texture when removed from the fridge. This is normal, so don’t worry. To use it, start by “chopping” it up with a fork, then switch to a whisk and stir for a minute or two until it becomes smooth (ish). Once done, it’s ready for piping.

3. Pipe eclairs. Gently fill each eclair, stopping when the pastry cream starts coming out of other holes or through any cracks in the eclair.

4. Top with caramel sauce. Pour the remaining half of the caramel sauce into a bowl large enough to dunk the eclairs in, and dip the top of each eclair in the caramel, smoothing any excess with a finger if needed. If the caramel is too thick, warm it up slightly in a double boiler until it’s thin enough to use.

5. Serve or refrigerate.

Variations

This caramel eclairs recipe calls for caramel in both the filling and topping, which is one way to go about it.

If you’re looking for an alternative, pair the caramel sauce we use as a topping with a different pastry cream. Some options that should work great are:

• Plain vanilla pastry cream.
• Chocolate pastry cream.
• Coffee pastry cream.

Another option is to use the caramel pastry cream but change the topping to chocolate ganache or whipped cream.

Storage

You can store these eclairs in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is sealed tightly so they don’t absorb any smells. Also, remember that they’ll soften over time and might be a bit soggy around day 4.

Sharing is caring!