Homemade Eclairs Recipe

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These eclairs may look fancy, but they’re actually quite doable—even if it’s your first time working with choux pastry.

This base recipe walks you through every step, shows three ways to fill them, and shares key tips I’ve picked up after baking 20+ batches.

If you’re already an eclair pro, feel free to jump to whatever section you need.

Recipe Info

This recipe:

• Is a classic yet approachable bake. You’ll master a key French pastry—choux pastry—that you can then use in eclairs, cream puffs, and many other pastries.
• Uses just a handful of pantry staples. All you need are water, milk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and salt—no exotic ingredients required.
• Is easily adaptable. Swap in pastry cream, custard, fruit curds, or any other filling you love, then finish with chocolate ganache or a dusting of powdered sugar. One shell, endless filling options.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

Choux Pastry

• Water and milk: Full-fat milk works best, but skim will work in a pinch.
• White bread flour: This flour is ideal for making eclairs with the fewest holes. All-purpose flour is a decent alternative, but you might have a few leaks when piping the cream. It’s not a big deal, but not ideal either. Use white bread flour if possible.
• Unsalted butter.
• Eggs.
• Salt and sugar: Sugar alternatives are perfectly fine.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• Heavy cream.
• Powdered sugar.
• Vanilla extract. For extra flavor.
• Powdered gelatin. Gelatin stabilizes the whipped cream so that it doesn’t get watery or lose form in storage.

How to Make Eclairs

Here’s a detailed, step-by-step description of making eclairs.

Step 1: Make Choux Pastry

(Check out our guide to choux pastry for more tips!)

1. Preheat the oven. Begin by preheating 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. Stir in the flour. Pour all the flour into the boiling mixture at once, and stir vigorously with a spoon over low heat. It will thicken and combine quickly, but continue stirring the mixture for 3-4 minutes (set a timer). While stirring, scrape the dough from the sides and bottom to prevent it from sticking. After 4 minutes, the dough should be glossy and should easily detach from the pot.

4. Transfer. Move the dough to a mixing bowl, spread it and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

5. Prepare the eggs. Break the eggs into a separate bowl.

6. Make the 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.

Step 2: Pipe and Bake Eclairs

1. Prepare the baking tray. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a perforated baking mat (my favorite). Grease the tray beforehand if using a perforated mat.
2. Get ready for piping. 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. The eclairs won’t look as elegant, but they will taste just as delicious.
3. Pipe. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking tray, forming strips about an inch wide and 4-5 inches long (or 3 inches for mini eclairs). Leave about 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. Use a wet finger to smooth out the tip at the end of the eclair.

4. Brush with melted butter. Brush each piped eclair with a bit of melted butter so they expand better.
5. Bake. Place the tray of eclairs in the oven and reduce the temperature immediately to 356°F (180°C). After 30 minutes, check the tops; if they seem brownish and you’re worried they might burn, lower the temperature to 320°F (160°C). At 35 minutes, if not already lowered, reduce the temperature to 320°F (160°C) and slightly open the oven door by placing an oven mitt in the gap. After 40 minutes total, remove the eclairs from the oven. If baking mini eclairs, reduce all times by 5 minutes (check at 25, adjust at 30, and remove at 35).

Step 3: Make Whipped Cream

(Skip this section if you’re making a different filling.)

1. Bloom gelatin. About 10 minutes before you plan to whip the cream, mix powdered gelatin with cold water in a small bowl. You’ll need three times the volume of water to gelatin, or five times the weight of water to gelatin. A simple conversion is using a tablespoon of water for every teaspoon of gelatin.

2. Melt gelatin. Warm the gelatin in the microwave, using short bursts and stirring in between, or over a hot water bath.
3. Temper. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream into the melted gelatin, stirring thoroughly. If the gelatin begins to set too quickly because it cools down, reheat it slightly to keep the mixture liquid and curd-free. I typically keep the gelatin warm in a hot water bath while incorporating the cold cream to prevent it from setting.

4. Whip cream to soft peaks. Pour cold heavy cream into a bowl, add vanilla extract and powdered sugar, then whip to soft peaks. The mixture should double in volume, and the whisks should start leaving a trail behind them.
5. Add gelatin. Once the gelatin is liquid and the whipped cream has doubled in volume, slowly pour the mixture into the cream while whipping.

6. Whip to firm(-ish) peaks. Continue whipping the cream with the gelatin to reach firm peaks. Sometimes, the cream might not achieve firm peaks due to the added water from the gelatin. In such cases, aim for a slightly softer peak and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before piping so it firms up. Stop whipping it the mixture starts to curdle.

Step 4: Combine & Serve

1. Cool the eclairs. After baking, remove the eclairs from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
2. Slice. Carefully slice the eclairs horizontally to create a top and bottom.

3. Fill. Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag with the desired tip, or continue using the cut plastic bag. Pipe the whipped cream (or any other filling you prefer) onto the bottom halves of the eclairs, adding as much as you like. Feel free to be generous if you love the filling. Then, gently place the top halves of the eclairs onto the filled bottoms.

4. Top the eclairs. While traditional eclairs are topped with chocolate ganache, a simple dusting of powdered sugar is an easy alternative. Feel free to experiment with different toppings.

5. Serve. Serve the eclairs immediately after preparing them.

Baking Instructions

In case the instructions in the writeup are not super clear, here’s a timeline of baking eclairs. Reduce each time by 5 minutes if baking mini eclairs:

Tips

• Choose the best tip for the job. The best option for a piping tip for eclairs is a French star tip (with fine, closely spaced teeth). Something like Ateco 869 or Wilton 6B (that I use). It helps eclairs bake with more even expansion and reduces cracking since the ridges allow steam to escape more evenly. If you don’t have one, a large round tip or even a plastic food bag with a corner cut off are both good alternatives. The downside? The eclairs are more prone to cracking or uneven expansion compared to ridged éclairs.
• Use guides for uniform eclairs. To ensure your éclairs are straight and evenly sized, draw 2- to 3-inch-long lines on the underside of your parchment paper, spaced about 2 inches apart. These lines serve as a piping guide, helping you maintain consistency. If you’re in the market for a perforated baking mat, some already have éclair shapes printed on them for even easier piping.
• Use a perforated baking mat (if you have one). For the crispest, most evenly baked éclairs, a perforated silicone mat can’t be beaten—those tiny holes let air circulate underneath, helping moisture escape and ensuring flat bottoms. If you don’t have one, parchment paper is still a decent option, but the results won’t be as crisp or uniform. If you get into eclairs and want to step up your game, a replacing patchment with a perforated mat (affiliate link) will do just that.

How to Fill Eclairs

There are three basic ways to fill eclairs, and you choose one based on what makes the most sense for the filling you’re using and the equipment you’ve got.

Bottom-Filled

This is my go-to method whenever I’m using pastry cream (here’s my list of pastry cream flavors). It produces gorgeous, patisserie-worthy eclairs, especially if you finish them with ganache or a thick glaze.

This technique works best for thick, stable fillings that won’t leak out through the bottom. Here’s how to do it:

1. Make the holes. Use a small, round piping tip to gently poke three holes (two for minis) in the bottom of each eclair. Make sure each hole is large enough for your piping tip to fit. Alternatively, you can use a paring knife to create similar holes or cut a small “X” where you plan to insert the tip.
2. Fill the eclair. Insert the tip of your piping bag (I prefer a piping syringe for this) and fill the eclair through the holes. Stop as soon as you see the filling coming out through the other holes, and the eclair is nice and heavy.
3. Clean any excess. If a bit of filling oozes out, gently wipe it away.

Cut and Filled

This method is great if you:

• Plan to use multiple fillings in a single eclair
• Want to add a lot of cream—more than a bottom-filled eclair could handle
• Have a less-thick filling and worry it might leak out through the bottom

Here’s how it works:

1. Cut off the top. Slice the top off each eclair. Keep each top close to its matching bottom so you don’t end up struggling to match them later.
2. Fill the eclair. Pipe in your filling (or fillings), being as generous as you like.
3. Replace the tops.

The only drawback is that grabbing and dipping these tops in glaze or ganache is not nearly as simple as dipping a whole, intact eclair. It’s not an issue if you’re finishing yours with powdered sugar or piping something on top, though.

Side-Filled

This approach is a decent option if your filling isn’t super thick and you’re worried about leakage, but you still want to keep the eclair intact. Here’s how:

1. Choose a piping tip. Go for a long, narrow tip—like a Bismarck tip—that can pierce the pastry without cracking or crumbling it.
2. Pierce the eclair. Gently insert the tip into one end of the eclair shell, applying just enough pressure to penetrate without breaking the pastry.
3. Fill cautiously. Slowly pipe in the filling until the shell begins to expand or you feel it pushing back against the tip. Both are signs that the eclair is full.
4. Clean any excess. If any filling seeps out of the hole, wipe it off gently.

Eclair Recipes Published

Here’s a list of eclair recipes we’ve already published:

• Blueberry eclairs
• Caramel eclairs
• Dulce de leche eclairs
• Ginger cinnamon eclairs
• Lemon meringue eclairs
• Pistachio eclairs
• Pumpkin eclairs

And if you’re looking for even more eclair fillings, here’s a handy list of eclair filling ideas.

Storage

Seal the filled eclairs tightly and store them in the fridge, where they will remain fresh for 3 to 4 days. Note that some creams, such as whipped cream, tend to weep or become watery after a day or two, so the eclairs may become soggy over time.

Like most desserts, eclairs are best when served on the day they are made.

If you need to prepare them in advance, bake the eclairs a day before and store them (uncut) in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to fill them.

Eclairs

Ready to indulge in a delightfully simple yet customizable baking adventure? Dive into our eclair recipe that blends ease with elegance, perfect for both novice and seasoned bakers!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Homemade Eclairs Recipe: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Choux Pastry, Classic French Dessert, Pastry, Pâte à Choux

Servings: 12 eclairs

Author: Marcin Skrzypiec

Equipment

• Hand mixer
• Perforated baking mat

Ingredients

Choux Pastry:

• ¼ cup water ~60 g
• ¼ cup milk ~60g
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
• 2½ oz white bread flour ~70g
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1¼ tsp sugar
• 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking

Whipped Cream:

• 1 cups  heavy whipping cream chilled, 240g
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
• 1  tsp gelatin
• 1 tbsp water cold

Instructions

Choux Pastry:

• Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 390°F (~200°C).
• Butter & Water Mix: In a pot, mix butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, ensuring the butter melts completely.
  ¼ cup water, ¼ cup milk, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ tsp salt, 1¼ tsp sugar
• Add Flour: Quickly stir in all the flour to the boiling mix, and keep stirring for 3-4 minutes on low heat until the dough is glossy and detaches easily from the pot.
  2½ oz white bread flour
• Cool Dough: Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes to prevent eggs from cooking upon addition.
• Egg Incorporation: Crack eggs separately, then add them one by one to the cooled dough, mixing continuously until the dough is thick and sticky.
  2 large eggs

Pipe & Bake:

• Line Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment, a silicone mat, or a perforated mat. Grease the tray beforehand if using a perforated mat.
• Dough in Piping Bag: Fill a piping bag, fitted with a large tip, with the choux pastry dough.
• Piping Eclairs: Pipe strips of dough onto the parchment paper or baking mat. Each should be about an inch wide and 4-5 inches long (for regular eclairs) or up to 3 inches long (for mini eclairs). Make sure there's an inch of space between each strip.
• Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 40 minutes (35 minutes for minis), reducing the temperature if the eclairs start to brown prematurely, and open the oven door slightly for the last 5 minutes to release steam.

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

• Bloom Gelatin: Mix powdered gelatin with cold water in a small bowl. Use 1 tablespoon of water for every teaspoon of gelatin. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to bloom.
  1  tsp gelatin, 1 tbsp water
• Temper Gelatin: Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream into the melted gelatin until smooth. If the mixture starts to set too quickly, gently reheat it in a double boiler to keep it liquid.
• Whip Cream to Soft Peaks: Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it doubles in volume and the whisks start leaving a trail behind them.
  1 cups  heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup powdered sugar
• Add Gelatin Mixture: When the whipped cream has doubled in volume, slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the cream while continuing to whip.
• Whip to Stiff Peaks: Whip the cream until it forms firm peaks. If the cream doesn't reach firm peaks due to the added water, aim for slightly softer peaks—they will firm up as the mixture sets. Stop whipping immediately if it starts to curdle.

Combine & Serve:

• Cooling Eclairs: Allow the baked eclairs to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Slicing: Carefully slice each eclair horizontally to create top and bottom halves.
• Filling: Using a piping bag, fill the bottom halves of the eclairs with the whipped cream or your chosen filling.
• Top & Finish: Place the tops back on, and finish with a topping of your choice, like chocolate ganache or a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Ready to Serve: Enjoy the eclairs immediately after assembly for best texture and taste.

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