Strawberry Eclairs Recipe

Strawberry Eclairs are a delicious treat filled with homemade strawberry custard, made with real strawberries, and topped with white chocolate. They only take a few minutes to bake, and you can serve these for breakfast or dessert. You can change the pastry cream and the topping as you like, playing with different flavors. These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, along with our VIRAL and FAMOUS Best Strawberry Poke Cake!

A French pastry chef, Marie Antoine Careme, was the first to make these delicious pastries while working for French royalty in the 1800s. He is also known for the Napolean and Charlotte cakes. However, the first recipe showed up in 1884 in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. 

Ingredients needed:

Strawberry filling:

Use our homemade strawberry custard recipe, described below, or this delicious strawberry curd recipe.

• Finely diced strawberries: You want to chop them really small, so they blend well.
• Butter: Cold unsalted butter is what we used.
• Granulated sugar: You need granulated white sugar for the right consistency.
• Large egg yolks: They need to be warmed to room temperature.
• Vanilla extract: Use 100% real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Whole milk: Low-fat, soy, or almond milk will work fine.
• Heavy cream: To make the whipped cream.
• Pinch of fine sea salt: Omit this if you use salted butter.
• Cornstarch: Mixed with water to thicken the filling.
• Water: To make a cornstarch slurry.

Pastry dough:

• All-purpose flour: Make sure you use the spoon and level measuring technique. Do not scoop.
• Eggs: At room temperature for better blending.
• Granulated sugar: Granulated white sugar works best.
• Unsalted butter: Let it soften to room temperature for easier blending.
• Water: Water helps activate the gluten in the dough and makes it easier to shape.
• Salt: Again, leave this out if you use salted butter.

Egg wash:

• Egg: Warmed to room temperature.
• Water: At room temperature.

Chocolate topping:

• White chocolate
• Pink food coloring

How to make strawberry eclairs from scratch?

Strawberry filling:

1. Prep strawberries: First, mix diced strawberries with two teaspoons of sugar in a small bowl and set aside. 
2. Heat the cream: Then, cook milk, heavy cream, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to simmer. Turn off the heat. 
3. Make soft peaks: Now, in a separate large bowl, beat sugar and egg yolks with your whisk attachment until you have soft peaks.
4. Add warm milk: A little at a time, pour the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. 
5. Make the slurry: Immediately, whisk cornstarch in water until dissolved. Then, add it to the custard mixture. 
6. Cook the custard: After, pour the custard back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for three to five minutes, until it is thick and glossy. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla, stir until the mixture is smooth before mixing in the diced strawberries.
7. Chill: Transfer the strawberry custard to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, so it touches the surface of the custard, chill until needed or at least a few hours

To make the chocolate-covered strawberry eclairs:

1. Preheat and prepare: To begin, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Boil the sugar water: In the meantime, bring the sugar, water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Then remove it from the heat.
3. Stir in the flour: Now, add all the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon for about a minute, until it is completely mixed. Then, return it to the heat and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
4. Mix it up: Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix at medium speed. Keep the mixer going while you add the eggs, one at a time, stopping after each egg is mixed to scrape the sides. Mix until glossy. 
5. Make the eclairs: After, spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and squeeze out the dough to about the size of jumbo hot dogs, onto the lined baking sheets. Leave two inches between them. 
6. Make the egg wash: Next, whisk the egg and water together in a medium bowl. Brush the surface of each eclair with egg wash and use your fingers to smooth out any bumps or points of dough.
7. Bake: Immediately, bake for 15 minutes, and then turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until puffy and lightly golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet.
8. Fill the eclairs: After they are completely dry, use a medium piping tip to make a hole at the end of each one. Then, fill a piping bag fitted with a medium plain tip to gently fill the eclairs. Do not stuff them full. 
9. Melt the chocolate: Last, melt chocolate in the microwave for about a minute in 30-second increments until it is smooth. Stir in the pink food coloring and then dip each filled eclair into the topping. 
10. Serve immediately: Finally, serve while still warm with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between eclairs and cream puffs?

It is mostly about the shape. An eclair is long and rectangular while a cream puff is round like a donut without a hole. Also, a traditional eclair is filled with custard and topped with chocolate, but cream puffs are usually filled with some kind of white cream and topped with powdered sugar.

What can I use instead of a piping bag?

You do not have to have a piping bag for this recipe. Just fill a resealable baggie with the dough or filling and cut off the tip. You can use a small baggie for a smaller hole and a large freezer bag for making large eclairs. Alternatively, try using a triangle of parchment or wax paper folded into a cone and taped. 

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dough and strawberry pastry cream several days before. Keep them in a sealed airtight container. Just remember to take them out of the fridge about three or four hours in advance so they can return to room temperature.

How to store leftovers:

• Store: You can store your leftover chocolate-covered strawberry eclairs in an airtight container for one to two days.
• Freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

More strawberry recipes to try: