Home » Recipes » Holidays » Creamy Lemon Eclairs

Creamy Lemon Eclairs

Name: Creamy Lemon Eclairs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/3 cup water; 1/3 cup milk; 1/4 cup butter; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 2/3 cup flour; 3 eggs one at a time; 1 cup Lemon Creme pie filling, about 10oz; 1 fresh lemon juice and zest; 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 1/4 cup chocolate chips, milk or semi sweet, which ever you prefer; 2 Tbs whipping cream

BY:

Rachel

April 18, 2019

6 comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

Creamy Lemon Eclairs – Light, airy eclairs filled with a simple lemon cream filling, topped with an easy chocolate ganache. The perfect spring and summer dessert!

Easy Lemon Cream Eclairs | Kitchen Cents

Lemon eclairs bring a fun, bright twist on the divine classic. Filled with a simple 3-ingredient lemon cream filling, these creamy lemon eclairs are an easy spring dessert all lemon lovers will enjoy. Bring the sunshine to your Easter brunch or next BBQ with these scrumptious lemon eclairs. Sweet, tart, creamy and topped with chocolate, this lemon eclair recipe will win you over with one bite!

I’m a sucker for lemon desserts and these a-mazing lemon eclairs are no exception. They are amazing and I’d eat a whole batch myself if my waistline would allow it.

Why You’ll Love This Eclairs Recipe:

Elegant enough to serve at a fancy dinner party
Light, airy and refreshing with bursts of lemon flavor
Easy to make which means you can make them for your next family gathering, Easter brunch dessert or BBQ
Everyone loves them
You can make them large and amazing or mini and bite-sized
Make a batch in under an hour

If these aren’t enough to try this recipe, maybe try one of these easy desserts. But in all seriousness, if you’re a fan of lemon and eclairs you’re going to L-O-V-E this recipe! You can just skip to printing the full recipe, pinning it on Pinterest and sharing it on Facebook. 😉

SIMPLE LEMON CREAM

3 ingredients is all you’ll need for this simple lemon filling. The lemon cream makes this recipe so good. You’d have never known it was only 3 ingredients if you didn’t make it yourself. Also, it only takes 5 minutes or less to whip up. Yaaay! Here’s what you’ll need:

lemon creme (you can find this in most grocery stores in the baking aisle by the pie fillings).
fresh lemon (juice and zest)
heavy whipping cream

You can check out a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this simple lemon cream filling HERE.

LIGHT, AIRY SHELL (PATE DE CHOUX)

The Pate De Choux shell is the sign of any good eclair or cream puff. It’s a dough that when baked, creates a light, crisp shell that is hollow inside. That hollow center is what makes these so perfect to fill with lemon cream filling.

HOW MUCH DO THESE LEMON ECLAIRS COST TO MAKE? PRICE CHECK ($):

Everyone who tries these Creamy Lemon Eclairs will love them. You’re going to love them even more when you see how inexpensive they are to make. Check out my price check below.

Prices for supplies may vary depending on location and store you purchase groceries from. I try to shop bulk food stores, use coupons, watch ads and shop sales (like case lot), buy supplies in bulk to save money in the long run and use homegrown produce and herbs when available. These are great ways to stay within my grocery budget without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.

Here’s my ingredient list and cost for this recipe:

Pate de Choux (Eclair Shells):

Milk -$0.05
Water – $0.00
Butter – $0.25
Salt – >$0.01
Sugar – >$0.01
Flour – $0.06
Eggs – $0.36

My total cost for 12 4-5 inch long shells was $0.73.

EASY Lemon Cream Filling –

Lemon Creme (about 10oz) – $1.25
Fresh lemon (juice and zest) – $0.49
Heavy whipping cream – $0.92

The total cost for this easy lemon cream filling was about $2.66.

Simple Chocolate Ganache –

Chocolate chips – $0.28
whipping cream – $0.12

The total cost for this simple chocolate ganache was about $0.40.

This lemon eclairs recipe will make about 12 4-5 inch long eclairs. They are a perfect dessert to share in a variety of settings. These sweet, tart lemon cream eclairs are elegant enough to serve at a wedding or dinner parties and easy enough to make and take to a family get together, BBQs or share with neighbors as a Welcome Spring! (or summer) treat.

This recipe cost me a total of $3.79 which breaks down to only 32¢ each. So worth every penny!

Here’s the full printable recipe. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Creamy Lemon Eclairs

Yield: 12 4-5 inch eclairs

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Light, airy eclairs filled with a simple lemon cream filling, topped with an easy chocolate ganache. A perfect lemon dessert!

Ingredients

Shells (Pate a Choux):

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs one at a time

Easy Lemon Cream Filling:

1 cup Lemon Creme pie filling, about 10oz
1 fresh lemon juice and zest
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Simple Chocolate Ganache:

1/4 cup chocolate chips, milk or semi sweet, which ever you prefer
2 Tbs whipping cream

Instructions

Shells (Pate a Choux):

In a large saucepan bring to boil, water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar.
Once butter is melted, reduce heat to low, add flour, and stir vigorously.
Remove from heat. Let cool to 125-135 degrees (hot to the touch but not burning).
Add eggs, one at a time. Incorporate completely before adding the next egg. Mixture should be a soft paste that will still hold its shape.
Using a plastic piping coupler or piping tip of your choice (large opening) and Ziploc bag. Pipe 12 3-4 inch logs of paste onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Shells will puff to be about 4-5 inches long).
Bake at 425°F 15 minutes then REDUCE the heat to 375 for 12-14 minutes until the shell is golden brown and hollow inside.
Cool completely before filling.

Easy Lemon Cream Filling:

In a bowl, add lemon creme filling, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Blend until fully incorporated.
In a large bowl, whip heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Do not over whip or it will turn into butter.
Fold in lemon mixture.

Simple Chocolate Ganache:

In a microwave safe bowl, mix chocolate chips and whipping cream. Heat chocolate mixture for 30 seconds at a time (may have to be heated twice). Stir between heating sessions until chocolate and cream are fully incorporated.

Finishing Eclairs:

Using a bag with round piping tip, carefully insert tip into cooled shell. Fill slowly until shell is full.
Dip top of filled shells into chocolate ganache. Place in fridge to help chocolate set.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Notes

Best if served fresh but can be frozen for later enjoyment. If frozen, allow lemon eclairs to come to room temperature before serving.
Use a wet butter knife to cut the paste after every log is made or wet your finger and pat any peaks that may have formed before baking.
This recipe can easily be doubled. Shells will have to be baked in two sessions. Lemon creme comes in a 21oz can which makes doubling very easy and worthwhile if you don't have another recipe to use leftover lemon filling.