“Authentic” Pistachio Eclairs Recipe

I’ve never had pistachio eclairs from a bakery even though I know they’re available. My friend Peter Swiek, founder of told me he tried them at a bakery outside DC one time. I had just made my churro eclairs and was excited to try another flavor combination. I researched a few methods for making pistachio pastry cream and found that recipes either used pistachio extract or pistachio paste. Given that I strain my pastry cream to ensure the texture is nice and silky, I decided to go with the extract. It also makes me calling the recipe “authentic” even funnier. These eclairs are great to serve for dessert when hosting friends for a casual dinner party. They also work well when bringing a dessert to a party or event where the food is served buffet style. The pistachio flavor is prevalent but not overpowering and the crunch from the pistachios on top makes for a delicious dessert.

Pistachio Pastry Cream Notes

The steps to making pistachio pastry cream are detailed here. I will say that its a good idea to let the pastry cream cook a little bit longer than you might otherwise let it. This is to ensure the pastry cream will still hold its shape when the sour cream is added. If it seems a little bit slack once its cooled off, don’t add the sour cream. The last thing you want is to have to reheat the pastry cream and add more cornstarch so that it thickens up enough to be piped.

Choux Pastry Notes

The specifics of making choux are detailed in one of my other posts. The description for making it here will be brief since the focus is on making pistachio eclairs. Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the middle of the oven. In a saucepan, heat the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture starts bubbling add the flour mixture and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon. The idea is to heat the flour and get rid of the raw flour taste. Continue to beat the mixture until the film that has formed on the bottom of the pan has reabsorbed into the mixture. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 30 seconds or so to cool the mixture down.

Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth. The mixture should hold the shape of a “V” when you remove the paddle attachment from the batter. You may not need to add the fifth egg, and you may need to add a sixth. If you’re not sure if your mixture is the right consistency, refer to my article on choux linked above with lots of pictures.

Choux Piping & Baking Notes

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a 1-1/2″ french star tip. Shake the bag a few times to remove any air bubbles. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe the eclairs. Holding the piping bag at a 45-degree angle with the piping tip on the parchment, pipe a 4-5″ long log. Repeat with the rest of the choux pastry until the baking tray is full. Leave an inch or two between logs. Dust the tops of the choux logs with powdered sugar or spray with cooking oil, like PAM. This will help the choux develop a nice crust while baking. Dip your fingers in water and press the edges of the logs back into the log.

Reduce the temperature in the oven to 375 degrees and add pans to the upper and lower racks of the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, poke a hole in the sides of all of the choux logs. Rotate the trays from top to bottom when placing them back in the oven. Bake for another five minutes. Turn the heat off on the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. This will allow the choux to cool slowly so that it doesn’t collapse. Remove from the oven after 15 minutes. Using a paring knife, poke three holes in the bottom of the choux logs. This will make filling the choux with pastry cream much easier.

Create the pistachio eclairs by filling the choux logs with the pastry cream. The eclairs should be filled but not bursting.

Pistachio Eclairs Icing and Assembly

Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Add a few tablespoons of milk and whisk to combine until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag and cut a 1/4″ hole in the bottom of the bag. Pipe the icing on top of the filled eclairs and sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top. Chill the pistachio eclairs in the fridge for 30 minutes and then serve. Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume them within three days.

Final Notes

If the pistachio eclairs recipe seems similar to the churro or pumpkin spice eclair recipe it’s because they’re all basically the same. The pastry cream and choux recipes are the same, you just have to adjust the ingredients in the pastry cream recipe. Making variations on eclairs is one of my favorite things to do. If you have a recommendation on what you’d like to see, let me know in the comments. I’m always looking to try new variations.