How To Make Air Fryer Eclairs

A healthier eclair but same flavour

Happy New Year my lovely people! It has been way too long! I took a very long break from blogging, but I am so happy to be back. In this post I am going to show you how to make air fryer eclairs from scratch. Eclairs can seem like a rather difficult dessert/pastry to master, but once you get the hang of it, it is so simple. I’m sure all chefs and bakers say that, but this time it is really very easy.

I will break down each step in this post so you have a clear idea of how this process works. I do have other eclair recipes that involve the oven if you would like to check them out here. Eclairs are a French pastry that is essentially made using butter, water, flour and eggs. The method is where the slightly challenging part comes in, but I have faith in you! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Sometimes I don’t check my DM’s so a comment is much quicker to get a response.

Bon Apetit,

Zorah

How to make air fryer eclairs troubleshooting

Bringing the water and butter to a slow boil: This is very important because it will start off the process of your eclair making. The butter needs to be fully melted into the water, but it should not be a lukewarm temperature. Ideally, you want o see small bubbles on the edges and a lot of steam coming off the top of the pot. A little bit of foam will also collect, that is from the butter. This is the ideal point where you should add in the flour.

Adding the flour into the pot: The most crucial step of the process. The flour needs to be cooked through when you add it into the butter mixture. So just as you are about to add in the flour, set the heat to low (the butter should be melting at a low to medium heat). Once the flour and salt are added in, use a wooden spoon to stir vigorously. You should do this for about 3-5 minutes. Once the batter pulls away from the pot and all the flour pockets are gone you can move on to the next step.

Cooling the batter and adding the eggs: I like to place my batter into a mixer and attach a creaming tool and mixing on a low speed. This helps the cooling down process and you will see a lot of steam coming out. Once the bowl is cool to the touch, you can start adding your eggs once at a time. Do not add in the eggs if the batter is still hot. This will cook the eggs.

How to air fry the eclairs correctly

Air frying: Set the air fryer to 180C and bake the eclairs for 15 minutes. I find that the eclairs tend to lose their shape in the air fryer sometimes, so make sure you pipe a nice thick amount. I use a thick star nozzle and pipe it on to baking paper, and then carefully transfer it to the air fryer.

Storage:

Eclairs should be kept in an air tight container after the filling and chocolate has been added. Place in the fridge as the cream will go off if it stands out too long. They will keep for up to 4-5 days.