diff --git a/.changeset/famous-dodos-exercise.md b/.changeset/famous-dodos-exercise.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aa7906a10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/famous-dodos-exercise.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"create-eth": patch
+---
+
+Template for externalContracts.ts
diff --git a/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts b/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index ab6daa86d..000000000
--- a/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-import { GenericContractsDeclaration } from "~~/utils/scaffold-eth/contract";
-
-/**
- * @example
- * const externalContracts = {
- *   1: {
- *     DAI: {
- *       address: "0x...",
- *       abi: [...],
- *     },
- *   },
- * } as const;
- */
-const externalContracts = {} as const;
-
-export default externalContracts satisfies GenericContractsDeclaration;
diff --git a/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts.template.mjs b/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts.template.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a82813c39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/base/packages/nextjs/contracts/externalContracts.ts.template.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { withDefaults } from '../../../../utils.js'
+
+const contents = ({ externalContracts }) =>
+`import { GenericContractsDeclaration } from "~~/utils/scaffold-eth/contract";
+
+/**
+ * @example
+ * const externalContracts = {
+ *   1: {
+ *     DAI: {
+ *       address: "0x...",
+ *       abi: [...],
+ *     },
+ *   },
+ * } as const;
+ */
+const externalContracts = ${JSON.stringify(externalContracts[0])} as const;
+
+export default externalContracts satisfies GenericContractsDeclaration;
+`
+
+export default withDefaults(contents, {
+    externalContracts: {}
+})