Easy Churros Recipe
Churros are a classic street food popular in most Spanish-speaking countries. Sweet dough is piped into hot oil and fried to flaky, warm perfection. Dip them in chocolate sauce or dust them with cinnamon sugar for soul-satisfying goodness.
My first trip to Mexico was super exciting. So many flavors! The freshly made churros they sell on almost every street corner were irresistible. Something about cinnamon makes sweets even better.
And you know me! I had to learn how to make easy churros as soon as I got back in my own kitchen.
What Are Churros?
A versatile choux pastry dough with butter, water, flour, and eggs adapts easily to churros. And that makes sense since churros are originally from Spain, France’s neighbor. Beignets, éclairs, and crullers are delicious examples.
For a churro recipe, you simply pipe the dough into hot oil. The spongy, soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture is addictive, especially when coated in cinnamon sugar or dipped in chocolate.
How to Make Churros
Make the Dough
- Cinnamon Sugar: Combine ½ cup sugar with ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Prep Plate: Line a plate with paper towels.
- Make the Batter: In a medium saucepan, heat the water, sugar, butter, and salt over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, quickly remove the saucepan from the heat, and whisk in the flour. (Photos 1-3)
- Cool: Continue mixing with a whisk or wooden spoon until it forms a soft ball. Then, let it cool for 2-3 minutes. (Photo 4)
- Blend: Add eggs and vanilla to the flour mixture. Combine the ingredients with an electric mixer. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture starts breaking apart; just keep mixing until the dough is thoroughly combined and smooth. (Photos 5-6)
Fry It
- Fill Pastry Bag: Put the dough into a pastry bag with a star tip and push it down to the tip. A Ziploc or sandwich bag with a fold-over top works well if you don’t have a pastry bag. Place the dough into the bag, push it down to one corner, and cut a small hole. (Photo 8)
- Heat 3-4 inches of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high until it reaches 375℉ (190℃).
- Pipe: Holding the pastry bag a few inches above the hot oil, carefully pipe churros in long, 4-5 inch ropes directly into the oil. Using kitchen scissors to cut them with one hand is easier than using a knife to cut the ropes. Be careful when piping the churros so they don’t splatter. (Photo 9)
- Fry: Add 3-4 churros, depending on the size of your frying pan. Please don’t overcrowd the pan because it will cool the oil too quickly and make soggy churros. Fry them for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve: Remove the cooked churros with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper-towel-lined plate. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining churro dough.
- Chocolate Sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk the chocolate, cream, and vanilla until the chocolate is melted and smooth (3-5 minutes). Serve warm with churros. (Photos 1-2)
Recipe Tips
- The right temperature. Make sure your oil is hot enough to fry them quickly and not absorb excess oil. But you don’t want it so hot it burns your churros before cooking through. 375℉ (190℃) works best for me.
- Have fun with different shapes. Pipe the dough in circles like they do in Guatemala or create art in the pan.
- Roll your cooked churros in cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm so it sticks better.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
While churros are best fresh, you can definitely make the batter ahead. It freezes well for 2-3 months or refrigerates for 3-4 days. Thaw if frozen, then fry away.
Leftovers freeze well for future serving. Just place them on a baking sheet and put them into the freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer-friendly container.
Reheat them on a baking sheet in a 400℉ (205) for 4-5 minutes or until heated and toasty.
What to Dip Your Churros In
Give me a cup of hot coffee, and I’m a happy camper. But playing with different dipping sauces is a blast. Cream cheese dip, rum sauce, and caramel sauce are all excellent options.
More Fried Snacks to Explore
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”vVWNFUSf” upload-date=”2020-09-06T04:00:00.000Z” name=”Easy Churros Recipe” description=”Easy Churros Recipe – classic Mexican snack or dessert treats made with piped dough and fried to flaky warm perfection. These are crispy on the outside and light soft on the inside. Coat it in cinnamon sugar then dip in chocolate sauce and you’ll have one irresistible snack bites! ” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
Easy Churros
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- ½ cup (100g) white sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
Churros
- 1½ cup (355ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (36g) white sugar
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) salt
- 1½ cup (180g) all-purpose flour
- 2-3 large eggs (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1-2 quarts (.75-1.9l) oil for frying
Chocolate Sauce
- 1 cup (150g) chocolate, cut into chunks (semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or a mix of both)
- ⅓ cup (80g) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon (2-3ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar
- Combine ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
Churros
- Line a plate with paper towels.
- Heat water, sugar, butter, and salt over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil, then quickly remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the flour and continue mixing with a whisk or wooden spoon until it forms a soft ball. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Leave it in the saucepan or transfer to a bowl if the saucepan isn't large enough.
- Add eggs and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer. Don't be alarmed if the mixture starts to break apart. Keep mixing until smooth.
- Heat 3-4 inches of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 375℉ (190℃).
- Put the dough into a piping bag with a star tip. Push the dough down to the tip. (If you don't have a piping bag, put the dough in a ziplock or sandwich bag with a fold-over top and cut off a small part of one on the bottom corners. Push the dough to that corner.)
- Holding the piping bag a few inches above the oil, carefully pipe the churro dough into ropes 4-5 inches long directly into the oil. Cut the ropes with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife. Be careful because you don't want the oil to splatter as they fall.
- Add 3-4 churros, depending on the size of your pot and the amount of oil. You don't want to overcrowd the pan, or it will lower the oil temperature too much, resulting in greasy churros. Let them fry for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the churros and place them on the paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Chocolate Sauce
- Whisk chocolate, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat until the chocolate melts and becomes smooth, 3-5 minutes. Serve warm with the fresh churros.
Tips & Notes:
- For a lighter texture, add 3 eggs
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I just wanted to know how many churros can this recipe make?
Hi, Naomi. That depends though. But I had around 15-17 shorter churros using this recipe.
Why did my churros where gooey in the middle? Should have used 3 eggs? I only used 2 🙁 I did the right temperature and all. Maybe to thick? Should they be skinny?
Hi, Nade. Two reasons I could think of is probably your oil is not that hot (I highly recommend investing on a thermometer) Or could be that your churros are too thick. A 1/2 inch in diameter churro should be in the hot oil for 5 minutes.
Can you please advise on the piping tip you used?
1/4 star tip or larger for bigger churros .
My girls love getting these from the malls so decided to try this today with my family, absolutely loved it,this is our go to snack from now on, don’t see ourself getting these from the mall again.
Wonderful . Happy to hear it worked out .
These turned out absolutely amazing! Flaky on the outside and melt in your mouth light on the inside. Everyone went back for seconds and one case thirds lol. These will probably be done by tomorrow. I’m storing at room temp hoping they will keep their consistency.
Hi Rhea! This is definitely a crowd-pleaser 🙂 ! I hardly have any leftovers at all. So glad this was a hit. Thanks for the feedback!
You said white sugar, do you mean icing sugar or caster sugar or granulated sugar?
Granulated Sugar 🙂
What an excellent recipe!
I made this today for my family & it did not disappoint!
Thanks for sharing.
Great! So happy to hear it worked out well for you and family. Thanks for the feedback.
Can I use a whisk if I do not have an electric mixer to mix the batter
You could try, if you have a sturdy whisk. I found it it very hard to use.
What is the yellow “dipping sauce” in the other dish next to the chocolate sauce sauce dish in the photograph??
It’s caramel sauce .