Homemade Churros Recipe
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Prepare to fall in love with these easy homemade churros. They’re fluffy on the inside and golden, crispy, and coated in cinnamon sugar on the outside. This Spanish dessert is ideal for sharing with friends and family on holidays or at everyday get-togethers. Just don’t forget the chocolate sauce on the side for dipping.
I’m pretty much a fan of any fried dough dessert out there. I love a classic beignet with a hot cup of coffee and a funnel cake when I’m craving a little childhood nostalgia. But these homemade churros? There’s nothing like the crunchy, warm, cinnamon-sugar-coated bites, especially with dulce de leche or chocolate sauce on the side.
What are Churros?
Churros are long sticks of fried dough made from pâte à choux, the same light, airy dough used to make éclairs and cream puffs. The dough is piped through a star-tip pastry bag, fried until perfectly golden, and then tossed in a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating.
To make fried churros from scratch, you need 30 minutes and a handful of simple ingredients that are likely already in your kitchen. You don’t need any fancy equipment or experience with deep-frying, either. I even included simple baking instructions if you prefer a lighter version that’s just as sweet and satisfying.
While this Spanish and Portuguese recipe is traditionally served for dessert with dipping sauces on the side, such as chocolate sauce or dulce de leche, it’s also a perfect sweet treat to make for any special occasion. Put out a plate of freshly fried churros for the Cinco de Mayo celebration or bring a batch to the birthday party. You also can’t go wrong enjoying one (or two) with your morning coffee.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Water – I use filtered water to form the base of the dough and dissolve the butter, salt, and vanilla. The moisture creates steam during frying, which gives churros their signature puff.
- Butter – The added richness from unsalted butter gives the churros their tender interior and golden brown exterior.
- Vanilla – I flavored the churro dough with a splash of vanilla extract. I highly recommend using high-quality, pure vanilla extract here, but imitation can be used as a substitute in a pinch.
- Salt – I add sea salt to the dough to help balance out the sweetness.
- Flour – Unbleached all-purpose flour is my go-to choice for homemade churros because it provides them with a perfect, tender structure. Avoid self-rising flour, which includes leavening agents we don’t need.
- Eggs – I add eggs to bind the dough together. Ensure your eggs are at room temperature, about 30 minutes ahead of time, for easier mixing.
- Cinnamon Sugar – This is the classic coating that makes churros so addictive. I use white granulated sugar and ground cinnamon, but if you’d like to switch it up, try substituting the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice to give the churros a fall-inspired twist.
- Oil – I fried the churros in canola oil, but any high-heat fryer oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil, also works well.
How to Make Churros
Heat: I start by preheating the oil in a deep fryer or a large, heavy-bottomed pot over low to medium heat until it reaches 350°F to 360°F (I use a thermometer for accuracy). This temperature will give you golden, crispy churros every time.
Boil: In a separate large pot, I bring the water, butter, vanilla, and salt to a boil.
Whisk: Then, I vigorously whisk in the flour.
Add the eggs: I take the pot off the heat and let the dough cool slightly before whisking in one egg at a time.
The Right Look: The dough will appear loose and glossy, but I continue whisking until it transforms into a thick, pipeable consistency.
Bag It: I transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (I use an 828 open star tip),
Pipe: Then, I carefully pipe 6-inch lengths directly into the hot oil, cutting each piece with kitchen scissors.
Fry: I fry the churros for 2 ½ to 3 minutes per side, or until they’re deeply golden brown and crisp on the outside. After frying, I place them on a wire rack over a sheet tray to drain the excess oil.
Coat: I stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then roll the warm churros in the mixture until they’re fully coated.
Dip it: I serve the churros right away with sweet dipping sauces.
Baking Instructions
To bake the churros instead, pipe the churro dough directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Switch the oven to broil on high until they’re golden and crisp on all sides. Once they’re out of the oven, brush the baked churros with a light layer of melted butter before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar.
Chef Tips + Notes
Don’t wait too long to fry the churros after mixing the dough. It will stiffen as it cools, making it much harder to pipe. Instead, pack the dough into your piping bag as soon as possible and get to work while the dough is still warm enough to pipe into perfectly shaped churros with those signature ridges.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot: I recommend frying the churros in batches to maintain the oil’s temperature. Overcrowding the fryer oil can cause a sudden drop in temperature, leading to greasy churros that have absorbed the oil instead of becoming crispy.
- Avoid raw centers: If your churros are golden on the outside but raw or doughy inside, the oil was likely too hot. Heat the oil between 350°F and 360°F, using a candy thermometer or instant thermometer to measure the temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, fry a test churro before the rest to fine-tune the temperature and timing.
- Drain the churros before coating: Coating the churros right after frying helps the cinnamon-sugar stick, but too much surface oil can make them soggy. I always let mine drain briefly on a wire rack before rolling them in the cinnamon-sugar while they’re still warm.
Serving Suggestions
I love dipping churros in something sweet. Warm chocolate sauce is one of my favorites, but you also can’t go wrong with silky caramel sauce. If you’d like to try something else, consider making dulce de leche, raspberry coulis, or strawberry compote instead.
Last but certainly not least, consider pairing your homemade churros with a warm mug of Mexican champurrado. This rich, hot chocolate drink from Mexico was made for dunking churros.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: The churro dough can be made a few hours in advance. Keep it covered at room temperature to prevent it from drying out, then take a few minutes to rewarm it on the stove over low heat before piping. To keep the fried churros warm before serving, place them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and pop them into a 200°F oven. This keeps them warm and helps maintain the crunch for up to 1 hour.
How to Store: If you have leftover churros, keep them loosely covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
How to Reheat: Reheat the churros in a 350°F oven until they are warmed through and crisp back up. A quick toast in the air fryer also works.
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Homemade Churros Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- chocolate sauce
Instructions
- Preheat cooking oil in a deep fryer or in a large pot over low to medium heat until it reaches 350° to 360°.
- In a large pot add in the water, butter, vanilla, and salt and bring it to a boil.
- Pour in the flour and vigorously whisk until it’s completely combined. It will be hard to whisk.
- Remove from the cooktop and whisk in the eggs until combined. It will go from loose to a firmer dough.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a star tip and then pipe in 6” long pieces of dough right into the oil and clip off using scissors.
- Cook for 2 ½ to 3 minutes per side until browned and cooked throughout. Set on a rack on a sheet tray when done cooking to drain off any excess oil.
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix.
- Coat the churros in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and serve with optional chocolate sauce.
A must try…they are so delicious! What are you waiting for!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you make the dough ahead and cook the next day or no?
No because it will tighten up when you chill it over night.
These were super simple to make and amazingly delicious! No chocolate needed, but for the chocolate lovers at my house, they loved that, too.
Thanks, Chef!
Excellent!
With dulce de leche… yummy! Super easy to make!
Delicious!
I bet they were absolutely delicious.