Churros Recipe

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These Churros are a homemade dessert that are a homemade choux pastry that is deep fried and coated in a sweet cinnamon and sugar coating. The outside of the churros are crunchy and covered with cinnamon sugar. The inside of these churros is a light, fluffy dough and just a touch sweet.

A plate of sugar-coated churros is displayed on a white surface, with a small bowl of chocolate sauce partially visible in the corner, inviting you to dip each churro into the rich, velvety treat.

Do you know what is so fantastic about churros? Eating them while they’re hot. These taste pretty much identical to the churros cereal, except these are fresh out of hot oil. Trust me, it makes a difference. I didn’t even make a sauce to dip these cute little fried strips in.

They were heavenly without a dipping sauce.. and they wouldn’t have made it to the finishing of the dipping sauce. I had to beat off the boys and myself to get these pictures. Thank goodness Wesley came home for lunch as I was finishing the frying. I was almost afraid he wouldn’t get any. Ooops.

Make sure to try out my baked churros which are a bit different than fried churros. Or whip up these churro ice cream cups that are the perfect weekend treat.

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Ingredients Needed

Measured ingredients for homemade churros are arranged in separate bowls on a white surface, including eggs, salt, water, sugar, vegetable oil, butter, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.

Water – Reach for water that is filtered for working with the dough. I do recommend using room-temperature water.

Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. If you use salted butter, you can leave out the dash of salt.

Granulated Sugar – You’ll sweeten the churro dough with a little sugar and create a cinnamon sugar coating that you will dust your churros in for the perfect sweet coating.

Oil – You’ll of course use oil for deep frying to create that golden brown texture. You can use vegetable or canola oil.

Salt – Salt is a must as it is going to help enhance all the flavors. Do not skip adding the salt to the pastry dough.

Flour – The base of the dough is all-purpose flour. I use King Arthur brand. This is going to create a light and fluffy texture to the churros.

Variations To Recipe

  • Filled: Consider using an injector and add in some caramel, chocolate sauce, or even a jam filling. Just add some filling in a piping bag with a small tip and pipe in.
  • Dough: Feel free to add different flavor extracts to create a flavored dough. You could even add in some lemon or orange zest.
  • Sauce: Pair with a sweet sauce for dipping. Chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, a fruit compote, etc.
  • Coating: Coat in powdered sugar, festive sprinkles, or even chopped nuts. Or do a blend of coating.

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations

How to Make Churros

Let’s do some prep work first. Start with a medium saucepan add your oil, and heat it as directed in the recipe card. Then you will set a plate or tray on the table with paper towels for when you place churros on it to drain off the grease.

Step-by-step process of mixing dry ingredients, heating liquid, and combining to form a churros dough, then cooking in a saucepan until a smooth dough ball forms.

Step 1: In a small bowl add your cinnamon and sugar and set to the side.

Step 2: Next in a medium saucepan, you will add your water, oil, sugar, and salt. Let it come to a boil on medium heat.

Step 3 & 4: Then once it comes to a boil, you will remove it from the heat. Then whisk in the flour, making the dough form into a ball.

Follow this step-by-step churros recipe: mix dough with a hand mixer, fold it gently, transfer to a piping bag, and pipe the churros into hot oil for delicious results.

Step 5: Place the dough into a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture has cooled.

Step 6: Begin beating the eggs into the dough one at a time until each egg is well incorporated. The dough will be sticky.

Step 7 & 8: Fill a disposable piping bag fitted with an Ateco 849 piping tip with the choux pastry and begin to pipe 2-4 inch strips in the hot oil. Use a butter knife or clean scissors to cut the ends so it drops into the oil.

Three photos show churros being fried in oil with tongs (9), drained on paper towels (10), and coated in cinnamon sugar with a spoon (11), capturing each delicious step of making classic churros.

Step 9: Fry for 2 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.

Step 10: Scoop the churros out of the oil, and place them on the paper-towel-lined plate for a minute to drip off excess oil.

Step 11: Then roll the churros into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Serve and enjoy warm.

Tips For Making Churros

  • You want the dough to be smooth and soft. If you find it is too sticky add more flour, or if too thick add more water.
  • Ensure the hot oil reaches 350 degrees F, if the oil is not hot enough or too hot it will affect how the churro cooks. Too hot it will overcook the outside and leave the center doughy. Then not hot enough it can overcook and leave your churro rubbery.
  • Be careful when you cut the churros off the pastry bag, so the oil doesn’t splash on you.
  • Use tongs to roll your cinnamon and sugar mixture on the churros while they are still warm.
  • Churros are best when served warm and fresh.
Golden churros are being drizzled with rich chocolate sauce, accompanied by a glass of milk and extra churros in the background.

Storing and Freezing

Room Temperature: If you do not eat all your churros, simply store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can store them for 1-2 days.

Freezing: Now you can freeze the raw dough if you would like. Pipe out and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Freeze the dough until it is solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. Then fry them directly from freezing. Just add a few more minutes to ensure they are fully cooked.

Recipe FAQs

What size of tip do you use for making churros?

I used the Ateco 848 for my churros. All the grooves that this tip put into the churros really picked up and held the cinnamon and sugar. I think any tip that has some indents in it will do the job. I’m not even sure what the traditional tip is that you would use.

Can I make churros ahead of time?

Churros are best served fresh, so I do recommend not making them ahead of time. If you want you can freeze the dough or refrigerate the dough up to 24 hours in advance.

How do I prevent my churros from becoming soggy?

The best way to prevent the churros from betting soggy is to drain off the excess oil, and then serve them warm. The churros will soften as they cool down. 

Can I double the churros recipe?

Yes! This recipe can be doubled to make more churros.

A small plate with churros drizzled in chocolate sauce, a bowl of rich chocolate sauce, a glass of milk, and an extra plate of plain churros in the background create a tempting churros spread.

If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below and also share it on Instagram, and tag me! You can also find me on Facebook and stay up to date on recipe releases by joining the Newsletter!

A plate of sugar-coated churros is displayed on a white surface, with a small bowl of chocolate sauce partially visible in the corner, inviting you to dip each churro into the rich, velvety treat.

Churros

These Churros are a homemade dessert that are a homemade choux pastry that is deep fried and coated in a sweet cinnamon and sugar coating.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Appetizer, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 14 Churros
Calories 105 kcal

Ingredients
  

Churro Dough

Coating

Instructions

Coating

  • In a small bowl, add the cinnamon and sugar. Stir until combined. You will use this for coating the churros. Set aside.

Churro Dough

  • In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over low/medium heat.
  • Remove from the heat and add in the flour. Stir constantly, with a rubber spatula, until the mixture comes together and is smooth with no lumps.
  • Place on low/medium heat again and continue stirring until it forms a ball of dough. The dough will be very sticky and compact.
  • Transfer to a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until the dough is just barely warm and begins to tear into small pieces.
  • Add in one egg at a time and continue mixing on medium speed until smooth.
  • Add the ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon . Stir until combined.
  • Transfer the mixture to a disposable piping bag fitted with a closed star piping tip. I used an Ateco #849 tip.
  • In a large saucepan, cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven, add 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat on medium heat until the oil reaches 370 degrees F. I suggest using a thermometer because it’s important to maintain the oil at that temperature during the frying of the churros.
  • Carefully pipe the churro mixture in the preheated oil, making each churro about 2 inches long and cutting the end with clean scissors.
  • Repeat this for 4 -5 churros, depending on how big your pot is. It is important not to overcrowd the pot so that they cook evenly.
  • Let fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to dry briefly then transfer to cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.
  • Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Serve warm with chocolate ganache if desired.

Notes

The churros I made for this recipe are approximately 2.5 inch to 3.2 inches.  
If you want the churros longer, keep in mind you won’t still get 14 churros for this recipe.
Storage: Store the churros in an airtight container or storage bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Freezing: You can freeze the raw dough by piping it out and placing it on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Freeze the piped dough until it’s frozen solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. Fry them directly from freezing. You may need to add a few more minutes to ensure they are fully cooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 36mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 136IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)

This post was originally posted on July 18, 2013, but has been updated with a new recipe and photos.

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6 Comments

  1. Can i freeze the dough? And thAw it afterwards?

    1. Miranda C. says:

      Hi Liberty- You can make the dough, pipe it into logs and then freeze the shaped churro dough. When you are ready to cook, you can just toss the frozen churro dough straight into the fryer. Enjoy!

  2. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says:

    Hi there Miranda! I just made these and my whole family loved them :–) Thanks for the recipe!
    Have a lovely day! x

    1. You’re welcome. I’m glad everyone loved them. Thank you for commenting. 😀

  3. I love churros but have never thought to make my own. Yours looks fantastic Miranda! Yum, I would rush to eat the whole lot too. They incredibly drool worthy 🙂

    1. Thank you! These were so tasty! If you get a chance you’ll have to make them.

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