Churros are a delightful treat, known for their crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior, coated in cinnamon sugar and often served with a rich chocolate dipping sauce. You might think making churros at home is complicated, but this recipe is surprisingly easy and quick, bringing the joy of Spanish doughnuts right to your kitchen in just about 20 minutes! Perfect for a fun dessert night, a party snack, or simply to satisfy your sweet cravings, homemade churros are guaranteed to impress. Plus, they’re great for making ahead, making them an ideal stress-free dessert option for gatherings.
What Exactly Are Churros?
Often mistaken as Mexican, churros are actually Spanish in origin. These fried dough pastries are popular street food and dessert across Spain and Latin America. Imagine a cinnamon doughnut, but even better. Churros boast delightful crispy ridges and a light, airy inside. Freshly made churros are at their absolute best, but their ability to reheat exceptionally well also makes them a fantastic make-ahead treat for parties and events.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of frying! This churros recipe uses shallow frying, which is less daunting than deep frying and much simpler than you might think. If you’re familiar with making doughnuts, you’ll find churros even easier!
Simple Ingredients for Homemade Churros
The ingredient list for churros is surprisingly short and you likely have most of them in your pantry already. You only need flour, baking powder, oil, and boiling water for the dough, plus cinnamon and sugar for the classic coating.
The secret ingredient here is boiling water. It creates a unique “gummy” batter texture that’s essential for those signature churro ridges to hold their shape during frying. There’s no sugar in the churro batter itself – the sweetness comes from the cinnamon sugar coating and the luscious chocolate dipping sauce, perfectly balancing the flavors.
What Do Churros Taste Like?
Churros taste like cinnamon doughnuts, but with an elevated texture experience thanks to their crispy ridges. The inside is wonderfully fluffy, just like a doughnut. The combination of cinnamon sugar and the warm, crispy dough is simply irresistible, especially when paired with a rich chocolate dipping sauce.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Churros
Making churros at home is easier than you might think. The batter comes together quickly in one bowl, and the frying process is straightforward.
Making the Churro Batter:
The batter is incredibly simple to make – just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix! It will form a thick, “gummy” dough. This unique texture is what allows the churros to maintain their shape when piped, even before they are fried.
Piping and Frying Churros:
For the easiest and safest frying experience, using scissors is highly recommended. The thick batter allows you to pipe it directly from the piping bag into the hot oil, snipping off lengths with scissors as you go. This method prevents splashing and gives you control over the churro size.
Churro Length and Variations:
You can customize the length of your churros. While you might see extra-long churros (around 1 foot) at fairs or carnivals, a more practical length for home cooking is about 6 inches (15cm). This size is still impressive but fits easily into a standard kitchen pot or skillet.
For bite-sized churros, simply make them shorter. And if you don’t have a piping bag, you can even drop small balls of dough into the oil to make churro doughnuts!
Serving and Enjoying Your Homemade Churros
While those with churro experience might find this section obvious, for newcomers, understanding how to best enjoy churros is key! Churros are traditionally enjoyed as a street snack. Imagine strolling along a Spanish street, savoring a long churro or a paper cup filled with shorter ones. Dipping sauce on the go can be a bit tricky, but definitely manageable!
At home, the easiest way to serve churros is piled high on a platter with a small bowl of chocolate dipping sauce for dunking. Don’t worry if they disappear quickly – they are that good!
Tips for Reheating and Making Ahead
Like most fried treats, churros are best enjoyed fresh and warm. They stay crispy for about 20 minutes after frying, which is plenty of time to cook, coat, and serve a whole batch.
After about 30 minutes, they will soften. While still delicious even when soft and cold (like doughnuts), reheating them in the oven will bring back their delightful crispiness.
Make-Ahead Tip: If you plan to make churros ahead of time, skip the cinnamon sugar coating. Store the cooled, uncoated churros in an airtight container at room temperature (not in the fridge). When ready to serve, reheat them in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 5 minutes until crispy, then roll them in cinnamon sugar. This method ensures they taste almost as good as freshly made!
Ready to try making your own churros? Follow the recipe below and get ready to impress everyone with this easy and delicious treat!
Churros Recipe
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12-20 churros
Cuisine: Mexican, Spanish
Rating: 4.97 stars based on 103 reviews
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Churros:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable, canola, or olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 cups+ vegetable or canola oil, for frying
Chocolate Sauce:
- 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare Cinnamon Sugar Coating: In a shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Make Churro Batter: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add oil and boiling water. Mix until just combined – the batter should be thick and gummy, like wet, sticky dough, not thin or watery.
- Fill Piping Bag: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with an 8mm / 1/3″ star tip nozzle. Set aside while heating the oil.
- Heat Oil: Pour about 2 inches of oil into a small pot, wok, or deep skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 340°F (170°C). The oil is ready when a small cube of bread turns golden in about 20 seconds.
- Pipe and Snip Churros: Pipe 6-inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, snipping with scissors close to the oil surface to prevent splashing. Fry 3-4 churros per batch, making about 10-12 in total.
- Fry Churros: Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally for even cooking.
- Drain and Coat: Remove churros from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Immediately roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture while still warm. Serve hot with chocolate sauce.
- Make Chocolate Sauce: Place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and melted. Let it sit for 5 minutes to cool and thicken slightly before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Yield: Approximately 12 x 6″ long churros, or 20 shorter ones.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour, not self-raising flour.
- Chocolate: Use baking chocolate chips for best melting.
- Frying Oil: A wok or deep skillet is ideal for using less oil while providing enough surface area for frying.
- Make Ahead: For making ahead, do not coat churros in sugar. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 5 minutes until crispy, then roll in cinnamon sugar.
- Sugar in Batter: No sugar is needed in the batter as the coating and dipping sauce provide ample sweetness.
- Recipe Inspiration: Inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe.
- Adjusting Dough: If the dough is too sloppy (especially in humid climates), add a touch more flour. If too dry, add a tiny bit of water.
Enjoy your homemade churros! They are sure to be a hit!
