These homemade churros are deep fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar; they're crispy on the outside but tender and fluffy on the inside. They're delicious on their own, but even better dipped in melted chocolate ganache or caramel sauce! I love to serve homemade churros with coffee or hot chocolate.
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What are Churros?
Churros are a traditional Spanish street food (they're also extremely popular in Mexico and the US). You'll also often find them at fairs and carnivals, but they're surprisingly easy to make at home too.
Churros are a deep fried dessert made from choux pastry dough that's then coated in cinnamon sugar. They're crispy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside; best served warm with chocolate or caramel sauce. You can fry them in long strips (classic) or in any shape you like!
You might also like these cinnamon sugar soft pretzels or these homemade donuts!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make these crispy fried homemade churros!
Dough - The churro dough is just a simple choux pastry dough made with flour, butter, and eggs.
Vanilla Extract - I like adding a little vanilla to the churro dough but you could also substitute maple extract, coconut extract, or orange extract for a different fun flavor!
Cinnamon Sugar - Churros are traditionally rolled in cinnamon sugar, but you could replace the cinnamon with other spices, like pumpkin pie spice for a holiday flavor!
Salted Caramel Sauce - I love dipping these homemade churros in my homemade salted caramel sauce!
Chocolate Sauce - You can also dip churros in your favorite chocolate sauce or melted chocolate ganache.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Churros
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Once the butter has melted, bring the mixture up to a rolling boil. Then remove from the heat.
Immediately add in the flour and stir for about 1 minute until it's completely incorporated and the dough comes together into a smooth ball.
Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let rest for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the dough is below 125°F using an instant read thermometer.
Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one a time. Wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the dough until the mixture is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.
Transfer the choux pastry to a pastry bag fitted with a large open star piping tip (Wilton 1M or Ateco 845).
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon on a large plate and set aside.
Add about 2 inches of canola oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches 360°F.
Pipe strips about 5 inches long directly into the hot oil and cut with scissors. Fry 4-5 churros at a time for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Transfer the churros to a paper towel lined plate to drain for 1-2 minutes. Then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar while still hot!
Homemade churros are best eaten while still warm. Serve with chocolate sauce or salted caramel sauce for dipping!
Serving Suggestions
Homemade churros are delicious on their own but even better with a fun dipping sauce! Churros are most often dipped in chocolate sauce or caramel sauce!
You can find the recipe for my favorite homemade salted caramel sauce here!
To make a simple homemade chocolate sauce:
- Finely chop 4 ounces of dark chocolate and place into a large bowl.
- Place ½ cup of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot to the touch but not boiling.
- Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for about two minutes.
- Using a spatula, gently mix until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is fully combined and smooth.
I also love serving these deep fried churros with coffee or homemade hot chocolate!
Recipe FAQ's
Like anything fried, these churros are best eaten the same day - immediately after frying. However, once cool you can store them in a paper towel lined airtight container for up to 2 days. I recommend reheating in the oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes to crisp them back up.
It's not ideal, but yes! If you don't have a piping bag, you can just use a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off. You won't get the classic star shape without a piping tip, but they will still taste delicious!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Homemade Churros
Special Equipment
- 2-4 cups canola oil for frying
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
Cinnamon Sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Serve With
- chocolate sauce
- salted caramel
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Once the butter has melted, bring the mixture up to a rolling boil. Then remove from the heat.
- Immediately add in the flour and stir for about 1 minute until it's completely incorporated and the dough comes together into a smooth ball.
- Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let rest for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the dough is below 125°F using an instant read thermometer.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one a time. Wait until each egg is fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat the dough until the mixture is shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon on a large plate and set aside.
- Add about 2 inches of canola oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches 360°F.
- Pipe strips about 5 inches long directly into the hot oil and cut with scissors. Fry 4-5 churros at a time for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer the churros to a paper towel lined plate to drain for 1-2 minutes. Then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar while still hot!
- Churros are best eaten while still warm. Serve with chocolate sauce or salted caramel sauce for dipping!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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