This churros recipe is astonishingly easy, and makes a truly great churros that’s hot and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The molten chocolate dipping sauce is mandatory, and you’ll have an entire batch on the table in a mere 20 minutes!
BONUS: Churros are great for making ahead, making it a great party dessert.
Churros recipe
Up until several years ago, this churros obsessed food blogger thought Churros was native to Mexico. Thus on her first (but certianly not last) trip to Mexico, she was expecting to be in churro heaven. Churros, churros, churros everywhere.
But no. I barely saw churro at all.
Duh. Churro isn’t native to Mexico. It’s Spanish!🤦🏻♀️
So just as tourists here in Australia wonder why there aren’t kangaroos bounding around on the streets of Sydney and koalas snuggled in trees everywhere, I guess I totally missed the Churro memo.
Having said that though, it is actually very popular in the touristy areas of Mexico!!
We don’t break out the deep fryer very often around here. But with the promise of hot crispy churros waiting on the other side, and also because we only need to shallow fry rather than deep fry like when making things like Fried Chicken, we deem churros to be Fry-Worthy.
Also, it’s FRY-day today.😂 (FRIday) Admit it, you laughed!!
What goes in churros
All you need is flour, baking powder, oil and boiling water to make the batter, then cinnamon and sugar for coating.
Boiling water is key here – it makes the batter a unique “gummy” texture so when piped and cooked, it retains the signature ridges. There’s no sugar in the batter – with the cinnamon sugar coating plus mandatory dipping sauce, you absolutely don’t need it.
What does churros taste like?
They taste like cinnamon doughnuts – but BETTER because you’ve got crispy ridges. The inside is fluffy like a doughnut and they are at their prime freshly made, but they reheat exceptionally well too making them a great make ahead for parties!
How to make churros
The batter is a mere dump-and-mix job, and it’s got a unique thick “gummy” texture so the churros holds its form when it’s piped, even before it hits the oil.
The safest and easiest way to cook churros is to use scissors. Because the batter is so thick, you can pipe the batter out and it will hang from the piping bag as you lower it into the oil (as opposed to dropping out, causing the oil to splash), then just snip with scissors.
How long to make them
They come in varying lengths, with longer ones (ie 30cm / 1 foot) being more of a novelty type at carnivals and tourist hot spots. Around 15cm / 6″ is a more practical length – still long enough to look impressive, but short enough to cook in a standard size household pot.
You could also make shorter ones for small bite size options, and if you don’t have a piping bag, just drop balls of dough into the oil and make churros doughnuts!
How to serve churros
I know this might sound like an odd section to include for those of you with extensive churros eating experience – but actually, churros is not so common here in Australia so let me describe how to eat it!
It’s traditionally a street snack, so you buy one long one or a little paper cup with a few shorter ones in it, then eat it while walking around on the street. Managing a dipping sauce while on the move can become a bit tricky, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
At home, I just pile them up on a platter with a little cup of the dipping sauce, then you just dunk and eat!
Don’t count the churros and compare to what the recipe says it will make. I’ll just tell you now – there’s two missing!
How to REHEAT Churros!
As with anything deep fried, churros are at their prime when they’re freshly made. They stay warm and crisp for around 20 minutes once they come out of the oil, which is ample time to cook a whole batch, coat in cinnamon sugar then serve.
After 30 minutes or so, they soften. And though, like doughnuts, they are still delicious when cold and soft, it’s definitely worth popping them in the oven to reheat and more importantly, crisp up again.
And if you are making these ahead intentionally (as opposed to just reheating leftovers), store the churros WITHOUT the sugar coating – this will make them reheat to near freshly cooked perfection, then just roll in the cinnamon sugar and serve! – Nagi x
PS BONUS: Churros impresses people. “You MADE these??!” *She beams with pride, making a weak attempt to hide her glee*😂
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Churros Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup caster / superfine sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Churros
- 1 cup flour, plain / all purpose (Note 1)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable, canola or olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 cups+ vegetable or canola oil , for frying
Chocolate Sauce
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup thickened / heavy cream (heavy cream)
Instructions
- Cinnamon sugar coating: Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl, set aside.
- Batter: Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add oil and water and mix until just combined - it should be a thick, gummy batter, like a wet sticky dough, not thin and watery.
- Piping bag: Transfer dough into a piping bag with a 8mm / 1/3" star tip nozzle. Set aside while oil heats.
- Heat oil: Heat 5cm / 2" oil over medium high in a small pot, wok or small but deep skillet (Note 3) to 170°C/340°F, or until it takes 20 seconds for a small cube of bread to turn golden.
- Pipe & snip: Pipe 15cm / 6" lengths of dough into the oil, snipping with scissors (snip close to oil surface to avoid splash). Do 3 to 4 per batch, makes 10 to 12 in total.
- Cook: Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp, rolling occasionally.
- Drain: Remove onto paper towel lined plate to drain. Then roll in sugar. Serve hot with Chocolate Sauce!
Chocolate Sauce:
- Place in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool and thicken slightly.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published 2016. Long overdue for fresh new photos, brand new process steps and video!
More recipes that are easier than you think
A few more recipes people assume are too hard, but are much easier than you think!
Life of Dozer
He’s not allowed in the shoot room when I deep fry – and he ain’t happy about it!
And from the original publication date in 2016:
Caved. ☺️
Rashi Dhilla says
Hi, tried this recipe and absolutely loved it! But if I have to prepare it in advance and put it in the oven before serving, at what temperature and how long would you recommend it would need in the oven?
Nagi says
Hi Rashi, you’re only reheating it so I’d say 160 for 5-10 minutes will be fine. N x
Susan says
Hi Nagi ,
I’ve tried this recipe a few times but it seems to stay wet/raw in the middle even when I leave it in the hot oil longer. Where did I go wrong?
Do you think over mixing the batter can cause this?
I love churros and really want to perfect this recipe!
Thanks
Rashi Dhilla says
Hi, tried the recipe and absolutely loved it! However, if I need to make them in advance. When you say pop them in the oven, what temperature for how long do you think would be good?
Tess says
Always wonder this, so thought I’d just ask. What do you do with your oil when you use this much oil to fry something? Can you cool and store to reuse or do you need to dispose of (not down the drain obviously!)
Looking forward to trying this one…
Nagi says
Hi Tess, I save it and use it for cooking other things! I wait until it’s cool then transfer to a bottle and re-use. N x
Marlene says
Nagi, these were so easy and were beautiful. My daughter and I made them together for a family dessert to celebrate the first family dinner after easing restrictions of Covid. They were so easy to make and eat, both our husbands loved them. Thanks for the recipe.
Naomi Gandolfo says
Hi Nagi,
Made these last night with my 17 years old daughter and they were a hit. The boys were asking for more. Quick & Easy. Will make them again.
Nagi says
I’m so glad they were a hit Naomi! N x
Naz says
Made 2 batches of this recipe tonight and both turned out great.. one was normal batch and the other gluten-free batch. For the gf batch I just used gf oat flour mixed with 1/2 tsp of xantham gum and continued as normal with the recipe. Quick and easy! Thanks Nagi
Nagi says
That’s grea to know Naz!! N x
Ellen Wynkoop says
We visited my daughter in Madrid over Christmas and ate way too many of these. They were fabulous! I can’t wait to surprise my husband with some. It will bring back great memories.
Nagi, any suggestions on a gluten-free version? Thanks.
Issy says
Hi Ellen, Naz above you mentioned making a GF version: “For the gf batch I just used gf oat flour mixed with 1/2 tsp of xantham gum and continued as normal with the recipe”
Nagi says
Sorry I haven’t tried this gluten free! N x
Crystal says
We made mini churros because of the piping nozzle we had… so delish! Dangerously easy.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved them Crystal! N x
Deanna Nunley says
Loved the churros!
Nagi says
Wahoo!!! N x
Betty Johnson says
can those be made with almond flour to make them keto friendly? looks yummy and easy to make
Nadine says
My 13 year old daughter and I just made 2 batches of these. They were amazing! They didn’t even last 30 seconds after hitting the plate.
Teri says
My daughter and I love churros and I am looking forward to making them. I have tried several of your recipes and they have all been delicious. I very much enjoy your comments!!
Lynn says
Hi Nagi,
I made these tonight for desert, OHHHH my!! DELICIOUS!! I made them thicker cause my nozzle was big. They were so soft and yummy!! Thank you so much for the recipe and video. I love your recipes, they are so quick and easy to cook.
Barb Minutillo says
I usually make a choux churro recipe and this was so much easier with just as good a result! I had to add a little bit more water and more chocolate in the sauce but was definitely a winner 🙂
Erin says
How would you make these in an air fryer?
Love you and your recipes
Nagi says
Hi Erin, you need to fry these sorry! N x
Irene says
So, I’m reading the recipe thinking ooh these look yummy and then to top it off I see the conversion cups to metric . It made my day – now I’m wondering how long I’ve missed it. Being a Scot in the US I just can’t do cups, it just doesn’t seem right 🤣.
I love your website, I always come here for inspiration and love your recipes. Thanks for all that you do to perfect your recipes
Kris Barber says
So I come in from pounding fence posts into the ground along my driveway. Hot, tired, not in the mood to cook. And I see your recipe for Churros. NOOOOOO!
So 45 min later, I’m back at my computer, eating churros w cinnamon chocolate sauce.
Half recipe made about a dozen 2½” skinny churros. (Don’t have a piping bag or tips. Snipped a corner from a ziploc.). Had a little cinnamon sugar left over and just stirred it into my chocosauce. Yum! Have a great weekend.
Nagi says
This is the BEST! You’ve earned it Kris!! N x
Anjelykuh Aryzoula says
As a Mexican I APPROVE 😍 churros brings back memories of my mom’s delicious dessert recipes….. I appreciate everything that’s Ms Nagi n Dozer
Nagi says
I love this!!! N X
J says
Love Churros – thanks for this! Will this work in an air fryer? Thanks
Nagi says
No sorry! Churros MUST be fried! N x
Svetlana says
You mention making the dough into small balls if we don’t have a piping bag (or the patience…. LOL). Any suggestion as to approximate size of the dough ball, please?? Thanks bunches, Nagi!
Nagi says
Hi Svetlana, just a tad smaller than a golf ball would work fabulously! N x
Micah says
Hi there, tried this recipe with golf ball sized dough balls (try saying that ten times fast. They tasted great, but the very centers weren’t fully cooked. Should we make them smaller, fry them longer, or something else entirely? Great recipe!