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
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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. ☺️
Hi Nagi,
I’m currently sitting here eating my creation & everything tastes great except the inside of my churros didn’t fluff up and harden like it should. Instead it’s stayed “gummy” on the inside but it’s got a thin crispy layer on the outer. It’s edible but certainly not how it’s supposed to be. Not sure what I’ve done wrong? Please help! The batter was sticky like it was supposed to be and it was warm from the booing water. Besides that, Everything was easy to do and follow. Thanks for the recipe! X
Hi Tiffany, i had a similar problem to you! Your oil may have been too hot which meant it got it’s crispy shell but was still gummy inside. I recommend lowering the temp of your oil and leaving the churro in for longer. Hope this helped!
Sooooooo good! Definitely recommended!
Can you make the dough in advance….like a day before? And then just fry it when needed?
Can I use rice bran oil to shallow fry?
Sure can Gabriella! N x
OMG these were delish!! So quick and easy to make. No longer need to make special trip to Vic Market for Spanish donuts – I can make them myself. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I’ve just made this and still can’t believe that I tasted the real churros from Spain! Is this the authentic recipe?
I tried these, they turned out amazing, however when they were frying, the insides started to pop out and even exploded out of its ‘shell’…do you know why this happened?
Amazing! This is so easy to make and the result is the best churros I’ve ever tasted! Nagi, you’re my champion!
I’m going to attempt these and then fill with strawberry jam topped with cream and fresh strawberries like the ones you can buy on Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise! If they won’t let us into Qld we will make it ourselves! Lol
Looks awesome…no eggs?
Thank you for sharing your recipe! It was a hit at our party. This churros with chocolate ganache is wonderful tasting. It has a great favour, I’ll be adding this healthy recipe to my successful list!
I’m so glad it was a hit!! N x
Just made the churros. To say they were a success is an understatement. They vanished in minutes … family has a new fav. Thanks Nagi.
My go to site. Just great food and described so well. Love it. Thank you Nagi
Hi Nagi,
I may be one of your biggest fans. Your blog is always my go to.
Regarding these churros, I was hoping to make them for a Mexican evening. To save time as I’m doing all the catering for a large group, do you think I could make them ahead as per the recipe and pop them in the air fryer to reheat and crisp up on the night?
Yes definitely Andrea!! Enjoy! N x
Wow Nagi! You have really helped me gain some serious cred! This is one of most amazing things! Everyone loved it and truly is so easy/ dangerous! Thank you!!!
This looks amazing! Can I make it in an air fryer?
Hi Erin, not this one sorry – the dough sets once it hits the oil – N x
Beautiful recipe. Simple & Delish
I have not made these yet but I was wondering why some recipes make churros from choux pastry (cooked before pipes) and some like yours, do not do this? Does it make a difference? Thank you
Hi Virginia, choux pastry is made similarly to this recipe except it has eggs. Very similar methods, just a different way to do it! N x
Amazing recipe, so simple! We all loved it and I followed your make ahead tips worked perfectly!
The first four were great then my piping bag had a blowout. Then the balls I made were doughy in the middle so I rolled the dough into sausages. Where can I get a decent piping bag?
Thanks
Hi Annette, you can buy them at any kitchen store – or even online! N x