Churros
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These homemade churros are crisp and cinnamon-sugary on the outside, with soft, slightly custardy centers. Serve them plain or with chocolate sauce for dipping.
Churros are one of those treats that seem like they’d be tricky to make at home, but they’re surprisingly doable. My churros recipe starts with a simple choux pastry—the same type of dough used to make cream puffs. To form the churros, you pipe the dough through a large star tip directly into hot oil, snipping off each piece as you go. It’s important to get the oil temperature right, so use a candy thermometer to monitor it as you cook. After the first few, you’ll get the hang of it. (That said, if it’s your first time, it’s nice to have a helper nearby.)
Warm from the pot and coated in cinnamon sugar, these churros are pretty hard to resist. They’re absolutely delicious on their own, so consider the chocolate sauce a bonus rather than a necessity. For another churro-inspired treat, don’t miss my churro cupcakes—no frying required.
“Light, fluffy and wonderful churros… Fun to make and easier than you would think.”
What You’ll Need To Make Churros
- Butter, Water & Flour: These form the base of the choux pastry. Be sure to measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method; too much flour can make the dough stiff and difficult to pipe.
- Eggs: Give the dough richness and moisture and help the churros puff as they fry. Add them one at a time so they incorporate smoothly into the dough.
- Vanilla: Adds a warm, aromatic note to the churros.
- Vegetable Oil: Use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point for frying. You’ll need enough to come about 2 inches up the sides of the pot.
- Cinnamon Sugar: The classic finishing touch. Coat the churros while they’re still warm so the mixture sticks well.
- Chocolate Sauce (Optional): Semisweet chocolate and heavy cream make a smooth, rich dipping sauce, while a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and a touch of cinnamon echoes the churro coating.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To make Churros
Start the choux pastry: Cook the butter and water mixture with the flour, stirring vigorously, until the dough comes together into a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Don’t worry if a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan—that’s normal.
Finish the choux pastry: Let the dough cool briefly before adding the eggs; if it’s too hot, the eggs can begin to cook on contact. Beat them in one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. At first, the dough may look separated or slippery, but keep mixing—it will come back together. When finished, it should be smooth, glossy, and thick enough to hold defined ridges when piped.
Prepare for frying: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and mix the cinnamon sugar so it’s ready for coating. Be sure to use a star tip rather than a round one: the ridges aren’t just decorative—they increase the dough’s surface area, helping the churros cook more evenly and allowing steam to escape as they fry. Have a paper-towel-lined tray nearby so you’re ready to go once you start frying.
Pipe and fry the churros: Heat the oil to 350°F and use a deep-fry or candy thermometer to monitor the temperature as you cook. Carefully pipe the dough directly into the oil, cutting each strip close to the oil with scissors, and work in small batches so the temperature doesn’t drop too much.
Fry until deeply golden and crisp, turning as needed, then let the oil return to 350°F between batches. Maintaining that temperature is key: too hot and the churros can brown before the centers cook through; too cool and they can absorb excess oil and become greasy.
Coat the churros: Let the churros drain briefly, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm so the coating sticks.
Make the chocolate sauce: Let the hot cream sit with the chocolate briefly before whisking; this helps the chocolate melt evenly. Whisk until completely smooth and glossy.
Serve: Churros are best served warm, when the outside is crisp and the center is soft and slightly custardy. Serve them on their own or with the warm chocolate sauce for dipping. Leftovers can be reheated to crisp them up again or frozen for longer storage; see the recipe card below for detailed reheating and freezing instructions.
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Churros
Ingredients
For the Churro Dough
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the Cinnamon-Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Chocolate Sauce (Optional)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 5 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped, or ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a smooth ball, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer with beaters). Let it cool for about five minutes. On medium-low speed, beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Once all the eggs are incorporated, continue mixing for 1 minute more, until the dough is smooth, thick, and pipeable.
- Pour about two inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet and heat it to 350°F (175°C) over medium heat.
- In a shallow dish that’s large enough to fit a 6-inch (15-cm) churro, stir the cinnamon and sugar together. Set aside.
- Line a baking sheet or plate with a few layers of paper towels and put by the stove.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (do not substitute a plain round tip). Pipe 6-inch (15-cm) strips directly into the hot oil, cutting each strip close to the oil with scissors. Fry in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pot and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once as the underside browns. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet or plate.
- While still warm, roll the churros in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Serve the churros immediately with chocolate sauce, or enjoy them on their own.
For the Chocolate Sauce
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, cinnamon, and salt; whisk until smooth and glossy.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Just made it, recipe right on the dot, as usually.
Once I mastered the piping, it was easy.
Jen, all your recipes are excellent. Thank you
Light, fluffy and wonderful churros. We threw them together last minute to end our Cinco de Mayo themed dinner. Fun to make and easier than you would think. Only bad thing was I could not stop eating them!
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made churros once before and looking forward to trying yours.. because I know they’ll be amazing! Is there any reason why these wouldn’t work using Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour? Thanks, Nicole
Hi Nicole, I’ve never made the dough using gluten-free flour, so I can’t say from experience, but I suspect it should work. I’d love to hear how they come out if you try it!