Churros
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Golden, sugary, and impossible to stop eating, these homemade churros come together faster than you’d think—and they might just become your new favorite party trick.
If you’ve only had churros at a fair or amusement park, you’re in for a treat—because homemade churros are so much better. They’re golden and crisp on the outside, soft and custardy in the center, and rolled in cinnamon-sugar while they’re still warm.
Churro dough is a simple choux pastry that starts on the stovetop and finishes in a mixer (it’s the same type of dough used for cream puffs and profiteroles). You form the pastries by piping the dough through a large star tip directly into hot oil, snipping off each piece as you go. While it might sound tricky, it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. (That said, if it’s your first time, it’s nice to have a helper nearby.)
The chocolate sauce is totally optional; these are absolutely delicious on their own. For another churro recipe-inspired treat, don’t miss my churro cupcakes—no frying required.
What You’ll Need To Make Churros
- Water: Add moisture to the dough and helps create steam for a light, airy texture.
- Butter: Makes the dough rich and flavorful while keeping the texture nice and tender.
- Sugar: Sweetens the dough a bit and helps with browning—and of course, it’s part of that classic cinnamon-sugar coating.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the churros structure so they stay crisp on the outside and light on the inside.
- Vanilla Extract: Brings in warm, sweet notes that pair well with the cinnamon-sugar.
- Eggs: Help the dough puff up and give the churros their light, chewy texture.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for frying—gets the churros golden and crisp.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds warm spice to both the cinnamon-sugar and the chocolate sauce for the signature churro flavor.
- Heavy Cream (Optional): Used in the chocolate sauce to make it smooth and creamy.
- Semisweet Chocolate (Optional): Melts into the cream to make a rich, velvety dip that’s perfect with warm churros.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Melt the butter and add flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts. Reduce heat to low, add the flour all at once.
Step 2: Stir mixture and cool dough. Stir vigorously until the dough forms a smooth ball, about 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). and let cool for 5 minutes. Allowing the dough to cool a bit before adding the eggs helps prevent them from curdling—if it feels just warm to the touch, it’s ready. This ensures the eggs blend in smoothly without starting to cook right away.
Step 3: Add vanilla and eggs. Mix in the vanilla then beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Continue mixing for 1 minute until the dough is smooth, thick, and pipeable.
Step 4: Heat the oil and prep the cinnamon-sugar. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F (175°C). (If a cube of bread sizzles when dropped in, it’s ready.) In a shallow dish, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. (The star tip creates those signature ridges on the churros, which increase surface area for extra crispiness and allow the dough to expand evenly.)
Step 5: Fry the dough. Pipe 6-inch strips directly into the hot oil, using scissors to cut the dough. Fry in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once as they brown. For even cooking, try to pipe churros to a similar size and keep an eye on the oil temp. If it gets too hot, the churros will brown too fast and stay doughy inside, so adjust the heat as needed.
Step 6: Drain and coat. Drain on paper towels, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar while still warm.
Step 7: Make chocolate sauce (optional). For the optional chocolate sauce, Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate, cinnamon, and salt, and whisk until smooth and glossy.
Step 8: Serve and enjoy. Serve immediately, with chocolate sauce if desired. Churros are best fresh, but they reheat well in the oven at 375°F until crisp. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
More Treats You May Like
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. (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.)
- 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. Pipe 6-inch (15-cm) strips of dough directly into the hot oil, using scissors to cut the dough. 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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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!