Wondering how to make the most popular Mexican dessert right at home with just a few ingredients? We were too so we got to experimenting and made the most delicious homemade churros dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
Jump To
- What is a churro made of?
- Ingredient Notes
- Tips for Success
- Variations and Substitutions
- How do tell if oil is hot enough to fry churros?
- Homemade Churros Recipe
- Are churros good the next day?
- What do churros taste like?
- Are churros and donuts the same?
- Why is it called a churro?
- Other easy donut recipes you’ll love
Have you ever had churros at a fair and wondered how to make them at home year round? Well it’s so easy I can’t believe it took me this long to try them. Now it is one of our favorite long donuts to enjoy for breakfast or dessert and my girls love helping me in the kitchen.
I mean of course you could buy them frozen. In your microwave you can heat and enjoy but um they will be soft and not at all the right texture you would imagine them to be off the truck at the fair.
What is a churro made of?
Traditionally made in Portugal, they were commonly eaten at carnivals, fairs and other celebrations. They originally were made at street stands with a dough that was a mixture of flour, water and salt. Some other variations are made of potato dough. Ours uses flour and a few other ingredients with an added sweetness you will surely love. From there you can make filled churros with chocolate or even jam!
Ingredient Notes
All purpose flour is where the dough starts, remember that this is how to measure flour properly so it doesn’t come out too dense.
- Milk or dairy free alternative
- Butter or vegan plant based stick
- Eggs added at room temperature
- Salt, just a pinch
- Water or any liquid
- Sugar and cinnamon
Tips for Success
I would use vegetable oil because it doesn’t have a flavor to it, and a large pot for frying like a Dutch Oven is handy to hold enough to submerge each piece. You will want some paper towels to absorb some excess oil when they’re done and a piping bag fitted with a star tip on it, or gallon freezer bag with corner cut off to pipe dough out in long pieces like you see here. Having a thermometer is handy to check temperature of the oil
Variations and Substitutions
You could easily make these dairy free if you needed to. I do that now for my husband and nobody ever notices the difference. I like vanilla almond milk because it adds a bit of sweetness to the batter but cashew or coconut milk would be great too. You can find plant based vegan butter products too now.
How do tell if oil is hot enough to fry churros?
At first I didn’t have a thermometer so I just put a drop into the oil when I thought it is ready. If it started to fry right away, it’s ready. If it fries and turns brown immediately it is too hot.
Homemade Churros Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 mixer
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put a star tip inside a piping bag and have ready.
- Whisk together your cinnamon, 1 1/2 c of sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- Bring milk, butter, salt, 1/2 c water, and 1 tbsp sugar to a simmer in a pan over medium/high heat.
- Using a wooden spoon add in flour quickly and mix fast for about 30 seconds until it creates a dough. Remove from pot and place in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Allow to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes.
- Use paddle attachment for your stand mixer and mix at medium/low speed. Add eggs to dough one at a time. Incorporate each egg well before adding the next one.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything incorporates well into the dough. After all eggs are added it should be easy to spoon into a piping bag.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pot on the stovetop until it is about 350 degrees or until a small drop of dough fries immediately and floats to top.
- Squeeze out 4-5 inches of your dough into the hot oil and cut off with a knife quickly so it drops in and stays one long piece.
- Fry a few at a time, not overlapping as they will stick together. 2 minutes on each side until lightly brown.
- Remove and put on paper towel to drain excess oil. Mix together rest of sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on churros, all sides.
- Enjoy immediately for best taste.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Are churros good the next day?
Piped raw churros should be good in the fridge for a few hours but I haven’t tested it for a full day. It stands to reason they’d keep that long too. Churros can be kept warm in an oven before coating with cinnamon sugar for probably up to an hour before they might get dry. They’re best FRESH on the first day though for sure.
What do churros taste like?
Mexican churros taste like fried dough or a donut basically. There are different types of churros but the most common are closer to fried pastry and a bit salty. They are typically long and crispy. If you think outside the box I have made them softer like churro bites in a pressure cooker too.
Are churros and donuts the same?
Churros are special South and Central American doughnut sticks essentially. They’re often called a “Mexican doughnut.” They are tube-shaped, without yeast, sticks of dough piped from a star-tipped pastry bag, fried in oil, and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Why is it called a churro?
History is divided on how these came to exist. Some say they were the invention of Spanish shepherds. The Spanish learned of the new treat from their neighbors and put their own spin on it by passing the dough through a star-shaped tip. This is what gives it its signature ridged shape.
Other easy donut recipes you’ll love
Churros at home are the best, let’s just say that to begin with. A few other treats you can throw together quickly are here. Let’s start with these easy air fryer donuts! We have made semi homemade peanut butter and jelly donuts too.
- There’s this gluten free baked donut recipe you can try if you need that.
- If you have an Instant Pot you can make pressure cooker donuts which are fun to do.
- Then make our homemade bear claws as a treat.
