Homemade Foolproof Best Churros Recipe

Best churros recipe is here! How to make this popular Mexican dessert at home with just a few ingredients so your family can enjoy them as much as mine did. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or make air fryer filled churros.

Dairy Free Churros

I have had to tweak many recipes lately for my husbands belly. He is now lactose free and feels so much better without dairy in his diet now. Over time I have figured out what to substitute to make it taste just like the original. I will explain my choices below for you, both ways. 😉

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.

Deep Fried Mexican Churros

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.

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.

Homemade Churros Ingredients

1. All purpose flour – this is how to measure flour properly
2. Milk or dairy free alternative
3. Butter or vegan plant based stick
4. Eggs added at room temperature
5. Salt, just a pinch
6. Water or any liquid
7. Sugar and cinnamon
8. Vegetable oil and a large pot for frying
9. Paper towels to absorb some excess oil when they’re done
10. 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
11. Thermometer if you want to check temperature of the oil

How do tell if oil is hot enough to fry churros without a thermometer

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.

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.

First you’ll want to get out a stand mixer, have your cinnamon sugar mixture ready in a bowl or plate, and get your piping bag ready.

How to make homemade churros on stove

• Now over medium high heat add your milk, water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
• Then remove from heat and add flour slowly using a wooden spoon to create the fist step of this churro dough.
• Add this into your stand mixer, allow to cool and using a paddle attachment adding your eggs one at a time.
• At this time, once the egg is incorporated well, it should be easy to pipe into your pastry bag.
• Wait until your oil is nice at hot, 350 degrees is great in order to get them golden brown.
• Squeeze dough directly into the hot oil flipping once. Fry until golden brown.
• Sit on folded paper towels to absorb excess oil
• Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture while still hot so it sticks nicely.

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.

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.