Homemade Churros coated in cinnamon sugar are the ultimate treat, and after you watch the video tutorial, you’ll realize it’s easier than you think! They are crisp on the outside and spongy soft on the inside with a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating. Enjoy them on their own, or pair them with your favorite dipping sauce.
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How to Make Churros Video
My family loves churros, and my daughter has been a major fan for years (you’ll see her cute 5-year-old self in the video taste test above). Watch my step-by-step video tutorial on how to make churros, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Churros are one of our favorite Spanish and Mexican-inspired desserts, along with Flan and my popular Tres Leches Cake (I even have a recipe for Tres Leches Cupcakes in my Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook)! When it comes to Mexican desserts, it’s hard to pick a favorite. They all make such delicious party desserts.
Churros Recipe
Most people think that Churros are a Mexican dessert, but they actually originated from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine and are one of Spain’s most popular street foods. They later became popular in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico, where they are traditionally served with chocolate sauce.
Churros are made with choux pastry dough – the same dough used for Eclairs, Cream Puffs, and Zeppole Donuts. The churro dough is piped directly into hot oil, then rolled and generously coated in cinnamon sugar. Churros are a popular carnival or fair treat, and now that Costco no longer serves their famous Churros, we all need an excuse to make them fresh at home.
Ingredients for Homemade Churros
If you haven’t tried a fresh, homemade churro, you are in for a treat! Homemade churros taste best because you get to use fresh oil that hasn’t been frying churros all day long. This recipe requires simple refrigerator and pantry staples.
- For the shoux (pronounced “shoo”) pastry – a super versatile dough that combines: water, milk, butter, 1 tsp sugar, salt, flour, and eggs. It produces a smooth and non-sticky but pipeable dough.
- For the Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture – a simple combination of mostly sugar with some ground cinnamon adds a sweet and warm coating to the churros.
Tools Needed to Make Churros
To make the churros, you really only need some basic tools:
- For Making the Dough: A medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, and an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- To Pipe the Dough – use a large open star tip (I used a Wilton 1M piping tip) and a large piping bag. Avoid using a small tip, or the dough will get stuck.
- To Fry the Churros – use a large pot such as a 5 1/2 qt Dutch Oven and a clip-on thermometer to maintain the temperature of the oil. Alternatively, you can use a deep fryer.
Pro Tip:
If you don’t have the tip or piping bag, you can put the dough into a large Ziploc bag, cut off a 1/2″ diameter circle at the bottom, and pipe it into the oil. They won’t have the traditional churro star shape, but they will sure taste good!
Tips for Making the Best Churros
If you’re new to making choux pastry or homemade churros, read through this list of my best tips for success. I covered all of the common troubleshooting questions so you can feel confident in making them.
- The dough is done “cooking” when it is smooth, and a thin film forms on the bottom of the saucepan. This process allows it to release extra moisture and it will be easier to pipe the dough.
- Use large, cold eggs. The cold eggs help to cool down and thicken the batter.
- Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, allowing each to incorporate fully.
- Keep churros short– Pipe the batter into hot oil in 6-inch lengths. Longer churros tend to curl and are difficult to flip.
- Maintain the oil temperature between 350˚F and 370˚F while frying. A clip-on thermometer will help.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot – Adding too many churros to the pot can cool the oil too much.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately while they are still warm/hot, and it will stick better.
Dipping Sauce for Churros
Churros are such a treat rolled in cinnamon sugar without anything else required, but if you’re craving a dip, our favorite homemade sauces are:
- Caramel Sauce – an easy, smooth salted caramel
- Warm Chocolate Ganache – thinned with a little extra cream
- Dulce De Leche – perfect for dipping and drizzling on churros
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Make-Ahead Dough – transfer the raw choux pastry dough to a piping bag and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Wrap tightly to keep a skin from forming.
- At Room Temperature – once the churros are cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container lined with paper towels.
- To Freeze – flash-freeze the cooled churros on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer-safe zip bag and freeze up to 3 months, then bake directly from frozen at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes.
- To Reheat – Re-crisp in the oven at 325˚f for 5-7 minutes or in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes.
Churros Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, cold
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- vegetable oil or canola oil , to fry churros
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, put back on the heat and stir constantly another 2 minutes to release extra moisture and partially cook the flour. The dough should come together in a smooth ball and a thin film will form on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed 2 minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, adding 1 at a time and allowing each egg to fully incorporate between additions. Beat until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
- Heat 2” deep vegetable oil to 370˚F. Use a clip-on thermometer to monitor and keep the oil between 350-370˚F while frying.
- Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip (Wilton 1M). Pipe 6” lengths into hot oil and cut with scissors. Fry 1 1/2 minutes per side or until golden brown then flip with tongs and fry another 1 1/2 minutes. Fry in batches, about 5-6 churros at a time. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain then roll warm churros in cinnamon sugar.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Mexican Recipes to Try
If you’re looking for more Cinco de Mayo recipe inspiration, you’ll love my collection of Mexican and Spanish recipes:
- Pico de Gallo
- Elote Corn (Mexican Street Corn)
- Guacamole
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Chicken Fajitas or Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Carnitas
- Fish Tacos
I like this blog we are having a large party highlighting our cross country trip. That being said, are churros a great choice for a make ahead possibly freeze dessert? We did enjoy theses in New Mexico and would love to serve them with the chocolate sauce.
Yes they are great as a make ahead dessert! You can go to this portion of the recipe “Make-Ahead and Storage” for some tips on how to make them ahead.
Hi Natasha, is there any way I can make these in an air fryer without the oil?
Hi Eva! I haven’t tested an air fryer version of this recipe. It would likely need some adjustments for that to work successfully. This batter is meant for deep frying.
These are awesome! I’ve made them a bunch of times and they turn out perfect every time. Crispy on the outside and incredibly soft and airy on the inside. Yum 😋
so natasha it souds like not alot of people can get this recipe right so is it the people that got it wrong or your recipe . honest question.
Hi Dorcas. Following the instructions and tips provided, we’ve successfully made this recipe many times.
so ummm what is the recipe for the chocolate gnache?!
Click on “chocolate ganache”, which is highlighted and bold. It’s a link, for a separate recipe.
I couldn’t put it right. After three eggs batter was ribbon like and when I fried chorizo they expanded to triple size and were not coming together. 🙁
Hi Saima! Did you make any changes to the recipe or use any substitutions? Also- make sure your oil is hot enough or they will fall apart and be soggy.
hi, can I prepare these ahead of time and store them? if so, how is best to store them?
Hi Cindy. We’ve always enjoyed these freshly made, so I have not tried to freeze them. A quick search online suggested they can be frozen for up to a month. Let them cool before freezing and then keep them in an airtight container. To reheat: Reheat the churros in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are crispy. You can also reheat them in an air fryer.
Good day Natasha. Question: can the dough be pre-made and kept in the chiller for future cooking? If yes, how to store and how long could it keep inside chiller? Thank you in advance.
We’ve always enjoyed these freshly made but I imagine that will work fine too. Cool it complete and put it in an airtight container and refigerate for 2-3 days. You can also just make them ahead and freeze them for up to a month. Let them cool before freezing and then keep them in an airtight container. To reheat: Reheat the churros in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are crispy. You can also reheat them in an air fryer.
Hi Natasha, we are having a large party highlighting our cross country trip. That being said, are churros a great choice for a make ahead possibly freeze dessert? We did enjoy theses in New Mexico and would love to serve them with the chocolate sauce.
Thank you, Linda
Hi Linda. We’ve always enjoyed these freshly made, so I have not tried to freeze them. A quick search online suggested they can be frozen for up to a month. Let them cool before freezing and then keep them in an airtight container. To reheat: Reheat the churros in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are crispy. You can also reheat them in an air fryer.
I hope that helps!
Can’t wait to try these. Will making them dairy free be a problem?
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tested a DF substitute so I can’t say. I looked through the comments but I don’t see any feedback regarding this. Let us know if you test it.
I tried it , nice fluffy texture but, too eggy for my taste . I’m going to make it again with only three eggs see if it don’t taste so much egg in them .
Hi Sylvia, this is a pretty typical ration for choux pastry. I would be careful about adjusting the recipe with just taking out one egg – you’ll have a very dry dough.
Just made these with my 10 year old granddaughter. They are so good and turned out perfect! Super easy! I’ve used a lot of your recipes and they are always so good. You are my go to when looking for anything to make. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the videos as well!
Aww, thank you so much, Sally!
I just made this churros whit my 13 year old son !!! They are sooooo delicious!!!
I been following you and I’m never disappointed whit your recipes!!!
Hi, want to make these but it seems like a LOT. Do they keep? Like, can I store the extra? How?
Hi! We have kept them for a couple of days in an air-tight container, but we love them best fresh! They keep really well at room temperature overnight and they can be enjoyed at room temperature the next day. You can reheat the churros in the oven at 400˚F for about 5-6 minutes then re-roll in cinnamon sugar. I would not microwave to reheat or they can seem greasy after that.
I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
I have made these twice. The last time with my 12 year-old granddaughter. They were so delicious! Best churros I have ever had. What I really loved is the butter flavor that comes through from the dough. Just savored them!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
OMG, just made these delicious Churros, the best!!Thank you so much
Hello Natasha,
I tried your churro recipe tonight and failed 😭. I followed the recipe as written and watched the video and still something wasn’t right. My churros puffed up so much and opened while I was frying them. They looked more like extra large hush puppies 😅. What did I do wrong? Any tips? I always enjoy your recipes and this is the first time it didn’t work for me.
Hi Lizzy, it’s really hard to tell what went wrong without being there with you as you try the recipe. If the oil is too hot, the churros will immediately puff up too much, cook only on the outside, leaving the insides raw and dough.
Can this be made in large batches for about 50 to 75 people for a wedding the night before?
Hi Christine! I’ve never made a batch that large. I assume it can be if you’re able to incorporate the ingredients well- or make multiple smaller batches. We’ve always enjoyed these freshly made, that’s when they are best.
Can the dough be made a couple of hours prior to frying? Will be having company and trying to save time.
Hi Sharon. I imagine so. Keep it covered or in an airtight container. I would bring the dough back to room temperature before frying. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
Awesome, everything always looks great. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my email, thank you God bless.