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
Hi Natasha!
I love your baking recipes and whenever me and my mom want to bake together we always look at your channel for ideas. We don’t have vegetable or canola oil, so is it okay to fry it in olive oil?
Hi Shannen, thats not the best for frying but I would recommend double-checking the smoke point of olive oil.
I don’t have thermometer… would a deep fryer work?
Hi Marina, I have not tested that in a deep fryer but I imagine that could work. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
Hi Natasha!
I haven’t made them yet but I only have salted butter. How much of salt should I add if I use salted butter? Or should I omit the 1/4 teaspoon of salt totally?
Please advise, thank you
Hi Su, I think that should work fine with salted butter but I would omit the added salt.
Hey Natasha,
Thank you! They turned out tasting delicious but I have one concern. Although they were nice and crispy on the outside, they weren’t soft and spongey on the inside. The insides felt completely empty when I bit through them. What could be the cause of that?
Hi Su, it could be due to cooking on too high of heat. Try turning down the heat so they are in oil the recommended amount of time.
Hi Natasha!
I was wondering if you could use an air fryer instead of frying in oil.
Hi Naomi, I haven’t tested that to advise but here is what one of our readers wrote ” I shaped them in the air fryer browned them nicely dipped in butter then into the sugar cinnamon mix. They were pretty good crunchy and soft on the inside. Can’t wait to try again. Thanks for the recipe!” I hope that helps.
Hi . Im wanting to try the churros , are they good eating cold . If i made them now would they be good , say like 5+ hours from now ?
Hi Anna, we loved them after 5 hours uncovered on the counter all sugared up. If you cover them at all, wait until they are at room temperature completely and loosely cover so they don’t get moist.
These were so easy to make! Everyone loved them!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! Also it was so cool to read your story and here about your faith in Jesus Christ!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lydia! That’s so great! Blessing to you!
Hi Natasha, I’ve been trying to find the notes you talk about, cause I need to buy the tools you use in the videos, I’ve just started learning how to cook, And plus I’m not so smart to find the notes , thanks for the recipes
Hi Rania, you can find our favorite tools in our Blog Shop or our Amazon Shop, I hope that helps. Also, any wording highlighted in red is a clickable link that you can click into for the time link. I hope that helps.
Hello Natasha,
Didn’t realize how easy these are. I tried making them last night and they looked great. I’m not a fan of sweets, so didn’t taste them. But my son and husband couldn’t say enough… they loved them. Can the dough be made ahead of time and refrigerated?
Hello Maggie, I haven’t tried doing that yet to advise but I imagine that the dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day before frying. Bring the dough back to room temperature before frying. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
My mixture came out sloppy and not firm enough to hold its shape while piping. I think I would have been better off with 2 eggs and not 4.
I have made that mistake before by cutting the stove step short. Stir for a little longer on the stove to let it release the extra moisture which makes all the difference.
hey natasha for the first i’ve tried churros and it turned out really perfect.thanks for ur recipe,everyone did enjoy it
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
Hi Natasha…I made them last night and they turned out fantastic. However, I was taking the leftovers to work and put them in a plastic container and they were soggy. What is the best way to keep them crunchy?
Hi Karen, it was likely due to the humidity in the container. Churros are most crisp when they are fresh but you can re-crisp them in the oven or even better in the air fryer. I have kept some overnight loosely covered with plastic wrap and they were still great the next day, but if you cover them tightly, they can get a little moist.
My favorite person to watch! Shes a great cook. 🙂
You are too sweet, Alma. Thank you for always watching!
Hi Natasha I tried them and they
turned out perfectly
Thanks for sharing the recipe
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, I would like to give this a reciepe a go but i don’t have a candy thermometer. Can i fry them on high flam without measuring the heat? Kindly advise what should i use to keep temperature uniform without thermometer.
Many thanks
Hi Sana, yes you can make it but you will have to keep an eye on the churros and adjust the temperature based on how they look. If they are cooking too quickly, they will brown fast and won’t cook through adequately. If they take too long to brown, they can absorb more oil
How many churros are in one serving?
Hi Tram, this recipe makes 20-25 Churros depending on how big you make them and it serves 8. Approximately 8 churros make a serving. I hope that helps.
Can I freeze churos for later use?
Hello Kiran, I haven’t tried doing that yet to advise. I’m afraid that might not work though.
I have followed the recipe according to ingredients, it turned out very soft like making éclair. I have wasted ingredients and time making it. 4 eggs for 1 cup of flour is too much plus 8tbsp butter, no wonder it turned very bad.
Hi Riza, the proportions are correct and this is essentially the same dough as we used for Eclairs. It sounds like maybe the dough needed a little more time on the stove to release excess moisture, otherwise, it would be too soft. Also, when measuring ingredients, check out this post on how we measure ingredients for baking which should help.
Hi, I like your recipes, easy and fast! I tried the churros and completely forgot to use butter but they still came out fine! I will be making them again with the butter!
Thanks
Thanks for sharing that, Moni. I’m sure your next round is going to be perfect!
made them today so yummy and easy loved by everyone
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Can Crisco vegetable shortening be used in place of the vegetable oil for frying?
Hi Kathy, I honestly have never used Crisco in my cooking or frying so I can’t speak to that. I typically fry only in oil.
Yum! i love churros! they are my favorite dessert. i can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks Natasha
I hope you love this recipe Lil!
Hello Natasha watching your video recipes from Kenya… I love them.. I want to try the Churros but was wondering how many grams of butter when i click on the metrics i still get 8 tablespoons. Please help thanks
Hi Belynda, one tablespoon of butter is equal to 14.2 grams. I hope that helps.
Just like some the other commenters, mine too expanded/exploded when frying. I followed the recipe and it was not thin or runny when I piped it out. But as it kept frying, it expanded like a donut log almost. Taste wise, still good, but doesn’t have the crunchy texture like a churro. So disappointed in myself, I don’t know what I did!
Hi Sue, I will do my best to troubleshoot – if you use a larger piping tip, they will expand quite a bit more. I have found that they expand more when you use a closed star tip as well. If the dough seemed too loose, make sure to follow our ingredient measuring tips here (since too much liquid could cause the dough to be loose and difficult to pipe).
Can you use skim milk?
Hello Rebecca, I haven’t tried that personally to advise but please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment!
First time trying and they literally turned our PERFECT! Thank you so much Natasha:)
You’re welcome, Leanna! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
I plan on making these today while we are stuck at home 🙁 All I have on hand is 1% milk and half and half. Do you think I should use only half and half, or a combination of the two?
Hi Adrianna, that should work fine to combine the two. I would use 1 1/2 Tbsp half and half and the rest 1% milk to make 1/2 cup of whole milk.