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
Hello! Im about to make this recipe, What brand of Flour do you recommend me to use? P.s. I love your channel
Hi! Thank you 🙂
All-purpose flour, any brand is fine. I used Bob’s Red Mill, unbleached.
Hi Natasha I was just wondering could I make the dough a day before please let me know I’m trying to make this for a baby shower my daughters thank you
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.
It took two but my husband enjoyed cutting while I piped. Following your instructions when well and the churros were very tasty.
Hi Miriam! That’s great teamwork. 😉 Thank you for the wonderful review.
Made these today for the first time for a Mexicana Potluck night at the beach and they were a huge hit. Made short ones so more people could enjoy them. I followed the recipe and it was so easy. I put the sugar/cinnamon mixture in a plastic bag and was able to shake about 5 at a time to coat. I had a little trouble with the pipe and cut part because of the left hand scissors operations, but my husband suggested making one long pipe into the pan, then snip with scissors while they are frying, that worked out perfect. This recipe is a keeper and will be going into my family favourites recipe book. My family will be enjoying them for generations. I’m so glad I ran across this recipe. Thanks for all your hard work perfecting it.
Hello Lyne, thank you for your detailed feedback. Happy to know that you liked this recipe a lot!
I made these this morning, I love them! Very easy to make! I didn’t roll them in the cinnamon sugar I sprinkled them and it was easier for me to coat them.😊
That sounds good, Michelle. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, Natasha! Is it okay to make the batter 3 hours prior to frying it, or will it affect its texture and taste? Thank you!
Hi Selena, I think it could work but I have not tested it to advise. You’d have to experiment with it. If the batter gets too warm it will be runnier and that could affect the outcome.
Hello, Natasha! Do you think it’s okay to make this without cinnamon? Not that I don’t like cinnamon. It’s just that I want to make churros already, but I’m too lazy to go to Walmart to buy them! Hahaha, thank you!
Hello Sam, we think it is perfect with Cinnamon but I imagine it will still work fine without it, however it will not taste the same of course.
This was the first time I ever made churros. I watched your video and followed the recipe! OMG they were easy to make and delicious. I will be using this recipe over and over again. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you for posting it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Barb!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for the great recipe!
This is my first time making churros and it went super well! Although I did have a little trouble with the piping bag and accidently burnt myself from the oil but other than that it was good. I appreciate you and all the help you have done to put up great recipes. I look forward to using more of your recipes in the future!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes. I appreciate the review.
I love Natasha’s Kitchen and use recipes from here all the time. But this churro recipe was a complete disappointment. First, this was definitely NOT the right texture of the churros I’ve had many times in Mexico.
These were too dry, too crunchy and absorbed way too much oil. In my opinion this dough does not work well for deep frying
Hi Vita, I’m sorry to hear that. I have not had this experience. I’d love to help troubleshoot if you’d like. Did you make any substitutions? Was your dough too thick? Too runny? Also, it is very important to keep the oil between 350˚F and 370˚F while frying and not add too many churros to the pot as it can cool the oil too much resulting in them absorbing more oil.
i was very much craving churros at midnight and instead of Uber found this easy recipe! I made a half recipe, and they were SUPER yummy. My only issue is that i found it tasted slightly of egg.. so maybe next time for a full recipe ill do 3.5 eggs and 1.5 eggs for a half recipe.
Will DEF make again 🙂
HI Ariel, these shouldn’t normally have any eggy taste. I wonder if maybe there was a draft? Sometimes if there is an outdoor draft, the egg in a recipe can be more pronounced smelling.
I had this exact thing happen. Very eggy. I was wondering if my eggs were too large and this caused this problem
These shouldn’t normally have any eggy taste. I wonder if maybe there was a draft? Sometimes if there is an outdoor draft, the egg in a recipe can be more pronounced smelling.
I tried the easy churros recipe,but mine turned out too soft and airy.What would have went wrong.
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.
What a great churro recipe, this is now our new favorite! Thank you! These came out fantastic, I followed the recipe exactly. I will be making these again! The dough was much easier to work with that other recipes we have tried too! Really the only problem is that they are so addictive! 🙂
Yes totally agree, these are really so hard to resist and I’m glad you also loved it!
Tried this recipe today and they turned out perfectly! My husband recently had churros for the first time in Mexico and he said these were very comparable! How do they store?
So glad you both enjoyed the churros. 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.
My partner of 16 years was born and raised in Moscow, so I was delighted when I came across Natsha’s Kitchen. Now when he misses home I know right where to go to make him something special for dinner. Today I was craving the churros of my own childhood, and was surprised when I saw this recipe. They turned out great, but I am wondering why they are so soft and light, compared with the thicker, chewier version of my childhood? I am not of Latino, Portuguese, or Spanish descent, so perhaps this is the way they are supposed to be? Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi Jason, we love them soft and fluffy & the ones I’ve tried and experimented with were similar in texture. I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Jason! These are probably softer because of the number of eggs used. You can make the exact same recipe, but with one egg instead of four. I think they are delicious both ways, but the texture will probably be much closer to what you remember. I also think the dough is a little easier to work with with less eggs.
Absolutely Fabulous! We made for a late night snack for our recent Día de los Muertos gathering. We had our Guest make the Churros themselves, which made for a super fun time! Question: Can this Dough be made in advance and/or freezer friendly? Thank you, Gary
Hi Gary! I’m so glad you loved this recipe! I haven’t tested freezing these to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Thank you for your great comments and feedback, Gary. 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.
Recipe is great, but you should always include correct background information as to its origin. Churros are Spanish, not Mexican, and usually eaten with a cup of hot chocolate. Correcting this on your intro will make it authentic.
Maria, this Recipe is in many countries. One theory is it is not Spanish or Mexican but was actually brought back by the Portuguese sailing back from the Chinese Ming-dynasty. Another theory is it may have come from Roman’s or Greeks. In studing reading recipes it depends on whose book your reading. Or what site you ended up on when googling. But it’s about trting something new, ingredients, taste and not so much a history lesson, I’m thinking. Many still think Italians invented Pizza. And not here to give history.
Natasha,
My question is the 4 egg version vs 1 egg version. 1/2 milk 1/2 water vs 1 cup water. I’m guessing it just makes a richer product? My recipe handed down was 1 egg and 1 cup water. But would like to know the science behind 4 egg vs 1 egg. Still my recipe and yours calls for 1 cup flour. Chinese version also only uses 1 egg and Spanish/Mexican version too. Just curious before setting out 4 eggs. Thank you. My dog may wonder why he gets shorted on scrambled eggs this week. 😄
Hi Joli, choux pastry is typically made with the amount written here. I haven’t tried a 1 egg version but I would be nervous to cut it down that much. We use essentially the same choux pastry dough to make eclairs, cream puffs, churros and zeppole.
Just made these tonight and they were AWESOME!!! They puffed up and were Super flakey and just sweet enough. Definitely going to be making these often…next time planning on doing a chocolate drizzle over them :).
Thanks for your good comments and feedback, Karina. That sounds like a good plan, please share with us how you liked it with the chocolate drizzle!
Hi Natasha,
I love this recipe!! They turned exactly as you showed them! THANK YOU so VERY much!! My family loved them!!! 🙂 They won’t last long in our house 😉
I’m happy to know that, Shalaka. Thank you for sharing your good feedback with us!
Hi Natasha,
I want to make these churros for a Spanish project I have, but when I put the flour in, it turned into a really sticky oily dough that I could not do anything with. What did I do wrong?
Hi Yara, make sure to add the ingredients in the order listed and it should not be oily or sticky. Was the texture correct before you added the flour? I highly recommend watching the video again to see where things may have gone wrong.