Crispy on the outside with a soft texture inside and a hint of vanilla flavor, these churros are a beloved dessert that is easy to recreate at home. Cover them in cinnamon sugar or serve them with chocolate sauce or any sweet dipping of your choice.
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Ingredients you will need
Milk and Water: I use a mix of whole milk and water, but you can replace the milk with the same amount of water, which means you will need a total of 200 ml of water for this recipe.
Butter: You can use vegetable oil if you prefer, but unsalted butter will give your homemade churros much more flavor.
Vanilla Extract: This is an optional ingredient, but I like to add a little bit of vanilla to the dough.
Sugar and Salt
Flour: You will need all-purpose flour to make this churros recipe.
Eggs: You will need two large eggs to make the dough.
Canola Oil for Frying: You can also use any odorless vegetable oil suited for deep frying.
Ground Cinnamon and White Granulated Sugar for Coating
Tips to make perfect churros
Keep the oil hot. Maintaining the oil temperature between 360F and 370F (180C - 190C) is important. This helps the churros cook quickly and evenly, resulting in a crispy exterior and a cooked-through but soft interior. If the oil is too cool, the churros will absorb more oil and become greasy.
Don't use a large piping nozzle. Using a medium-sized star nozzle (like Wilton 1M) helps create churros with the perfect thickness and texture. A nozzle that's too large can make churros too thick, which will be difficult to cook through. This can also lead to churros deforming or exploding during frying.
Serve immediately. Churros are best enjoyed immediately after frying for maximum crispiness.
Looking for more delicious desserts? Then, you may like these Profiteroles and Cream puffs made with Choux pastry, or try to make these fluffy Boston cream donuts with Pastry cream.
Step by step directions
Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, butter, vanilla extract (if using), sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer and the butter has melted completely.
Add the Flour: Remove the saucepan from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a smooth dough and there are no dry bits left.
Cook the Dough: Return the saucepan to the heat and cook the dough for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. You'll know it's ready when a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough pulls away from the sides.
Cool the Dough: Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for a minute to allow the dough to cool slightly.
Incorporate the Eggs: Gradually add the beaten eggs to the dough, mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Heat the Oil: In a deep pot, heat about 2 inches of oil to 360F - 370F (180C - 190C).
Pipe the Dough: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle. Pipe 5-6 inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, cutting them off with scissors.
Fry the Churros: Fry the churros in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.
Drain and Cool: Remove the churros from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
Coat with Cinnamon Sugar: While still warm, roll the churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well-coated.
Serving ideas
Churros are incredibly versatile and can be served in various delightful ways. The classic way of serving them is with a rich, thick chocolate sauce for dipping such as warm Chocolate ganache. To add more sweetness you can serve churros with homemade Salted caramel or dulce de leche, or you can also pair them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a contrast of hot and cold. For a fruity option, serve churros with a berry compote, Raspberry coulis, or fresh fruit slices.
FAQ
Churros are best enjoyed right after frying if you like them crispy. You can store completely cooled churros in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 2 days. However, these churros won't be crispy anymore.
I don't recommend freezing churros leftovers but you can prepare the dough and freeze it for later. To do this, pipe freshly made dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the freezer. Once the dough is fully frozen, transfer the unfried churros into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Keep the bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can fry frozen churros without thawing them first, just add a couple of extra minutes to the frying time to ensure they cook through.
Recipe card
Churros
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Saucepan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl or use a mixing bowl and a rubber spatula
- Piping bags
- Open star piping nozzle
Ingredients
The Dough
- 100 ml whole milk
- 100 ml water
- 35 g unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 110 g all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs approximately 100g, slightly beaten in a bowl
- Canola oil for frying or any odorless vegetable oil suited for deep frying
Cinnamon Sugar
- 150 g white sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the milk, water, butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the mixture starts simmering and the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Mix with a rubber spatula until no dry ingredients are left.
- Bring the saucepan back to the heat and cook the dough for 1-2 minutes, mixing continuously with the rubber spatula until a whitish film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough forms a ball with a homogeneous consistency. Remove from the heat.
- Place the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also use a bowl and a rubber spatula or spoon, or a hand mixer). Beat the dough on low for a minute or until it's not quite hot to the touch but still warm.
- Gradually add the eggs, beating on medium speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl and beat one last time just for a few seconds to mix. The dough should be smooth and shiny. It should be firm enough to hold a shape when piped out but moist. If this texture is achieved before all eggs are incorporated, stop adding them. If the texture is not there yet after you've added all the eggs, you need to add ¼ - ½ extra egg.
- Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle (such as Wilton 1M).
- Heat approximately 2" (4cm) of oil in a pot over medium-high heat to 360F - 370F (180C - 190C).
- Pipe 5"- 6" (12cm-15cm) lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, using scissors to cut the dough at the nozzle tip.
- Fry the churros in batches, avoiding overcrowding the pot for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on each side.
- Remove the churros with a slotted spoon or tongs and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil and cool down.
- While still warm, roll the churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, such as chocolate or dulce de leche.
Anne says
This is wonderfull
Anna says
Thank you!