Homemade Churros are a classic favorite dessert!

This churro recipe is made with simple, pantry-staple ingredients, fried to golden perfection and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Ingredients for Churros

Churros are a sweet treat typically made from piped dough, fried until golden, then tossed in cinnamon sugar.

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best results. If using salted, skip the salt in the recipe.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness.
  • Vanilla: Flavors the dough.
  • All-purpose flour: The base to this recipe is all-purpose flour. Other types of flour have not been tested in this recipe.
  • Egg: Eggs bind the ingredients together and add moisture. For even mixing, ensure the egg is at room temperature.
  • Cinnamon Sugar: This is the coating these churros are rolled in adding a sweet finish with a hint of spice.

Oil for Frying

For frying, use vegetable oil, canola oil, or corn oil (or peanut oil) as they have high smoke points and a neutral flavor.

How to Make Churros

  1. Prepare the dough: Boil water, butter, and sugar. Stir in the flour and egg to form a dough per the recipe below.
  2. Fry: Pipe 3 to 4-inch lines of dough into hot oil and fry for about 90 seconds per side.
  3. Roll in sugar: Roll the warm churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

This churro recipe is perfect for enjoying by itself, but I love to add a dipping sauce like chocolate sauce or salted caramel sauce.

Churros being dipped in sugar

Tips for Frying Churros

  • For the best churros, ensure the oil is between 360-365°F using a thermometer. Lower temperature makes them soggy, while higher temperatures result in burnt outsides and raw insides.
  • Monitor the oil temperature while frying. Fry 2-3 churros at a time to prevent a significant temperature drop and avoid soggy churros. Allow the oil to return to the proper frying temperature between batches.
  • Maintain consistent medium heat for frying. Start heating the oil before making the dough to reach the right temperature. Avoid rapidly increasing the heat between batches to prevent burnt and raw inside churros.
Churros in a pan with parchment paper

More Cinnamon Sweet Treats

  • Easy Cinnamon Bread (No Yeast)
  • Homemade Donut Holes
  • Cinnamon Toast Cake

Did you make these homemade Churros? Leave us a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
basket of Churros
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Churros

Homemade Churros are a classic and deliciously irresistible treat!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 17 Churros
Author Samantha

Equipment

Wilton #8 Star Piping Tip
a saucepan
2 Saucepan
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Ingredients  

  • Vegetable oil or canola oil or corn oil, for frying
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces
  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 large egg room temperature preferred

Topping

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon optional

Instructions 

  • Fill a large pan with 2-inches of oil. Heat over medium heat to 360-365°F.
  • Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter is melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Carefully add the vanilla extract and flour and reduce the heat to low. Stir until mixture a ball forms. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Once slightly cooled, mix in the egg. The mixture will be slightly thicker than mashed potatoes.
  • Transfer dough to a sturdy piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as Wilton 8).
  • Once oil has reached 360-365°F, carefully pipe a 3 to 4-inch line of the dough into your oil (keep the tip close to the oil to prevent splashing and use a knife or kitchen shears to snip the dough from the tip).
  • Fry 2-3 churros at a time for about 90 seconds. Use tongs to flip them over and cook for an additional 90 seconds until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate once cooked and cool for one minute.
  • Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping in a shallow bowl. Roll the warm churro in the sugar mixture. Enjoy warm.

Notes

The dough will be very thick when mixing in the egg, use a wooden spoon. 
You will need a sturdy pastry bag and a large star tip (I used a Wilton 8) to pipe your churros.
Make sure that the temperature returns to 360-365°F before frying subsequent batches of churros.
5 from 78 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1churro | Calories: 98 | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 11mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Mexican
cinnamon sugar Homemade Churros on a plate
classic Homemade Churros in a basket with writing
Homemade Churros with cinnamon sugar and writing
plated Homemade Churros and close up photo with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. I am supplying food for a bay shower with a Mexican theme. I want to have churros as part of the desserts. How far in advance can I make them?

    1. Hi Carol, these churros should last 2-3 days if stored in an air tight container. Send our congratulations to the new parents! We hope they enjoy these ❤️

  2. Thank you for sharing your recipe! It was a hit at our party. This churros with chocolate ganache is wonderful tasting. It has a great favour, I’ll be adding this healthy recipe to my successful list!

  3. I used to make these in college. The MN State Fair was canceled as an understandable health precaution, but I was going to miss my fried foods! This went off without a hitch except that my outsides were crispy and the insides were almost cooked enough, but still raw. I think that means I need to cook longer at a lower temperature next time? I used an Ateco #9 star tip, which is definitely on the thicker side. I tried cutting them into nuggets instead of long sticks to even out the cook time, but maybe that wasn’t it. Any expertise I would love!5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried making the dough ahead of time but I do think it would work. If you refrigerate the dough, be sure to let it come to room temperature before cooking/piping the churros.

    1. That’s an interesting idea, Lauren! We have never tried frying them in bacon grease, but would love to hear how that turns out for you!

  4. Hi Samantha! I can’t wait to try this yummy churros recipe! May I know if I can wait till the dough has cooled before transferring them to the piping bag? Thank you! :D

    1. Hi Candice, you want to make sure the dough is cooled in Step 4 before mixing in the egg (to prevent it come cooking when added). So it should be cooled when adding to the piping bag, hope that helps!

  5. These were so GOOD. 39 weeks pregnant and had a serious craving for fair food. This was a huge jackpot for me. My husband and children also enjoyed them. Thank you so much for sharing. I will definitely be sharing.5 stars

    1. So glad you can provide you with these yummy recipes Niamh! I hope you’re having fun baking and cooking.

  6. Samantha, I’ve been trying so many new recipes during this quarantine and yours is the best by far! Hubby eats these churros as fast as I can make them! Great recipe! Thanks!5 stars

    1. So happy to hear that April! And that will definitely keep you busy, you are going to be a churro making machine in no time!

  7. These were so delicious! My piping tip was a bit small so the churros turned out a little twiggy at first, but after an adjustment the size was perfect. They were so wonderful!!5 stars

      1. Is the dough supposed to be super hard? I had a really hard time using any type of tip on a piping bag, I resorted to cutting a hole in a ziplock bag.

      2. As I haven’t had this problem, it’s hard to say. You could try adding a bit more liquid.

        When measuring the flour, did you spoon it into the measuring cup? Scooping the flour from the container can sometimes pack it and add a bit extra which could make the dough too firm (more info on measuring flour here). I hope that helps!

    1. I haven’t tried it yet Bob, but in theory, I think it would work. If you try it, please let us know how it worked out!

    1. While they could be frozen, I think the quality would degrade. I definitely think these are best enjoyed fresh. Enjoy Joyce!

    1. I have only tried this recipe as written Joan. If you do bake them, let us know how it works for you!