Homemade churros are so easy and fun to make. You will want to make these delicious treats all the time!
Why you'll love it
They have a crisp exterior and airy, fluffy interior that is hard to beat and makes it nearly impossible to stop eating. What's even better is that it is very easy to make homemade churros.
On the surface, they may seem like they are a more time consuming and tricky dessert recipe to make, but the dough is ready for frying within minutes, and if you are afraid of piping your dough directly into the hot oil, there are ways around that!
Churros are also a great way to experiment with different flavors and textures. The traditional ridges you see in churros are perfect for clinging onto a number of things you can coat them in.
Brief churro history
Churros are a traditional fried dough pastry that originated in Spain between the 16th and 17th centuries. This treat that is often served with cafe con leche, hot chocolate, or dulce de leche among other tasty things like preserves and jam. In some areas, they will poke a hole through the churro and fill it.
Key ingredient overview
Typically, churros are made using something similar to a choux pastry dough - the same kind of dough you use to make profiteroles and eclairs. The ingredients are kitchen staples you typically already have available.
- Water - Water plays a big part to add hydration to the flour. It will help the dough puff while frying.
- Butter - The addition of butter not only adds rich flavor, but it also further hydrates and tenderizes the dough.
- Sugar - Not only does sugar add a touch of sweetness to the dough, but it helps the dough to crisp up when being fried.
- Flour - This is the main structure of the churro and we need it to absorb all the liquid we are using.
- Eggs - The eggs help to bind everything and give the dough it's perfectly pipable consistency. The yolks within the eggs also enriches the dough to add flavor.
How to make
You might feel intimidated by making churros on your own, but it is a very simple dough to make, even for a beginner.
- Add the water and butter to the saucepan and melt the butter.
- Add in the sugar, salt, and flour.
- Stir the mixture until the flour absorbs the liquid and continue cooking for another few minutes until it comes together into a large mass of dough.
- Add the eggs one egg at a time, thoroughly mixing in the egg before adding another until the dough is looser and glossy.
- Fit a piping bag with a star piping tip and fill with the dough.
- Pipe the dough into the hot oil, using scissors to cut each churro from the piping bag.
- Fry until they are golden brown, then transfer them into container filled with cinnamon sugar.
If you are uncomfortable with piping the dough directly into the frying oil, you can pipe them onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until you can handle them. Add them to your oil at that point. They will need only a few more minutes to fry.
Pro tip: You can fry rounds of this homemade churro dough to make doughnuts similar to the yeast kind. You can fill them like a regular doughnut, but will have the same crisp exterior and structured, airy interior. You can also use this recipe to make a cruller.
Dress them up
If you want to get creative with your homemade churros, you don't have to simply coat them in cinnamon sugar. One of my favorite things to do is give them a quick dunk in chocolate, then coat in things like sprinkles, chocolate chips, cereal, crush pretzels, or whatever you can think up! They're completely versatile!
You can even add more flavor to them by adding spices like chai spice or pumpkin spice and extracts to the dough. This is a versatile dough that can handle a lot of experimentation!
If you want to do something completely different, you can freeze them and add them to churro ice cream, or make churro ice cream sandwiches.
Recipe FAQs
Churros are only really good the same day they are made - preferably within the first few hours they are made. Afterward, they tend to get soft and the texture isn't too great. If you can't eat them all, then halve the recipe.
Yes! You can pipe the dough onto lined baking sheets and freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container. Save them in the freezer until ready to fry. It will take only a few additional minutes to fry them.
Recipe Card
Homemade Churros
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 stick unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour sifted
- 4 eggs large
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the water, butter, and sugar together until the butter is melted and the mixture bubbles.
- Add in the salt and flour. Stir well, then cook for about 1 - 2 minutes - do not skip this.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool enough that you can touch it comfortably.
- Add one of the eggs and beat it into the mixture. It will seem as though it will not incorporate, but it will if you keep mixing. Repeat with each egg one at a time.
- Add at least four inches of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F.
- Fit a piping bag with a star tip. Fill with the dough
- Once the oil is heated to the correct temperature, pipe 4 - 5 inches of the dough right into the oil carefully.
- Fry for about 2 minutes, flip, then fry for another 2 minutes.
- Remove and coat in cinnamon sugar.
- Serve immediately.
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