Prior to a few months ago, the full extent of my understanding of churros was:
- They’re long cake dougnuts.
- They must be very difficult to make or they would be everywhere at all times.
- They cannot be near me.
This week, set out to disprove all three. Well, the first notion began to unravel a recently as we chomped through a plate of them at Rosie’s, a newish restaurant in my neighborhood, when I realized for the first time that these long, ridged doughnuts weren’t your usual cake or yeast doughnut texture inside, but something else — almost custardy within, very crunchy outside, as if they were made from an eggy, puffy dough. Google confirmed my a-ha moment: did you realize that churros are basically long, piped and fried eclair/cream puff dough?
This means (Item 2) that they’re not actually difficult to make, but a paste of flour and water with a little butter, sugar and flavoring that you beat eggs into. This also means the universe owes me an explanation of why they’re not as popular here as they are in South America, Spain and Portugal. Could you imagine the stampede around a Midtown coffee cart not selling those sad puffy doughnuts and bready bagels but these instead? Like, I’m actually angry this doesn’t exist yet.
This left only the last concern. “Why haven’t we ever made churros before?” I asked my husband. “Why haven’t you!” he responded with righteous indignation. “Because I’d eat them all and then complain about my chins?” “Not if I got to them first.” “We could make them and try to get rid of them before they caused permanent damage.” “You better not give them away.” As usual, he was a total instigator and exactly no help in talking me out of this. Whose side is he on?
However, as I began to sift through recipes a few themes emerged, mostly related to the difficulty of deep-frying things at home: it’s rather easy for them to overcook and get unpleasantly hard outside or undercook and seem eggy and loose inside. Some recipes called for frying at 400 degrees, which seemed a recipe for a smoky disaster, others had comments like “this needed 9 more eggs than the 1 called for to work.” I ran in the other direction. The other issue seemed to be that they can be really hard to squeeze the thick dough out the piping tip, which if doing so over a cauldron of boiling oil, would be incredibly stressful. Frying is stressful enough.
As if it was in my head, it turned out that Cook’s Country tackled these exact concerns in a recipe this month. Their solutions are as logical as you’d imagine — to help keep the heat at the right level, always drop the churros in at the higher end so there’s room for the temperature to drop without it going too low. And, they suggest piping out the dough while it’s still warm and easier to manipulate, onto an oiled tray pretty much at your leisure. You can then keep this tray in the fridge for an hour or so, but I bet up to a few, which would be awesome if you want to be a total show-off at your next dinner party.
The results are churros that are dangerously easy to make but also surprisingly filling — there’s a real heft to them, and thank goodness, because it makes it easier to stop at one. Well, stop at one, leave the apartment and not come back until several hours later when there are only a couple left and then pat yourself on the back for your self-control. Same thing, right?
One year ago: Cornmeal-Fried Pork Chops + Smashed Potatoes
Two years ago: Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata
Three years ago: French Onion Tart
Four years ago: Multigrain Apple Crisps
Five years ago: Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers
Six years ago: Arroz Con Leche Rice Pudding
Seven years ago: Thick Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Soft Pretzels, Refreshed
Eight years ago: Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
Nine years ago: Red Split Lentils With Cabbage, Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes and Cucumber Scallion Raita
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Corn Chowder Salad
1.5 Years Ago: Corn Cheddar and Scallion Salad
2.5 Years Ago: Pink Lemonade Popsicles and Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
3.5 Years Ago: Vanilla Custards with Roasted Blueberries
4.5 Years Ago: Naked Tomato Sauce
Churros
Recipe cobbled from a few choux recipes I’ve used before; tips and technique mostly from Cook’s Country
The recipe here creates a pretty standard cinnamon sugar-crusted churros with a puddle of chocolate — halfway between a chocolate sauce and a very rich, concentrated cup of hot cocoa — to dip it into. While you can fry without a thermometer and just keep an eye on things, as churros have a tendency to either overcook on the outside or undercook on the inside, you’ll find it easier with one.
P.S. Want to have even more fun with these? Make some homemade dulce de leche or cajeta to dip them in.
Yield: About 18 6-inch churros
Dough
2 cups (475 ml) water
3 tablespoons (40 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 1/2 to 2 quarts (about 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 liters) vegetable oil for frying
Coating
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon or canela
Chocolate
3/4 cup (175 ml) heavy or whipping cream
5 ounces (140 grams) chopped semi- or bittersweet chocolate or about 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Pinch salt
Make the dough: Heat water, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium-size saucepan until simmering and butter has melted. Remove from heat and dump in flour all at once. Mix vigorously with a spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and no floury bits are visible.
Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then add eggs, one at a time. You can beat them in with a large whisk and strong arm, or use a hand- or stand mixer. Be warned that the dough really likes to ride up the beaters of a handmixer, so keep it pushed down.
Transfer churros to a pastry bag or strong gallon ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, fitted with a large closed star tip — Cook’s Country recommends a #8 pastry tip, 5/8-inch in diameter but I might have preferred a slightly smaller one so they were less thick.
If you’d like to make them the traditional way, you can skip right to the frying stage and pipe the churros in 6-inch or desired lengths (I played around with some blob-shaped minis) right into the oil, snipping them off with scissors at your desired length. But I found it a little easier to pipe them while still warm onto a large baking sheet that had been lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with a nonstick spray, so I was in less of a rush. If using this method, transfer the tray of shaped churros to the fridge for 15 minutes and up to a couple hours to help the shapes set before frying them.
Cook the churros: Heat oven to 200 degrees to keep churros warm while you fry them in batches. Line a large plate with a couple layers of paper towels. Add oil to Dutch oven or cast iron skillet until it measures about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over medium/medium-high heat to 375 degrees.
Gently drop a few churros at a time into the oil and fry until deep golden brown on all sides, which will take about 6 minutes. Turn them frequently so that they cook evenly. Adjust heat as needed so that the oil does not dip below 350 degrees. Once churros are cooked, remove from oil and drain on towels for a minute before transferring to a tray in the oven to keep warm. Return your oil to 375 degrees before adding more churros. Repeat with remaining dough.
Coat the churros: Once all churros are fried, combine cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Roll warm churros, one by one, in sugar to coat, spooning more cinnamon-sugar on as you do for best coverage. Tap off excess. Do not let warm churros sit in cinnamon sugar for longer than needed to coat or the sugar will get clumpy.
Make the sauce: Heat cream, chocolate and salt in a bowl in microwave in 30 second bursts, whisking between them, until chocolate has melted.
Dip warm churros in warm chocolate sauce, repeat as needed.
Do ahead: Choux dough, the style of dough used here, can be made and kept in bowl for up to a day before using, but it will be easier to pipe when it’s still warm. Piped raw churros should be good in the fridge for a few hours, but I haven’t tested it for a full day, though it stands to reason they’d keep that long too. Churros can be kept warm in oven before coating with cinnamon sugar for probably up to an hour before they might get dry. They’re best on the first day.
I’ve always wanted to make my own churros!! These look absolutely perfect Deb! Definitely trying :)
In Barcelona the chocolate has cornstarch in it so that it cools into a sort of pudding, although it becomes a little more complicated to make than a normal ganache.
oh, NO! it’s bad enough we just got a new churro-only restaurant in our ‘hood. now this?!
i highly recommend adding citrus zest (orange or lemon). the local ones that used to have that were to DIE for.
I used to eat these at markets in Spain – I love them! The people making them there piped them in a huge spiral directly into the oil, then snipped that into lengths when it was cooked. I want some now…
Yes- churros have always seemed like a French cruller with cinnamon sugar to me! I had no idea they were easy to make. Thank you!
“Why hasn’t she made churros yet?” was EXACTLY my question, too, as I rummaged through your recipes with a pregnancy craving that I thought would soon eat me instead… By the way, I have always wondered why they aren’t popular enough as well, I felt I was one of the only people who got excited to go to Disneyland as a kid solely to ingest a ridiculous amount of these.
Safe to say my day’s schedule will now need some revamping. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Doyou know anything about how important the star-shaped piping is? I know its the main purpose for the contrast in texture inside vs. out, but would it totally flop if I didn’t have a star-shaped nib?
I made these with no nib, and just added a little texture by scraping with a fork once they were piped onto the baking sheet. They looked a little more rustic but the texture contrast still seemed good to me.
Dangerously easy to make (and eat, I imagine!). These look beyond fab!
There is no leavening agent in these churros??
That was exactly my understanding of churros, too. I’m actually a little afraid now that I know they are so easy to make (or at least require everyday ingredients), who knows when I’ll give in to my craving?! You make it seem so easy but I’m afraid my kitchen is going to look like something exploded in there. Anyway, great recipe and thank you so much for sharing!
Churros are everywhere in the south of France (I guess it’s the Spanish influence. We have lots of paella, too). As Pip says, they pipe them into the oil and then cut them up. They are at every fair (what is it about fried foods and fairs?). For me, they are in the category of “don’t do this at home or you’ll have to buy all new clothes.”
Hilla — I think that the ridges do create a nice textural contrast (vs. a hollow-ish crisp tube) but otherwise, I don’t know why you can’t use a round shape.
sandra — No, choux doughs don’t use leaveners. The water creates steam which expands when cooked.
I have made churros (ahem, grew up with them, sorry!) and in my experience they do not work well using a round nozzle (or nib). The ridges give them not only a higher surface-to-volume ratio, which is indispensable for the cooking of the inside, but also structural stability. Smooth churros then to flatten (and sometimes dissolve) while frying (unless using a very dense dough, which in turn will not be good). Also, ridges produce a crunchier crust. So, for me, only start-shaped! Thanks for posting this, Deb, I have a weekend plan already!
Thank you for this! I sadly only have round tips – you confirmed that I shouldn’t attempt until I get a different one!
Hi, I love your page, and I follow it from Spain. Churros are very popular here…you can now find them filled with chocolate and other things but the traditional ones are just coated in sugar. The original recipe is actually only flour, water and salt. Then we have something called “churrera”, that helps shape them directly into the oil. But next time I am trying your recipe!!!! I read somewhere that it was actually the Spanish shepherds that started making them. As they did not have access to fresh bread , they would just take flour, salt, water and oil, and make fire to fry them (and i guess to be warm and make food…), and later on, they became popular…so their names churros, is supposed to refer to the horns of a type of sheep we have in Spain, which is called Churra. Or at least,,,that is what they say. Who knows…
I totally used to think that churros were something that you just find at the Costco food court and were likely a bastardized version of something that Latin America probably doesn’t eat anymore. And then I went to Peru, found them being sold as street food, and also realized that we are doing it all wrong here…..
Thank you so much for this! Weekend baking activity is now set!
Question though, I have been putting off buying a deep frying thermometer for some time but think I can no longer go on without one. Do you have any advice for picking one out?
This is probably a stupid question, but how do you transfer them from the baking sheet to the oil? With tongs? With a spatula?
In Mexico, thicker shorter churros are sold at churro relleno stands where you can choose between having the vendor pipe in a filling of chocolate, nutella, dulce de leche or strawberry jam to order. Just saying…
I love your recipes they are so good and easy to make!
Can I use almond meal instead of flour. Do you think the churros would come out right? Flour gives me joint pains…
I grew up in latinamerica and these churros look exactly like the ones I used to eat!
Love your blog!
I’m a huge churro fan, especially with the chocolate dipping sauce. Have to try this!
Yum!!
Amarilys — I haven’t tried it, but am doubtful it will work as a stand-in here. You might look around for flour-free choux or cream puff recipes as a better place to start for replacements.
Kate — I actually lifted mine carefully with my fingers, but you can also use a thin spatula to nudge them from the sheet to the frying oil.
Deep fry thermometer advice — Just look at reviews. And then, when you get home, it can’t hurt to check its accuracy when you get home, before you throw away the receipt. This is relatively easy if you know the temperature at which water boils where you are — at sea level, 100°C or 212° F, at a lower temperature as you gain altitude (e.g., on a mountain) and boils at a higher temperature if you increase atmospheric pressure (below sea level).
Churros are everywhere in NY! In the subway, that is. You’ve never seen the huge trays, or heard the murmured “churros, churros” when passing the vendors? I see them most often on the D line stops, Atlantic or 36th St in Brooklyn. I still haven’t tried them, though. The combination of deep fried dough and subway air doesn’t really appeal to me…
Ha! I’ve never tried a churro (though I’ve heard life-changing reviews of them) and I always assumed they were light and airy. I’ve also heard magical things about the chocolate that comes with churros in Spain- is this a similar recipe, or do they do something different?
Churros look like they are worth the threat of an extra chin…or two. Yum!
Wow, that is a powerful argument for frying at home. They look amazing! How wretched that I’m finally on a proper healthy eating schedule! I’ll have to tear myself away from this recipe and back to your veggie based selections. :)
And just as an aside, I’ll be using your orange chocolate chunk cake recipe for an upcoming bake sale. You’ll be helping me raise money for kitties in my local area!
churros are a mainstay where i live here in SoCal. (funny you should say that, -i think churro does mean “many chins,” in Spanish.) my two cents are with you – the not overcooking and not undercooking are so important. so good on you. believe it or not, there Is such a thing as a bad churro! (makes me cry ….)
You made these look easier to make than the last recipe we tried with a total fail. We’re gonna give it another try using your method. Thanks!
Man. I haven’t tried making churros since a disastrous* attempt when I was just a little baby cook, but when you phrase it as “just choux pastry,” well, that seems like I should probably get over myself, huh? (*No loss to life or limb, just… really bad. Like REALLY bad. I know things now I didn’t then, I wager.)
Looks amazing! I made churros about a year ago for the first time and I also found it so much easier to pre-pipe them first. It’s interesting you might prefer a slightly smaller opening because I felt like I should’ve used something bigger (I used wilton 1M). When it’s too thin, you don’t seem to get enough of the softer interior as a contrast (plus maybe I fried mine a bit too long so just a bit more crunchy overall). I had churros at one of Rick Bayless’ restaurants in Chicago and they were amazing. I want to have a churro party now!
I’ve made churros twice a week for the past six months for work, and they’re both addictive and surprisingly simple once you get the hang of them. A few tricks- the dough should look glossy and just a little loose once you’ve mixed in the eggs, it works best if the dough is cool when you add the eggs (we dump the dough in a stand mixer and mix it on the slowest speed until the bowl is room temp), and you can freeze the piped churros and then fry them pretty easily.
do you have to reheat piped churros before frying after being in the fridge?
I’ve been saying the lack of churro availability should not be left up to Costco for YEARS!! But really I think we could ban together and stop this crisis now. Can’t wait to try your recipe. :)
Doesn’t choux pastry usually have a lot more egg in it?
Aleks — Often it does, up to 4 for this amount of flour/water. What I was reading from the recipes that used more is that they might have come out tougher, so I opted for the lower amount. Not a fully exhaustive kitchen study, though.
I lived in Spain for a few years, so when I found a special tube to squeeze out the dough here, I was excited to make them. BUT, an explosion occurred, getting hot oil and dough on my walls, cabinets, ceiling, and face. Thankfully I wear glasses! Why did this happen? (Air pocket?) And how can I keep it from occurring again? Your recipe is encouraging me to make another attempt!
Becky: I had the same thing happen when my daughter brought home the recipe that her Spanish teacher had given out in class. We did get burned with the spattering fat and what a mess and disappointment! So am hoping someone can tell us what caused this. Thanks!
I have had these filled with dulce de leche…..Amazing!! Deb, could you give us some tips on how to do that?
Thank you dear so much for this recipe!
After a vacation in Portugal I became addicted to these beauties! Ah, so so so yummy. Will be for sure trying these out as soon as possible :)
Deb did you get a microwave??
Churos are amazing, especially cinnamon sugar coated, the good thing about Churos are that they’re actually quite sickly after 2-3 so you wouldn’t want any more than that in one sitting. Thank you for the recipe I will be saving this for future reference.
You have ruined my morning coffee because it is missing churros to go with it but you will have made my weekend when I give these ago to satisfy the craving you just created. YUM! x
Here (Argentina) you can find them in every bakery, in most train stations, many bus terminals, and even in the town square. Usually plain or filled with dulce de leche, but in some places they even sell them filled with dulce de leche an covered in chocolate (but it’s very bad “chocolate”). Imagine waking up on a cold sunday morning and only have to walk one block to get a crispy and still warm dozen of these things <3
Versions of churros exist all over the world. The Turks have tulumba tatlisi – the exact same fried choux but after frying, tulumba is transferred/sumberged into the sugary syrup and becomes very moist. Addictive and not doing my waist any favors, but I grew up eating dozens at a time. They absolutely have to be piped through a star shaped opening to create those ridges and indeed my mom always piped the dough while it was still warm. It was the easiest recipe for my mom to make in bulk – her “dosage” was 60 pieces in one go. Economies of scale at work!
I am scared to try frying!! Can I bake these? (Or should I just stop being a wuss??)
Like I really needed another addiction in my life! I really love making eclairs and cream puffs – luckily I don’t do it often. Now I’m going to have to make these too *sigh*. Seriously though, I’m glad you delved into these as I have actually been wondering about them lately and thinking about trying them.
Melanie–yes! I always a woman selling churros at the station when I’m transferring from the 6 to the F at Bleecker/ Broadway-Lafayette.
Do NOT under any circumstances go to Madrid – there is a shop there that does churros and chocolate 24/7 every day of the year – never closes!!! One could have a craving at 3 in the morning and just walk in and eat!!!!!
seeing churros being made and skimmed right out of the hot oil in spain is a dangerous endeavor. it’s a fine art to making these right but your recipe looks great for kitchen not equipped with this:
(oh to have one!)
I’m not sure that anything is really easy to fry, but these do look delicious. However, even cream will not make hot chocolate as thick as real Spanish one. I think you need cornstarch for that, but could you pleeease investigate :-)? Because Spanish hot chocolate is divine, and it’d be too bad not to get both halves of the perfect snack after all this trouble..
Too many years ago, a friend and I went to Spain ( on $5-1$10 a day …really ) and had churros y chocolate for breakfast almost every day.. Never been able to replicate them, and no, the ones on the subway and the street are not even close .
Will have to try these soon.
I’m from Spain and churros are made with water, oil and flour with definitely no eggs in sight! These appear to be just choux pastry fried in oil with sugar coating! I’m sure they are delicious but definitely not an authentic churro at all! Should be called choux pastry churro!! Sorry
Fried eclair – sounds like heaven.
O my, they look sooo delicious, I can almost taste them (sweet childhood memories). Thanks for sharing!
I very much remember the first time I ate churros. It was on a fun trip to Granada and I always wanted to make them at home. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
Churros….. a real classic. Some of the comments above have mentioned the ridges an how they help with the rigidity. Knowing Spain and the Spanish as I do I think we are missing the point here……. the ridges are their to help with the dunking in the thick hot chocolate, the ridges help the chocolate stick properly.
Also with regards to a comment on cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch is often added as the chocolate has to be thick.
I love churros. This looks like a terrific recipe. And I love the tip from one of your readers about adding corn starch to the chocolate to make it more like a pudding.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
GK
Churros are popular in Miami but I’d love to try them at home. Deb, you must try them with dulce de leche. You don’t have to fill them, just drizzle over the warm churros. Now I’m even more motivated to make your Dulce de leche recipe and the churros!
To the people who want to do this without a star tip, PLEASE read this:http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2008/06/lessons-found-in-exploding-churros.html?m=1
I ate these as street food in Mexico City, fried then and there, fresher than fresh, crisp and tender, injected with dulce de leche. (Deb, your tastes and mine overlap in many ways, except cinnamon, which I think detracts from almost anything it is added to, except–maybe–buttery cinnamon rolls).
Interestingly, my closest Costco (Dedham MA, if anyone lives near me) sells these in their little snack bar (along with pizza and hot dogs). Probably not fresher than fresh…
Oh Lord — playing my heartstrings. How will I ever get back to bathing suit shape if you keep tempting me?
Deb-You seem to have hit a nerve with this one! I have to say that this was one of my all time favorite blogs on the site. Your sense of humor is so great. I loved it all from beginning to end.The churros sound delicious and the tiny instigator looks delicious and your sense of humor is delicious. That’s why we are all also “smitten”.
They look divine! Thing is…if I tried them, I’d instantly become addicted. It’s best for me to not even attempt to try them. It’s safer for everyone!!
Oh, I love churros. I didn’t realize they were choux-based, but that totally makes sense!
It’s probably a good thing for my waistline that deep frying is one of the kitchen tasks I find most onerous (I have yet to deal with the leftover oil from a recent batch of paczki…which might mean I’m already set up for churros??)
I remember enjoying these with a thick hot chocolate in Spain. We went at midnight and had to queue for ages to get them but they were amazing. I’ve never attempted them at home but I doubt I’d be able to get them to match my memory of them so I’m not quite ready to try yet!
Omg, these look so good, but I’ve got to be honest, I can never make these (again). I tried to make these for my hubby’s bday last year and the batter blew up in the oil causing me second degree burns on my hand! Yikes! And not to mention the oil literally splattered all over our entire kitchen and ceiling – apparently because the batter has water in it, it can be a bit tricky. Anyways, these look delish – – maybe I could back them instead?
There is a restaurant, a spanish tapas bar, just across the street from my house where I had churros for the first time. They are just amazing and they don’t seem too tricky to prepare. I love them with lots of vanilla sugar!
I love the little nubbin churros, but I bet they’re easier to eat 89 of and wonder how it happened.
Hi, at the restaurant where I work on the occasions we’ve done churros we pipe them onto parchment and then chill them. When they’re a little firmer you can cut the parchment around the churros and drop the whole thing in the oil (the cold choux sticks to the parchment). The paper falls off as it fries (usually around when they’re ready to be flipped) and is easy to retrieve with tongs, as are the churros. They stay fine fridged on the parchment for a day or two. Might be a good solution ffor people nervous about dropping things into hot oil.
Hope that’s helpful!
I guess it’s a crazy question to ask if they could be baked? :) We just don’t do frying…
Lovely!
at a costa rican festival near san jose, i had 2…one w/caramel piped into it and the other with chocolate. they used a long thin tube attached to their piping bag.
i am excited about making these and perhaps piping in some fruit preserves….
So, I see on here that you’re supposed to fry it in oil, in a pan. Would the recipe still hold up if I fried them in a deep fryer? It would be easier to manage the temperature and doesn’t seem like you would have to flip it, since it’s fully submerged.
Oh boy, do these look divine. If these are as easy as they seem then I am in BIG trouble. I was just talking about possibly making gluten/dairy free churros, just yesterday! Now I’m tempted to make this my weekend project and possibly share … or maybe not.
I’ve never had a churro before, but these look amazing! I’m going to have to try them out!
Oh why have I never tried churros before? For some reason I thought they would be just crispy the whole way through and that did not appeal to me. But if they are soft inside, and dipped in chocolate…
Indeed, a dangerous recipe! Here in Los Angeles, there are enough street vendors (many of them Mexican/Latin American) that churros are not too difficult to find! I even saw a truly impressive setup with a giant syringe-like device used to extrude multiple churros at a time! We even have a shop now that offers hipster-fied churro ice cream sandwiches. I haven’t been yet, but now that I have this recipe, maybe I don’t have to…
What Melanie and Nicole said about seeing churros sold in the subway. However, I’ve never actually bought one there as I have the DC Metro-ingrained horror of eating on the subway.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-considers-adding-food-retail-outlets-in-system-to-raise-revenue/2015/11/04/77730fc6-832f-11e5-a7ca-6ab6ec20f839_story.html
Are they good? I’ve only had churros in situations where they had been freshly fried. Eating one from a stack that was made in a kitchen miles away, possibly hours ago, didn’t tempt me much.
If anyone hates deep frying as much as I do, just google “baked churros” I found essentially the same recipe as here, but they are baked. I would then brush with butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar (most recipes say to spray with cooking spray- yuck!). I’m sure a certain magical quality is lost, but hey, better that NO churros, right? I’m trying this immediately :)
The choux is resting in the fridge. Fingers crossed mine turn out! How could I not try these when every ingredient is essentially a pantry staple??? A recipe i didn’t have to leave the house for ☺ love it!
Hello Deb. Great recipe, but I will recommend no cinnamon…the original churro does not call for cinnamon but I guess is a matter of taste. I have tried them in different countries and only here in the states is that I have seen this version with cinnamon. without cinnamon they are way better!!!
I made these today. My pastry bags burst three times! So, by the time I transferred the batter each time, it was getting pretty hard to pipe. In the end I ended up with about half the amount, which I chilled for 5 hours before frying. I didn’t have a thermometer, I just kept an eye oil and adjusted the temperature. The frying was easy and they are delicious! The only down side is I only ended up with half the churros. Maybe I should make more while the oil is still in the pan…
I think I’m going to host a party tomorrow where we get drunk, eat your (oven) ribs, and then attempt to fry churros. Sounds like a recipe for delicious disaster. ;)
Hello. Im from Malaysia and I love your blog.Ive made these today and it tastes haven. But Ive got a problem.. my churros stick to the baking sheets! I try freeze them but they still stick. Maybe I shd stick to the traditional way of doing it.. pipe them directly to the oil. What do u think? Any tips?
My husband accidentally saw these and squealed “I want that!”, of course. I’m glad somebody already asked the question of how to transfer the piped churros into the oil; sounds messy but I will try.
Where I live (turkey) we make them exactly the same but then drench them in simple syrup and it gets extra extra crunchy. I’m almost certain you would love them Deb!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulumba
Love them! you make it look so easy! I’m going to start making a batch
what a dangerous recipe – I too would inhale the lot if I were to make them. They look fab.
I made churros in my sister’s Southern kitchen, aided by two pieces of her technology. A FryDaddy made keeping the temperature consistent very easy. And an electric cookie press, set with biggest possible star plate, made it fun to “pipe” directly into the hot oil with one hand, leaving the other hand free to snip them into three inch segments (perfect for little hands). I got the nieces involved by having them shake the cooked churros in paper bags with the cinnamon sugar.
I made a half recipe this morning and they are delicious, but mine were actually like fried choux vs what I remember from my So Cal days – I’ve been in NW Montana for 22 years…
I may have gone a bit light on flour and too much egg: I use a MT hard wheat flour which usually needs a bit more moisture as well as a L-XL egg fresh from my neighbor’s chickens.
Very tasty, very light and puffy but will try again with some adjustments in flour to egg ratio. The puffing also meant my churros looked more like saguaro cactus :)
Clarifying my flour comment. My flour measures 38 g per 1/4 cup, but knowing what I do re the moisture needed, I used 120 g of my flour thinking that would be a better bet as store flour is typically 30 g per 1/4 cup. Anyway, next round will increase flour and maybe a smaller egg.
I remember at a school event (run by students) the girls had such a hard time piping the dough in the oil they ended up grabbing it with their hands and putting it in the oil in strange blobs. They still sold them all though. A real testament to the irresistible nature of churros, I think. These look incredible, by the way, Deb, love the tip about piping them onto an oiled tray first.
mmm I used to make churros all the time in college. They were so easy and cheap and such a hit. Really tempted to make them now…or run over to Xoco and get one!
These were delicious, i mean really delicious. Like you said, i don’t think i truly knew what a churro was until i had these! Only problem was that most of them split a little which made them have a little round piece attached to the side of them. Not the biggest deal but any idea how i could prevent that?
Hello,
Thanks for bringing this one for us.
Churros, by checking out your pictures that thing was right there in my mind.
Never have tried this one, but thanks to you :)
Surely going to make this one day.
Thank you
Keep blogging :)
Shantanu sinha
If you own a cookie press and the right shaped nozzle you can press them out much easier than with a piping bag. The recipe I’ve always used has been a real pain to put through a regular piping bag so I (but not my arteries or waistline) look forward to giving this one a go.
I made these two days ago. I made the dough and piped it onto parchment at night, then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight to fry the next morning for breakfast. It work PERFECTLY. I don’t have a cookie press or a star tip, so I piped snakes from a gallon ziploc with the corner snipped. Next time, I’ll make them thinner – my raw dough snakes were about 1″ wide, and they got big bubble pockets, which might be unavoidable with a smooth surface regardless. I was really surprised how custardy the insides of proper churros become. I was afraid they were undercooked, but they stiffened at room temp (don’t wait this long to eat them).
Churros are common in California in Mexican neighborhoods.
I’ve always wondered the same thing about crepes (why NYC doesn’t have crepe carts on every street corner like in Paris)…
On the Will it Waffle? website there was a recipe for waffled churros using eclair batter. I whipped up some batter, piped small amounts into a deep Belgian waffle iron (leaving plenty of room to expand), and when they were done brushed them with melted butter and rolled them in cinnamon sugar. Not exactly the same but close enough without all the oil.
I have all the same churro objections. I cannot take up churro making unless I also take up ultra-marathonning or something. Which is an unlikely scenario. So, until then, churros are for when we go visit my in-laws in Mexico City. Here’s how it’s done (pay attention to the dude in the back twirling the dough into the oil into perfect spirals):
httpshttps://youtu.be/Ni_loIRV080://youtu.be/Ni_loIRV080
Lots of churro places when visiting Mexico City, the people I was staying with would go pick them up for an early evening snack with hot chocolate.
Someone mentioned Churros with strawberry jam…to me that would be the most delicious thing ever. Literally drooling at the thought. I think I will perfect this when strawberries are in season and I have a new batch of jam – entire meals of churros with strawberry jam. With fresh coffee, in the garden, green grass.
Oh, no–bad link! Here it is: https://youtu.be/Ni_loIRV080
Wow! Great recipe! I am big fans of churros! I always wanted to make it on my own! Thanks for sharing!
I am watching Julia & Julie, reading your blog and thinking someday I will blog about you and me ;) Debbie and Priya.
I am terrified to fry too… Can they be baked?
Deb, these look certainly fantastic and appetizing… however, a nitty gritty comment from a Spaniard :) churros in Spain are only made of flour, water and a pinch of salt, and then fried directly. You can them dunk them in rich hot chocolate (quite thick, our Spanish version, you always mix a bit of cornstarch in it – I was sooo disapointed the first time I tried chocolate outside Spain ;) or rub them in sugar (that was my favourite weekend breakfast when I was little. I have never given these a try before, but I want to experiment with choux, and with churros… haven´t had them since I moved to Denmark 5 years ago!
Big hugs from the land of smørrebrød
You should give a try to porras (basically a big churro).
in spanish, sorry, but I know you’ll get it:
And the thick spanish chocolate is almost mandatory to eat this….
Sergio — That looks like Spanish funnel cake. I want it!
Sounds so tasty my taste-buds are tingling
Deb, can you please put the weights in? Would love to try this one day (soon).
Churros! One time my favorite Mexican restaurant decided they were going to be a seasonal dessert. “Seasonal? There is nothing seasonal about churros,” I said, as they picked me up from my tantrum right there on the floor of the restaurant.
(They have served them ever since.)
Oh I would love to attempt to make them but the whole deep frying at home scares the crap out of me, plus it takes so much oil!!!
minik — Weights now added; thanks for the reminder.
Ils sont magnifiques. On les adore dans le Sud de la France.
My high school cafeteria served churros for breakfast every morning (yay for growing up in South Texas!). I had one every morning, Monday through Friday, my junior year. That was also the year I was at my heaviest. I regret nothing!
Holy mother of god, I restarted my diet today and I just want to eat your entire front page. In one sitting.
The churros are fabulous in taste. Dessert are mostly have to be cinnamon used at the end it has nice aroma which gives the desserts a real taste.
Dear Deb,
Your churros look fabulous, and I’m sure they taste even better. However (and this comes from a Spaniard living in the US, who makes churros for her children many Sundays, and every time they have a snow day and school cancellation), churros in Spain are made solely with flour, water and a pinch of salt, then deep fried. Thick hot chocolate is almost a must, and I like them with a good sprinle of sugar (and no cinnamon). I have to say I’m very thin, and so are my children… I find them quite addictive, but the secret is moderation and self-control (like with everything else, right?). I have to say, too, that the first time I had churros here in the Midwest, from a Mexican bakery, I found them to taste more like a doughnut in the shape of a churro, quite different from churros in Spain.
Re, eating churros in the subway — I have indeed seen them sold on the street (not the subway, but I don’t take it as much as I once did) but they’re always on big trays covered with plastic which has made me 100% sure they’d be stale and not crisp because they have to be fresh. But if I’m missing out, well, please don’t tell me. It’s safer I just walk right by them, right?
My friend and I had just been watching a cooking competition show in which the contestants made churros and we had a long conversation about needing to make them. The very next day this recipe popped up in my Facebook feed. Fate! and also a little spooky.
My question is about the dough. My dough was very very soft. It would never have held its shape had I piped it on to a tray first. Was I meant to continue cooking the dough on the stove after adding the flour to cook off some of the moisture?
BTW, you are my hands down favorite food blogger. I recommend your site all the time and many of the things I cook which get the biggest compliments come from you.
I just made your Mom’s Apple Cake for the umpteenth time and served it as dessert with a salty caramel sauce. Heaven!
Amy — Thank you. No, the dough shouldn’t be that soft, not sure what happened. The opposite is usually the problem, that it gets so stiff it’s hard to pipe. That’s why we pipe it here still warm. (And thank you. Wish I could be more helpful here.)
I just tried a churro for the first time on a culinary walking tour in Miami this past weekend. OMG! They were filled with dulce de leche and were magnificent. I’m very glad I do not have access to Manolo’s bakery now that I’m home again.
What about freezing the piped churros and frying at a later date? Have you experimented with this?
Sarah — I haven’t but this comment (#30) attests that it works. Just make sure it’s fully defrosted before cooking or it might be a little bit explosive.
Thank you for helping me make churros!! I’ve wanted to for so long, but I really was scared. These were just awesome!
These looks delicious! I’ve thought the same thing about the churro and will be bookmarking this recipe to make soon! Please tell me the brand and size of your flour/sugar jars. I am in desperate need of an upgrade in my kitchen.
I made these today for my mom’s birthday. Refrigerating the logs totally did not work – had to re-pipe them over the oil. Still, crazy delicious.
Dear Deb,
I’m Esther from Spain and I have just discovered your blog. All your recipes looks delicious, but I should agree with Natacha. Although yours looks so good, spanish churro dough is not sweet. It is neutral, a mix of flour, water and a pinch of salt deep fried in olive oil. They used to be prepared in “churrerias”, a little place where sometimes you can eat them with hot chocolate or coffe as breakfast, in the evening or early in the morning after a hole night with friends. These churrerias carries its churros and porras (another type of churro) to the coffebars and pub. You can have them hot, warm or cold, with a sprinkle of sugar or without it. They are delicious allways. Excuse me for my English, it is not so good.
I once had non-sweet churros that were piped wit a variety of fillings. Strawberry, chocolate, and my favorite, pastry cream. I think I’m going to try that, simply because you posted this recipe.
These got me through grad school paper-writing. They are AMAZING. Especially with the chocolate sauce.
Perfect recipe! I tried another as part of a churro cake recipe, but the churros had too much butter & eggs and came out so delicate and light, there was nothing to bite into.
I made half the churros this morning for the kids & I, and I’m saving the other half piped into logs in the fridge to fry up tomorrow. I hope it works. This would be perfect for a brunch, but doing everything on a weekend morning may prove too daunting. I like prepping the night before. Thank You!
Thank you for your recipe! Made churros today and I was surprised how easy it was and how good they tasted. Had the last churros in southern France and our homemade ones tasted the same :) And they’re always delicious with Nutella!
What is the texture of the dough supposed to be like before adding the eggs? My batter was pancake-batter thin so I gradually added probably 1-2 cups more flour until it became more dough-like. Fried dough is awesome in any form, but unsurprisingly given the additional flour, wasn’t churros.
I double-checked that I didn’t halve the flour. Note: I am on vacation so my only measuring cup is a liquid Pyrex measure (i.e. dry measurements are imprecise) and am higher-altitude, but I don’t think either of those could cause such a drastic difference.
I love your recipes, this blog is my first stop when looking for recipes, so I’m not sure why this was so off for me.
It should be pretty thick, so thick that if it sits too long it becomes almost impossible to pipe, so I’m wondering if something else went wrong…
I also jus tried this. 2 cups water and 2 cups flour – pancake batter consistency….
I had this same problem the other day and no matter how much flour I added, I couldn’t get the dough thick enough to pipe. I looked at a couple other recipes that said that you should bring the liquid to a boil (not just simmer) and I tried it. That was it!
YES! Me too. Still the funnel cakes we ended up with were VERY good.
The churros were a hit at a wedding shower! When I kept the oil at 375, the churros for some reason decided to explode on the side, but temperatures ranging around 325 allowed them to expand but not explode and not saturated with oil either. I also made them more finger-food sized bc of the large group of people. Thanks Deb!
I tried your tip of freezing them and they worked really well! I froze them for a week, and put them straight from the freezer into a 325 degree fryer and it was perfect. Easy make-ahead recipe.
i know this is a late comment. but i spent my whole life in sunset park and when i was older i saw these older ladies selling some sugar coated long “stick” I figured hey why not.. so one day I bought 2 sticks for $1 and that was it.. addicted. I never noticed them before but after that every time i heard churros y chocolate i was in front of that cart chance in the am (9th ave D line) or evening last churros of the day (pacific street station D coney island bound) the ladies already knew me.. as the polish girl who was addicted to churros haha
I made these and they were so perfect. The tip to pipe them in advance onto an oiled baking sheet was super helpful, but I still had difficulty getting the thick sticky dough into the pastry bag tip; my first bag exploded. I was thinking perhaps to spray the inside of the pastry bag with Pam before filling it to help the dough slide into the tip.
Made these – boom! Totes amazeballs! I piped them straight into hot oil but got a little impatient with the second batch and over crowded the pan 😳 But tasted great and that choc sauce was divine.
Will definitely make them again. Thank you.
We made churros in class a while ago and they were a greasy disaster. Glad you have a recipe for them so I can try them out!
I tried this recipe, well, not really I guess! This recipe inspired me to try my hand at sourdough churros. I started with 1c active starter, and 1c water and 1.5c flour. Let that sit for a few hours, then added another half cup hot water, butter, etc. as Deb does in the recipe above. I ended up having to add another 2c flour to get a dough that would set! There are many, many churros in my kitchen now! Not a bad thing!! Thanks, as always, Deb! I simply adore you!
If you had to make them a day ahead – how would you reheat? oiled cookie sheet in the oven on low broil? Then roll in sugar/cinnamon?
Thanks!
Love churros, first had them in Coyoacan in Mexico City and they have a lot of memories for me. Reminds me of eating funnel cake at the carnival (/recipe-carnival-funnel-cake-51131.html), not sure which one I prefer, but happy to eat both!
Sorry – https://www.recipestroupe.com/recipe-carnival-funnel-cake-51131.html
I don’t think one should have to choose! I have a recipe in the archives for funnel cake, btw, that’s a cinch. See here.
You’re right Deb, there’s room for both (every once in a while!) :)
Your funnel cake recipe is a breakfast staple at our B n B
This was sooooo good!
I was gifted a churro press that I’ve never used–I’m going to serve these for our first guests this Sunday on Easter/Pasqua. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi,
Thanks for posting this. I have got charity event at my university and we will be making churros, I will try out your recipe tomorrow.
I have got a few questions
1- I bought a deep fryer with thermostat, it indicates the temperature, Do I need to buy food thermostat still? because you mentioned that the temperature will drop? will it still drop if I have the temperature set already?
2- How I do prevent it from getting soggy? We would have thousands of people on that day? do you recommend cooking them then moving them to an oven? do you think this will affect the taste? if so can I keep them in the oven for more than one day?
3-What do I do with remaining dough? the charity event will be held for a month, I am thinking to prepare the dough and freeze it, it would be easier for everyone. Do you think this is a good idea? or it will create sogginess afterwards?
thank you so much
Holy cow! I got my workout in between stirring and piping these bad boys. I used the Wilton 1m and it seemed to be a good size but by the end of the tray I could barely pipe them out 😂. I was shaking and sweating like nobodies business! Worth the effect tho, the churro obsessed hubs was very happy! We live in Germany so we don’t get them too often!
Thanks for the recipe as always!
Total win! I followed recipe exactly and used my stand mixer to incorporate the eggs. I had a Wilton 1M tip that I used with a Wilton disposable pastry bag (no collar) and piped the first few directly into the oil. I found piping them onto the parchment was much easier. It did get harder to squeeze as it cooled, but not excessively so. We plowed through many in one setting, took some to a neighbor whose 11 year old declared them the best churro ever, and polished off the last bit before bed with hot cocoa. I’ve ordered the Ateco 828 tip because I want a larger churro next time.
Ha Ha! Lucky me. I live in Mexico and they’re made in huge spirals. You point to how much you want and the vendor snips off the amount you pointed to. You would love it.
Do u have a link to the recommended pastry tip? I think I’m read to embark on a churro journey
I’m planning on making apple cider churros. I was thinking I’d replace all 2 cups of the liquid with water—unreduced—and cut out all the sugar in the dough. Think that might work?
PS made some of your cajeta last night for dipping, but infused with cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger/allspice/cloves/star anise/vanilla. It’s DIVINE>
Great recipe — followed pretty much exactly and they were great. I did let the water/butter mixture boil first and the flour quickly thickened up when I added it. It definitely would have been tough to mix in the eggs without a Kitchenaid. I piped (using a Wilton 1 tip) while the dough was still warm and it was not easy. Can’t imagine how difficult it would have been if the dough had been cold! About 350F for the oil before dropping the batter in was right for me and it took around 6 minutes for them to fry.
Thank you for the recipe!
You may already know this, and some commenters have hinted at it, but it’s not just South America, Spain and Portugal. Churros are both common and popular in southern California and (at least) parts of Mexico.
These were so delicious and easy to make! The dough had a perfect texture and great crunch. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Made these. I don’t know were I went wrong! On the regular temp, they were burnt and doughy, on a lower temp they were barely crispy and totally doughy. Heartbroken and disappointed,
Sincerely,
I really wanted a churro
Just made these and they were perfect. I read a comment about letting the mixture boil and decided to do that. Mixed by hand which required some elbow grease, but all in all pretty easy and fool proof! Thanks for another great recipe.
We made this as a family effort!! Yummo…it was divine, we had fun and there was something to do for everyone! I love how I can follow a Deb recipe and know it will work out! You are the best!!
Believe it or not, by the end of Hanukkah we are sufganyot saturated! These look like a great alternative. But….. if I make/fry them at home and then transport to a dinner to have several hours later can I warm them up in the microwave at the host house?
These churros look absolutely fantastic! I’ve always been a fan of the classic cinnamon sugar churros, but I love the idea of experimenting with different flavors like chocolate and caramel. The recipe looks easy to follow, and I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing! If you’re looking for more delicious and easy-to-follow dessert recipes, check out my blog Tasty Recipes