Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 5 g ground cinnamon
Chocolate Dipping Sauce
- 150 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 2 ml vanilla extract
- 1 g kosher salt
Churro Dough (Pate a Choux base)
- 240 ml water
- 115 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 3 g kosher salt
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Frying
- 1000 ml vegetable oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 824 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- 82 g
- Fat
- 50 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 47 g
- Sodium
- 464 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 30 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 15 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 238 mg
- Potassium
- 349 mg
- Calcium
- 89 mg
- Iron
- 4.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 74 mg
- Phosphorus
- 220 mg
- Zinc
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 381 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.28 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 30 mcg
- Water
- 116 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
- Caffeine
- 18 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a shallow dish, combine the 100g granulated sugar and 5g ground cinnamon for the coating. Mix well and set aside.
Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until just simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Cover and keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the all-purpose flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a dough ball forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough will look separated at first but will come together into a thick, smooth, and pipeable paste.
Transfer the dough to a strong piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze the bag to remove any trapped air pockets.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat about 5 centimeters of vegetable oil to 190C/375F. Use a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Holding the piping bag carefully above the hot oil, pipe 10 to 12 centimeter lengths of dough into the oil. Use scissors to snip the dough at the tip. Fry 3 to 4 churros at a time, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown all over.
Use a spider skimmer to transfer the fried churros to a wire cooling rack set over paper towels. Let them drain for 15 to 30 seconds, then toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture while they are still warm.
Serve the churros warm immediately, alongside the warm chocolate sauce for dipping.
Chef's Notes
- The star tip is not merely decorative. The ridges increase the dough's surface area, ensuring the center cooks fully before the exterior burns, and allows internal steam to escape safely.
- Allowing the cooked flour base to cool slightly before adding eggs is a critical step; if it is too hot, the eggs will scramble and ruin the dough structure.
- Frying temperature management is the secret to perfect churros. If the oil drops below 180C/350F, the dough absorbs the oil and becomes greasy and heavy.
- If your piping bag feels dangerously hot to hold or is difficult to squeeze, wrap it in a kitchen towel. This provides a better grip and protects your hands from the warm dough.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store leftover chocolate sauce in an airtight container. Churros do not keep well and should be eaten fresh.
Freezer: 1 month — Unfried piped churro dough can be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to a bag. Fry directly from frozen, adding an extra 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time.
Reheating: Reheat leftover fried churros in an oven or air fryer at 180C/350F for 3 to 5 minutes until crispy. Microwave reheating will make them soggy.
Troubleshooting
Churros are raw in the middle but dark on the outside
Cause: The oil temperature was too high or the dough was piped too thick.
Fix: Bake in a 180C/350F oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking the centers.
Prevention: Strictly maintain oil temperature at 190C/375F. Ensure you are using a star tip, which increases surface area for even cooking.
Churros explode or pop violently in the hot oil
Cause: Air pockets trapped inside the dough or a smooth round pastry tip was used.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Discard and re-pipe safely.
Prevention: Squeeze all air out of the piping bag before tying it off. Always use a star tip; the ridges allow steam to escape the dough safely during frying.
Dough is too runny and loses shape when piped
Cause: Too much liquid or eggs were too large. Measuring volume instead of weight.
Fix: Pipe onto parchment paper, freeze until solid, and fry directly from frozen.
Prevention: Weigh the eggs and water accurately. If the dough seems too loose, do not add the final egg.
Cultural Context
While churros share ancestral DNA with Chinese youtiao and were heavily shaped by Spanish and Portuguese maritime exploration, they have become an iconic pillar of Mexican street food culture. Unlike Spanish churros which are often lightly dusted in plain sugar, Mexican churros are distinctively dredged in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar immediately out of the fryer. They are traditionally consumed for breakfast or late-night merienda, famously paired with rich drinking chocolate or masa-thickened champurrado.
