Name: Best Churros Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Vegetable or canola oil, for frying (about 6 cups); 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for coating); 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (for coating); 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (for dipping sauce); 1/2 cup heavy cream (for dipping sauce)

This Best Churros Recipe is made with a simple dough of water, butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla, fried until crisp and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

The outside gets ridged and crunchy, the inside stays soft and tender, and they’re served with a two-ingredient chocolate dipping sauce.

Make them for a weekend treat, a Cinco de Mayo party, movie night, or anytime you want a warm dessert.

The dough takes about 10 minutes on the stove. They’re great on a dessert table next to sourdough discard doughnut holes.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need a piping bag with a large open star tip (like a Wilton 1M or Ateco 824). The star ridges aren’t just for looks: they help the churros cook through evenly and keep them from bursting in the oil.

Ingredients

1 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (for coating)
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (for dipping sauce)
1/2 cup heavy cream (for dipping sauce)

Directions

Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven and heat it to 350°F over medium heat.
Use a thermometer if you have one, since oil that’s too cool makes greasy churros and oil that’s too hot browns them before the middle cooks.
Mix the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set it near the stove.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat.
As soon as the butter melts and it’s bubbling, take it off the heat and add all the flour at once.
Stir hard with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball of dough forms and pulls away from the pan, about 1 minute.
Return the pan to low heat and stir the dough for 1 to 2 minutes to dry it out a little.
Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.
If it’s too hot, the eggs will scramble when you add them.
Add the eggs one at a time with the vanilla, beating hard after each addition with a spoon or hand mixer.
The dough will look slippery and broken at first, then come together into a smooth, thick, glossy paste.
Keep going (it takes about 2 minutes of beating).
Spoon the dough into a sturdy piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
Pipe 5-inch lengths directly into the hot oil, snipping each one off with kitchen scissors.
Fry 3 or 4 at a time so the oil temperature doesn’t drop.
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until the churros are deep golden brown all over.
Lift them out with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels for about 30 seconds.
Pale churros are usually raw inside, so don’t pull them early.
While the churros are still warm, roll them in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated.
The sugar sticks best in the first minute after frying.
For the chocolate sauce, heat the cream until it’s steaming, then pour it over the chopped chocolate.
Let it sit for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth and shiny.
Serve the churros warm with the chocolate sauce for dipping and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Use a large open star tip. A smooth round tip can make churros burst or splatter in the hot oil. The star ridges let steam escape and create the classic crunchy edges.
Watch the oil temperature. Keep it between 350°F and 360°F. Let the oil reheat between batches.

Cool the dough before adding eggs. Five minutes is enough. Hot dough cooks the eggs and makes the batter lumpy.
Fry until deep golden. Light-colored churros are often doughy inside. Cut one open from your first batch to check.

Coat them while warm. Cinnamon sugar won’t stick to cold churros.
Use a sturdy piping bag. The dough is thick and can split thin disposable bags. Double up the bags if needed.
Pipe ahead and freeze. Pipe the dough onto a parchment-lined tray, freeze until solid, then bag. Fry from frozen, adding about 1 minute.
Reheat in the oven or air fryer. Warm leftovers at 375°F for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp them again. The microwave makes them chewy.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Churros are best within 30 minutes of frying, while they’re still warm and crisp.

Serve them on a platter with a bowl of warm chocolate sauce in the middle. Dulce de leche or caramel sauce are great dips too.

Storage:

Keep leftover churros in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

They soften as they sit, so reheat them in the oven or air fryer before serving.

The chocolate sauce keeps in the fridge for up to a week and rewarms in the microwave.

Customization:

Pipe the dough into small rings or short bites for a party platter. Add a pinch of cayenne to the chocolate sauce for a little Mexican hot chocolate heat.

You can also fill the cooled churros with dulce de leche using a small piping tip.