These Mini Churros are made with a simple choux-style dough piped into small, bite-size lengths, fried until crisp, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and filled with dulce de leche. Keeping them small makes them easier to fry evenly and turns them into an easy party snack instead of a sit-down dessert.

I make a batch of these for parties or a weekend treat when I want something warm and a little indulgent without committing to full-size churros. They’re best eaten the same day they’re fried. I like serving these next to Vegan Churros or a slice of English Toffee Apple Bread and Butter Pudding for a bigger dessert spread.

If you like warm, fried desserts like these, these are worth trying too:

Ingredients You’ll Need

The dough here is a classic choux base, cooked briefly on the stove before piping, which is what gives churros their light, hollow center. Keeping each piped piece small and bite-size (about 2 inches) is what lets them fry through evenly without burning on the outside.

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 cup granulated sugar, for coating
1 tbsp ground cinnamon, for coating
3/4 cup dulce de leche

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has fully melted.
Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches a boil.
Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Return the pan to low heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to dry out the dough slightly.
This short cooking step is what gives churros their structure, so don’t skip it.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough is smooth and glossy.
It’s not the fastest dough to come together, just so you know, since each egg needs to fully incorporate before the next goes in.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot to 350°F.
Pipe 2-inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, using scissors or a knife to cut each one free from the tip.
Fry the mini churros in batches, turning occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown all over.
Don’t crowd the pot – frying too many at once drops the oil temperature and leaves them greasy instead of crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
While still warm, toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated.
Fill a piping bag or a small squeeze bottle with the dulce de leche and inject a little into the end of each churro.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Cook the flour into the dough briefly before adding the eggs. This step, called panade, is what gives choux dough its structure and lets it puff up properly when fried.
Let the dough cool slightly before adding the eggs. Hot dough can start cooking the eggs on contact, which gives you scrambled bits instead of a smooth dough.
Keep the oil temperature steady at 350°F. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through. Too cool and the churros absorb extra oil and turn greasy.
Coat the churros in cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm. The sugar sticks much better to warm, slightly oily churros than to ones that have cooled down.
These are best eaten the same day, ideally within an hour of frying, since they lose their crisp texture as they sit.
No dulce de leche on hand? Nutella or a simple chocolate ganache both work well as a filling substitute.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving: Serve these warm, right after coating in cinnamon sugar and filling with dulce de leche. They’re best enjoyed fresh, ideally within an hour of frying, while the outside is still crisp.

Storing: These don’t store or reheat particularly well once filled, since the texture softens quickly. If you have unfilled, unfried dough leftover, it can be piped and frozen on a tray, then fried straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes.

Customizing: Fill these with Nutella, jam, or pastry cream instead of dulce de leche, or skip the filling altogether and serve with a bowl of warm chocolate sauce for dipping. A pinch of cayenne in the cinnamon sugar adds a subtle warmth if you want a Mexican hot chocolate twist.