If you are looking for an authentic churros recipe, then you have come to the right place! These churros Mexicanos are light, golden and crispy fried pastries dusted with sugar and cinnamon powder. Sounds delicious, am I right? Luckily, this is an 'easy to follow' recipe!
Do you like fried dough and sugar? Then, you will probably like churros Mexicanos!
If you are asking yourself, "What are churros?", I'll tell you all about them. Churros are long sticks of dough that are fried and dusted with sugar. Sometimes, you'll find them dusted with cinnamon instead- or even filled with chocolate or cream.
This has to be one of my favorite desserts to eat and make for my whole family!
The History Behind Churros
Many people tend to wonder where churros originally come from. Well, let me tell you.
The churro that we know today hails from Spain, but the technique of frying dough is believed to have originated in China and introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by Portuguese sailors.
After this, the tradition of churros and other similar fried pastries made their way to the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in America.
Where To Find Churros Mexicanos In Mexico And The US
In Mexico, churros are sold by street vendors in places like shopping centers, municipal markets, or the town fair. Churros can also be found at many Mexican bakeries and on the menus of some restaurants. Additionally, there are the “churrerías”, which are shops dedicated to selling churros (and sometimes other fried pastries).
One of the most popular places to eat churros in Mexico City is the Churreria "El Moro", a business that was founded in 1935 by brothers Francisco y José Iriarte. Nowadays, there are several Churrerias "El Moro around the city and the State of Mexico.
Here in the states, churros can be found in cities with a large Mexican population, where they are sold in Latin stores and in some restaurants.
Most people I have met, whether it was here or in Mexico, love these Mexican churros!
Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Churros
Before I share my churros recipe, here are a few questions I've been asked about homemade churros.
What are the most common toppings on a churro?
Wherever you find churros, the most common topping for them is plain white sugar. Some vendors add a little bit of ground cinnamon to make “cinnamon sugar”, but the most common topping is white sugar by itself.
Besides being dusted with sugar, churros can also be found stuffed with a variety of fillings. The first popular filling was chocolate, followed by Cajeta (or other forms of dulce de leche) and strawberry jam.
Nowadays, you can find some places that sell churros filled with vanilla pastry cream, condensed milk, Rompope, and jams ranging from blackberry to guava.
What kind of dough do you use to make churros?
The dough used to make churros is made out of all-purpose flour, eggs, water, and some sort of fat like oil, margarine or butter.
This is essentially a choux dough, but there are many recipe variations for this Mexican dessert out there, including one that appears very often in vintage cooking books that do not use eggs.
The eggless churro recipe only uses flour, water, and a pinch of salt. There are some old recipes books, like the one from Maria A. de Carbia (Circa 1952), that don’t even include salt in the recipe. Simply flour and water, fried in hot oil and dusted with sugar.
Even today, many people still claim this to be the "authentic Mexican churro" recipe.
How do I make the perfect churro?
Many people try to make use of an elaborate churro recipe but always end up with weird or not fully cooked churros.
But, what is the issue with this simple recipe? In my opinion, simplicity is key!
When making churros (or any baked good), it's important to pay very close attention to not only the recipe but the ingredients. Many home cooks (and even some professional chefs) end up with a dessert that explodes if the recipe is not well prepared.
You need to have a well-mixed dough, the oil has to be at the right temperature, and you have to avoid touching churros or the oil while it is bubbling, or your churros will explode. Additionally, the dough is a little bit hard to work with if you are not using a proper churro machine.
Small details but it makes all the difference and it can keep you from making the perfect churro.
What supplies do I need to make these churros at home?
To make this fried dessert at home, you will need a pastry bag and a star-shaped tip. You can buy this set on Amazon, which includes several bags and tips (I use the “1M” tip).
There is also a churro gun you can buy which is quite fun to use, but given the price, it’s only worth the investment if you plan to make a lot of churros (or make churros frequently).
Can churros be made ahead of time?
Yes, they can be made ahead of time, but this brings us to another question...
How do you reheat churros?
I’ve tried reheating churros in the oven at low temperature, but they always come out dry and don’t taste as nearly good as freshly made ones.
If you really want to make them ahead of time, I’d recommend taking the churros out of the oil before they’re fully cooked, so that they can continue to cook in the oven whenever you reheat them. Remember to not dust the churros with sugar until you’re ready to serve them (If they have sugar when baking in the oven, it’ll melt and turn into syrup).
Can you make the dough in advance?
You can make the dough in advance and store it in the fridge (the dough will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge). Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before using it to make this dessert.
The dough needs to be very soft before using, otherwise, the churros will be raw inside.
Churros Mexicano Recipe
Here is the list of ingredients you will need:
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Butter
- Flour
- Large egg
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Ground cinnamon (optional)
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
JUMP TO SEE INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS
Cooking Tips:
- Prepare a tray or plate covered with a paper towel to place the churros on after frying.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon and place it in a shallow dish to coat the churros.
- You can either squeeze the dough from the pastry bag directly into the hot oil or form them first and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper before frying, as you see in the photos.
- I used a laser thermometer to check the temperature of the oil, but you can also use a candy thermometer.
- The best choice of oil for frying the dough is canola or vegetable oil.
How To Make Churros: Step by Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to breakdown the directions to this recipe into sections.
Make The Churro Dough
First things first- preheat the frying oil at 320 degrees while you make the churro dough. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
- While the oil is heating up, place the water, vanilla extract, salt, and butter in a saucepan at medium-high heat.
- Once it comes to a rolling boil, stir in the sifted flour all at once. It is very important that the water is boiling to ensure that the dough will render crispy churros.
- Mix the dough vigorously using a wooden spoon or spatula. You have to do this step very quickly!
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, wait about a minute, then add the egg.
- Keep mixing until the egg is completely integrated into the dough (you can use a mixer for this step). In the beginning, the dough will want to separate after adding the egg but keep mixing until the ingredients are well combined and you have a smooth and soft dough that separates from the bottom of the pot. This step will take a few minutes.
Prep The Pastry Bag
- Place the dough in the pastry bag fitted with a star-shaped tip. Make sure there aren’t any bubbles of air in the dough while you place it inside the bag.
Pipe The Churros and Cook
- Pipe 6-inch strips of dough on a prepared tray and then fry them (see notes). You can also pipe the strips of dough directly into the hot oil, cutting them with your kitchen scissors.
- The oil will start bubbling when you add the raw churro, and at this point, you must not touch the oil or the churro, to avoid having an explosion.
- Fry the churros for about 2 to 2.5 minutes in the hot oil until golden brown (in total it should take 4-5 minutes to cook each churro), and then turn the churros to have an even crispiness and golden color.
Eat And Enjoy!
- Once they are golden, remove from the heat, place on the paper towel to drain for a few seconds, and then roll in the sugar.
I hope you enjoy your crispy churros!
What To Serve With Churros
When I serve this Mexican dessert recipe, I like to make some cafe de olla to go with it! I also like to serve it with a chocolate sauce or dulce de leche to dip it in.
More Dessert Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this recipe for churros, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
I hope you make this recipe for Mexican churros! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
Churros Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 1 cup of flour sifted at least 2 times. (140 grams)
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2½ cups vegetable oil for frying the churros
- Sugar to dust
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon Optional
Instructions
Please read all the notes and instructions before you start cooking. It is very important in order to have great results.
- Preheat the oil at 320F degrees while you make the churro batter. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
- Place the water, vanilla extract, salt, and butter in a saucepan at medium- high heat.
- Once it comes to a rolling boil, stir in the flour all at once. It is very important that the water is boiling to ensure that the dough will render crispy churros.
- Mix the dough vigorously using a wooden spoon or spatula. You have to do this step very quickly.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, wait about a minute, then add the egg. Keep mixing until the egg is completely integrated into the dough (you can use a mixer for this step). In the beginning, the dough will want to separate after adding the egg, but keep mixing until the ingredients are well combined and you have a smooth and soft dough that separates from the bottom of the pot. This step will take a few minutes.
- Place the dough in the pastry bag fitted with a star-shaped tip. Make sure there aren’t any bubbles of air in the dough while you place it inside the bag.
- Pipe 6-inch strips of dough on a prepared tray and then fry them (see notes). You can also pipe the strips of dough directly into the hot oil, cutting them with your kitchen scissors. The oil will start bubbling when you add the raw churro, and at this point you must not touch the oil or the churro, to avoid having an explosion.
- Fry the churros for about 2 to 2.5 minutes in hot oil ( 320F) until golden brown (in total it should take 4-5 minutes to cook each churro), and then turn the churros to have an even crispiness and golden color.
- Once they are golden, remove from the heat, place on the paper towel to drain for a few seconds, and then roll in the sugar.
I hope you enjoy your Crispy Churros!
Notes
- *Prepare a tray or plate covered with paper towel to place the churros on after frying.
- * Mix the sugar and cinnamon and place it in a shallow dish to coat the churros.
- *You can either squeeze the churros from the pastry bag directly into the hot oil or form them first and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper before frying, as you see in the photos.
- * I used a laser thermometer to check the temperature of the oil, but you can also use a candy thermometer.
- * The best choice of oil for frying the churros is canola or vegetable oil.
Juana de Ponce
Thank you for the step by step photos. I prefer photos that videos, I know, weird!
My kids were begging for churros like the ones they had when we go to Mexico. Muchas gracias, hice double la receta.
William
I don't have any piping tips or bags and I cannot see buying them for just one recipe. Are they a must when making churros?
Mely Martínez
Hello William,
Some people just cut a hole to a freezer bag to make them and others use a plastic bottle cap and cut out a star shape to it, place it inside the bag with the dough.
Adam Starry
Thank you very much Mrs. Martinez, I always try to go authentic and do right by the tradition so I know my wife and I get to try the real deal. The way you explain everything and take pictures is perfect. When I was a kid churros were always a special treat and I havent had any since my late teens and I am now In my 30s and plan on surprising my wife when she gets home from work with a fresh batch. This recipe will be added to my official family hand-me-down cook book so we can enjoy it for generations (its just a PDF saved to a thumb drive and a print out in a folder, nothing published, I hope you dont mind.) So sorry for the long comment!
Mely Martínez
Hello Adam.
Have fun and please do read all the instructions carefully. Churros are kind of tricky to make for those making them for the first time.
Glenda Knox
I love your recipe. It is awesome. I was curious about the coating. I have been to numerous Mexican restaurants, some drizzle a chocolate sauce and add whipped cream. Is this authentic?
Mely Martínez
Hello Glenda,
No, that is not a common topping for churros.
Victor Hernandez
Hi Mely,
My dad used to sell churros when we lived in Monterrey, Mexico. The taste of these churros reminded me of him.
Thank you.
Victor Hernandez
Mely Martínez
Hello Victor,
Oh, wow! That is good to know, I love the churros sold across the street from the Mercado Juarez in Monterrey. I live in Monterrey for several years. Nice memories, too.