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!
In This Post
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 dulce de leche.Churros have 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 originated. For example, are churros Mexican or Spanish?
The churro that we know today hails from Spain, but the frying dough technique originated in China and was 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, we find them sold by street vendors in places like shopping centers, municipal markets, or the town fair. We also can get them at many Mexican bakeries and on the menus of some restaurants. Additionally, there are the “churrerías”,shops that only sell churros. (and sometimes other fried pastries). (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, we can find them in Latin stores and Hispanic restaurants in cities with a large Mexican population.
Most people I have met, whether here or in Mexico, love these Mexican churros!
Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Churros
Before I share my recipe, here are a few questions people usually ask me about homemade churros.
What do churros taste like?
Churros taste like a freshly fried sugary donut but better. Made of dough, fried, and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon and sugar mixture, this dessert is crunchy on the outside. Sometimes the inside contains chocolate, dulce de leche, or sweet jelly.
What are the most common toppings on a churro?
Wherever you find them, the most common topping for them is plain white sugar. Some vendors add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to make a “cinnamon sugar mixture ”, but the most common topping is white sugar by itself.
Besides being dusted with sugar, churros can also have various fillings. The first popular filling was chocolate, followed by Cajeta / caramel sauce (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 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.
What are traditional churros made of?
Traditional Churros only have a few ingredients like all-purpose flour, eggs, water, and some sort of fat like oil, margarine, or butter.
The recipe is essentially a choux dough, but there are many recipe variations for this Mexican dessert, including one that appears very often in vintage cooking books that do not use eggs.
The eggless recipe only uses flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Some old recipe books, like the one from Maria A. de Carbia (Circa 1952), don’t even include salt in the recipe. Simply flour and water, fried in hot oil, and dusted with sugar.
How do I make the perfect churro?
Many people try to use of an elaborate 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 essential to pay close attention to the recipe and 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 hard to work with if you do not use a proper churro machine.
Small details make all the difference, and they can keep you from making the perfect churro.
What supplies do I need to make these 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).
You can buy a churro gun 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 temperatures, but they always come out dry and don’t taste as good as freshly made ones.
If you really want to make them ahead of time, I’d recommend taking them out of the oil before they’re fully cooked so that they can continue to cook in the oven whenever you reheat them. Also, remember not to 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 use; otherwise, the churros will be raw inside.
How To Stored Churros
Like most baked and deep-fried desserts, this crunchy dessert is better to preserve in an airtight container. Remember that this crunchy sweet is better to be consumed right after making, and with time it will lose its crunchiness.
How to make 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 the mixture 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 oil temperature, but you can also use a candy thermometer.
- The best 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 will break down the directions to this recipe into sections.
Make The Churro Dough
First things first. Place your frying oil in a deep pot or deep fryer and preheat to 320 degrees F 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 batter 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.
- You can place the dough in a mixing bowl for a few minutes to let it cool off.
Prep The Pastry Bag
- Place the dough in the pastry bag/ piping bag fitted with a star tip. Make sure there aren’t any air bubbles 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 in small batches 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 even crispiness and golden color.
Eat And Enjoy!
- Once they are golden, remove them from the heat, place them on the paper towel to drain the excess oil for a few seconds, and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
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 below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
For more recipes, follow Us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. in español Visit Us at Mexico en mi cocina
📖 Recipe
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.
- Make the Churro Dough. 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.
- Prep de 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 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.
- Pipe and Cook. Fry the churros for about 2 to 2.5 minutes in hot oil ( 320degrees F) 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.
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John Treiber
The churros turned out great -- thank you so much! For reference, I made your recipe but needed a few more churros so I made another batch using a boxed instant churros mix. There's really no comparison as the homemade recipe was the hands-down winner. In terms of effort, your recipe probably took an extra 10-15 minutes to prepare the dough compared to the mix, so barely a difference. Homemade is the way to go. Thanks again!
Mari
This is a great recipe! So light and tasty, everyone loved it. It’s better than restaurant churros! Thank you for sharing.
kathy
I love this recipe, it's easy to make and very tasty, I have tried other recipes, but yours is the best.
Thank you
Blanca Castillo
This recipe is easy to follow and make delicious churros. I never made them before and my family absolutely loved them. I did too. We also ate them drizzled with condensed milk. Yum.
Cindy F
Delicious! Thank you for a great recipe that we hope to make again
Joan R.
The dough was a little hard but it was my fault, added a little bit more flour to fix it, and they came out prefect.
Vianey C
Hello! Absolutely wonderful recipe. I was wanting to know if you could tell me where you purchased the mugs and dishes shown in the plated churro photo in this article? My mother really loves the blue mugs and is interested in finding some. Thank you!
Mely Martínez
Hello Vianey,
I purchased them at a Local Latin store in Dallas.
Gloria
I made two batches today. My husband and I loved them. The first batch I did exactly as written. I had a hard time squeezing the dough thru the bag and 1m tip. So the next batch I used two large eggs instead of one and it was so much easier to get the dough thru the tip. I thought they were just a little lighter, but they were delicious. I was practicing for my daughters upcoming baby shower. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will continue making these for a long time. Oh and I did mix the egg and dough with the hand mixer. It made it even easier.
Mely Martínez
Hello Gloria,
Thank you for sharing about your experience using the recipe.
Anel
Those churros where so easy to make, I’m just wandering if I could freeze them before I frying them, I want to make churros for my wedding and I’m trying to save me some time 😅.
Thank you
Mely Martínez
Hello Anel,
I know some people freeze the dough, but I have never seen anyone freezing the already shaped churros. If you do, let me know how it goes,
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.
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.
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.
Makayla
I tried this recipe among other recipes and this was by far my favorite recipe that I tried
lesley fay
Hi my Churros I make from a churro machine they taste delicious but when they hit the oil the expand and end of quite large it’s like they rise in the oil ! Is this due to the flour I used a cream flour
mmartinez
Hello Lesley,
For the flour, use all purpose flour.
John Sam
Could you recommend a substitute for the butter for a child with milk allergies?
mmartinez
Hello John,
Use vegetable oil. You can even use olive oil but you will taste its flavor.
Sandy Díaz Wright
Thank you for the recipes. My kids now want me to make churros every weekend!
mmartinez
Hello Sandy,
I bet your kids are more than happy about it!
Ella
What type of flour do you recommend for this recipe? I have all-purpose and bread at home and was wondering if I could use one of those? This recipe sounds amazing by the way. Cannot wait to try it!
mmartinez
Hello Ella,
All-purpose flour.
Cristy cajeta
Canl i stock the raw churros without putting on the refrigerator? Because i'm planning of having a kiosk in a canteen and i want to prepare ahead..thnks mam
mmartinez
Hello Cristy,
Not sure since they have egg, it gets spoil soon.
Riya Yerramilli
Me gusto este receta mucho. este churros es los mejores churros que he tenido. el sabor es fantástico y también los churros estuvieron muy crujientes.
mmartinez
Hola Riya,
So glad to know you like them. Enjoy your churros!
Margarita
I have often countered "stuffed" churros that have caramel in the center; how do I accomplish that?I
mmartinez
They are made using a larger tip to form the churros, they are stuffed with a special tool. You can use the following tool to accomplish the same effect at home. https://amzn.to/2Eo1hNo
cp
how do you store them to prevent them from hardening or getting soggy?
mmartinez
I place them in a plastic container and store in my pantry. But, without dusting them with sugar. And, only for 1- 2 days. I wrote a note about it above.
Tracy
I didn't see what temperature the oil should be, only to use the thermometer to make sure it's the right temp. Could you tell me what it needs to be so I can make these delicious churro's.
mmartinez
Hello Tracy, Thank you for catching that. It's 320 F degrees. You have to adjust it everytime you place a new batch of churros, the oil's temperature lowers after you place them. if you see that you churros are getting too brown around the edges too soon, lower the heat.