This Churro Recipe is crispy outside, soft and fluffy inside, with a sweet cinnamon kick. Whole milk and butter make them rich, and I’m sharing two tasty dipping sauces too!
author’s note
How I Brought Disneyland’s Churros Home!
On our last trip to Disneyland, one of my kids could not stop talking about the churros. Every time we walked past a stand, he’d point them out and beg for another one. By the end of the day, it had become a running joke that they were the main attraction.
When we got home, I kept thinking about it. I wanted to bring that same excitement to our kitchen, so I set out to perfect a homemade churro recipe. After plenty of testing (and plenty of sugar-coated fingers), I landed on this version. They’re crispy outside, soft and fluffy inside, and rolled in just the right amount of cinnamon sugar.
Churro Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Tips or Swaps |
|---|---|
| Whole milk | A low fat option won’t work. |
| Unsalted butter | I like using unsalted butter to control the saltiness. |
| All-purpose flour | Spoon and level the flour for accuracy. Too much flour makes the churros dense. |
| Eggs | Let the dough cool slightly before adding eggs so they don’t scramble. |
| Cinnamon & sugar | Roll churros while they’re still warm so the coating sticks well. Add more cinnamon if you like a stronger flavor. |
How To Make This Churro Recipe
- Make dough: Heat milk, water, butter, salt, cinnamon, and sugar until the butter melts. Stir in the flour, then mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- Heat oil: Bring oil to 350°F in a deep pot or fryer.
- Prepare coating: Mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Pipe and fry: Pipe strips of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden.
- Coat and serve: Roll the warm churros in cinnamon sugar and serve with the sauces.
Quick Tip
What piping tip is best? I recommend the Wilton 1M Open Star Tip. Smaller tips result in thinner churros that cook rapidly, becoming crispy without a soft inside. Using heavy-duty or cloth pastry bags is advised to prevent splitting due to the dough’s heat and pressure.
Chelsea’s recipe tip
My Favorite Ways To Serve This Churro Recipe:
- Serve warm on a platter with chocolate or dulce de leche for dipping
- Pair with vanilla ice cream for a simple churro sundae
- Make churro ice cream sandwiches
- Cut into bite-sized pieces for a party-style dessert board
- Drizzle with extra chocolate or caramel for a bakery-style finish
Churro Recipe FAQs
The oil is likely too hot. Lower the heat if they cook too fast outside but stay raw inside. A candy thermometer helps keep the temperature right.
-Best fresh, right after frying and coating in cinnamon sugar.
-Refrigerate dough for up to a day; bring to room temp before frying.
-If pre-fried, skip the sugar, store in an airtight container, and reheat at 350°F for 3-5 minutes before coating. Eat within 1-2 days.
Tips For Success
- Use a Candy Thermometer: Keep the oil at 350°F for perfect frying.
- Don’t Crowd the Pot: Fry only 4-6 churros at a time to maintain temperature.
- Safety First: Pipe dough gently to avoid oil splashes.
- Immediate Sugar Coating: Coat this churro recipe in cinnamon sugar while warm.
- Make Sauces Ahead: Prepare sauces before frying churros. If they thicken, microwave briefly.
More Cinnamon-Sugar Treats:
Desserts
Cinnamon Bread
Cookies
BEST Snickerdoodle Recipe
Desserts
Cinnamon Sugar Chips
Breakfast
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Churros
Video
Equipment
- Open star tip
- Piping bag cloth/canvas recommended
Ingredients
- Dulce de leche sauce see note 1
- Chocolate sauce
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- Vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- Mix ingredients listed under “Cinnamon Sugar Coating” in a bowl.
- From the “Churros” section, heat butter, milk, water, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, add flour, and stir vigorously for 1 minute. Remove pot from heat.
- Mix dough with a silicone spatula until smooth without overmixing, about 1 minute. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing until each egg is integrated.
- Transfer dough to a piping bag with an open star tip.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed large pot to 350°F, ensuring consistent temperature with a candy thermometer (see note 2). Set out a plate lined with paper towels.
- Pipe 3–4 dough strips (3 inches each) into the oil, cutting ends with kitchen scissors.
- Fry churros until golden brown, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels briefly, then generously coat in the cinnamon-sugar mix. Continue frying remaining dough, ensuring consistent 350°F oil temperature. Avoid frying more than 4 at a time (see note 3).
- Serve hot with sauces. Churros are best enjoyed immediately.
Recipe Notes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup full-fat, regular sweetened condensed milk
- In a medium pot, heat 1 cup cream and 1 cup dark brown sugar. Stir while sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a slow boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces down to 1 cup (~10 minutes)
- Once it has reduced, mix in ½ cup sweetened condensed milk and stir until everything is well combined. Let stand at room temperature to thicken while making the churros. Serve the sauce warm and re-warm in the microwave if it starts to get too thick.
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) chopped dark chocolate baking bar (or semi-sweet)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- Combine ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 15-second bursts, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Serve the chocolate sauce warm and re-warm in the microwave if it starts to get too thick.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have a Brownie Girl Scout Troop and we are doing World Thinking Day and we have chosen to tour Spain,
Thought they would like to make Churro
Thanks
That sounds like so much fun! 🙂 I hope they love these churros!!
Hi! I am a mom from Philippines and I love reading your post about your reciepies. If it is possible can you send me your more reciepies on my email. I am glad to share and preparing those to my family..
Thank you!
Hey Kim!! So great to have you!! You can actually sign up to get my emails in the subscription box on the right-hand side of my blog 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Looking forward to trying this out, although I had promised myself to start cooking and eating mor healthy foods, i.e. no white flour or sugar. Sigh, but my Mexican DNA can’t say “no” to churros. Love them!
Thank’s for this yummy recipe.
i made it and it worked and they taste good too!
Great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
What cream do you us as it didn’t say or can you use any ??
Just a heavy whipping cream will be great 🙂
You may have added a bit too much water or not enough flour. If you try these again I would start with less water and add it as needed. Hope that helps 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying something new!
I am making those churros… 🙂
These are adorable! My lil guy loves finger foods so these look fantastic! They look like so much fun and can’t wait to give these a try 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This Churros Recipe is calling my name. 🙂