Crispy, crunchy and festive, these homemade churros with chocolate dipping sauce are an irresistible treat. Strips of choux-style dough are fried until golden, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with a smooth chocolate sauce.
Some foods look more complicated than they are — pizza, ice cream, stir-fries, and churros often intimidate home cooks. But churros are surprisingly straightforward: at their core they’re simply lightly fried dough.
The dough for churros is essentially a choux-style dough (pronounced “shoo”) made with a few pantry staples. There’s no yeast, no kneading and no long rise. For frying you don’t need special tools either — just a couple inches of neutral oil in a medium pot and a steady temperature.
What Are Churros?
Churros are a popular sweet snack across Spain, Portugal and Latin America and have become well-loved in the U.S. too. They’re fried until golden and crisp, then tossed in cinnamon sugar. You’ll see them from street vendors to fairs and cafés, sometimes enjoyed at breakfast with coffee, hot chocolate or champurrado. The classic shape is a long, ridged stick, typically piped through a star tip for that signature texture.
What You’ll Need
All ingredients for these churros are common pantry items.
Churros Ingredients
- Flour: 2 cups all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: 2 teaspoons to help the dough stay light.
- Salt: 1 teaspoon for seasoning.
- Oil: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for the dough, plus 2 inches of frying oil (vegetable, peanut, or another neutral oil).
- Boiling water: 2 cups — the hot water is what creates the proper dough texture.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Sugar: 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon: 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
For the Chocolate Sauce
- Dark chocolate: 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or semi-sweet chips.
- Heavy cream: 3/4 cup heavy cream.
- Vanilla: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
How To Make This Churros Recipe
Using a candy or deep-fry thermometer helps keep the oil at the right temperature so the churros cook evenly and don’t absorb excess oil.
- Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons oil and the boiling water, stirring until just combined. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
- Prep for frying: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/3-inch star tip. Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring it to about 340°F (170°C).
- Fry the churros: Pipe 6-inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil and cut them off with scissors. Fry only 3–4 at a time to avoid crowding. Cook 3–5 minutes until golden, turning occasionally so they brown evenly.
- Drain and coat: Transfer cooked churros to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain briefly. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and roll each warm churro in the mixture so they’re evenly coated.
- Make the chocolate sauce: Heat the heavy cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit a minute, then stir until smooth. Alternatively, microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts until fully melted. Stir in the vanilla and serve warm alongside the churros.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can fry churros ahead but hold off on coating them and making the sauce. When ready to serve, reheat the churros in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes, then quickly roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve with freshly warmed chocolate sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Roll while warm: Drain churros just briefly — about 20 seconds — so they remain warm and slightly moist for the cinnamon sugar to adhere well.
- Flavor variations: Add a little vanilla or almond extract to the dough for a twist. Substitute pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon to create a seasonal variation.
Proper Storage
- To store: Churros are best served hot or warm. Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to 2 days. Do not refrigerate, which can make them soggy.
- To reheat: Rewarm on a baking sheet at 350°F for about 5 minutes until heated through and crisp again.
Homemade churros
Ingredients
For the Churros
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups boiling water
- Oil for frying
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Chocolate Dipping Sauce
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Add the oil and boiling water and mix until a thick, sticky dough forms.
- Fill the piping bag. Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/3-inch star tip.
- Heat the oil. Add 2 inches of oil to a heavy-bottomed pot and heat to about 340°F (170°C).
- Fry the churros. Pipe 6-inch lengths into the oil and cut with scissors. Fry 3–4 at a time until golden, 3–5 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Cool briefly. Drain on paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil.
- Coat in cinnamon sugar. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and roll each warm churro until coated.
- Make the chocolate sauce. Heat cream and pour over chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Microwave in 30-second bursts as an alternative. Stir in vanilla.
- Serve. Serve the warm chocolate sauce with freshly coated churros.
Equipment
- Deep fry thermometer or candy thermometer
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 17 g |
Protein: 2 g |
Fat: 8 g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary according to ingredients and tools used.
More Desserts to Try
If you love sweets, try some of these other favorites next.
- Peach Dump Cake from Scratch
- No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
- Red Velvet Cheesecake with Oreo Crust