Crispy, crunchy and festive, these homemade Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce are an addictive snack! Lengths of tasty choux pastry are fried until crisp, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with a luxurious chocolate sauce. 

Easy Homemade Churros

It’s funny how some of the easiest foods to make seem like they would be so difficult, isn’t it? Foods like pizza, stir-fry, ice cream, and churros intimidate a lot of cooks. So, instead of attempting to make them, they order takeout or pick up a frozen version.

How about you? Does the idea of deep-frying your own churros seem like it would be hard to do? Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not! This fun snack is actually really easy to make because, a churro is really just a piece of lightly fried dough!  

The dough itself is basically a choux (pronounced “shoo”) dough, which only has a handful of ingredients, and doesn’t need any yeast, kneading or rising. And to fry the churros, you don’t need any fancy equipment: just a couple of inches of vegetable oil and a medium-sized pot.

So who’s with me? Let’s get our fiesta on and make some yummy churros!

What Are Churros?

So what exactly are churros? Well, they’re a popular treat in Spain, Portugal and other Spanish-speaking countries. They’re increasingly popular in the US as well, and for good reason! Lightly fried, deliciously crisp, and coated in sweet cinnamon sugar, they’re a snack you can’t stop eating!

Churros are often sold by street vendors, and they’re a great party and carnival food, as well. They’re sometimes eaten for breakfast with coffee, champurrado, or with hot chocolate. And, they can be twisted and shaped in lots of ways! Probably the most common shape is a simple breadstick, piped through a star-shaped piping tip.

What You’ll Need

The ingredients for churros are all basic pantry items that you probably already have on hand. Nice, right? Okay, let’s get started!

For the Churros

• Flour: I use 2 cups of regular all-purpose flour for my churros.
• Baking Powder: To help the dough stay light and crispy, you’ll need two teaspoons of baking powder.
• Salt: Just a teaspoon, to flavor the dough.
• Oil: About 3 tablespoons of your preferred oil conditions the dough. You’ll also need a couple inches of vegetable oil, peanut oil, or whatever other frying oil you like, to fry them up!
• Boiling Water: The distinctive thing about churros is that they’re made with boiling water! So let’s get that kettle boiling!

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• Sugar: For this topping, you’ll need ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. 
• Cinnamon: 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon makes these churros so tasty!

For the Chocolate Sauce

• Dark Chocolate: Chop up ¾ cup of dark chocolate, or use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Heavy Cream: You’ll need ¾ cup of heavy cream to make the sauce as well. 
• Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla completes the flavor of this tasty sauce.

How To Make Homemade Churros

Making churros is fun! I recommend having a candy thermometer to clip to the side of your pot; that way you can make sure the oil temperature doesn’t get too hot or too cold.

• Make Dough: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the oil and water, and mix until just combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.

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• Prep Oil & Piping Bag: Transfer the dough to a piping bag, fitted with a 1/3” star tip. Place a heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat and add 2 inches of oil. Allow the oil to heat up to 340°F.
• Fry Churros: Pipe in pieces of dough about 6 inches long, snipping them off with a scissor. Only fry 3 to 4 at a time to prevent crowding. Cook the churros for 2 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Roll them over occasionally during cooking so they fry evenly.

• Drain & Coat in Cinnamon Sugar: Place the cooked churros on a paper towel-lined plate or wire cooling rack to drain off any excess oil. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish, and roll each churro in it until completely coated.

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• Make Chocolate Sauce: Make the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate and cream together in a double boiler. You can also microwave the chocolate and cream together in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst.
• Once completely melted and smooth, stir in the vanilla extract and serve with the churros!

Tips for Success

Before you make your churros, let’s go over these easy tips! You’re going to fall in love with this sweet, festive snack.

• Roll Quickly: While it’s important to drain the churros for a moment on some paper towels, don’t let them cool down or drain completely. They need to be warm and a little moist in order to roll up a good coating of cinnamon sugar. Just drain them for about 20 seconds, and then roll them. It’s good to have a plate ready for the finished churros.
• Add Extract: If you want to experiment, try adding a little bit of your favorite extract to the churro dough! Vanilla and almond are good places to start.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Make a pumpkin-pie variation of churros by using pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon. With a cup of coffee, this’ll be your new favorite treat!

How to Store and Reheat Homemade Churros

Churros are best eaten hot or warm, but if you have leftovers, you can definitely save and store them. Here’s how to go about it:

• To Store: Keep leftover churros in airtight containers lined with paper towels. Don’t refrigerate them, or they’ll turn soggy. Churros keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• To Reheat: You can place your churros on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for about 5 minutes, or until warmed.
• To Make Ahead: Make and fry the churros, but do not roll them in the cinnamon sugar and do not make the sauce. When you’re ready to serve, make the sauce and bake the churros at 350°F for 5 minutes or so, to heat up. Then, roll the hot churros in cinnamon sugar and serve them with the chocolate dipping sauce!

More Desserts to Try

I’m all about the sweets, and these recipes are some of my absolute favorites! Be sure to check them out next.

• Peach Dump Cake from Scratch
• No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
• Red Velvet Cheesecake with Oreo Crust