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. 

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.

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.

What You’ll Need

The ingredients for my homemade churros are all basic pantry items that you probably already have on hand.

Churros Ingredients

• 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 This Churros Recipe

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 the 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.
• Prep the 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 the 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 the churros and coat them 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.

• Make the chocolate dipping sauce: Melt 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!

Proper Storage

• To Store: Churros are best eaten hot or warm, but you can keep leftovers in airtight containers lined with paper towels. Don’t refrigerate them, or they’ll turn soggy. They’ll 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.

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