The ultimate authentic Churros and chocolate recipe –this is the one you’ve been searching for! Crispy, cinnamon and sugar dusted outside, soft and buttery inside with a special technique that makes them even easier to make! Don’t skip on the Mexican Chocolate Sauce either, it’s the perfect accompaniment. Video included!
Recipe first posted on December 19, 2021 and last updated with step-by-step photos on February 7, 2024.
Be honest with me, is there anything better than a freshly-fried churro?
Okay, maybe a freshly-fried churro dipped in rich chocolate sauce that’s just a bit thicker than hot chocolate. You can’t convince me there’s anything better than that.
If you’ve never made churros at home, I encourage you to give it a try. They’re really not as difficult as one may assume. Yes, there’s the whole vat of hot oil deep fryer thing, but once you get over that, it’s pretty much smooth sailing.
One of the best things about this churros and chocolate recipe is a super helpful technique that bypasses the whole piping-churro-dough-into-hot-oil thing and practically guarantees churro success!
what are churros?
Churros have become synonymous with street carts and shopping malls, Disneyland, and anywhere else fried food is quickly doled out for a small fortune.
But churros have a long, rich history and have been enjoyed for centuries. They are originally from Spain by way of Portugal and China. The Spanish brought this fried dough idea to South American and Mexico where they also discovered chocolate and there, a match made in heaven was discovered.
The churro dough is essentially the same as pâte à choux or cream puff dough—water, butter, and salt melted in a saucepan and then flour added in to create a thick dough.
After an egg gets beaten in, the dough can be piped into any shape you please (might I suggest heart-shaped like my chocolate churros?). Long, star-shaped sticks, however, are most common. Then they are fried until golden brown and coated in cinnamon sugar.
You can find them filled, made from crushed Oreos, and practically any other flavor but my favorites are the classic cinnamon sugar ones just like they serve at Churrería El Moro in Mexico City and I’m happy to say, I think this churros and chocolate recipe comes pretty darn close.
The Special Churro Technique You’ve Been Missing
Most churros recipes have you pipe the dough directly into the hot oil and fry until golden, which is fine if you’re a churros master.
For all us regular folks, there is a secret to making churros at home, that is pure genius, not to mention, stress free. David Castro Hussong suggests in his book, The Baja California Cookbook, that you pipe the churros on to a baking sheet first, then stick the baking sheet in the freezer until they are stiff.
When you are ready to fry, all you do is peel the churros off the parchment-lined baking sheet and straight into the hot oil. They fry up just as quickly to a beautiful golden brown.
ingredients
Ingredients
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- All purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 quart of vegetable oil, for frying
- Ground cinnamon
- Mexican chocolate sauce recipe
equipment
- Candy thermometer or deep-fry thermometer. One that clips onto the side of the pot to measure the oil’s temperature.
- A hand mixer or stand mixer for beating the egg into the batter
- Sturdy piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. I like the Open Star Pasty Tips and not the French or closed star ones.
- Medium saucepan and wooden spoon
- Very wide, shallow frying pan or braiser for frying the churros. I like to use my Le Creuset Braiser because it is very wide and I can make very long churros that will fit in the pan. Measure the width of the pan you plan on frying the churros in before you pipe them out to make sure you don’t make them longer than what will fit in the pan.
How to Make This Recipe
step one
Heat the liquid. Combine water, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat.
step two
Beat in the flour. Add the flour to the mixture and beat in with a wooden spoon. Stir constantly until it is completely incorporated and forms a very thick dough.
step three
Beat in the egg. Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set aside for a few minutes to cool. Add the egg and beat on medium until the egg is completely incorporated and the dough is soft and stretchy.
step four
Pipe churros. Put the star tip in a pastry bag and set the bag inside a tall glass or Mason jar. Fold the end of the piping bag over the glass to make a large opening. Scrape the batter into the bag with a rubber spatula, pressing the dough down into the bag.
Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and carefully pipe dough on to the baking sheet.
step five
Freeze churros. Stick baking sheet into the freezer and freeze the churros until they are stiff, about 15-30 minutes.
step six
Fry churros. Pour vegetable oil into a large pot and heat oil to 360°F over medium-high heat.
Once oil is hot enough, cook 3 or 4 churros at a time. Don’t add too many at once or the oil temperature will drop too low. Keep frying churros until crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain the crispy churros briefly on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
step seven
Coat in cinnamon sugar. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Place churros in the bowl while they are still warm and coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
step eight
Serve. Warm chocolate sauce in a small saucepan then pour into a small bowl and serve with the churros.
*Leftover churros can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
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Once you’ve mastered this technique, I assure you, you’ll find any excuse to make them all. the. time. Let me know when you do by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Authentic Churros Recipe with Chocolate Sauce
The ultimate authentic Churros recipe–this is the one you've been searching for! Crispy, cinnamon and sugar dusted outside, soft and buttery inside with a special technique that makes them even easier to make! Don't skip on the Mexican Chocolate Sauce either, it's the perfect accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Serving
- 1 recipe Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Instructions
- Boil. Heat water, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Add flour. Remove from heat, add flour and beat 1 minute or until completely combined.
- Cool. Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Let cool 5-10 minutes.
- Beat in egg. Add egg and beat on medium until fully incorporated and a soft dough has formed.
- Pipe. Transfer to a pasty bag fitted with a 1/2 inch open star tip. Pipe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet into long sticks, spirals, or any shape you'd like.
- Freeze. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer until churros are stiff, about 20-30 minutes.
- Heat oil. Meanwhile, pour vegetable oil into a wide, shallow frying pan or braiser. Attach a candy or deep fry thermometer to the side and heat to 360°F over high heat. Monitor the heat as you are frying the churros, you don't want it to get below 340°F.
- Fry. Once churros are stiff and oil is hot, fry the churros 3 or 4 at a time until golden on all sides, about 4 minutes total. If the churros are too floppy when you try to flip them give them another minute to cook, then try to flip.
- Drain. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and let drain for a minute or two.
- Coat in cinnamon-sugar. Combine sugar and cinnamon for coating in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Place the warm churros in the cinnamon mixture and coat on all sides.
- Serve. Serve while still warm with Mexican chocolate sauce.
Notes
- Storage: Churros are best eaten right away. You can keep them warm in a 200°F oven for 30-40 minutes if necessary. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Churro length: Measure the width of the pan you plan on frying the churros in before you pipe them out to make sure you don't make them longer than what will fit in the pan.
- Dipping: A pie plate or baking dish works well for dipping the churros in cinnamon and sugar.
- Chocolate sauce: The sauce can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Warm on the stove or in the microwave before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2269Total Fat: 227gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 195gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 5g
Resources
A Brief History of Churros from Salt and Wind Travel
The Baja California Cookbook by David Castro Hussong
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myklbykl says
Just curious in what way this recipe is “authentic.” It looks like a standard pâte à choux churro, and I’m sure it’s good, but I believe authentic churros are made without egg (which was later added to many recipes, perhaps when it was brought to México). If you know a different history I’d be interested.