The Best Churro Recipe | Lil’ Luna

This churro recipe is a family favorite! It’s fried to perfection and covered in cinnamon and sugar making it incredibly delicious.

If you love Mexican desserts too, you’ll love this churros recipe, and our Churro Cheesecake Bars, Churro Funnel Cakes, and Angel Food Cake Churro Bites.

We Love Churros!

This churro recipe is a fried Mexican pastry dough dipped in cinnamon and sugar.

Churro dough is similar to choux pastry (used in Eclairs or Cream Puffs), but it is typically thicker and more hearty. The fried dough is then covered with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating.

Why we love them:

Simple. This recipe for churros starts with a simple pastry dough.
Delicious. The treat was beyond delicious and will become a new staple for go-to desserts in our home.
A Disney favorite. They have become one of our favorite snacks to pick up while at Disneyland.

Churro Ingredients

oil for frying – You’ll need an oil with a high smoking point. Vegetable, canola oil, peanut, and corn oil all work.
water
unsalted butter
ground cinnamon
salt
all-purpose flour
large eggs
vanilla extract
sugar
ground cinnamon

Churros recipe process pics, making dough in a pan.

How to Make a Churro

PREP. Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with 1½–2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat to about 360°F (can also be made in a deep fryer).
TOPPING. To make the topping, whisk sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside.
DOUGH. To make the churro batter, combine water, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low.
- Add flour and stir to form a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, stirring until combined after each addition. Add vanilla.
FRY. Add a large star tip to a piping or pastry bag and spoon dough into the piping bag. Pipe dough over the hot oil and cut with scissors at 1–3 inches long. Repeat until churros fill the pan, leaving room between churros. Fry until golden brown, 2–3 minutes on each side.
- Remove churros from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to let oil drain.
ENJOY! While still warm, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining batches of dough. Serve warm with chocolate dipping sauce.

Piping and cutting churro dough into the oil.

Fried churro being taken out of the hot oil.

Dipping churro into cinnamon sugar mixture.

Dusted churros on paper towel lined baking sheet.

Recipe Notes

Oil temperature. Try to keep the oil temperature at 360-365°F. Using a candy thermometer to regulate. Too low, the churros can get soggy. Too high, the churros will burn before the inside cooks.
Shape. Use a closed star piping tip to give the classic churro shape and a crisp texture. If you don’t have a piping set, simply trim the end of a Ziploc bag. You will get a smooth churro, but it will still taste great.
- Classically, Mexican churros are made in a straight shape, but you can make these in other fun shapes. The kids love to get the first letter of their name or a heart shape.
Add flavor. Add a twist to your churros by incorporating unexpected flavors into the dough like a hint of orange zest or a pinch of cayenne pepper. Or substitute the cinnamon with Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Churro recipe stacked together in white dish.

Storing Info

Make it ahead of time. Make homemade churros dough a day beforehand. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring the dough back to room temperature before frying.
STORE. This Disney churro recipe is best eaten fresh, but if you end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container for about 2 days.
FREEZE. Place churros on a baking sheet, and freeze. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag.
To reheat, allow the churros to thaw and bake at 400°F for about 5-10 minutes, until warm.

For More Mexican Desserts:

Sopapilla

35 mins

Recipe Video

Tres Leches Cake

50 mins

Recipe Video

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

15 mins

Recipe Video

Arroz con Leche

45 mins

Recipe Video

Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with 1½–2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat to about 360°F.
To make the topping, whisk together sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside.
To make the churros, combine water, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low.
Add flour and stir to form a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, stirring until combined after each addition. Add vanilla.
Add a large star tip to a piping bag and spoon dough into the piping bag. Pipe dough over the hot oil and cut at 1–3 inches long. Repeat until churros fill the pan, making sure to leave room between churros. Fry until golden brown, 2–3 minutes on each side.
Remove churros from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel–lined plate.
While still warm, roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining dough. Serve warm.

Dip pairings: Churros are great with their cinnamon-sugar coating, but are even better with an assortment of dips. Here are a few favorites:

Serving: 1churro, Calories: 123kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 50mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 222IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Making this recipe? Tag us!

Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!