Homemade Churros are fluted fritters that are made with flour, butter, and eggs. Mini churros or linear donuts are fried in oil and rolled on granulated sugar and/or ground cinnamon. Churros pair well with hot coffee or black tea.
Origin:
While churros are staples of most county fairs, theme parks, and farmers’ markets, they belie a long history and tradition. In fact, the modest homemade churro has a history going back several hundred years. Whether you choose to believe that the churro has its origins in the Chinese youtiao imported by the Portuguese or made by the shepherds of Andalusian Spain as a fried paste alternative to otherwise expensive baked goods, the churro is a staple in the lands influenced by the Portuguese and Spanish. It can be found in most South American countries served both as a sweet and a savory. While we are used to the more common dusted sugar, churros as a dish can be accompanied by chocolate, vanilla or even guava, and melted cheese (queso). It is essentially fried dough, so as you can imagine, it fits all sorts of palates and budgets.
My first churros experience was at Disneyland. After a long morning of being dragged on the many rides my children wanted to try, my feet were sore, and in search of a much-needed sugar fix. It was then that my kids hustled me onto the churro stand, and I had my first bite of this prism-shaped dessert/snack. It reminded me of the fried dough buns that I had eaten in Singapore, sans sugar.
The homemade churro is a simple dish: flour, water, sugar, and oil. The ubiquity of these basic ingredients goes in a long measure to explain its wide geographic spread and its many regional flavor profiles. But there’s more to the churro than its universal appeal of fried dough. The thin Spanish churro is piped through a star-shaped funnel, which allows the ridges to be crispy providing a textural contrast to the rest of the churro. Also, the linear shape makes the churro less messy to consume on the move.
But the history of homemade churros is also laced with the history of the Spanish expansion into South America. With the introduction of South American chocolate, it only took a couple of centuries for the famous Spanish breakfast of chocolate con churros (probably named for the curly and ridged horns of the Churra sheep) or churros with dark chocolate to take root in Spain. The regional variations abound from the sweet to the savory. In South America, there is the guava-stuffed fillings of Cuba, the churros con cajeta of Mexico, or even the queso churros of Nicaragua. The Filipino churros, reminiscent of the Spanish tradition are popular during Christmas and are served with powdered sugar and served with tsokolate (chocolate). In Jordan, there is the karabeej halab, which is a street food consisting of fried dough strips that are soaked in sugar syrup.
As for me, I prefer the plain old (if there’s such a thing) fried dough and granulated sugar. But here is the thing about deep frying. It is dependent on the weather. If you are living in a less humid place as I do, it is fine to whisk and pipe. But if you live in a humid location, you may want to consider drying out the flour in an oven over low heat for about 20 minutes. That way, when you deep fry, the churros will absorb less oil, resulting in a healthier (and less guilty) churros snack or a dessert. Homemade churros are a popular Mexican snack or dessert that can be eaten as-is, rolled on cinnamon sugar or even served with chocolate sauce on the side as a dipping.
In any case, this simple treat has a long and complex history. The result of that journey is a simple dish with a varied and complex history. But I suspect that the churro’s journey is just the beginning. As we become exposed to more types of cuisines, I encourage you to experiment with this simple dish and give it your own twist.
How to make Homemade Churros:
1. Heat a pot with water and salt and melt the butter in it.
2. Turn off the heat and add the flour at once.
3. Beat with a whisk attachment of a handheld beater until combined.
4. Add the beaten egg and whisk again for a minute.
5. Heat oil in a pan to 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C. Place the dough in a strong piping bar with a star-shaped nozzle. Pipe out mini churros and cut the tip with a pair of scissors.
6. Fry the churros until golden brown on low to medium heat.
7. Remove the churros with a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain on kitchen paper and roll on sugar and/or cinnamon.
1. Use a strong piping bag that will prevent the dough from coming out.
2. The oil must be very hot while you drop the churros in. Lower the heat to medium while the churros are frying. You want the dough in the center to get cooked gently.
3. Roll the churros on sugar while still hot.
4. Beat the egg well into the flour mixture.
5. If you live in a humid location, you may want to consider drying out the flour in an oven over low heat for about 20 minutes. That way, when you deep fry, the churros will absorb less oil, resulting in a healthier (and less guilty) churros snack or a dessert.
Storage:
Store the fried homemade churros in an airtight container after cooling them completely. The dough can be made ahead of time and frozen.
Other Mexican recipes that you could make for a snack:
Homemade Churros
Equipment
- stovetop, deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- ⅛ tsp lemon extract optional
- peanut oil for deep frying
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon for dusting
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Heat a pot with water and salt and melt the butter in it.
- Turn off the heat and add the flour at once.
- Beat with a whisk attachment of a handheld beater until combined.
- Add the beaten egg and whisk again for a minute.
- Heat oil in a pan to 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C. Place the dough in a strong piping bar with a star-shaped nozzle. Pipe out mini churros and cut the tip with a pair of scissors.
- Fry the churros until golden brown on low to medium heat.
- Remove the churros with a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain on kitchen paper and roll on sugar and/or cinnamon.
Notes
- Please cut the churros to your desired length. These are mini homemade churros that much shorter in length that are easy to handle and deep fry.
- You could use powdered sugar mixed with aniseed as an alternative to cinnamon-sugar dusting.
- Use a bigger nozzle to pipe if you want to make large churros.
Nutrition
these are amazing-i made them and everyone loved the recipe. it is quite straightforward 🙂
Thanks, Neetu!
these are so great for snacks!
These churros were so good with coffee!
Thank you!
These are excellent! I did’t mix the sauce but they still tasted amazing.
I am happy that you liked them! Thanks.