Churros
Churros are widely believed to have arrived in Mexico with Spanish colonizers, who brought a fried dough tradition rooted in Iberian and, by some accounts, earlier Portuguese and North African cooking. Once in Mexico, the simple fried dough took on a life of its own, becoming a fixture of street stalls, plazas, and early-morning breakfast carts, often sold alongside hot chocolate or thick atole for dunking. The star-shaped tip that gives churros their signature ridges was originally a practical choice, since the ridged surface fries faster and more evenly than a smooth one, and it later became part of the dish's identity. Today churros are eaten plain, rolled in cinnamon sugar, filled with dulce de leche or chocolate, or dipped into thick drinking chocolate, and they remain one of the most popular sweets sold from Mexican street carts to festival stands across the country and beyond.
Choux-style dough
A simple mix of water, butter, flour, and eggs is cooked briefly on the stove before frying, giving churros their light, airy interior.
Piped with a star tip
Pushing the dough through a star-shaped nozzle creates the ridged surface that fries up extra crisp and golden.
Rolled in cinnamon sugar
Fresh out of the fryer, warm churros are tossed in a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating that sticks to every ridge.
Served with chocolate for dipping
A cup of thick, warm chocolate sauce turns each crisp churro into a rich, comforting bite.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (plus more for coating)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the sugar coating)
- 1 cup chocolate sauce, for dipping
How to make it
- 1Bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 2Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour all at once, beating vigorously until the dough forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides.
- 3Let the dough cool for a few minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture becomes thick, smooth, and glossy.
- 4Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- 5Heat the vegetable oil to about 190°C and pipe long strips of dough directly into the hot oil, snipping them off with scissors.
- 6Fry the churros in batches until deep golden brown and crisp, turning occasionally, then drain them on paper towels.
- 7While still warm, roll the churros in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and serve immediately with warm chocolate sauce for dipping.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
