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These homemade mini churros are crispy on the outside, soft and tender inside, and rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm. This easy churros recipe skips the trip to the fair or theme park and brings that fresh fried magic right into your kitchen, no special equipment beyond a piping bag and a thermometer. They come together with simple pantry staples, and once you taste one hot out of the oil, you will understand why my family begs for them on repeat, just like our homemade funnel cake.
A simple choux style dough is the secret to that crackly, ridged churro shell.
Churros Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 12 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 42 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 14 mini churros
- ⚡ Calories: 125kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Crispy fried dough rolled in warm cinnamon sugar
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy with a thermometer, a fun fried treat like our caramel apple pie egg rolls
Quick Answer
Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt, then stir in flour off the heat until a dough ball forms. Beat the dough to cool it, mix in eggs one at a time and a little cinnamon, then transfer to a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe short lengths into 370 degree oil, fry until golden, and roll the warm churros in cinnamon sugar.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A choux dough fries up crisp. Cooking the flour into the hot butter mixture first, then beating in eggs, creates a light dough that puffs and crisps perfectly in the oil.
- The star tip makes real churros. Piping through a closed star tip gives you those signature ridges that crisp up and hold the cinnamon sugar in every groove.
- 370 degrees is the magic number. Frying at a steady 370 degrees cooks the churros through without burning, so they are golden outside and never doughy inside.
- Coat them warm. Rolling the churros in cinnamon sugar the moment they come out of the oil helps the coating stick and melt into the surface.
- Mini means more. Bite size churros fry faster, crisp up more evenly, and are perfect for dipping, so everyone gets plenty.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste exactly like fresh fair or theme park churros, but you can make a whole batch at home for pennies.
- Crispy, ridged, cinnamon sugar coated, and perfect for dipping in chocolate, caramel, or dulce de leche.
- Bite size and fun to make, they are a guaranteed hit at parties right alongside our cinnamon twists.
Key Ingredients
Just a handful of pantry basics turn into bakery worthy churros. Here is what each one does.
- Flour, water, and butter: Cooked together into a choux style dough, they form the crisp, sturdy churro shell that holds its ridges.
- Eggs: Beaten into the cooled dough, they add richness and the structure that lets the churros puff up as they fry.
- Granulated sugar and cinnamon: A little goes in the dough, and the rest becomes that classic warm cinnamon sugar coating.
- Vegetable oil: A neutral oil for frying that gets the churros golden and crisp without adding any flavor of its own.
- A pinch of salt: It balances the sweetness and makes the buttery dough taste fuller and more rounded.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make this churros recipe your own with a few easy twists.
- Chocolate dipped: Serve with warm chocolate ganache for dunking, the classic churros con chocolate.
- Dulce de leche: Drizzle or dip in dulce de leche for a rich, caramelized finish.
- Stuffed churros: Pipe a little chocolate or dulce de leche into the centers after frying for a filled surprise.
- Full size churros: Pipe longer 4 to 6 inch lengths for traditional churros instead of mini ones.
- Pumpkin spice: Swap the cinnamon coating for pumpkin pie spice sugar in the fall.
How to Make Churros
- Add the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, then return to low heat and stir until it forms a smooth, compact dough ball.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until it is just barely warm.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth, then beat in the cinnamon.
- Mix until the dough is glossy and smooth with no streaks of egg.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip, such as an Ateco 849.
- Heat two inches of oil to 370 degrees, then pipe 1 to 2 inch lengths into the oil, cutting with scissors, and fry until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
- Drain briefly on paper towels, then immediately roll the warm churros in the cinnamon sugar coating.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a thermometer. A steady 370 degrees is essential. Too cool and the churros soak up grease, too hot and they brown before cooking through.
- Cool the dough a bit. Let the dough cool until just barely warm before adding eggs, or the heat will scramble them.
- Do not overcrowd. Fry just 4 or 5 mini churros at a time so the oil temperature stays steady and they cook evenly.
- Coat them hot. Roll the churros in cinnamon sugar the second they come out of the oil so the coating sticks beautifully.
- Use a sturdy star tip. A metal closed star tip holds up to the thick dough and gives you the crispiest ridges.
- Serve right away. Churros are at their crispy best within minutes of frying, so fry, coat, and serve in batches.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These mini churros are made for dipping. Set out bowls of warm chocolate ganache, caramel, or dulce de leche and let everyone dunk to their heart’s content.
Turn them into a dessert party with a churro bar next to our homemade fried ice cream or a scoop of vanilla. Warm crispy churros against cold ice cream is unbeatable.
They are best enjoyed fresh and warm, but you can fry and freeze them, then reheat in a hot oven to bring back the crunch before tossing in fresh cinnamon sugar.
Churros FAQs
Churros that are doughy inside usually mean the oil is too hot, so the outside browns before the center cooks. Keep the oil at a steady 370 degrees and fry mini churros for about two minutes per side.
Greasy churros come from oil that is not hot enough. Use a thermometer to hold the oil at 370 degrees and drain the churros briefly on paper towels before coating them in cinnamon sugar.
A large closed star tip, like an Ateco 849, gives you the classic ridged churro shape. The ridges crisp up beautifully and hold onto the cinnamon sugar coating.
Churro dough is best piped and fried fresh, but you can make it a few hours ahead and keep it in the piping bag at room temperature. Fry just before serving for the crispiest results.
You can air fry piped churros at 375 degrees until golden, though they will be a bit less crisp than fried. Brush them with melted butter before coating so the cinnamon sugar sticks.
Store cooled churros in an airtight container at room temperature for a day, then reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to crisp them back up. They lose their crunch in the fridge, so the oven is best.
Craving more fried treats? Make our crispy homemade fair funnel cake next.
Easy Homemade Mini Churros
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Vegetable Oil for frying
Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.1 cup water, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, pinch salt
- Remove from the heat and add in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, with a rubber spatula until the mixture comes together and is smooth with no lumps.1 cup all-purpose flour
- Place on medium-low heat and continue stirring until it forms a ball of dough. The dough will be very sticky and compact.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, whisk until the dough is just barely warm and begins to tear into small pieces.
- Add one egg at a time and continue mixing on medium speed until smooth.2 large eggs
- Add the ¼ teaspoons of cinnamon and mix until combined.¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a closed star piping tip. I used the ateco #849 tip.
- In a small bowl, combine the coating ingredients and mix until combined. You will use this for coating the churros.1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Frying the churros:
- In a large saucepan, cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven, add 2 inches of vegetable oil.Vegetable Oil
- Heat until the oil reaches 370°F. I suggest using a candy thermometer because it’s essential to maintain the oil at that temperature during the frying of the churros.
- Carefully pipe the mixture into preheated oil into about 1 to 2-inch lengths, and cut the end with clean scissors.
- Repeat this for 4 -5 churros, depending on the size of your pot. It is important not to overcrowd the pot so that the churros cook evenly.
- Let fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to soak up excess oil, then immediately transfer to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll to coat.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Serve warm with chocolate ganache if desired.
Notes
- Keep the Oil Hot: Use a candy thermometer to ensure the oil stays at the right temperature for that perfect golden brown.
- No Overcrowding: Fry in small batches to avoid lowering the oil’s temperature and to ensure even cooking.
- Cooling Rack: Let them cool on a rack set over a baking sheet to keep them crispy.
- Pipe Evenly: For uniform mini churros, pipe 1-inch logs using kitchen shears to cut the dough.
- Shake It Up: Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar mix while they’re still warm for the best coating.
- Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try new flavors or dipping sauces to find your perfect churro combination.
Nutrition
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