This Churro Recipe is a copycat of the delicious churros from Disneyland. These fried churros with a cinnamon-sugar coating are easy to make and so good, you’ll be making them all the time – homemade churros are crunchy and sweet and perfect.
Homemade Churro Recipe
If you have ever been to a Disney park, you most likely have had a churro – and you know they are top tier. These are a copycat of those churros, so you want can have them whenever you want! I’ve made Air Fryer Churros and Baked Churros but the original fried treat doesn’t even compare.
This easy fried churro-making recipe is way easier than you expect. The recipe starts Choux Pastry which is a cooked flour and butter mixture with eggs mixed in. This is the same dough that you use to make eclairs or cream puffs. Once the dough is made you can pipe the churros in any shape and coat them however you want!
Ingredients Needed
- Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture: Mix cinnamon and granulated sugar to dip the fried churros in.
- Water, Butter, and All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the choux pastry. Use unsalted butter whenever possible.
- Granulated Sugar: Although they are coated in sugar – they have a little extra inside the base as well for a perfect sweetness.
- Eggs: Large eggs – and be sure to follow the directions so the eggs don’t become “eggy” tasting in the batter.
How to Make This Churro Recipe
- Cook water, sugar, and butter until melted and bring to a boil.
- Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the flour – it’ll make a thick dough (almost like paste).
- Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Allow it to sit for 1 minute to cool before adding eggs – add one at a time and mix well after each addition. Place the churro batter in a large piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (Wilton 1M).
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or skillet. You want at least 2 inches of oil in your pan. Use a candy thermometer to keep track of the oil temperature. Working in batches, pipe the churro dough into the hot oil (2-4 per batch, depending on size). Cook turning once, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Let sit a minute or so, until you can handle them, and toss in cinnamon sugar.
Expert Tips
- Although you can store these for a few days, they are best served immediately when they are hot.
- You can get chocolate dipping sauce from the store to dip these churros in, or you can make homemade chocolate sauce or caramel sauce. You can even dip them in hot chocolate.
- Do not skip the cooling steps in the recipe – they are so important so your mixture doesn’t turn eggy.
- When piping the churros into the hot oil, use kitchen shears to cut the dough from the piping bag.
Storage
Store in an airtight container for just a few days. They’re best served hot. I do not recommend freezing cooked churros but you can freeze choux dough. Reheat cold churros in the air fryer.
FAQs
Most likely you did not complete the cooling steps required in the recipe and the eggs cooked in the hot mixture.
Churro Recipe (Disney Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (474ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter , softened
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
Coating
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Place water, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted and stir occasionally until mixture boils.
- Turn off the heat and remove pan from the stove. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. A thick paste will form. Make sure to do this off the heat and off the stove, so that the mixture can cool as you stir it.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit 1 minute to cool. Attach the paddle attachment and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition (work fast to avoid cooking the eggs). You can also use a large bowl with a hand mixer but work fast.
- Place the churro batter in a large pastry bag fitted with a star or 1M tip.
- Heat oil to 350°F in a large pot or saucepan over medium-high heat. Use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. Place paper towels on a cookie sheet near the stove. Stir together cinnamon and sugar for coating.
- Pipe churros in desired size into the oil. Use kitchen scissors to cut the dough at the pastry tip, being careful of the hot oil. Cook 3-5 minutes, depending on size, using a slotted spoon to turn them carefully about halfway through. Make sure to monitor the temperature of the oil and adjust the stove heat throughout cooking, and do not crowd the pan. Depending on pan size you can fry 2-4 at the same time.
- Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on cookie sheet to drain. Cool slightly, or until you can handle them.
- Toss the churros in cinnamon sugar. These are best served immediately.
Notes
- Be sure to monitor the oil temperature as you cook. If it’s too hot or too cold the churros will suck up the oil and not be cooked all the way through. Keep it as close to 350° as possible (no more than 400°).
- Storing and making ahead: Churro dough can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, but dough needs to come to room temperature to pipe easily. These are best served immediately while hot – they will soften as they cool. If you want to make them ahead of time, don’t coat them. Air fry to crisp them up and coat with cinnamon sugar right before serving.
- Make sure to remove your pan from the heat before mixing in flour. This will cool off the dough enough that you will avoid cooking the eggs.
- Transfer to mixing bowl and allow to sit for 1 minute.
- Mix in the eggs quickly, so that they do not cook.