Making homemade cinnamon-sugar churros can be a bit intimidating, as there’s frying involved. A much simpler idea is to oven-bake churros! This is one of those great, easy recipes that will have you wondering how it’s possible that these warm, baked, crispy churros have never been touched by hot frying oil!
This well-tested recipe for baked churros produces a dessert that’s golden brown and crispy on the outside, and perfectly chewy on the inside. Let's make them!
Readers say “Thank you so much for this recipe, Kim! These Churros came out perfectly! Easy to follow recipe, great results!”
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Why you'll love this recipe for oven baked churros
- No frying! Deep frying at home can be challenging and intimidating. With these oven baked churros, there is no frying involved. And you will not have to sacrifice crispiness or flavor.
- This easy churro recipe can be made start to finish in under an hour
- Indulge in the flavors of your local fair, carnival and even Disney World with these buttery, crispy cinnamon churros!
Love churros? Try Homemade Churros Cupcakes!
Ingredients needed to make homemade Churros
To make baked churros, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Water
- Vanilla Extract: Use high quality pure vanilla extract whenever you can
- Salt: I use kosher salt, however, use whatever kind you have available. Feel free to adjust the level of salt to suit your preferences
- Butter: use unsalted when you can, as this will allow you to control the level of salt in your baking. You'll need butter three different times in the recipe - in the dough, melted butter to brush on top of the piped churros prior to baking, and more melted butter in which to dip the churros once they're baked
- Brown Sugar: I'd recommend light brown sugar for this recipe. However, if you only have dark brown sugar, go ahead and use it. Be sure to pack the brown sugar into the measuring cups to measure it correctly
- All-Purpose Flour: be sure to measure your flour correctly by scooping the flour into the measuring cups, then leveling off with the back of the spoon or a knife. For more precise measurements, use a kitchen scale
- Eggs: I use US size large eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon: be sure it's fresh! If your spices are more than 6 months old, I'd recommend buying new ones. The flavor will be much more potent with fresh spices
An Easy Way to Make Churros at Home without frying
Serve these oven-baked churros at your Cinco de Mayo party! Here is a step by step guide to make them:
Step 1
First thing needed to make this churro recipe is to prepare the churro batter. You'll need a medium saucepan set over low heat.
To the saucepan, add the water, vanilla, salt and brown sugar. Once at a rolling boil, add the flour all at once, whisking well to combine into a thick paste.
Step 2
Next, mix in the eggs in one at a time using a wooden spoon, mixing until a smooth dough forms. Note: be sure the eggs are at room temperature - this will enable them to incorporate much easier into the dough. You may need to give your arm a break every minute or so - this will give you a workout for sure!
It may look like the eggs aren't combining at first, but keep on mixing. They will and you'll have a smooth thick dough.
Step 3
Add the dough to a piping bag with a star nozzle, large star tip or any other piping tip you may have handy. If you do not have a piping bag or tip, simply place the churro dough into a large ziplock bag and snip off one corner, about ¼-inch in size.
Then, pipe lines of churro dough onto the prepared baking sheet. I recommend piping 6-inch long churros. Then, using a knife or kitchen shears, cut the dough from the end of the piping bag.
Step 4
Gently brush the churros with melted butter.
Step 5
Bake for 30-35 minutes (depending on size), rotating pans halfway through baking, until churros are baked through and lightly golden.
Step 6
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. In another shallow mixing bowl, melt the butter. Place the bowls next to each other.
Dip the slightly cooled churros first in the melted butter, letting the excess drip off, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
I recommend sprinkling the churros rather than dipping the butter drenched churros in the mixture, as this will create wet clumps very quickly. Place on a clean piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining churros.
Serve warm and store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I'd recommend warning in the oven for 5 minutes before serving.
To take these churros up another notch, serve with dulce de leche, salted caramel sauce, or hot chocolate sauce for dipping or drizzling!
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
FAQs
Can you freeze churros?
These baked churros are best consumed immediately after baking. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Warm in he toaster oven or air fryer to re-crisp before serving.
To freeze churros before baking, pipe the batter onto parchment paper then place in the freezer for at least one hour. Transfer frozen churro dough to a freezer-safe bag for up to one month.
Bake frozen churros in a preheated oven for 35 minutes.
Baked churros can also be frozen. Place cooled churros on a baking sheet in one layer. Freeze for at least one hour then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen churros at room temperature then reheat in a preheated 350ºF air fryer or oven for 5-10 minutes until crispy.
Do churros need to be refrigerated?
Baked churros can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigeration is not required.
Are churros vegan?
Because churros contain butter and eggs, they are not vegan.
Looking for more popular treat recipes like this one? Give these a try:
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Equipment
Ingredients
Churros
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter melted, for brushing
Topping
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Place water, vanilla, salt, butter, and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.1 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Stir in the flour all at once (this ensures crispy churros!) and remove from the heat.1 cup all-purpose flour
- Continue mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon until a thick paste forms. Let mixture sit for 1 minute.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition (work fast here to avoid scrambling the eggs!).2 large eggs
- It’ll seem like the mixture isn’t coming together at first, but keep mixing until the ingredients are well combined and you have a smooth soft dough that comes away from the sides of the pot. This may take a few minutes so be patient and rest your arm as needed!
- Place the churro batter in a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip, squeezing out as many air bubbles as possible.
- Alternatively, place batter into a large ziplock bag with the tip cut off.
- Pipe 6-inch (15 cm) churros onto the cookie sheets, cutting the ends with kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
- Gently brush the churros with melted butter.2 tablespoons butter
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (depending on size), rotating pans halfway through baking, until churros are baked through and lightly golden.
- Cool slightly on pans.
- Meanwhile, melt remaining ½ cup butter in a medium sized, shallow bowl.½ cup butter
- Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Dredge the churros in the butter then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately with dulce de leche, salted caramel sauce, or hot chocolate sauce for dipping or drizzling.
Notes
- Churros are best when served immediately.
- Store leftover churros in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Warm gently in a preheated 350ºF toaster oven or air fryer for 5 minutes until crispy.
- To freeze churros before baking, pipe the batter onto parchment paper then place in the freezer for at least one hour. Transfer frozen churro dough to a freezer-safe bag for up to one month. Bake frozen churros in a preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Baked churros can also be frozen. Place cooled churros on a baking sheet in one layer. Freeze for at least one hour then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen churros at room temperature then reheat in a preheated 350ºF air fryer or oven for 5-10 minutes until crispy.
- Inspired by Mexico in My Kitchen
Nutrition
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Comments
Ruchika
Hello Kim!! Soft chewy inside and crispy outside is just my thing!! Churros dipped in hot chocolate ganache is undoubtedly a comfort food😍 And soo glad they are baked. I recently subscribed to your website, I had a query. Do u do eggless baking as well? Coz I usually do not bake with eggs. Thankyou☺
Kim
So happy to hear this Ruchika! I typically do use eggs in my baking, although I have a few plant-based/vegan recipes on my site that use egg alternatives such as flax eggs. You can search by that category or search vegan in the search bar.
Ruchika
Thankyou so much for replying !! I will definitely search up vegan in the search bar.
Christine
Thank you so much for this recipe, Kim! These Churros came out perfectly! Easy to follow recipe, great results! Keep 'em coming!
Kim
I couldn't be happier to hear this, Christine! So glad you loved them as much as I do!
Kya Gleason
Amazing,it left me sitting in a chair munching on it , thinking how could these not have been fried! Thank you so, very much for this great invention.
Kimberlee Ho
It's like magic, isn't it?! These are my daughters favorite! So so glad you baked them and loved them!
Lorena
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m from Mexico and no longer eat deep fried foods or eat gluten, but my family do!
Question: will these work on an air fryer instead of baking them?
Also, the step to mix with a wooden spoon very fast after the flour is mixed with the liquid syrup, as you put one egg at a time, would that be ok to use a hand mixer instead of doing it by hand without altering or messing up the consistency? My hands and fingers are weaker and they were very sore after the first recipe trial. I have to eat them yet ( baking right now 😄) but looking forward to have childhood memories!
Another question: Would these be able yo be turned into a gluten-free version? If so, could you advise which would be the best flour for them and ratios, please? I can no longer eat gluten 🙁Thank you so much. Hope yo hear from you soon. 🙂
Kimberlee Ho
These will work really well in the air fryer! I cannot be sure of the exact baking time because I haven't tried it yet, so keep an eye on them while they're air frying. I don't know if it will mess with the consistency to use a mixer, but my advice would be to keep the mixer on low. I do not have experience baking these with gluten-free flour - I would recommend using cup-for-cup gluten free flour rather than a wheat flour alternative like almond flour. Good luck!