Homemade Churros
I make the fried version when I’m feeling festive and the air fryer version when I’m feeling “responsible.” Both are excellent. Both get devoured in under ten minutes. The only difference is how I feel about myself afterward.
Ingredients
For the Churro Dough
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Chocolate Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
Optional: Polish Farmer Cheese Filling
- 1/2 cup twarog or ricotta + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Method
Make the Dough
-
In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, salt, and oil. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool 5 minutes, then beat in the egg and vanilla. The dough should be thick, smooth, and pipeable. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (the star shape creates the classic ridged churro surface that catches extra cinnamon sugar).
Fried Method
-
Heat 2 inches of oil to 175C / 350F. Pipe 4-5 inch strips of dough directly into the hot oil (use scissors to cut). Fry 3-4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Immediately roll in cinnamon sugar while still hot — the warmth makes the sugar stick.
Air Fryer Method
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Pipe strips onto parchment-lined surface. Freeze 15 minutes until firm (makes them easier to handle). Transfer to the air fryer basket, spray with cooking spray. Air fry at 190C / 375F for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden. Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately. They’re slightly less crispy than fried but still excellent, and I feel 40% less guilty eating four of them.
Chocolate Sauce
-
Heat cream in the microwave 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Add a pinch of salt. This is a 2-minute ganache that makes churros feel like a restaurant dessert.
Kasia Polish Mom
Polish-born, Chicago-raised, feeding a family of six with babcia’s recipes and a global pantry. I grew up folding pierogi at my grandmother’s kitchen table and never stopped — 15+ years of cooking from scratch, one Sunday dinner at a time. Everything here is tested on four kids, a hungry husband, and the memory of a woman who never measured anything but always got it right.
Homemade Churros — Crispy Cinnamon Sugar Perfection
I make the fried version when I’m feeling festive and the air fryer version when I’m feeling “responsible.” Both are excellent. Both get devoured in under ten minutes. The only difference is how I feel about myself afterward.
Churros are fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, and they’re one of the most universally beloved desserts on Earth. Crispy outside, soft and slightly chewy inside, coated in a warm cinnamon-sugar mixture that sticks to your fingers and makes you reach for another one before you’ve finished the first. They’re the Mexican cousin of Polish paczki (doughnuts) — fried dough, sugar-coated, eaten with your hands, and impossible to eat just one.
The fusion twist that makes this a Polish Mom recipe: I fill some of them with sweetened farmer cheese (twarog) — the same filling I use in nalesniki-style french toast roll-ups. Churros filled with Polish farmer cheese. It sounds like something I invented at 2am (I did), but the combination of warm fried dough, cinnamon sugar, and cool, sweet, creamy cheese is genuinely spectacular. Mexican technique, Polish filling, my kitchen, everyone’s happy.
Ingredients
For the Churro Dough
- • 1 cup water
- • 1/3 cup sugar
- • 1/2 teaspoon salt
- • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- • 1 cup all-purpose flour
- • 1 egg
- • 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- • 1/2 cup sugar
- • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Chocolate Dipping Sauce
- • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- • 1/4 cup heavy cream
- • Pinch of salt
Optional: Polish Farmer Cheese Filling
- • 1/2 cup twarog or ricotta + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
How to Make Them
Make the Dough
In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, salt, and oil. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool 5 minutes, then beat in the egg and vanilla. The dough should be thick, smooth, and pipeable. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (the star shape creates the classic ridged churro surface that catches extra cinnamon sugar).
Fried Method
Heat 2 inches of oil to 175C / 350F. Pipe 4-5 inch strips of dough directly into the hot oil (use scissors to cut). Fry 3-4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Immediately roll in cinnamon sugar while still hot — the warmth makes the sugar stick.
Air Fryer Method
Pipe strips onto parchment-lined surface. Freeze 15 minutes until firm (makes them easier to handle). Transfer to the air fryer basket, spray with cooking spray. Air fry at 190C / 375F for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden. Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately. They’re slightly less crispy than fried but still excellent, and I feel 40% less guilty eating four of them.
Chocolate Sauce
Heat cream in the microwave 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Add a pinch of salt. This is a 2-minute ganache that makes churros feel like a restaurant dessert.
The Farmer Cheese Filling
Mix sweetened twarog (or ricotta) with sugar and vanilla until smooth. Once the churros are cooked, pipe the cheese filling inside using a thin piping tip or a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off. The warm churro + cool cheese filling is the same temperature contrast that makes nalesniki so good — warm dough, cool sweet cheese. It’s my Polish twist on a Mexican classic, and the first time I served them to friends, three people independently said “you need to sell these.” I’m not opening a churro shop. But I’m flattered.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Star tip is essential. The ridges create more surface area for cinnamon sugar to cling to. A round tip produces smooth churros that look wrong and hold less sugar.
✓ Oil temperature matters. Too hot = burnt outside, raw inside. Too cool = greasy, heavy churros. 175C / 350F is the sweet spot.
✓ Roll in sugar while hot. The sugar won’t stick to cool churros. Speed matters here.
✓ Freeze before air frying. The 15-minute freeze firms the dough so it holds its shape in the air fryer basket.
Variations
• Dulce de leche filled: Pipe dulce de leche inside instead of cheese. Rich, caramelly, decadent.
• Churro ice cream sandwich: Split a churro lengthwise, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Summer dessert perfection.
• Mini churro bites: Pipe small rounds instead of strips. Easier for kids to handle. My youngest calls them “cinnamon balls” and eats approximately twelve per sitting.
How to Store
Best eaten fresh and warm. Leftover churros: store in an airtight container 2 days, reheat in oven at 175C / 350F for 5 minutes to re-crisp. Not freezer-friendly once cooked. Raw dough can be piped onto parchment and frozen for 1 month — air fry from frozen, adding 2 minutes to cook time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are churros hard to make?
The dough is basically choux pastry — the same base used for éclairs and cream puffs. If you’ve ever made those, you can make churros. If you haven’t, this is a great introduction. The technique (boil liquid, add flour, stir, add eggs) is straightforward, and the frying/air frying is forgiving. My daughter made her first batch at age 10 with minimal supervision. They weren’t pretty, but they were delicious, and she was so proud that I let her eat five.
What’s the difference between fried and air fryer churros?
Fried churros have a crispier, more evenly golden exterior and a slightly richer flavour from the oil. Air fryer churros are lighter, have a slightly drier texture, and develop golden spots rather than an all-over golden shell. Both are coated in cinnamon sugar, both taste like warm fried dough, and both disappear from the plate at approximately the same speed. The practical difference is cleanup: one pan of oil versus wiping down the air fryer basket. For a Tuesday dessert, I air fry. For a Saturday family treat, I deep-fry. Both versions have earned their place in our household, and my kids have never once complained about either method, which is the only review that matters.
Kasia Polish Mom
Polish-born, Chicago-raised, feeding a family of six with babcia’s recipes and a global pantry. I grew up folding pierogi at my grandmother’s kitchen table and never stopped — 15+ years of cooking from scratch, one Sunday dinner at a time. Everything here is tested on four kids, a hungry husband, and the memory of a woman who never measured anything but always got it right.
