Mexican Churros

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Authentic Mexican churros are served in the Magic Kingdom. These Disneyland churros are crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside!

California cuisine is greatly influenced by Mexican culture. This recipe for Disneyland churros is no exception.

Add a splash of Mexican vanilla to the batter for an authentic Mexican churros recipe. For churros con chocolate, serve these delicious desserts with chocolate sauce for dipping!

PIN MEXICAN CHURROS NOW TO MAKE IT LATER!

WHAT IS A CHURRO?

A churro is a traditional fried-dough pastry that originated in Spain. Strips of dough are piped directly into hot oil through an open-star metal tip producing fluted sides.

Fried until golden and crisp on the outside, Mexican churros are light and airy on the inside. The freshly-made treats are tossed in cinnamon-sugar.

Instead of getting a rise from baking powder or yeast, crispy Mexican crullers get a gentle rise from eggs. Like glazed donuts, churros are best enjoyed hot! Serve as breakfast, snacks or dessert. Churros con chocolate is a family favorite.

MEXICAN CHURROS

At my second home on the west coast of Mexico, there’s a famous churro cart outside a Catholic church in downtown Puerto Vallarta: Inglesia de la Santa Cruz on the corner of Lazaro Cardenas and Aguacate. This specific food stand is only open at night, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. or until the dough runs out!

As evening approaches, customers arrive anticipating freshly-made pastries. Groups patiently gather around the vendor’s cart. They watch as thin strips of dough are expertly piped into hot oil. After tossed in a fragrant coating, these crunchy Mexican churros are served in little brown treat bags.

CHURROS INGREDIENTS

Wondering what ingredients you need to make Mexican churros? This easy recipe comes together quickly with a few refrigerator and pantry staples.

CHURRO DOUGH

• Water
• Butter
• Sea salt
• Ground cinnamon
• All-purpose flour
• Large eggs
• Mexican vanilla extract
• Canola oil (for frying)
• Optional: Chocolate syrup (for dipping)

SUGAR COATING

• Granulated sugar
• Ground cinnamon

KITCHEN SMARTS: No canola oil? Use vegetable oil or corn oil. They’re neutral-flavored oils with a high smoke point ideal for deep frying.

RECIPE PREP

• STEP 1: Add 1 inch oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven. If making churro bites, or short strips of pastry, use a smaller pan which requires less oil. Pull out a candy thermometer.
• STEP 2: Line a baking tray with paper towels.
• STEP 3: Prep an 18-inch piping bag with a metal star tip.
• STEP 4: Create the sugar coating: in a wide bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together.

PARTY TIP: When making multiple batches of churros, make separate batches of dough. Don’t just double the recipe in the same pot. It’s much too hard to work with. You’d need construction-man muscles to stir it!

MEXICAN CHURROS RECIPE

When enjoying a churro in the Magic Kingdom, it’s fun to know you’re being treated to a traditional Mexican pastry! Follow these easy steps for making Disneyland churros at home.

• STEP 1: Add butter, water, cinnamon, and salt to a small saucepan. Mix to combine. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
• STEP 2: Reduce heat to low. Add flour to the pan all at once.
• STEP 3: Stir until the dough is thick. It should pull away from the sides of the pan and form into a ball. Remove from heat. Let the dough rest for 5-7 minutes.
• STEP 4: Add vanilla then eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Keep stirring until eggs fully incorporate into the dough. It may seem like this won’t happen, but it will. Just keep on stirring. You’re done once the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and can be easily formed into a ball. At this point, the pan itself should look almost clean!

FRYING THE CHURROS

EXPERT TIP: For crispy desserts, don’t overcrowd the pot. If too much dough is added to the oil all at once, the temperature of the oil will drop.

• STEP 1: On the stovetop, over medium to medium-high heat, bring the oil to 350°F. While cooking, the temperature will fluctuate. Help regulate the temp with a candy thermometer.
• STEP 2: While the oil is heating, spoon batter into a decorating bag fitted with a metal tip.
• STEP 3: Once the oil reaches 350°F, pipe strips of batter directly above the hot oil. With the dough suspended from the metal tip, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut dough straight off the tip in 3-inch segments. As the dough is cut it will fall directly into the oil. As they fry, use a spider strainer to gently toss and turn the treats. Fry pastries for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
• STEP 4: Remove treats from oil with a spider strainer or slotted spoon. Drain on a paper-towel lined tray. With tongs, toss pastries in cinnamon-sugar.

MORE DIPPING SAUCE IDEAS

Mexican churros con chocolate are so delicious! Mix things up with a selection of toppings and dipping sauces.

For parties, create a toppings bar! Include colorful crushed cereal, candy sprinkles and edible glitter.

Fun dipping sauce ideas:

• Marshmallow creme
• Dulce de leche
• Butterscotch
• Salted caramel
• Homemade whipped cream

DISNEYLAND CHURROS

Bring the magic of of Disney to your kitchen with this authentic Mexican churros recipe. Here are some fun ideas for recreating the toppings for your favorite Disneyland churros:

• LEMON CHURROS: On Disneyland’s Main Street, these pastries are coated in a mix of lemon sugar and crushed Fruity Pebbles cereal.
• RACER CHURROS: At the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land, they’re served in 3 different sparkly colors: red, yellow and blue! They’re tossed in colored sugar with edible glitter and stars.
• SLEEPING BEAUTY’S CASTLE CHURRO CART: Treats have hints of pineapple. They’re coated in white sparkling sugar with a marshmallow dipping sauce.
• DISNEYLAND COCOA CHURRO: Near Frontierland, churros con chocolate are coated in cinnamon sugar with chocolate powder. These “Coco” treats are served with chocolate dipping sauce.
• STRAWBERRY DISNEYLAND CHURRO: In Tomorrowland, these pastries are coated in fruity, neon-pink strawberry sugar.
• ANTS ON A LOG CHURROS: In A Bug’s Land, Disneyland churros are drizzled with donut icing then rolled in Cocoa Krispies cereal.
• CARROT CAKE CHURROS: In Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, treats are tossed in orange-tinted cinnamon sugar. They’re served with cream-cheese sauce with diced raisins and carrots.
• SENIOR BUZZ CHURROS: At Disney California Adventure Park, these spicy bright-red sticks are coated with colored sugar and tiny flecks of what appears to be Red Hots candy.
• S’MORES CHURROS: These campfire treats are served near Disneyland’s Splash Mountain. Coated in graham cracker crumbs they’re served with marshmallow-chocolate dipping sauce.
• GALACTIC CHURROS: At the Collector’s Warehouse in California Adventure, these Latin sweets are tossed in purple and black sugar with edible glitter flakes and stars.

RECIPE TIPS AND FAQ

This collection of expert tips will help you achieve recipe success!

• WHY ARE MY CHURROS NOT CRUNCHY? Too much dough has been added to the pan at once and the oil temperature dropped below 350°F. Use a candy thermometer. Allow heat to rise between batches.
• WHAT PIPING TIP IS USED FOR CHURROS? An open star piping tip. The Wilton 1M metal tip produces pastries with thin crunchy exteriors, tender centers and classic ridges on the fluted sides. Today’s Mexican crullers were piped with this tip. An Ateco #824 tip is another great choice. It produces churros with the same width as the Wilton 1M, but with shallower ridges on the sides. Don’t waste your time with larger tips. They’ll create thicker treats that won’t cook through.
• HOMEMADE STAR-TIPPED PIPING BAG: No metal decorating tip? Make a homemade tip at the end of your pastry bag! With kitchen shears, snip off the tip. Create ridges with 2 triangular cuts.
• HOW TO MAKE STICK-STRAIGHT CHURROS: When the dough is piped directly into hot oil, it will naturally have a slight curve. For stick-like churros that are very straight, pipe the batter onto a parchment-lined tray. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until stiff, before frying.
• HOW LONG WILL CHURROS STAY FRESH? Like glazed donuts, churros will only stay fresh for a few hours after being made. Keep them warm in the oven at 250˚F for up to an hour.
• MAKE AHEAD RECIPE: Getting ready for a party? Pipe churro batter onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Leave space between the pieces. Freeze until ready to use! To cook, drop the frozen strips into hot oil.
• HOW TO FREEZE MEXICAN CHURROS: After the pastries have cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a lined baking tray. Put them in the freezer until frozen. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag with the air pressed out. Freeze for up to 1 month.
• HOW TO REHEAT FROZEN CHURROS: Transfer frozen treats to a non-stick baking tray. Bake at 375˚F for 3-8 minutes, or until heated through. Re-roll the desserts in cinnamon sugar.

MORE WAYS TO COOK CHURROS

Are you craving homemade churros but don’t want them fried in oil? Like with baked apple cider donuts, there are easy ways to skip the oil and still enjoy these special treats!

• BAKED CHURROS: This is an easy oven recipe. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Pipe dough in short strips onto a baking tray lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Leave 1 1/2 inches between each. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Roll in cinnamon sugar.
• AIR FRYER CHURROS: Pipe strips of dough onto a lined baking sheet leaving a 1/2 inch space between pieces. Freeze 30 minutes or until they’re stiff enough to lift up. Lightly coat the air fryer tray with cooking spray. Air fry at 375°F or until golden blonde and cooked through.

I WANT WHAT SHE HAS

Beautiful cooking tools bring so much happiness to the kitchen! They make meal prep a joyful experience. Did you see something on this page that you’d like to own? Below are affiliate links for purchasing the items on Amazon.

• BOOS BLOCKS – XL maple board
• ATECO DECORATING BAGS
• WILTON 1M METAL TIP
• KITCHEN SHEARS
• STAUB UNIVERSAL PAN
• CANDY THERMOMETER
• SPIDER STRAINER
• STAUB OVAL BAKER

MEXICAN CHURROS > RATE THIS RECIPE! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Friends say these Mexican churros con chocolate taste exactly the same as Disneyland churros served in Frontierland! If you agree, give this dessert a 5-star rating in the comments.

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MEXICAN CHURROS > JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Do you remember the joy of eating warm, freshly-made churros purchased from a churro cart? Were they Disneyland churros or treats you enjoyed in Mexico?  Share your thoughts about this authentic Mexican churros recipe. Join the conversation below!