Buñuelos are a type of crispy Mexican fritter sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Each one is light, airy, and just the right amount of sweet. Often served during the holidays, they're fun to make with family and friends!
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📖 About
Buñuelos are found in many Latin American countries, increasing in popularity around Christmas time. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and flavors, ranging from sweet to savory.
A common preparation of Mexican buñuelos (or buñuelos mexicanos) begins with thin, round fritters that are fried until golden brown and crispy. Each one is then lightly dusted with sugar, providing a subtle sweetness.
Our favorite way to eat buñuelos is with a cinnamon-sugar coating (similar to churros), but there are a seemingly endless number of flavors and toppings!
History
In each region of the world, similar versions of fritters can be traced back to ancient times — youtiao, lokma, tulumba, zalabiyeh (you get the point).
The first records of buñuelos are from the Moorish people of Iberia (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Typically made from wheat dough, they were also sometimes flavored with anise and served with syrup.
During the colonial period, Spaniards brought these dough fritters to New Spain. From there, new shapes, flavors, and sauces formed, creating buñuelos mexicanos.
Like the Moorish versions, there are hollow buñuelos in Mexico (de viento), flat buñuelos (de rodillo), snowflake-shaped buñuelos (de molde).
Fun fact: In the state of Oaxaca, buñuelos are served with clay bowls. Once finished, the bowl is supposed to be thrown while making a wish for good luck.
🌱 Is it vegan?
Buñuelos mexicanos can be made 100% plant-based with just a few small tweaks:
- Eggs: We see many traditional recipes using eggs, but these fritters are just as delicious without!
- Butter: Instead of adding butter to the dough, opt for vegetable or coconut oil.
- Sugar: A lot of sugar brands use bone char in processing, so we opt for cane sugar whenever possible.
🍲 Ingredients & substitutions
For complete ingredient measurements and instructions, see our recipe card.
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour in this recipe, but you can replace it with any gluten-free flour brand. One we suggest is King Arthur Baking Company at a 1:1 ratio.
- Coconut oil: We prefer flavorless coconut oil so as not to overpower the other ingredients, but feel free to use regular coconut oil or any neutral vegetable oil.
- Baking powder: To create a light, fluffy, and airy buñuelo texture.
- Salt: To enhance the other flavors.
- Sugar: Most buñuelos mexicanos are dusted with sugar, which we think adds the perfect sweetness. Add more or less based on your preferences.
- Cinnamon: To add another layer of sweet spice and warmth. Omit it if you're not a big cinnamon fan, but make sure to use Ceylon cinnamon if you include it!
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this buñuelos recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment.
Step 1: Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and whisk together.
Step 2: Then, add the melted coconut oil and water to the dry ingredients and stir together. Remove the dough from your mixing bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
Step 3: Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep kneading for 10-15 minutes.
Note: If the dough appears too crumbly, continue adding water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too sticky, add a little flour while still kneading. It should end up smooth and elastic.
Step 4: Cut the ball of dough into 8 smaller pieces, then roll each one and flatten it slightly between your palms. Cover with a towel to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 5: In the meantime, line a tray or plate with some paper towel, mix the cinnamon and sugar together, and add 1-2 inches of oil to a large stockpot for frying the buñuelos.
Step 6: Lightly flour each side of one dough disc and place it in the center of a tortilla press lined with 2 pieces of plastic. Close it down to form thin tortillas (they should be almost see-through).
Note: You can also roll them out on a floured surface and place a clean tea towel over your knee to finish stretching them out (hence the name buñuelos de rodilla!).
Step 6: Heat oil to 350-375°F in a large stockpot over medium, or until a piece of dough sizzles and floats to the top. Cook one buñuelo at a time for 30-45 seconds per side, or until golden. Make sure to push down on the buñuelo with a spoon or spatula to keep the bubbles from growing too big!
Step 7: Transfer each buñuelo to the paper towel-lined plate or tray to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle each side with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat until all the buñuelos are cooked, then serve immediately. Happy eating!
🥗 Serving suggestions
Mexican buñuelos often accompany warm drinks like atole or hot chocolate. Try any one of these plant-based versions:
- Champurrado: Mexican chocolate mixed with non-dairy milk, masa harina, and piloncillo.
- Atole de arroz: Creamy rice infused with cinnamon and soy milk.
- Guava atole: Sweet and tropical guavas added to a classic atole flavor.
- Atole de elote: Fresh corn, cinnamon, and plant milk mixed together for a rich and flavorful drink.
Note: It's common to serve buñuelos with piloncillo syrup. Try it out to see if you like it!
🌡️ Storage
After all that hard work, you are definitely going to want to keep your buñuelos crispy and delicious. Here's how:
- Room temperature: Cover with a tea towel or paper towel for up to 3-4 days. This is our preferred way to preserve their texture the longest.
- Fridge: If you'd prefer to store them in the fridge, do so in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Just remember, your fritters will lose some of their crispness.
- Make ahead: Prepare the dough 1-2 days in advance, cover it with saran wrap, and keep it in an airtight container or bag in the fridge. Let the dough warm up to room temperature before rolling out the buñuelos.
Note: We haven't personally tried freezing our dough. However, some sources say it works just fine.
♻️ Variations
- Spices: A delicious addition to the dough is anise extract or even Sambuca.
- Vanilla: Add vanilla extract to the dough for a rich, complex taste.
- Citrus: Some regions of Mexico add orange juice and zest or orange essence into the dough. Try it out for a sweet and zesty flavor.
- Buñuelos de molde: You can make pretty snowflake or star-shaped buñuelos to really get into the holiday spirit.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Dust with flour. To ensure the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin or tortilla press, make sure to lightly flour your working surface.
- Don't wait to sprinkle. To help the cinnamon sugar stick, don't wait too long to sprinkle each fritter after frying them.
- Push down the air bubbles. The buñuelos form air bubbles while they cook, so make sure to apply pressure while they fry.
- Use a thermometer. To avoid burning your buñuelos, we recommend using a thermometer to keep the oil temperature consistent.
💬 FAQ
They're very similar, especially when comparing vegan buñuelos to sopapillas. The biggest difference is that buñuelos have a crispy, flakey texture with a sugar coating. Sopapillas are softer, puffed up into a pillow shape, and drizzled with sweet syrup (although both desserts have variations).
Make sure you let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. This helps relax the gluten bonds that you've formed with kneading. It will make rolling easier and result in better buñuelos!
📋 Recipe
Mexican Buñuelos
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Tortilla press or rolling pin
- Large pot
- Tongs
Ingredients
Buñuelos
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.15)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil, melted ($0.42)
- ⅔ cup warm water ($0.01)
- 1-2 cups neutral vegetable oil ($0.96)
Coating
- 6 tablespoons cane sugar ($0.02)
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon ($0.04)
Instructions
Dough
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and whisk together. Add the melted coconut oil and water to the dry ingredients and mix.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep kneading for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- If the dough appears too crumbly, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too sticky, similarly add a little flour while continuing to knead.
Rolling
- Cut the ball of dough into ~8 smaller pieces. Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth and then flatten slightly. Once they are rolled and flattened, cover with a towel to rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, line a tray or plate with paper towel, mix the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl, and add 1-2 inches of oil to a large stockpot for frying the buñuelos.
- If you have a tortilla press, line it with 2 pieces of plastic. Lightly flour each side of a dough disc and place it in the center of the press. Press down to form thin tortillas. Alternatively, use a rolling pin on a floured surface. Finish stretching the buñuelo on a clean tea towel over your knee or the bottom of a large bowl until it is almost see-through.
Frying
- Heat oil to 350-375°F, or until a piece of dough sizzles and floats to the top. Add one buñuelo at a time and fry for 30-45 seconds per side, or until golden brown. Push down on the buñuelo with a spoon or spatula while it's frying to keep the bubbles from expanding too much.
- Transfer the cooked buñuelos to the paper towel-lined plate or tray to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle each side with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat until all the buñuelos are cooked, then serve immediately. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Dust with flour. To ensure the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin or tortilla press, make sure to lightly flour your working surface.
- Don't wait to sprinkle. To help the cinnamon sugar stick, don't wait too long to sprinkle each fritter after frying them.
- Push down the air bubbles. The buñuelos form air bubbles while they cook, so make sure to apply pressure while they fry.
- Use a thermometer. To avoid burning your buñuelos, we recommend using a thermometer to keep the oil temperature consistent.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
🍴 Similar recipes
If you loved this buñuelos recipe, be sure to check out some of these other tasty treats:
- Vegan churros: A similar type of dessert covered in cinnamon sugar and served with chocolate sauce.
- Fresas con crema: Mexico's version of strawberries and cream full of juicy berries and rich, decadent crema.
- Plátanos fritos: Sweet fried plantains served as-is or with sweet cream.
- Mazapan: Marzipan made with peanuts and sugar instead of almonds.
- Palanqueta: A sweet, crunchy, and delicious Mexican peanut brittle candy.
- Tempura ice cream: A Japanese-inspired dessert that's crispy on the outside, but cool and creamy on the inside.
Note: We've updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
Rosa R
Can I use my upright mixer for the kneading?
Mitch and Justine
Hi Rosa,
Yes! We usually just knead it by hand, but a mixer will save you the hassle! 🙂
Yuri Soto
Been looking for these forever! Thanks
Broke Bank Vegan
Of course! So happy you found this recipe 🙂