Vegan Churros

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Try vegan churros for a sweet, simple, and satisfying dessert! Only 3 ingredients are required for the dough, but each one turns out perfectly crispy on the outside with a warm, tender interior. Enjoy this treat as-is or pair it with a rich and velvety homemade chocolate sauce to dip it in.

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Vegan-friendly: You won’t find butter or eggs in this traditional recipe, which means just about anyone can dig in!
• Crispy yet tender: Bite your way through a crispy, cinnamon-sugar exterior to a soft and chewy center. You will love the textural contrast!
• Flavorful: Both cinnamon and sugar add a delicate sweetness and warmth to these vegan churros.
• Simple ingredients: Using easy-to-find pantry staples, this recipe tastes just like they make it at churrerias!

If you love egg and dairy-free desserts like vegan churros, you should check out our vegan brownies, buñuelos, deep-fried Oreos, tempura ice cream, and gorditas de piloncillo.

🍫 What are vegan churros?

Churros are an iconic dessert served all over the world, especially in parts of Europe and Latin America. This popular Spanish dessert traditionally starts with a simple dough of flour, water, and salt.

The dough is piped out of a churrera and deep-fried, resulting in a golden brown and irresistibly crispy treat. You’ll likely be able to identify churros by their characteristic long, ridged shape and a satisfying combination of crispy exterior and soft, delicate interior.

They are usually coated with sugar or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, giving them a sweet and warm flavor profile. Occasionally, you may see churros formed into other shapes, such as circles, spirals, and hearts.

Other times, they are hollowed out and filled with sauces like cajeta, chocolate, cream, jam, or dulce de leche. To best enjoy these vegan churros, serve them alongside a rich and decadent dark chocolate sauce or vegan hot chocolate for dipping.

🍳 Spanish vs Mexican churros

Although the rules are not set in stone, there are a few key differences between Spanish and Mexican churros. Here are the basics:

• Spain: Spanish churros are generally made from just flour, water, and salt. They are sometimes coated in sugar and served for breakfast with either a thick hot chocolate or café con leche (coffee with milk).
• Mexico: Since their introduction to Mexico, eggs, butter, and sometimes milk have become a common addition. Churros mexicanos are served with a cinnamon-sugar coating and eaten mainly as a snack. Typical dipping sauces include chocolate, dulce de leche, and cajeta.

Fun fact: Some food historians think churros descended from a Chinese pastry, called youtiao. What do you think?

🌱 Are churros vegan?

Depending on where they’re made, churros may be vegan or not vegan. The ingredients you should be mindful of or ask about are the following:

• Eggs: In some churros mexicanos, there are eggs. If you’re ordering them out, it’s always good to ask. We don’t find eggs necessary though.
• Butter: Again, the Spanish version is made with just flour, water, and salt, so that’s what we have stuck to in this recipe. But, you can add dairy-free butter if you prefer.
• Milk: While not a common ingredient, milk or milk ingredients are sometimes found in churros, especially in restaurant or packaged varieties. We just use water.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can also try a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, though we haven’t made churros this way.
• Oil: For the dough and to fry the churros. Use a neutral vegetable oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil, corn oil, or peanut oil.
• Cinnamon: One part of the outer coating, cinnamon provides a warm, sweet flavor. Make sure to use Ceylon cinnamon over cassia cinnamon as it’s healthier for you and tastes better.
• Sugar: Adds a delicately sweet element since the dough doesn’t contain sugar. Plus, cinnamon and sugar are part of what encompasses churros mexicanos.
• Chocolate: A typical dip for both Spanish and Mexican churros is thick hot chocolate. We use dark chocolate mixed with coconut milk for a decadent (but dairy-free) option.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make vegan churros

Step 1: Prepare the dough

Bring the water, salt, and vegetable oil to a low boil in a saucepan. Once it has come to a bowl, combine the mixture with flour and let the dough cool for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the coating

While the dough is cooling, mix the cane sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl or plate. You can also prepare a plate with just sugar to change up the coating flavor.

Step 3: Shape the churros

Fill a churrera or piping bag with the cooled dough, and attach a large star tip to form the characteristic churro ridges. If you don’t have a star tip, don’t worry! Just cut a small corner off of a freezer bag and transfer the dough in.

Step 4: Fry the churros

When deep-frying, use vegetable oil with a high smoke point. Once it has reached 350 or 375 degrees F, squeeze 2-3 pieces of dough out at a time over the pot. Cut each piece with a pair of scissors or a knife, then fry the churros until they turn golden brown.

Note: It’s ideal to use a thermometer when working with oil. If you don’t have one, test if it’s ready by dropping a small piece of dough in. If it sizzles and floats to the top, you should be good to go.

Step 5: Coat the churros

Transfer the churros out of the oil onto a paper towel-lined plate or wire cooling rack. Let them rest while you get the next batch started, then roll each piece in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Step 6: Make the chocolate

Make the chocolate sauce by melting some dark chocolate, coconut milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a double boiler over low. Serve this sauce on the side of your warm and crispy vegan churros. Happy eating!

If you have questions about making vegan churros at home, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

☕️ Serving suggestions

If you’re making a batch of vegan churros, you need something to serve with them! Other than chocolate sauce, here are some more popular dips and drinks to go alongside:

• Café de olla: A traditional Mexican coffee made with cinnamon and piloncillo.
• Champurrado: A creamy atole infused with Mexican chocolate.
• Mexican hot chocolate: Made with Mexican chocolate and spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and more.
• Dulce de leche or cajeta: Mexican caramel sauce made dairy-free.
• Jam: Experiment with fruity dips like strawberry or raspberry jam.
• Vegan condensed milk: Prepared with just coconut milk and sugar.

🌡️ Storage & reheating

If you can’t eat your vegan churros right away (we wish you luck with that), you have a few storage options. Keep the following tips in mind:

• Room temperature: Once the churros have completely cooled, wrap them in a paper towel and store them in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days.
• Fridge: We don’t recommend storing vegan churros in the fridge as they will turn soft and soggy.
• Reheat: Bake churros for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F. If you’re using frozen dough, let it thaw completely and refer to the same instructions on our recipe card.
• Make ahead: Pipe the churro dough out onto a baking sheet and freeze it. Transfer the frozen churros to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You can cook the churros straight from the freezer.

♻️ Variations

• Gluten-free: If you have a gluten intolerance, you can try these with a gluten-free flour brand like King Arthur Baking Company. We haven’t tried them this way, so leave a comment if you do!
• Filled: A common way of serving churros in Mexico is to hollow out the center portions and fill them with sauces like chocolate, cajeta, cheese, jam, peanut butter, etc.
• Mini: For bite-size treats, pipe out smaller portions of the churro dough.
• Pumpkin spice: For a festive spin on the traditional, try adding pumpkin spice to the dough and the coating.
• Matcha: Add a teaspoon or two of matcha powder to the dough for a vibrant green color.
• Café: Incorporate instant coffee or espresso mix into the dough.
• Sugar: Try dusting the churros with powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar.
• Citrusy: Add orange zest to the dough for a bright, citrusy flavor.
• Chocolatey: Add cocoa powder to the dough for decadent churros.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Let the dough cool: Before transferring it to the piping bag, let the dough cool down.
• Practice piping: Try using the churrera and piping the dough onto parchment paper before frying so you can get comfortable with the technique.
• Opt for scissors: We find scissors to be the best tool for cutting the piped dough. You can also use a serrated knife if you don’t have kitchen scissors.
• Use a thermometer: Use an oil thermometer and keep the temperature between 350-375 degrees F.
• Fry in batches: Fry the churros in small batches to prevent the oil temperature from dropping too low and prevent the dough from sticking.
• Go slow: Lower the churros gently into the oil so you don’t splash and burn yourself! You can also pipe them onto a baking sheet and lower them in with a slotted spoon.
• Use a slotted spoon: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to safely remove your churros from the oil and allow excess oil to drain.
• Watch the chocolate: Keep an eye on the chocolate sauce to prevent it from burning or turning grainy.
• Serve churros while hot: Serve your vegan churros immediately for the best taste and texture.
• Coat quickly: Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm to help the coating adhere.
• Use a churrera: For classic-looking churros mexicanos, splurge on a churrera to create deeper ridges. It won’t affect the flavor, but it creates crispier edges.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More dessert recipes

If you enjoyed making these easy vegan churros, check out some of these other treats:

• Buñuelos: Similar to churros, but with a crispier texture and a different shape.
• Fresas con crema: Mexican-style strawberries and cream.
• Mazapan: A close relative of marzipan made with peanuts and sugar.
• Mexican chocolate milk: The more deluxe version of plain chocolate milk.
• Plátanos fritos: Sweet fried plantains served with optional cashew crema, jam, and cinnamon.
• Tempura ice cream: Dairy-free ice cream balls coated in tempura and panko, then fried until golden and crispy.
• Palanqueta: Mexican peanut brittle made with peanuts, amaranth, and piloncillo.

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.