Best Vegan Churros (With Chocolate)

Get ready to sink your teeth into the best vegan churros you'll ever taste! Crispy on the outside, yet warm and tender on the inside — what's not to love? Don't forget the cinnamon-sugar coating and a side of rich chocolate sauce.

Table of Contents

• 📖 About
• 🍳 Spanish vs Mexican churros
• 🌱 Is it vegan?
• 🍲 Ingredients & substitutions
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥗 Serving suggestions
• 🌡️ Storage
• ♻️ Variations
• 🧑‍🍳 Top tips
• 💬 FAQ
• 📋 Recipe
• 🍴 Similar recipes

📖 About

Churros are a classic dessert served all over the world, including in many parts of Europe and Latin America. To make a churro recipe, you really only need the following 3 ingredients:

• Flour
• Water
• Salt

Once mixed, the dough is added to a churrera and squeezed out into hot oil, creating long, ridged, and crispy churros.

Sometimes, other shapes are made with the dough (like circles or spirals). Other times, the churros are hollowed out and filled with different sauces like cajeta, chocolate, cream, jam, etc.

🍳 Spanish vs Mexican churros

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

• 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, or cajeta.

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

🌱 Is it 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 restaurant or packaged varieties. Just use water.

🍲 Ingredients & substitutions

For complete ingredient measurements and instructions, see our recipe card.

• 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: To fry the churros. Use a neutral vegetable oil with a high smoke point like canola oil, corn oil, or peanut oil.
• Cinnamon: Part of the outer coating, cinnamon gives 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 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.

🔪 Instructions

If you have questions about making these vegan churros, check out our FAQs or leave a comment.

Step 1: Heat water, salt, and vegetable oil together in a medium saucepan. Once simmering, transfer the mixture into a bowl with the flour.

Step 2: Stir the dough until it's well combined, then let it cool for around 10 minutes while you combine the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl or plate.

Step 3: Transfer the dough to a churrera or a piping bag with a large star-tip attachment. Heat oil suitable for frying to 350-375 degrees F in a large pot.

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 4: Squeeze 2-3 pieces of dough out at a time over the pot of oil (around 4-6 inches long). Cut each piece with a pair of scissors or a knife. Don't cook more than 3 at a time since the oil temperature will drop too much.

Step 5: Cook the churros until they turn golden brown. Using a slotted spoon or thongs, transfer them onto a paper towel-lined plate. When they are cool enough to handle, roll each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Step 6: Make the chocolate sauce by melting some dark chocolate, coconut milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a double boiler over low. Serve on the side of your warm and crispy churros mexicanos. Happy eating!

🥗 Serving suggestions

If you're making 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 with dairy-free ingredients.

🌡️ Storage

If you can't eat your churros right away (good luck with that), there are a few storage options:

• 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.
• Reheat: Bake them for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F. If you're using frozen dough, let it thaw completely and refer to the instructions in our recipe card.
• Make ahead: Pipe churro dough out onto a baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You can cook the churros straight from being frozen.

Note: We don't recommend storing your churros in the fridge as they will turn soggy.

♻️ 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!
• Baked: Skip the oil and bake your churros at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. The texture won't be the same, but it's a healthier alternative.
• 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, etc.
• Mini: For bite-size treats, pipe out smaller portions of the churro dough.
• Different flavors: For a spin on the traditional, try making chocolate, pumpkin, matcha, coffee, or peanut butter churros.

💬 FAQ

📋 Recipe

🍴 Similar 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.