Are you ready to sink your teeth into a crispy cinnamon-sugar stick with a warm, doughy inside? We have the answer! This easy vegan churro recipe is everything you've been craving and more.
Don't forget to dunk them in a creamy dark chocolate sauce!
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📖 About
Are you getting excited about this recipe? You should be.
You may be thinking a vegan churro recipe is complicated to make (news flash: it's not). But before we explain why, you need to understand a bit of churro history.
If you ask most people where this delicious snack originated, without a doubt they'll say Spain.
Technically, they're not wrong.
In Spain, traditional churros are made with just 3 ingredients — flour, water, and salt. Easy.
But, were they invented there? Some historians think churros descended from a Chinese pastry, called youtiao. This deep fried dough looks an awful lot like Spanish churros (minus the sugar coating and chocolate dip).
So, how do churros Mexicanos differ?
In Mexico, cinnamon is added to the sugar coating and there are more sauce choices! You can find churros served with chocolate sauce, dulce de leche, and cajeta (Mexican caramel sauce).
Some places in Mexico add eggs, butter, and milk to their recipes, but let's not complicate things more than they need to be, alright?
Whatever side of churro history you may be on, one thing is for sure. These sweet cinnamon sticks are delicious.
Are you ready for some vegan churros that are crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside?! Go ahead and put them over the top with a side of creamy chocolate ganache.
🍲 Key ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
All-purpose flour
Taste: this kitchen staple has a very mild wheat flavor, which is why it's used in a variety of recipes. All-purpose flour has a higher percentage of gluten (the protein found in wheat), so it gives churros their characteristic chewy consistency. Yum!
Health: although refined (the germ and bran have been removed), all-purpose flour still has a few noteworthy health benefits. Because most all-purpose flours are enriched, they're a source of selenium, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin.
Cinnamon
Taste: found in Mexican churros, cinnamon gives a strong, warming flavor with a subtle hint of sweetness. No wonder Mexicans added this on to the Spanish version!
Facts: True cinnamon (Ceylon or Mexican cinnamon) is the best quality you can buy. Why? It contains the least amount of a toxic substance, called coumarin. When compared to Saigon, which contains up to 8% coumarin, we think it's fairly obvious why you should choose Ceylon.
Dark chocolate
Taste: since dark chocolate has a better chance of being vegan, we always opt for at least 70% cacao! The darker the chocolate, the more you get to experience cacao beans in their original form. The taste is rich and slightly bitter with hints of sweet. What a perfect dip for sweet-sweet churros.
Health: if you were looking for an excuse to eat more dark chocolate, this is it. We found a study showing habitual chocolate consumption decreased risk of heart disease and stroke. Just remember, this is for dark chocolate! Don't go eating bars full of sugar, milk, and butter.
Sugar
Taste: this sweet component is necessary for churros since we don't actually put sugar in the dough. Not only does sugar make this recipe sweeter, but it adds to the crispy exterior and gives more texture.
Fact: sugar has been used in medical treatments as far back as the 9th century. It was combined with fruits and spices to make medicinal powders and infusions (boy have we come a long way).
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this recipe, don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: bring the water, salt, and ¼ cup vegetable oil to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, remove the mixture from heat and pour into a mixing bowl with the flour. Stir until well-combined, then let the dough cool for around 15 minutes.
Step 2: while the dough is cooling, make the cinnamon-sugar coating by combining both in a shallow bowl or a plate. Set that aside for later.
Step 3: once it has cooled, transfer the dough to a piping bag with a large star-tip attachment. Then, bring some oil suitable for frying to 350-375 degrees F in a deep pot.
Note: it's ideal to use a thermometer when working with oil. If you don't have one, test if the oil is ready by dropping a small piece of dough in. If it sizzles and floats to the top, then 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. Note: don't cook more than 3 at a time since the oil temperature will drop too much.
Step 5: fry the churros until golden, which takes about 2-4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, remove each one from the oil onto a paper towel-lined plate. Leave them for about 30-60 seconds before rolling each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Step 6: to make the sauce, melt some chocolate, coconut milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a double boiler over low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted, then transfer to a serving dish.
Serve your churros warm with a side of chocolate sauce for a crispy, Mexican-style treat!
🌡️ Storage
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but churros are best eaten warm. However, we do have a few options if that's not possible:
Freezer: place the churros on a baking sheet until frozen. Once they're frozen, transfer them to a freezer safe bag. They should last for up to 3 months. These instructions are the same whether you've already fried them or you're just freezing the dough.
Reheat: if you've already fried the churros once before, place them on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you're using the dough, refer to the cooking instructions in the recipe card. Just remember, they won't have quite as nice a texture if you freeze the dough beforehand.
💭 Pro tips
Time to share our tips and tricks we learned while perfecting this recipe for you:
- Make sure you use a deep fry or candy thermometer and keep the temperature between 350-375 degrees F.
- Lower the churros gently into the oil so you don't splash and burn yourself.
- Let the dough cool before transferring it to the piping bag.
- Make sure you toss the churros in the cinnamon-sugar while they're still warm. This helps the coating adhere better.
- Use a churrera (a special tool for churro making) for most aesthetic ridges.
- Save the oil from deep frying to use for another time. Why waste money when you don't have to?
🍴 Tasting notes
We love these delicious cinnamon-sugar sticks, and we know you will too. They're:
- Crispy
- Doughy
- Sweet
- Light
- Vegan
If you try this recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Easy Vegan Churro Recipe
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Pot for deep-frying
- Mixing bowl
- Piping bag & large star-tip attachment
- Scissors
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
Churros
- 2 cups water ($0.01)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil ($0.08)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.14)
- 5-6 cups oil for frying
Cinnamon Sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.04)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon ($0.08)
Chocolate Sauce
- 50 g dark chocolate bar ($1.92)
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk ($0.20)
- ¼ tsp vanilla optional
- ¼ tsp cinnamon optional
Instructions
Churros
- To begin, bring the water, salt, and ¼ cup vegetable oil to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, remove the mixture from heat and pour into a mixing bowl with the flour. Stir until well-combined, then let the dough cool for about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the cinnamon sugar coating by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or plate. Set aside.
- Once it has cooled, transfer the dough to a piping bag with a large star-tip attachment. Then, bring 5-6 cups of vegetable oil (enough to fully submerge the churros) to 350-375°F in a deep pot.
- It's ideal to use a thermometer when working with oil. If you don't have one, test if the oil is ready by dropping a small piece of dough in. If it sizzles and floats to the top, then you should be good to go.
- 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. Note: don't cook more than 3 at a time since the oil temperature will drop too much.
- Fry the churros until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, remove each one from the oil onto a paper towel-lined plate. Leave them for about 30-60 seconds before rolling in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Chocolate Sauce
- To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate, coconut milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a double boiler over low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted, then transfer to a serving dish.
- Alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate sauce ingredients in a heat-safe bowl for 10-15 second increments. Be careful to stop and stir frequently as it's easier to burn the chocolate in the microwave.
- Serve the churros while warm with a side of chocolate sauce for a crispy, Mexican-style treat!
Notes
- Oils like vegetable, canola, peanut, or corn are all good options for frying the churros.
- A thermometer will help you keep a more consistent temperature throughout the cooking process.
- For the sugar, both white or cane work. There will be a little cinnamon sugar left over, but save it for next time!
- 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.
- Since we reuse our frying oil, it is not calculate in the price of this recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty desserts, check out our:
- Mexican strawberries and cream for a vegan take on a traditional dish.
- Peanut butter candy if you're looking for a melt-in-your-mouth treat.
- Chocolate peanut butter cups for an easy recipe that gives Reese's a run for their money.
- Homemade Snickers bars to bite through layers of rich chocolate, crunchy peanuts, creamy date caramel, and chewy nougat.
💬 FAQ
Although we haven't made these gluten-free, there's many recipes that use gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour. Just make sure you use a conversion chart.
You can definitely bake these, although they won't turn out as crispy. Bake the churros at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let them sit for another 5-10 minutes to help them dry out and retain their shape.
If you don't have a piping bag, don't worry. You can also use a large plastic bag with the corner cut off. That way, you'll still get an even churro (just without the ridges).
Any oil with a high smoke point is the best option for frying. These include the following: vegetable, soy, peanut, canola, safflower, and corn. There are others, but these are the most common.
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