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Get ready for the best air fryer churros! Churros have been a favorite of ours for a long time now. That perfectly golden outside coated in cinnamon sugar and dipped in dulce de leche makes for the perfect Spanish or Mexican dessert… Without the extra frying oil of course.
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Get ready for the best air fryer dessert, lighter, delicious, and oh so fun to make!
I feel like my excitement for the weekend has dramatically decreased since this whole social distancing/quarantine thing started. I don’t know what day it is anymore!
But hey, in an effort to feel that weekend excitement again. I am sharing these air fryer churros!! I am also sharing my delicious air fryer churros because well cinco de mayo is right around the corner and you need this air fryer recipe for your Mexican themed party!
Sure enough, these churros don’t taste like the ones you get at a carnival but they do satisfy that craving without all the extra calories from the frying oil. This air fryer dessert could somewhat be seen as a healthier alternative to your traditional churros. So hey, how can you say no to healthy churros now?!
Alright, this is my favorite air fryer dessert recipe at the moment!
Yup, I said it. Since this quarantine, I have experienced quite a lot with my air fryer. I especially tried a lot of air fryer desserts because I Was so intrigued by how an air fryer could make desserts! Well, these air fried churros definitely made the cut!
What makes these churros special?
When it comes to the air fryer, I know what I am talking about! This churro recipe in the air fryer is amazing because:
- It’s been made in an air fryer!
- Less oil, more churro!
- They taste incredible right out of the air fryer.
- They are the best tea time snack ever!
What is a churro?
Churros are a popular Mexican and Spanish dessert. The Mexican churro is made with a choux pastry dough while the Spanish churro is made with a much simpler dough, just flour, water, oil and baking powder. Another difference between the Spanish and the Mexican churro is what they are coated in. The Spanish one are coated in just sugar, while the Mexican ones are coated in cinnamon sugar.
They are then piped right into the hot oil and fried to golden perfection. Right after frying, the Mexican churros get coated in this cinnamon sugar mixture… How good does that sound! If we’re being honest I have been on a Coscto churro kick before this quarantine, so I’m super to get back to those whenever everything is clear!
Table of Contents
- SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST GET A FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER AND RECIPE CARD!
- Subscribe
- Alright, this is my favorite air fryer dessert recipe at the moment!
- What makes these churros special?
- What is a churro?
- What is a churro made out of?
- Tools needed to make air fryer churros
- How to make air fryer churros?
- Can these air fried churros be made ahead of time?
- Tips for the best air fried churros
- If you love dulce de leche, these recipes are for you!
- The best air fried churros ever!
- The best air fried churros Recipe
- Shop this recipe
- If you enjoyed this air fryer churro recipe make sure to pin it for later!
What is a churro made out of?
The traditional Spanish churros are made using flour, oil, sugar, salt and baking powder. Very minimal I know! They are also fried which gives a pretty different result from these ones.
The churro recipe that I sharing with you today is more Mexican inspired, so we will be making a choux pastry dough. This is the dough that is used to mace cream puffs and eclairs
If you are here though, it means that you are probably looking for something a little less greasy and a little better for you. So the ingredients needed for these churros are:
- Water
- Butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- Flour
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Dulce de leche or something else to dip your churros in (optional but very recommended)
Tools needed to make air fryer churros
- Air fryer
- Piping bag – If you don’t have a piping bag you can also use a ziplock bag.
- Wilton star tip
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
How to make air fryer churros?
To make the churros dough, bring the water, butter, sugar and the pinch of salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat and add in the flour and mix rapidly using a wooden spatula. Continue stirring the mixture until the mixture thickens and does not stick to the sides of the pot.
Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer bowl or heat proof bowl and mix using a paddle attachement. This will allow the churro dough to cool down so we can add the eggs. This process will take between 3-5 minutes.
Once the churro dough is a little bit cooler add in the eggs one at a time while continuing to mix. The mixture will become a lot more sticky. At this point, transfer the churro mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. I used the Wilton 1M
On a parchment-lined baking sheet pipe 3-4 inch long churro sticks. Cut the end using a pair of scissors or knife. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3 minutes before your churros are ready to be baked, preheat the air fryer to 360F. Gently remove the frozen churro sticks from the parchment paper and place them into the air fryer basket and bake for 13-14 minutes. Depending on what air fryer you have you might have to bake these churros in multiple smaller batches. Place the leftover churros in the freezer so they don’t get soft.
Coat the air fried churros in cinnamon sugar
In a shallow bowl or plastic bag combine the sugar and the cinnamon. Place the baked churros in the sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the air fryer, toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat them evenly.
Serve with dulce de leche, sweetened condensed milk or even Nutella!
Next time you’re wondering how to make churros at home, this is the perfect recipe to make whether you are making it for a simple afternoon snack or as a cinco de mayo party dessert.
Can these air fried churros be made ahead of time?
Yes and no.
The thing with these air fried churros is that they need to be enjoyed right out of the air fryer. So when I say yes they can be made ahead of time, I mean, you can make the dough, pipe it and leave it in the freezer.
When you are ready to enjoy these, pop them in the air fryer and serve them right away.
These churros don’t store too well so keep them in the freezer until you are ready to have them. When you are ready air fry them and serve immediately.
Curious on how to make dulce de leche? Check out this easy pressure cooker dulce de leche recipe.
Tips for the best air fried churros
- Freeze your dough- to allow your churros to keep their shape better, pipe them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer– Preheat your air fryer for 3-5 minutes before adding in your churros to allow them to keep their shape as well.
- Coat the churros in cinnamon sugar right away- Coat the churros in cinnamon sugar as soon as they come out. They will still be hot and the sugar will stick to them a lot better.
- Serve right away- These churros don’t hold too well. So make them and serve them right away to enjoy them at their best.
I served my air fried churros with dulce de leche but you can also enjoy these churros with ice cream, chocolate sauce or anything that your heart desires.
If you love dulce de leche, these recipes are for you!
The best air fried churros ever!
If you tried and enjoyed this recipe make sure to give it a 5-star rating by clicking on the 5 stars under the title and description.
Disclaimer, Since these churros are made in the air fryer they will not taste or have the exact same texture as a regular churro. Trust me the oil helps a lot in developing that churro flavor and texture. So this is somewhat churro-inspired minus all the calories.
The best air fried churros
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup butter or 1/2 a stick
- 1 tbsp sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 medium eggs
cinnamon sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, bring the water, butter, sugar and the pinch of salt to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat and add in the flour and mix rapidly using a wooden spatula. Continue stirring the mixture until the mixture thickens and does not stick to the sides of the pot.
- Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer bowl or heat proof bowl and mix using a paddle attachement. This will allow the churro dough to cool down so we can add the eggs. This process will take between 3-5 minutes.
- Once the churro dough is a little bit cooler add in the eggs one at a time while continuing to mix. The mixture will become a lot more sticky. At this point, transfer the churro mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. I used the Wilton 1M
- On a parchment lined baking sheet pipe 3-4 inch long churros. Cut the end using a pair of scissors or knife. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- 3 minutes before your churros are ready to be baked, preheat the air fryer to 360F. Gently remove the frozen churros from the parchment paper and place them into the air fryer basket and bake for 13-14 minutes. Depending on what air fryer you have you might have to bake these churros in multiple smaller batches. Place the leftover churros in the freezer so they don't get soft.
- In a shallow bowl or plastic bag combine the sugar and the cinnamon. Place the baked churros in the sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the air fryer, toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat them evenly.
- Serve with dulce de leche, sweetened condensed milk or even Nutella!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much for making it all the way down here. If you made and enjoyed these churros make sure to let me know in the comments down below. I would love to know what you dipped your churros in too!
XOXO
Chahinez
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Very airy and salty, would not suggest adding salt as they are supposed to be sweet anyways. If your looking for healthier alternatives although this recipe is still very healthy, i used whole meal sr flour and monk fruit sugar in the same amounts as the recipe. Dont expect the churros to be like the real consistency all the way through, they are so airy they almost feel hollow. They were still crispy and amazing tho, i had mine with melted dark chocolate on the side! I would recommend, but they arent what i was expecting lol
I also added vanilla and tried to mix the cinnamon sugar into one batch, they were better with the cinnamon sugar mixed through them before piping. I also sprinkled some onto them before i froze them, but i still shook them in it after i cooked it. I used raw sugar for that btw
4 stars :))
The air fryer makes quite a big difference compared to deep frying so they definitely won’t be like a normal churro. But like you said, it’s healthier ๐