Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce (Spanish Street Food)
Crispy fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar with a thick, dark chocolate dipping sauce. Classic Spanish street food made at home in 30 minutes.
The Quick Answer
Greasy, raw-centred churros are almost always an oil-temperature problem, not a recipe one. Hold the oil at a steady 180°C and fry in small batches, because the choux-style dough needs that heat to flash its water to steam and set a crisp, hollow-edged shell.
Why do my churros come out greasy and raw in the middle?
Both faults come from oil that is too cool, which is why a thermometer matters. At a steady 180°C the moisture in the boiled-flour dough instantly turns to steam; that steam blasts outward, puffing the ridged surface and creating a barrier that keeps oil from soaking in, while the outside fries crisp. Drop the oil below temperature, as happens when you crowd the pan with too many churros at once, and the dough sits sluggishly absorbing fat instead of frying, so it turns oily and pale and the centre never cooks through. Frying small batches keeps the oil hot, and the star nozzle's deep ridges increase surface area so heat penetrates quickly, helping the inside cook before the outside over-browns.
Why is the churro dough cooked in a pan before frying?
Churro dough is a simple choux-style paste, and boiling the water, oil and salt then beating in the flour off the heat is what makes it work. The hot liquid gelatinises the flour's starch immediately, so the granules swell and absorb water, turning the mixture into a smooth, cohesive dough that pulls away from the pan. That pre-cooked, hydrated starch can hold a lot of moisture, which is the key to frying: when the piped lengths hit the hot oil, all that trapped water converts to steam and inflates the dough from within, giving churros their crisp shell and tender, slightly hollow interior. Skip the cooking step and the raw flour paste would simply disintegrate or fry into something dense and doughy.
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What is this dish?
Churros are deep-fried choux-style pastry sticks — crisp, golden, and coated in cinnamon sugar. They are a staple of Spanish street food and are traditionally served with a thick hot chocolate for dipping. This version pairs them with a dark chocolate ganache sauce.
Why you'll love it
Ready in 30 minutes, beloved by children and adults alike, and the combination of crispy cinnamon-sugar churros and rich dark chocolate sauce is universally irresistible.
When to serve
A fun dessert for a group, a weekend breakfast treat, a party dessert, or a bonfire night sweet.
Quick tips
Beat the dough until smooth. Heat oil to exactly 180°C. Coat in cinnamon sugar immediately after frying. Eat straight away.
Ingredient Highlights
Choux-Style Dough
Churro dough is made using a similar method to choux pastry — boiling water and fat are added to flour all at once and beaten to a smooth dough. This produces a light, slightly hollow interior.
Cinnamon Sugar
The coating applied immediately after frying. The combination of sweet sugar and warming cinnamon is the defining flavour of churros.
Dark Chocolate Sauce
A simple ganache of dark chocolate and cream. The bitterness of 70% chocolate against the sweet churros is the ideal pairing.
Substitution Options
Serve with caramel sauce instead of chocolate for a different flavour. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the dough. Replace the cinnamon coating with plain sugar and a pinch of chilli powder for a Mexican-inspired version.
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Likely in your pantry
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the churro dough
Bring the water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the flour and baking powder all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth, cohesive dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Chef's Tips
- ›Beat the dough thoroughly — any lumps will cause the churros to burst during frying.
- ›The dough should be thick enough to hold its shape through a piping nozzle — not runny.
Make the chocolate sauce
Heat the double cream and sugar in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Wait 1 minute, then stir from the centre outwards until smooth and glossy. Add a pinch of cayenne if using. Keep warm.
Chef's Tips
- ›Do not boil the cream vigorously — just below simmering is sufficient to melt the chocolate.
- ›Stir from the centre — this creates an emulsion that prevents the sauce from becoming grainy.
Pipe and fry
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Heat the litre of vegetable oil to 180°C in a deep saucepan. Pipe 10–12cm lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, cutting with scissors. Fry in batches for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden all over. Do not crowd the pan.
Chef's Tips
- ›Oil temperature is critical — 180°C produces a crisp outside with a cooked interior. Too cool = greasy; too hot = burnt outside, raw inside.
- ›A star nozzle is traditional — it creates ridges that crisp up more than a plain round nozzle.
Coat and serve
Drain on kitchen paper for 30 seconds. Roll immediately in the cinnamon sugar mixture (4 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon mixed on a plate). Serve straight away with the warm chocolate dipping sauce.
Chef's Tips
- ›Roll while hot — the oil on the surface helps the cinnamon sugar adhere.
- ›Churros are best eaten within minutes of frying — they soften quickly.
Chef's Tips
Techniques that separate good from great
Use a star piping nozzle for authentic texture
The ridges created by a star nozzle give churros their characteristic shape and, more importantly, increase the surface area that becomes crispy. A plain round nozzle produces a smoother exterior with less crunch.
Pipe the dough directly into the oil from height
Hold the piping bag about 5cm above the oil surface and pipe in a slow, steady stream. Cutting with scissors at the desired length gives you control. Piping from directly against the surface produces misshapen churros.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · Estimated values
* Estimated per serving based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Equipment Needed
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Quick Tips
- Oil temperature is everything — 180°C produces crisp, evenly cooked churros. Use a thermometer.
- Coat in cinnamon sugar immediately after frying while the surface is still hot and slightly oily.
- Fry in small batches — adding too many churros at once lowers the oil temperature and produces greasy results.
Recipe Variations
Different ways to make this dish your own
Filled Churros
Once fried, use a skewer to pierce a hole in one end. Fill with a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle, inserting dulce de leche, chocolate cream, or vanilla custard.
Mini Churros
Pipe 3–4cm lengths for bite-sized churros, perfect for dipping. Reduce frying time to 90 seconds per side.
Churros with Salted Caramel
Replace the chocolate dipping sauce with thick salted caramel sauce. Add a pinch of flaky salt on top of the caramel.
What to Serve With
Perfect pairings to complete the meal
Dark Chocolate Sauce
The classic dipping sauce — bittersweet and thick.
Dulce de Leche
The Argentine variation — thick, caramelised condensed milk is a popular alternative dipping sauce.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Hot churros alongside cold vanilla ice cream is an excellent contrast.
Storage & Reheating
Keep it fresh and plan ahead
Refrigerator
Not recommended — churros lose their crispness within an hour.
Freezer
Fry, cool, and freeze in a single layer. Reheat in an oven at 200°C for 5–8 minutes to restore crispness.
Make-Ahead
Make the dough and chocolate sauce ahead. Fry churros to order — they are best eaten immediately.
Reheating
Reheat in a 200°C oven for 5 minutes. Do not microwave.
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