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These easy vegan churros are hot and crispy on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside, and tossed in cinnamon sugar! A classic dessert both vegans and non-vegans will love, especially with vegan custard or melted vegan chocolate on the side for dipping. Plus, they’re ready in just 15 minutes!
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Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Vegan Churros
These fluffy, crisp, and sweet vegan churros are as iconic as the classic but made without any dairy or eggs! Warmly spiced with cinnamon and served fresh from the deep fryer, they’re an incredible handheld dessert that both vegans and non-vegans adore. Serve them for dessert after a Spanish-inspired feast or fancy weeknight meal!
What makes this vegan churro recipe so special is how easy it is. The 6-ingredient choux pastry comes together in no time before it’s piped into hot oil and fried to lightly crisp and golden brown perfection. Toss the hot churros in cinnamon sugar, then enjoy! They’re especially perfect when served with vegan chocolate dipping sauce or vegan custard on the side.
If you’re as obsessed with the cinnamon sugar goodness as we are, then you’ll surely love our crescent roll cinnamon rolls and easy vegan snickerdoodles, too!
The Ingredients and Substitutions
The Churro Dough
- Flour: I had the best results with all-purpose flour but you could experiment with a 50/50 blend of AP and whole wheat flour or a quality all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Cinnamon: This gives the churro dough a warm and comforting flavor.
- Salt: To balance the other flavors.
- Vegetable oil: The oil adds moisture to the dough. Use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil you have on hand.
- Brown sugar: For a subtle sweetness in the churros. White sugar or cane sugar will work just as well.
- Water: The oil, brown sugar, and water are simmered together to start the churro dough.
For less-sweet churros, only use 1 tablespoon of sugar in the dough or substitute it for a sweetener like erythritol or stevia.
The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Cinnamon: For a touch of warmth in the sweet coating.
- Sugar: Tossing the deep-fried churros in a mix of granulated white sugar and cinnamon makes them perfectly sweet.
If you’re not feeling the cinnamon sugar coating, dust the churros with powdered sugar instead.
Flavor Variations and Add-Ins
- Citrus zest: A tablespoon of fresh orange zest or lemon zest in the dough will add a delightful freshness to the churros.
- Warm spices: Give the churros a warmer flavor by mixing a pinch of nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger, or cardamom into the dough.
- Cocoa powder: Substitute ¼ cup of flour with cocoa powder to make vegan chocolate churros.
- Coffee or espresso: Add a pinch of espresso powder or instant coffee to the dough.
- Filled vegan churros: Stuff the vegan churros with vegan custard or dairy-free chocolate by puncturing one end with a metal straw until it’s halfway into the churro. Repeat on the other side, then use a piping bag to slowly fill the churro from both sides.
How to Make Vegan Churros
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add the oil, brown sugar, and water to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Boil until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour until a dough ball forms. Set aside to cool.
Like classic choux pastry, churro dough is too hot to knead by hand. Just keep at it with the wooden spoon until it forms a cohesive dough ball.
- Meanwhile, mix the sugar and remaining cinnamon together in a wide, shallow bowl.
- Add some oil to the now-empty and clean saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat.
- While you wait for the oil, place the cooled dough in a piping bag with a large star tip.
Test the temperature of the oil by carefully dropping in a small piece of dough. The oil is ready when the dough sizzles and floats to the top.
- Pipe 4 to 5 inches of dough into the hot oil. Fry 3 churros at a time until they’re golden brown.
- Use tongs to pick the tongs out of the oil and place them on a paper towel to drain for a few seconds.
- Toss the hot churros in the cinnamon sugar until well coated.
- Repeat until you run out of churro dough.
FAQs
Sometimes! Spanish churros are traditionally vegan-friendly since the dough is not made with dairy, eggs, or any other animal products.
To make baked vegan churros, pipe 4 to 5-inch strips of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Top Recipe Tips and Notes
- Always pipe the churros: Use a piping bag and a star tip, a churrera, or a large ziplock bag to pipe the dough into the oil.
- Use a closed star tip when piping the churros: It gives the edges deeper, more defined ridges!
- Heat the oil properly: If it’s not hot enough, the churros will soak up too much oil and become greasy and soggy. Too hot, and the oil will splatter and the churros will burn.
- Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil: If you don’t have one, drop a small piece of dough into the oil as it’s heating up. If the dough sizzles and floats, the oil is ready.
- Cut the piped dough with scissors: Release the piped dough from the piping bag by cutting the strips with scissors and letting them drop into the oil. It’s safer and less messy than waiting for them to fall!
- Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar while they’re hot: Take them out of the hot oil and let them drain for a maximum of 1 minute before tossing them in the cinnamon sugar. If the churros get too cool, the cinnamon sugar won’t stick.
Serving Suggestions
It just wouldn’t be a Latin-inspired meal without vegan churros for dessert! Enjoy them while they’re hot and freshly coated in cinnamon sugar with small bowls of sweet dipping sauces on the side, such as:
- Vegan custard
- Vegan chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Vegan cajeta
- Fruit jam
- Vegan dulce de leche
For an irresistible treat, pair this sweet dessert with a scoop of vegan ice cream and vegan Mexican hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.
Storage Instructions
Once cooled, wrap the churros in a paper towel and transfer them to an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
To reheat the churros, lay them on a baking sheet and warm them in a 350ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until they’re slightly crisp again.
If you’d like to make the churros ahead of time, fry them as normal, but don’t toss them in the cinnamon sugar. Store the cooled churros in an airtight container at room temperature. When it’s time to eat, reheat them in the oven, then immediately toss them in the cinnamon sugar.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Homemade Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Easy Carrot Cupcakes
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- Easy Vegan Apple Muffins
- Vegan Pear Cake
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Vegan Churros
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, divided
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ~⅓ cup of vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- In a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat, add the oil, brown sugar, and water. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
- Once the brown sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and with a wooden spoon stir in the flour, until it forms a dough ball. It takes time to knead the dough with the spoon, but since it’s hot, it cannot be done by hand. Place the dough ball on a plate or bowl and allow the dough to cool down for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a wide bowl, mix the sugar and remaining cinnamon for coating. Set aside.
- Wash and dry the 3-quart saucepan.
- Add about 4 inches of oil and let it heat over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
- While the oil heats, carefully place the dough in a piping bag with the large star tip. Set aside.
- Test the oil by carefully dropping a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If the dough sizzles and bloats to the top of the oil, the oil is ready.
- Carefully squeeze about 4 to 5 inches of dough into the hot oil. Work in batches of 3 churros at a time and fry them until golden brown for about 5 minutes. Monitoring constantly is important.
- With tongs, one by one, carefully pick up the hot churros out of the oil and allow them to drip any excess oil for a couple seconds. Place the churros on a paper towel for 1 minute while you squeeze another batch of churros into the oil. Then roll the cooked churros into the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Repeat the process until no more dough is left.
Notes
- Always pipe the churros: Use a piping bag and a star tip, a churrera, or a large ziplock bag to pipe the dough into the oil.
- Use a closed star tip when piping the churros: It gives the edges deeper, more defined ridges!
- Heat the oil properly: If it’s not hot enough, the churros will soak up too much oil and become greasy and soggy. Too hot, and the oil will splatter and the churros will burn.
- Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil: If you don’t have one, drop a small piece of dough into the oil as it’s heating up. If the dough sizzles and floats, the oil is ready.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
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These Vegan Churros are so delicious!!
Right?! Such a yummy treat!
so sweet and delicious!