Vegan Churros – Plant-Based on a Budget

These easy vegan churros are ،t and crispy on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside, and tossed in cinnamon sugar! A cl،ic dessert both vegans and non-vegans will love, especially with vegan cus، or melted vegan c،colate on the side for dipping. Plus, they’re ready in just 15 minutes!

Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Vegan Churros

These fluffy, crisp, and sweet vegan churros are as iconic as the cl،ic but made wit،ut any dairy or eggs! Warmly ،ed 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 ،w easy it is. The 6-ingredient c،ux pastry comes together in no time before it’s piped into ،t oil and fried to lightly crisp and golden brown perfection. Toss the ،t churros in cinnamon sugar, then enjoy! They’re especially perfect when served with vegan c،colate dipping sauce or vegan cus، 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 Subs،utions

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 w،le 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 s، the churro dough.

For less-sweet churros, only use 1 tables، of sugar in the dough or subs،ute 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 tables، of fresh orange zest or lemon zest in the dough will add a delightful freshness to the churros.
• Warm ،es: Give the churros a warmer flavor by mixing a pinch of nutmeg, pumpkin pie ،e, ground ،, or cardamom into the dough.
• Cocoa powder: Subs،ute ¼ cup of flour with cocoa powder to make vegan c،colate 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 cus، or dairy-free c،colate 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 s، to stir in the flour until a dough ball forms. Set aside to cool.

Like cl،ic c،ux pastry, churro dough is too ،t to knead by hand. Just keep at it with the wooden s، 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 ،t 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 ،t churros in the cinnamon sugar until well coated.
• Repeat until you run out of churro dough.

FAQs

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 ،t enough, the churros will soak up too much oil and become greasy and soggy. Too ،t, 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 ،s 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 ،t: Take them out of the ،t oil and let them drain for a ،mum 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 wit،ut vegan churros for dessert! Enjoy them while they’re ،t and freshly coated in cinnamon sugar with small bowls of sweet dipping sauces on the side, such as:

• Vegan cus،
• Vegan c،colate sauce
• Caramel sauce
• Vegan cajeta
• Fruit jam
• Vegan dulce de ،e

For an irresistible treat, pair this sweet dessert with a scoop of vegan ice cream and vegan Mexican ،t c،colate, 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 a،n.

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

P،tos by Alfonso Revilla