Churros — frittelle spagnole con cioccolato
Spain's beloved fried treat: a simple choux-like dough piped into ridged lengths, fried until golden and crisp, then rolled in sugar. Eaten for breakfast or merienda dunked into a cup of thick, almost pudding-like hot chocolate. Crunchy outside, tender within — irresistible straight from the pan.
Make a hot-water dough: bring water (with a little oil and salt) to the boil, tip in flour all at once, and beat into a smooth, stiff paste. Pipe ridged lengths through a star nozzle straight into hot oil and fry until golden and crisp. Roll in sugar (or cinnamon sugar) and serve hot with a cup of thick Spanish hot chocolate for dunking.
- Use a star nozzle — the ridges aren't just for looks; they help the churros cook crisp and evenly.
- Get the oil properly hot (180°C) so they crisp fast without soaking up grease.
- Eat them fresh and hot — churros soften quickly, so fry and serve straight away.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Piping bag with star nozzle
- Deep pan for frying
- Slotted spoon
Ingredienti
Churros
- 250 ml water
- 30 ml oil, plus more for frying
- Pinch of salt
- 150 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- Sugar (or cinnamon sugar), to coat
Hot chocolate (to dip)
- 250 ml whole milk
- 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp cornflour (to thicken), 1 tbsp sugar
Preparazione
- PASSO01
Bring the water, oil and salt to a rolling boil. Tip in all the flour at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth, stiff dough that pulls away from the pan. Let it cool a couple of minutes.
- PASSO02
Heat oil for deep-frying to 180°C/350°F. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
- PASSO03
Pipe lengths of dough straight into the hot oil (snipping with scissors), a few at a time. Fry, turning, until deep golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes. Don't crowd the pan.
- PASSO04
Drain briefly on paper, then roll the hot churros in sugar (or cinnamon sugar).
- PASSO05
Warm the milk with the chocolate, sugar and cornflour, whisking, until thick and glossy. Serve the hot churros at once with the thick chocolate for dunking.
Make ahead
Best made and eaten immediately. You can prepare the dough an hour ahead and keep the piping bag ready, then fry to order. The dipping chocolate can be made ahead and reheated.
Storage
Churros are really only good fresh and hot — they soften and toughen within an hour. Fry just before serving. The dough can be made an hour ahead; the hot chocolate reheats gently with a whisk.
Variations
Porras
The thicker, fluffier cousin — a larger coil of dough fried and cut into lengths.
Filled churros
Pipe dulce de leche or chocolate into the fried churros (popular in Latin America).
Cinnamon sugar
Roll in cinnamon sugar instead of plain — common outside Spain and very good.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Domande frequenti
Do Spanish churros have egg?
Traditional Spanish churros are usually just flour, water and salt — a simple hot-water dough with no egg, which gives their characteristic crunch. (Egg-based, softer churros are more common in parts of Latin America.) This recipe is the classic egg-free Spanish style.
Why do my churros come out greasy or soggy?
The oil isn't hot enough. Fry at a steady 180°C so the churros crisp quickly and don't absorb oil. Frying too many at once drops the temperature — cook in small batches, and drain them briefly before coating in sugar.
Why use a star nozzle?
The ridges from a star nozzle increase the surface area so the churros fry up extra crisp and cook evenly, and they're the traditional shape. A round nozzle can also cause the churros to burst in the hot oil, while the ridged shape fries safely.
What's the chocolate for?
In Spain, churros are classically dunked into a cup of thick, rich hot chocolate (chocolate a la taza) — almost the consistency of a thin pudding, thickened slightly so it clings to the churro. It's a beloved breakfast or afternoon (merienda) treat.
Can I make churros ahead?
Not really — they're at their best straight from the fryer and soften within the hour. You can make the dough and the dipping chocolate ahead, then fry the churros fresh just before serving for the best crunch.
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