Easy 5-Ingredient Spanish Churros

I’m trying to get over my fear of deep frying, so my friend Keri kindly shared her grandmother’s churro recipe for me to test at home.

These are Spanish-style churros, made from a simple hot-water dough with no eggs, butter, or oil. Unlike the American-style churros I grew up seeing, which are often made with pâte à choux, this dough relies on flour, hot water, salt, and mixing for its structure.

Because there are no eggs, the chew comes from hydrating the flour with hot water and kneading the dough enough to build gluten. The dough should feel firm, smooth, and a little elastic, not loose or sticky like choux pastry.

Since it’s spring, I piped these churros into flower shapes instead of the usual long strips. The dough is firmer than pâte à choux, so it takes more pressure to pipe, but it is also easier to fix if you mess up. For shaped churros, pipe the dough onto individual squares of parchment, then lower the parchment directly into the oil. As the churro fries, the parchment releases and the shape stays intact.

Since it’s been a while, I struggled with the frying portion. To test whether the oil is hot enough, dip the tip of a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil bubbles rapidly around it, the oil is ready for frying. You can also test with a small scrap of dough: it should bubble immediately and begin turning golden, not sink and sit heavily at the bottom.

If the oil is too cold, the churros will absorb more oil before they have a chance to crisp. Instead of frying up golden brown and light, they can turn tough, greasy, and pale. If the oil is too hot, the outside will brown too quickly before the center has time to cook through. Aim for steady, active bubbling around each churro once it hits the oil.

(Ultimately, I blame my induction stove top for the inconsistent oil temp, so double check your fry set up before starting!)