Who doesn’t love churros? Those crispy, crunchy, cinnamon-sugar coated treats are hard to resist. But have you ever tried making them at home? It can be quite a challenge, especially if you don’t have a deep fryer. That’s what’s so great about Air Fryer Churros — you can make delicious churros at home without all the mess and oil you get with the deep-fried version!
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I’m not sure what it is specifically that makes churros so appealing. Is it their unique texture, with their crispy exterior and soft, dough interior that makes them so hard to resist? Or is it the sweet-spicy cinnamon-sugar coating that gives them such addictive flavor?
Whether you serve them alone as a snack or dessert, or with rich, decadent chocolate sauce or caramel sauce (like Miso Caramel), they’re going to be a huge hit with your family and friends. This Air Fryer Churro recipe will make you, the cook, happy, too, since it’s so easy and involves precious little cleanup.
From muffin pans and racks that fit inside your basket to oil sprayers, tongs, skewers, racks, and more, these are the accessories we use the most with our air fryers.
Ingredients you need for this air fryer churros recipe
Let’s start with the ingredients. To make air fryer churros, you’ll need:
- Milk: You can use any type of milk – whole, low-fat, or even plant-based milk like almond or soy milk.
- Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter, that’s fine, just omit the pinch of salt. If you want a dairy-free version, use coconut oil or vegan butter substitute instead.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best.
- Eggs: Large eggs are recommended and they should be at room temperature.
- Vanilla: You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Salt: Just a pinch to bring out the flavors.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is mixed with sugar to make that addictive sweet coating for the churros.
How to make churros in the air fryer
If you’re intimidated by the idea of making homemade churros, don’t worry. When you make your churros in the air fryer, there’s not pot of 400-degree oil or oil splatters to worry about. Here’s how to make this air fryer recipe:
- Heat the butter, water, milk, and sugar in a saucepan and cook the mixture, stirring, until it begins to boil.
- Stir in the flour, stirring until the flour is completely incorporated. Then cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and comes together in a smooth ball.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and transfer the dough to a large bowl, then use an electric mixer to beat the dough for a minute or two to release some of the heat. Add the whisked eggs and vanilla and beat to incorporate.
- Transfer the dough mixture to a piping bag fitted with an open star decorating tip (#1M,) and pipe it onto the air fryer racks into 3-inch strips. Cut the dough strips with a pair of kitchen scissors.
- Cook the churros in the preheated air fryer until they are golden brown on the outside.
- While the churros are in the air fryer, mix the sugar and cinnamon together for the coating.
- As soon as the churros are done air frying, toss them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips and Tricks for Success
Follow these tips and tricks to make the best Air Fryer Churros.
- Make sure the dough is smooth and glossy before transferring it to the piping bag. This is the consistency you need to ensure that the churros hold their shape.
- Use a piping bag with a large star tip to get the classic churro shape.
- You can line the basket or air fryer racks with parchment paper if you like, but it’s not necessary.
- Don’t overfill the air fryer basket. Make sure to leave some space between the churros so that the hot air is able to circulate all the way around the churros. This will ensure that the churros turn out evenly golden brown with just the right texture. You may need to make one batch at a time.
- To ensure a really nice golden brown color, you can spray churros with a bit of oil before air frying.
- Coat the churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the air fryer, before they cool off. This will help the mixture adhere to the churros.
- These churros are best served immediately for the best texture and flavor.
How to serve them
Air fryer churros are a delicious and easy-to-make sweet treat that everyone will love. With just a few simple ingredients and some basic equipment, you can enjoy crispy, golden-brown churros in no time. I love to serve air-fried churros with chocolate sauce for dunking. Or try serving them with caramel sauce, like Miso Caramel.
Air Fryer Churros make a perfect dessert for a festive Mexican meal. Serve them as a dessert to follow Camarones a la Diabla or Camarones al Mojo de Ajo, Salpicon de Res, or Chicken Enchiladas. Or serve them as a snack any time of day. I sometimes serve them for brunch on holidays like Christmas or Easter.
If you love an air fryer dessert as much as I do, don’t miss my Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream, Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas, Air Fryer S’mores, and Air Fryer Brownies.
Air Fryer Churros
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature and cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- For the coating
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, milk, and sugar.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until it reaches a boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour, making sure to fully incorporate it.
- Return the saucepan to the heat and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until the mixture starts to come together into a smooth ball.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and transfer the dough to a large bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the dough for a few minutes, releasing some of the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add eggs to the dough, using the electric mixer to beat the dough after each addition, making sure to scrape the bowl and fully blend everything together.
- In a pastry bag fitted with an open star decorating tip (#1M,) add the dough, being sure not to overfill.
- Pipe dough onto the air fryer racks into 3-inch strips, using kitchen scissors to cut the dough.
- Cook the churros in the preheated air fryer for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
- For the coating: Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
- When churros are air fried to golden perfection, remove them from the air fryer and add them to the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat completely.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
