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Spanish

Churros con chocolate

Vegetarian

Crisp ridged fritters of simple choux-like dough, piped into hot oil, rolled in sugar and dunked into thick Spanish drinking chocolate.

Churros con chocolate is a Spanish sweet from Spain, ready in about 55 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and dark chocolate (70–85%). It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
10 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
683

Ingredients

4 servings

For the churros

For frying

For coating

For the chocolate

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the water, salt and olive oil (opens in a new tab) to the boil. Take off the heat, tip in the flour all at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon into a smooth, stiff dough. Cool for 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    For the chocolate (opens in a new tab), whisk (opens in a new tab) the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) into a little cold milk (opens in a new tab). Heat the rest of the milk with the chocolate and sugar (opens in a new tab), whisking until melted, then add the cornstarch mixture and simmer, whisking, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Keep warm.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 180 °C. Spoon the dough into a piping bag (opens in a new tab) with a large star nozzle and pipe 12 cm lengths straight into the oil, snipping with scissors. Fry a few at a time, turning, until crisp and golden.

    Food safety: Deep-frying: never fill the pan more than a third with oil and keep children away.

  4. Step 4

    Drain briefly on paper, roll in sugar (opens in a new tab) mixed with cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and serve straight away with the hot chocolate (opens in a new tab) for dipping.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Spain · Commonly attributedA long-established Spanish breakfast and late-night snack; the exact origin is debated.Also popular in Mexico, PortugalMore food from Spain
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Dessert · Sweets & confectionery · Street food · Desserts
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Simmered
Taste
sweet, rich, bitter
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Sugar · Milk · Cornstarch
Techniques
Deep-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

683 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 324 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 46%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy683 kcal211 kcal
Protein11.6 g3.6 g
Carbohydrate78.8 g24.3 g
Net carbohydrate74.1 g22.9 g
Sugars32.6 g10.1 g
Added sugars——
Fibre4.6 g1.4 g
Fat35.8 g11.1 g
Saturated fat11.8 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol14 mg4 mg
Sodium356 mg110 mg
Salt equivalent0.9 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
438 mg
Calcium
183 mg
Iron
6 mg
Magnesium
94 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
60 µg
Vitamin C
—
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cinnamon.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A star nozzle is important: the ridges help the churros cook through and stay crisp.

Common mistakes

  • A smooth nozzle can make churros burst in the oil.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Variations

  • Porras (Spain): Thicker, fluffier churros made with a little baking powder, popular in Madrid.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

For coating

Used in steps 2, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 15 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 50 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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