Vegan Churros

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5 from 270 votes
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Hands down, these are the best BEST ever churros made with simple ingredients. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, they take less than 20 minutes to make! Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy free.

vegan churros

Vegan Gluten Free Churros

When it comes to childhood dessert favorites, churros were ALWAYS my number one.

As much as I love ice cream and gelato, if I ever saw churros somewhere, my heart would be set on them. 

I always associated churros with something you’d get at a fair or Disneyland (yes, I went there). However, I soon realized just how easy they were to make at home and use no crazy ingredients! 

Many popular churros recipes call for eggs and yeast to achieve the doughy and fluffy texture, but I REFUSE to do that.

Seriously, who said eggs and yeast are mandatory for churros? No thanks… I’ll stick to my vegan and dairy free version here.

What is a churro?

For those who aren’t familiar with churros, they are snacks made of fried dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar. While they have similarities to donuts, the texture is crispier on the outside, and not as doughy on the inside. They are most often served with a chocolate dipping sauce. 

Churros have a sweet and light cinnamon flavor, without being overpowering. Originally of Spanish origin, they are now a popular dessert in many western countries!

 Ingredients to make vegan churros

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these vegan and gluten free churros. Please avoid substituting out ingredients unless otherwise stated. 

For the churros

  • Oil– Any neutral flavored oil can be used. Vegetable, canola, and safflower oil are all great options. 
  • Sugar– White sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar can be used. See my tips below to make sugar free churros. 
  • Water– To mix everything together! 
  • Flour– Either all purpose flour or gluten free flour can be used. If you use the gluten free option, be sure that the flour blend contains xanthan gum, or else your churros will be gummy.
  • Cinnamon– Mixed with some sugar to coat the hot churros with! 

For the warm chocolate sauce

  • Coconut cream– Canned coconut cream. Ensure you are using the full fat version, not the reduced fat ones. The latter will result in a more watery sauce. 
  • Chocolate chips of choice– Chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate bar. 

How to make churros?

Start by preparing your churros dough. In a small saucepan, add your oil, sugar, and water, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and gently fold through the flour. Continue mixing until a thick dough remains, before transferring to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. 

Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep pot or saucepan. Test the oil is hot by adding a drop of the batter into it and seeing if it sizzles. Once hot, carefully pipe the dough into the pan, around 4-5 inches in length. Pipe 3-4 churros per batch and fry each one until golden brown. Once each batch of churros is cooked, let them sit on some paper towel, to soak up excess oil. After 1-2 minutes, quickly dip each one in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy with warm chocolate sauce. 

To make the chocolate sauce, heat up the coconut cream until warm. Once warm, add in your chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes, before whisking together until thick and smooth.

vegan churro recipe

Can I bake these churros? 

As these churros are made without eggs or milk, they can be quite chewy and dry when baked. I wasn’t a huge fan of the texture and the cinnamon and sugar mixture did not stick on very well. 

If you’d like to bake them, I recommend you keep a firm eye on them and spray the churros with cooking spray, before covering with the cinnamon/sugar mix. 

Can I make these sugar free?

Yes, if you’d like to make sugar free churros, simply swap out the sugar for monk fruit sweetener or erythritol. 

Are churros vegan?

Traditional churros contain eggs and heavy cream. However, in my homemade recipe, there is no dairy or animal based products, and are suitable for a vegan diet.

Tips to make the best vegan churro recipe

  • If you own a candy thermometer or kitchen thermometer, you can test the heat of the oil and see if it reaches 190C/400F. That is the perfect heat to fry the churros.  
  • Don’t worry if you don’t have a star tip- You can just pipe the churros out as is. They just won’t have the crimping down the sides.
  • Move quickly when coating the churros in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. The longer the churros have to sit and cool down, the harder it will be for the cinnamon to stick on it. 

How do you store churros?

  • To store: Leftover churros should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 weeks. 
  • To freeze: Place churros in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. 
  • To reheat: Churros are best reheated in a non-stick pan or oven, to maintain crispiness. 

homemade churros

More delicious vegan desserts to try

churros recipe.

Best Ever Churros (Vegan, Gluten Free)

5 from 270 votes
The best ever eggless churros made with simple and easy ingredients! No dairy and no crazy ingredients, they are crispy and fluffy, and ready in under 15 minutes! Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free.
Servings: 12 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1/4 cup oil vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar divided * See notes
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups all purpose flour gluten free, if needed
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce

Instructions 

  • In a small saucepan, add your oil, water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir through the flour, until it forms a ball of dough.
  • In a small bowl, mix together your remaining sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
  • In a deep pot, add 3-4 inches of oil. Heat on high until it reaches 190C or until a piece of dough sizzles and rises to the top.
  • Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough over the pot of oil at around 4-5 inches. Pipe 2-3 churros at a time. Fry them until golden brown.
  • Transfer the cooked churros onto a paper towel for 1-2 minutes, before quickly rolling them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Serve with warm chocolate sauce.

For the chocolate sauce

  • In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat up your coconut cream until warm. Once warm, add your chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes, before whisking into the cream until a thick chocolate sauce remains.

Notes

* White sugar or sugar free subs, like monk fruit sweetener or erythritol. 
TO STORE: Leftover churros should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 weeks. 
TO FREEZE: Place churros in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. 
TO REHEAT: Churros are best reheated in a non-stick pan or oven, to maintain crispiness. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 1gCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 39g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. Hiya! Love your recipes. Does subbing for refined coconut oil work here? Or will it affect the texture?

  2. 5 stars
    Just did a trial batch for a dinner party tonight! And they are amazing!

    I was just wondering if you can make the batter a couple of hours ahead? and store in the fridge?

  3. 5 stars
    These were so goood! The recipe is easy to follow and the churros came out crunchy, yet buttery soft inside. I also added 1 tsp vanilla extract to the batter and it was fabulous. 10/10 recommend this recipe!

  4. Hi! Can I make the mixture ahead of time, then pipe them into the oil right before we want to eat them?

  5. 5 stars
    Just made them: absolutely delicious! I got 16-18 5in churros. Very very similar to the original spanish ones!

    Tips: mine needed 2-4 more tbsp of water; halve the sugar and the cinnamon (of the rolling part); fried for 7-9′.

  6. Is that the whole amount of oil I need to put into the churro mix or should I divide it for the cooking oil too? Also just wondering if I could substitute the chocolate for peanut butter with coconut cream?
    Thanks, T

  7. I used to do a lot of Paleolithic and would get re ipes from your website. Now I am retired and cooking more and you have some great recipes I tend to be more vegetarian, but my husband loves normal meat and potatoes. I am trying to introduce veggies not an easy job

  8. Will coconut sugar work? I have been thinking about trying to make churros all week! WOW! You read my mind. Thank you. Love your recipes! 🙂