How to Make Vegan Churros at Home

How to Make Vegan Churros at Home

There's nothing better than some tasty and freshly made churros with hot chocolate on a cold winter day. If you're craving some authentic churros but want them cruelty-free and vegan made, then you've come to the right place. We have the best easy and authentic vegan churros recipe for you!

In this oneHOWTO article we're going to teach you how to make vegan churros at home. The ingredients are completely vegan and easy to find. This is a really easy and quick recipe that tastes just like the authentic Spanish or Portuguese churros.

4 diners Between 15 & 30 minutes low difficulty
Ingredients:
  • Ingredients for the dough
  • Ingredients to decorate
Steps to follow:
1

Boil water in a pot. It should be almost to boiling point. Add the salt and oil right at that moment, because if the water is boiling too much it will evaporate and the proportions of the recipe change.

2

Stir in the flour just as it begins to boil. Flip it over. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat.

3

Don't stop stirring until the churros dough comes off the edges. They should come off the walls and come together in the centre as a smooth ball without lumps (there should not be any trace of flour). The whole process will take approximately 1-2 minutes. After that time, remove it from the heat and, if necessary, continue mixing until you achieve the proper consistency.

4

Put the dough on the counter. Let it cool a bit to make it easier to handle, but don't let it cool completely as it gets hard and difficult to handle. The ideal temperature is warm, almost hot. If you plan to make the churros with a churro machine, you can now simply put the dough inside of the machine and it will take care of the rest. If not, continue with our recipe!

5

Work the dough very well until it is smooth. If you work it by hand, you can do it at intervals, that is, knead, rest, and knead again. This way, you won't get burned.

6

Put the dough into a piping bag. Use a star nozzle (not too wide or too narrow). Then, place the open piping bag in a glass with the edges folded out. Add the dough with a trowel or spoon. Lastly, close the sleeve by giving it a tourniquet twist on the unfilled part. When making the turn, try to make the whole dough compact as much as possible, there should not be irregular or empty places to avoid air in the dough. Remember, the dough should still be hot at this point.

7

Form several long churros and cut them into pieces. Do it on a tablecloth or similar cloth. Then divide them into 5-inch cylinders cut with scissors. Once the pieces have been divided, you can leave them that way, or join one end to the other to create the traditional loop of Spanish churros. This last alternative is more advisable, as it makes it easier for you to handle the churros when frying them.

8

Prepare a skillet with enough oil to start frying. You can also use a deep fryer or cauldron. Always have a lid close by.

9

Check that the oil is hot but not smoky. After 30 seconds to 1 minute, you will see small bubbles in the oil, that will be the precise moment to check if the oil is ready. For this, use a small piece of dough or the ugliest churro. If the oil is just right, as soon as it comes into contact with the churro, it will start to fry (it will bubble a lot). Remember, if the oil is very cold, the churros do not brown well. On the contrary, if it is excessively hot, the churros that contain air will explode. So be very careful!

10

Put the churros in the pan and fry them for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Meanwhile, you can move them a bit using a slotted spoon or tongs to help them brown evenly. You must be very careful when introducing the churros and during the cooking time, because sometimes they explode if they have air left in the dough.

11

You can remove the churros with kitchen tweezers or with the same slotted spoon. Put them on a plate covered with 2 layers of absorbent paper, to remove excess oil.

12

Pass them through sugar while they are still hot (optional). Do so, shortly after you put them on the absorbent paper. Thus, the sugar will adhere better to them. One suggestion, you can replace the granular sugar with icing sugar, as it gives them a special touch. In this case, wait for them to cool down. You can also combine granulated sugar with cinnamon.

Some people may want to opt for another type of sweetener, so go with what seems right to you. You can also dip it in vegan chocolate, or vegan nut butters.

13

Serve them. You can accompany your vegan churros with hot chocolate as the traditional recipe. You may also be interested in our article about how to decorate cupcakes using vegan icing.

14

Although preparing churros seems like a harmless task, if we don't take certain precautions, it can become dangerous. For this reason, here are some tips to prevent churros from exploding during cooking them.

  • The secret so that the churros do not explode is to remove the air from the dough. This should be done in two stages: while working the dough and when creating the churro.
  • Work the dough on the counter. Do it until you get a smooth, homogeneous and smooth texture.
  • Apply enough pressure to incorporate the dough into the utensil that shapes the churro. If you use the correct utensil, you will be able to remove any remaining air after kneading.
  • Heat the oil well, but not too much. Thus, if there is a churro with air, it will open without exploding.
  • Never face the pan, work sideways. This way, you will have time to retreat if the oil leaks. You should also always have a lid close by.
  • Never shape the churros using your hands. This is the worst way to make churros and the most dangerous. In most cases air remains in the dough.
  • Make the churros in the oven. This cooking technique is ideal for making churros at home, as it is the safest option. In addition, the result is very good and lighter. If you like this idea, find a vegan churro recipe for the oven as it will be different to this one.
  • Place the churros on a tablecloth or similar cloth. This way, the churros do not sweat and do not explode when fried.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Vegan Churros at Home, we recommend you visit our Recipes category.

Tips
  • The classic churros use water, if you want them creamier add milk.
  • The churro dough is a double-cooked dough, similar to choux dough.
  • You can fill the churros after they are fried, opening a hole with a skewer and filling them with a sleeve.
  • There are very fine and long nozzles, special for filling churros.
  • Keep the kids out of the kitchen while you make fried churros.