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Learn how to make Churros in your air fryer! Air Fryer Churros are easier to make than deep-fried ones because you don’t need all the oil and it doesn’t make a big mess. They’re puffy and crunchy and delicious – but EASIER to make!
I’ve made Baked Churros for you before, but now I’m showing you how to make them even better – by doing it in the air fryer – they turn out puffy, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like fried, but without all the hassle.
Don’t have an air fryer yet? This Corsair Air Fryer is my absolute favorite (and I’ve tried several). I use it almost daily – and love making air fryer pretzel bites in it!
Homemade Churros Ingredients
This dough is what is also called a Pate a Choux dough: it’s a cooked pastry dough that uses steam for rising instead of yeast. It’s the same dough used to make cream puffs and eclairs.
- Unsalted butter – it’s helpful if it’s softened, but not required
- All-purpose flour – be sure to measure it correctly
- Large eggs – room temperature is best
- Coating – Cinnamon and Granulated sugar
How to Make Churro Dough
- Place water, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large saucepan and heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Then, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Add the flour and stir until a thick paste forms.
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Wait 1 minute for the dough to cool – this is the most important step to avoid eggy tasting churros. Then the eggs get added one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Forming & Air Frying Churros
- Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a star or 1M star tip. Pipe the dough directly onto the air fryer basket. It helps to use a dinner knife or scissors to cut the dough away from the tip.
- Spray the churros with cooking spray before you cook them – this is the best way to get a crunchy churro, so don’t skip this step!
- Preheat the air fryer at 375°F for 10 minutes. Place the churros in the air fryer and cook them for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- While the churros cook, combine the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl. Coat the hot churros in it before serving.
Recipe Yield
You can pipe the churros in any shape and size you desire, but I usually do it one of two ways:
- You can pipe three-inch churros and get approximately 60 total
- 4-inch churros will yield about 40-45 churros
- Or, you can make seven-inch ones and get approximately 25 total
Common Questions
Why do my churros taste eggy?
This is a common theme, unfortunately. The dough is made of cooked eggs and if not made properly it will be “eggy”. To avoid this you must:
- Make sure to remove the pan from the heat and burner (as the recipe states) before mixing in the flour. This will cool off the butter as the flour mixes in so that it won’t be so hot as to cook the eggs.
- Don’t skip the 1 minute cooling step once you’ve transferred the dough to a bowl.
- Mix in the eggs quickly, so that they do not cook.
Why is my baking time so different?
Another churro complain is that they take longer to cook. This happens for a few reasons:
- Your churros are bigger than mine. That will make them cook differently.
- Humidity and egg size can also cause this dough to be finicky and cook differently.
- All air fryers are different and will cook different.
To avoid an overcooked churro, watch these during the first batch, so that you know how long they will take to cook.
To make them nice and golden, be sure to spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
Expert Tips
Making Pate a Choux dough can be finicky and a little difficult. It also happens fast, so it’s one of those things, like making fudge, where you need to be completely ready BEFORE starting.
Tips for success:
- READ the recipe entirely, all the way through, before starting.
- Have all your ingredients ready to go before starting.
- DO NOT SKIP THE COOLING STEPS – remove the pan from the hot burner before stirring in flour which will begin the cooling process, and allow the dough to sit in the mixing bowl for 1 minute before quickly mixing in eggs.
Air Fryer Churros Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups (474ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
COATING
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , melted
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Place water, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted and stir occasionally until mixture boils.
- Turn off the heat and remove pan from the stove. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. A thick paste will form. Make sure to do this off the heat and off the stove, so that the mixture can cool as you stir it.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit 1 minute to cool. Attach the paddle attachment and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition (work fast to avoid cooking the eggs). You can also use a large bowl with a hand mixer but work fast.
- Place the churro batter in a large pastry bag fitted with a star or 1M tip.
- Pipe churros in desired size and shapes straight onto the air fryer basket. (This recipe makes approximately 60 3-inch long churros or 25 7-inch long churros.) If the dough sticks to the tip you can use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the dough at the piping tip.
- Spray the churros with nonstick cooking spray. This will help them brown.
- Air fry them at 375°F until golden-brown, depending on size this will take about 10 minutes depending on your air fryer. Watch the first batch to make sure they don't burn and so you'll know how long they take to cook.
- Stir together sugar and cinnamon while the churros are frying. Toss hot churros in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve right after frying for best taste.
Can I use salted butter
Yuuuummm! Churros are the best!
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