AirFryerCookbook

Air Fryer Churros

Cinnamon-sugar churros with a tender, custardy inside and crisp ridged shell — the Spanish café classic, made in the air fryer with far less oil.

Prep
20m
Cook
12m
Total
32m
Serves
4
Level
Medium
Temp
375°F
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By Air Fryer Cookbook Team · May 11, 2026

Air Fryer Churros
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There's a particular ritual to churros in Spain: early, standing up or sitting at a tiled café counter, a paper cone of hot fried dough and a cup of chocolate a la taza so thick a spoon nearly stands in it. The churro itself is almost plain — choux dough, fried, dusted in sugar. Its whole job is to be crisp on the outside, tender within, and strong enough to survive a dunk. The ridges piped into it by the star tip do the heavy lifting, giving the oil more edges to crisp.

The honest tradeoff: deep-frying is what makes a churro a churro — that even, shattering, faintly greasy crust comes from full submersion in hot oil. The air fryer can't fully match that shatter, and I won't pretend it does. What it gives you is a very good cinnamon-sugar churro with a tender, custardy center and a fraction of the oil and mess — no pot of fat to heat, manage, and dispose of. Two things make or break it: use a real star tip, and roll them in the sugar while they're still hot so it actually sticks.

Pipe them straight onto parchment and slide it into the air fryer so the dough holds its shape — no transferring floppy raw churros by hand.

The Recipe

Air Fryer Churros

32m · Serves 4 · Medium · Cosori 5.8qt

Free from Tree nuts · Soy · Sesame · Peanuts · Fish · ShellfishContains Gluten · Egg · DairyAllergen info →

Ingredients

Serves
4
  • 1 cupwater
  • 3 tbspunsalted butter
  • 1 tbspgranulated sugar — for the dough
  • ¼ tspfine sea salt
  • 1 cupall-purpose flour
  • 2eggs — beaten
  • ½ tspvanilla extract
  • ½ cupgranulated sugar — for coating
  • 1½ tspground cinnamon — for coating
  • 1 tbspneutral oil — for brushing

Method

  1. 01

    Bring the water, butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt to a boil. Dump in the flour all at once and stir hard over low heat until it forms a smooth ball that pulls from the pan, about 1 minute. Let it cool 5 minutes.

  2. 02

    Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the dough is glossy and pipeable. Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip — the star tip is non-negotiable, since the ridges are what crisp.

  3. 03

    Pipe 4-inch lengths directly onto a piece of parchment, snipping with scissors. Brush them with oil and air fry at 375°F for 12 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch.

  4. 04

    Stir the coating sugar and cinnamon together. Roll the hot churros in it while they're still warm so it clings, and eat them immediately — ideally with thick hot chocolate for dunking.

Nutrition · per serving

320 cal / 5g protein / 13g fat / 46g carbs

Estimated. Values vary by brand and portion.

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Good to know

Common questions

How long do you cook churros in the air fryer and at what temperature?
Air fry the piped 4-inch lengths at 375°F for 12 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Brush them with oil first so they crisp in the dry heat.
Do you really need a star tip to make air fryer churros?
Yes, it's non-negotiable. The ridges piped in by a large star tip are what crisp against the moving air; a plain round tip gives you a smooth, doughy log that won't crisp properly.
Why won't the cinnamon sugar stick to my churros?
You waited too long. Roll the churros in the cinnamon-sugar while they're still hot straight from the basket so the coating clings; once they cool, it slides right off.
Are air fryer churros as crispy as deep-fried ones?
Honestly, not quite. Deep-frying gives that even, shattering crust from full oil submersion, and the air fryer can't fully match the shatter. What you get is a very good churro with a tender, custardy center and a fraction of the oil and mess.

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