Waffle Iron Churros Recipe

All the joy of deep fried churros without the hassle and mess of frying.

By
Daniel Shumski
Headshot of Daniel Shumski, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Daniel Shumski
Daniel Shumski is a writer, editor, and recipe developer. He has written four cookbooks, including Will it Waffle?, and has written for the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
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Updated March 24, 2022
Waffle iron churros with dipping sauce on a plate, on a stone surface.

Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

Why It Works

  • Using a waffle iron instead of deep-frying produces churros without the hassle of heating up a pot of oil on the stovetop.
  • The nooks and crannies of the waffled churros provide space for the chocolate sauce to pool.

Churros—those deep-fried, sugar-coated sticks of dough—are made from what is essentially pâte à choux, the same stuff used to make éclairs. Here, that batter is waffled, with the nooks and crannies of the waffled churros providing space for the chocolate sauce to pool.

I love deep-fried foods, but do I always want to deep-fry? No. It takes time, uses more oil than I often have on hand, and requires more attention than I can sometimes spare. The substitution of waffling for deep-frying cooks the churros just as quickly without the hassle of heating up a cauldron of oil on the stovetop.

It's important not to overstuff the waffle iron with the batter when making these. Putting the batter all in at once produces results a little like that "I Love Lucy" episode where the bread is pushing out of the oven. Actually a lot like it, only with a waffle iron.

Err on the side of using less batter at first before you see how much it spreads out and rises. You may even want to make a test churro.

Four churro waffles resting on a plate alongside a ramekin of chocolate syrup.

Serious Eats

One bonus of making these: Any leftover cinnamon sugar can be saved and added to coffee or hot chocolate. That goes for the chocolate sauce, too.

October 23, 2014

Recipe Details

Waffle Iron Churros Recipe

Cook 25 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Batter:

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 large eggs

For the Topping and Chocolate Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

  • 2 ounces semi sweet chocolate

  • 1 teaspoon corn syrup

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. For the Batter: In a small saucepan, bring water, butter, salt, sugar, and cinnamon to a simmer over high heat.

    Water, butter, salt, sugar, and cinnamon simmering in a saucepan.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  2. When butter has melted and sugar and salt have dissolved, lower heat to medium, add flour, and stir rapidly. The batter will form quickly as the flour absorbs the water mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring, for 1 minute.

    A collage showing the churro batter being formed in a saucepan.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  3. Remove saucepan from heat and allow mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time to batter mixture, stirring until each is incorporated. The batter will be very stiff and look a bit like buttercream frosting.

    The completed churro batter resting in a saucepan.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  4. Meanwhile, For the Topping and Chocolate Sauce: Mix sugar and cinnamon on a plate for dipping. In a saucepan over low heat, combine cream, chocolate, and corn syrup and stir frequently until chocolate begins to melt. Turn off heat and set chocolate mixture aside.

    The chocolate sauce being made in the saucepan.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  5. Preheat the waffle iron. (Set it to medium if it has temperature settings.) Coat both sides of the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.

    The waffle iron being coated with non-stick spray.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  6. Place about 1/4 cup of batter on each section of waffle iron. Do not overstuff waffle iron—the batter will expand considerably. (Err on the side of using less batter before you see how much it spreads out and rises.) Close the lid and cook until churros are golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer churros to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

    A two-image collage showing the batter added to the waffle iron, and then after the waffles have been cooked.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

  7. Brush churros with melted butter and then dip them in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm with chocolate sauce for dipping.

    The sugar-dusted churros on a plate, with one of them dipped into the chocolate sauce.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

Special Equipment

Waffle iron

Notes

Any leftover cinnamon sugar can be saved and added to coffee or hot chocolate.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
455Calories
27gFat
52gCarbs
6gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories455
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g34%
Saturated Fat 16g79%
Cholesterol 148mg49%
Sodium 178mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 52g19%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 38g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 45mg3%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 125mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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