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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!

stack of churros on tray.


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!

ingredients in baked churros laid out on a white marble counter.

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
process shot of baked churros being made.
process shot of baked churros being made.
process shot of baked churros being made.

How to Make Churro Dough

  1. 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.
  2. Then, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Add the flour and stir until a thick paste forms.
  3. 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.
How to pipe churro dough

Forming & Air Frying Churros

  1. 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. 
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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
churro being dipped in blue Bowl of ganache.

Serving Suggestions

The churros are amazing warm from the air fryer with just the cinnamon-sugar coating, but even better when you dip them in homemade chocolate ganache!

These would also be great drizzled with chocolate sauce or dipped in caramel sauce.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. Don’t skip the 1 minute cooling step once you’ve transferred the dough to a bowl.
  3. 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:

  1. Your churros are bigger than mine. That will make them cook differently.
  2. Humidity and egg size can also cause this dough to be finicky and cook differently.
  3. 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.

stack of churros on tray with one cut in half.

Storage & Making Ahead

These are best as soon as they’re made because they will turn soft after a while and lose their crispiness. You can keep them in an airtight container for a few days, but they won’t be as good as when they were first made.

To make churros ahead of time, you can make and pipe the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for no more than 24 hours before cooking.

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:

  1. READ the recipe entirely, all the way through, before starting.
  2. Have all your ingredients ready to go before starting.
  3. 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.

Want to make baked churros or fried churros? Those are fantastic too!

stack of churros on tray.

Air Fryer Churros Recipe

5 from 2 votes
Make your own churros at home using this pate a choux dough and cinnamon sugar. These are cooked in the air fryer and are healthier than a fried churro!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 60 curros
Serving Size 1 serving
Rate RecipePrint 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
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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.

Recipe Notes

This recipe has been changed from the original due to issues. The new recipe has been tested multiple times and is slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated.
Storing and making ahead: Churro dough can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, but dough needs to come to room temperature to pipe easily. These are best served immediately while hot – they will soften as they cool. If you want to make them ahead of time, don’t coat them. Air fry to crisp them up and coat with cinnamon sugar right before serving.
To avoid the “eggy” taste you must: Make sure to remove your pan from the heat before mixing in flour. This will cool off the dough enough that you will avoid cooking the eggs. Transfer to mixing bowl and allow to sit for 1 minute. Mix in the eggs quickly, so that they do not cook.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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