Gluten Free Churros – a lighter version to the carnival style churros.
Serve these for Fiesta Time! We love to make a batch for a special Mexican cuisine meal or for a party.
Or why not try them in the traditional Spanish style, with granulated sugar and dipped in thick dark chocolate?!
These churros have delicious texture, not hard like the carnival type, but light and airy, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. You can have these after a Spanish meal or a Mexican fiesta, or just make a batch…well, just because you want a yummy treat!
We’ve had these hot out of the fryer from street vendors, and there’s nothing that compares to them! And we’ve also had them served in Spanish cafes or restaurants. Both styles are equally delicious.
We didn’t find any gluten free churros in Mexico or in Spain, but we did find delicious gluten free crepes and chocolate in the Churros and Chocolate shop in Madrid. Not quite the same, but still it was very good.
Traditionally served in Spain and believed to have originated in Spain, the combo of the crispy churro with sugar (no cinnamon) dipped in the warm, thick, dark chocolate is unbelievable! See the recipe below for Chocolate for Dipping (Spanish Style) Churros.
I added a few strawberries🍓🍓, which also dip lovely in the chocolate.
Of course, you can also just coat the churros in cinnamon sugar, and they are perfect, too.
On this one, we think the gluten-free version is even better. It’s so light and airy! Since it’s just really a “donut,” I think it may be breakfast also😘😘.
I hope you enjoy these as much as our family does!
(Updated 3/23)
Gluten Free Churros – a lighter, airier variation of the traditional churro
Equipment
- 1 stockpot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla (Molina brand is gluten free)
- 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon of 1 for 1 gluten free flour (I use Cup 4 Cup brand or Bob's Red Mill, but use any 1 for 1 brand, which contains xanthan gum or another blend without xanthan gum with 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum added)
- 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch gf
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder gf
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (gluten free brand – such as McCormick Shilling)
- 2 eggs
- 2 – 2 1/2 quarts of vegetable oil or canola oil in a deep pan
Sugar For Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (gluten free)
Chocolate for dipping (Spanish Style) – optional
- 1/3 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips (I use the Guitard Extra Dark Baking Chips for a gluten free option)
- 1/8 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Whisk the gluten free flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl to combine. Heat the milk with the butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
- Pour into the flour mixture and stir until well combined, or use a mixer to combine completely. Allow to cool for five minutes.
- Add the eggs, one a time, and vanilla and hand stir vigorously or mix with a mixer on medium until dough is smooth, fairly thick and sticky. Add additional milk to thin if needed (1 tablespoon) until dough is a piping consistency. Cool completely or refrigerate for 1 hour.
- At this point, you can proceed with cooking the churros or refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. If you refrigerate the dough for more than a few hours, before frying, bring dough to room temperature for 30-45 minutes before proceeding to fry.
- When ready to fry your churros, over medium high or high heat, in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, approximately two quarts of oil to 350 degrees.
- Fit a pastry bag with a 1M star tip (or what you have that is larger than 1/4″ inch wide) and fill the bag with the churro dough. Pipe dough directly into the hot oil, approximately 6-7" long, carefully, and two or three max at a time.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown, before removing with tongs to a wire rack seated over a plate covered with several layers of paper towels.
- Let cool until you can handle. Then dip in granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar, until well coated. Or serve with thick dipping chocolate, recipe below, if desired, or use a brand of a packaged type of thick chocolate from Spain (which is gluten free).
- After churros are cooked and very slightly cooled to handle easily, dip each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Chocolate for dipping (Spanish Style) – optional
- In a microwave safe ramekin or small bowl, melt chocolate with cream and milk, then stir until smooth and creamy. Set aside while frying your churros.