Imagine a warm, crispy, cinnamon-sugar coated treat that perfectly melts in your mouth, yet requires no deep-frying, no hot oil splatters, and no complicated dough. This dream becomes a delicious reality with these Easy Baked Churros! Crafted from simple puff pastry, a brush of melted butter, and a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar, these churros deliver all the beloved flavor and texture of their traditional counterparts without any of the fuss. They’re an absolute game-changer for quick desserts, unexpected cravings, or simply a sweet ending to any meal. Prepare to be delighted by how effortlessly you can bring this Spanish-inspired delicacy to your home kitchen, transforming ordinary ingredients into an extraordinary treat.
Discover the Easiest Churro-Inspired Delight
For anyone who adores churros but dreads the deep-frying process, this recipe is your new best friend. We’re talking about churros made effortlessly in your oven, achieving a wonderfully light and airy texture that’s simply irresistible. This method not only simplifies the cooking process but also results in a less greasy, equally delicious treat, making it a perfect light dessert after a hearty dinner. The magic here lies in the ingenious use of store-bought puff pastry, which eliminates the need for mixing, kneading, or piping a traditional churro dough. This convenience ensures that even novice bakers can achieve impressive results. You’ll be amazed at how quickly these come together and how challenging it is to stop at just one. This recipe was born from a continuous quest for simple, satisfying weeknight desserts that don’t compromise on flavor or indulgence, and it truly delivers. It’s so straightforward, you absolutely cannot mess it up, making it an ideal choice for impromptu sweet cravings or last-minute entertaining.
Pro Tips for Crafting Flawless Baked Churros
While this recipe is incredibly simple, a few helpful hints can ensure your baked churros turn out perfectly every single time. From preparing your puff pastry to mastering the delicate coating process, these tips are designed to make your churro-making journey smooth, efficient, and ultimately, delicious. Paying attention to these small details can elevate your homemade churros from good to truly exceptional.
- Thawing Your Puff Pastry: The Patience Pays Off. The only component of this recipe that demands a bit of waiting is allowing your frozen puff pastry to thaw. For best results, place the pastry sheet on your kitchen counter at room temperature. Depending on your kitchen’s warmth, this typically takes about 35-40 minutes. Resist the urge to rush this step by using a microwave or oven, as this can lead to uneven thawing and make the pastry sticky or difficult to work with. Properly thawed pastry is crucial for easy unfolding and cutting. A perfectly pliable sheet will prevent cracking and ensure even baking, leading to beautifully puffed churros that maintain their delicate layers.
- Fresh is Best, But Leftovers are Lovely. These baked churros are truly at their peak when enjoyed fresh out of the oven, while they are still warm and delightfully crispy. The melted butter and cinnamon-sugar coating adhere best to the warm pastry, and the texture is most tender and flaky. However, if you happen to have any leftovers, they can still be enjoyed at room temperature the next day. To maximize their freshness, make sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature. For a delightful revival, a quick zap in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or a few minutes in a toaster oven can help to bring back some of their warmth and crispness, though they may not be as flaky as fresh.
- Scaling Up Your Batch with Ease. Most standard boxes of puff pastry come conveniently packaged with two sheets. This recipe is specifically designed for a single sheet, yielding a perfect amount for a small family dessert, a cozy treat for two, or a modest snack. If you’re planning a party, hosting a larger gathering, or simply anticipate a high demand for these delectable bites, feel free to double the recipe and use both sheets. For optimal results and to ensure consistent baking and browning, it’s always best to bake only one sheet of churro strips at a time. Overcrowding the baking sheet can inhibit proper air circulation around each piece, potentially leading to unevenly baked or soggy churros.
- Explore Other Churro Adventures. If these baked churros ignite a passion for more churro creations and you’re curious about different preparation methods, we have other fantastic recipes for you to explore! For those who appreciate the classic, traditional deep-fried experience, offering that characteristic chewy interior and extra crispy exterior, be sure to check out our Homemade Churros recipe here. It provides a comprehensive guide to crafting authentic churros from scratch.
- Air Fryer Enthusiasts Rejoice! Looking for another quick and convenient method that doesn’t involve deep-frying but still delivers a satisfying crunch? Our Air Fryer Churro Bites recipe is a fantastic option. It’s perfect for a crispy, golden treat with significantly less oil, making it a popular choice for a lighter take on the classic. This method is quick, easy, and delivers delicious results that you’ll love.
- Achieving the Perfect Cinnamon Sugar Blend. The ratio of sugar to cinnamon is incredibly important for that quintessential churro taste. While the recipe provides a standard measurement that many find perfect, don’t hesitate to adjust it to your personal preference. Some individuals prefer a bolder, spicier cinnamon kick, while others enjoy a sweeter, more subtle flavor. You can easily add a little more cinnamon for intensity or a bit more sugar for increased sweetness. You can also experiment with different types of sugar, such as superfine sugar for an even coating, or a touch of brown sugar for a deeper, molasses-like note. A small pinch of nutmeg or cardamom can also add an exotic and intriguing twist to the classic flavor profile.
Simple Ingredients for an Extraordinary Treat
The true genius and beauty of these baked churros lies not only in their ease of preparation but also in their minimal ingredient list. You only need a handful of readily available pantry staples to create a dessert that tastes like it came directly from a gourmet bakery or a bustling street fair. Each ingredient, though simple, plays a crucial and specific role in achieving the perfect texture, flavor, and overall authentic churro experience.
- Puff Pastry: The Foundation of Flakiness. This frozen convenience item is undoubtedly the star of our recipe. It’s a culinary shortcut that dramatically reduces preparation time. When baked, its numerous delicate layers puff up beautifully, transforming into light, airy, and incredibly crispy churros with almost no effort. It brilliantly mimics the desirable flaky texture that can be challenging to achieve with traditional churro dough.
- Unsalted Butter: The Golden Bridge. Melted unsalted butter is an absolutely essential component for both enhancing the flavor and facilitating the coating process. It provides a rich, subtle, and creamy taste that complements the sweet and spicy cinnamon sugar. Most importantly, it acts as the perfect binding agent, ensuring that every single crack and surface of your baked churro is thoroughly coated in the delicious cinnamon sugar mixture, allowing it to adhere beautifully.
- Granulated Sugar: The Sweet Crisp. This is the primary component of our signature churro coating. Granulated sugar provides the necessary sweetness that balances the warmth of the cinnamon, and more importantly, contributes a delightful textural crunch. When combined with cinnamon and butter, it forms that irresistible crystalline shell that makes each bite incredibly satisfying and gives churros their iconic exterior.
- Ground Cinnamon: The Aromatic Heart. The quintessential churro spice, ground cinnamon, is what truly defines and elevates this dessert. Its warm, fragrant, and subtly spicy notes infuse our treats, creating the comforting and familiar aroma and taste that instantly transports you to a Spanish cafe or a festive fairground. High-quality cinnamon will make a noticeable difference in the overall flavor profile of your baked churros.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Irresistible Easy Baked Churros
Creating these delightful baked churros is an incredibly straightforward and enjoyable process, broken down into a few simple and manageable steps. Follow this comprehensive guide for a seamless baking experience and perfectly golden, wonderfully crispy, cinnamon-sugar coated treats every single time. Precision in each step ensures the best possible outcome.
- Prepare Your Baking Environment: Begin by preheating your oven to a robust 450°F (230°C). This high temperature is absolutely key to achieving that desirable crisp exterior and light puffiness on your puff pastry, much like flash-frying. While the oven heats up, prepare a standard large baking sheet by lining it generously with parchment paper. Parchment paper is crucial here, as it not only prevents the delicate pastry from sticking to the pan but also makes cleanup an absolute breeze, ensuring your churro strips can be easily removed once baked.
- Unfold the Puff Pastry: Carefully unroll your thawed puff pastry sheet onto a clean cutting board or a lightly floured counter surface. Ensure the pastry is fully thawed and pliable; it should unfold easily without tearing or cracking. Handling it gently is important to maintain its delicate, butter-rich layers, which are responsible for the churros’ flaky texture. If it feels too cold or stiff, let it sit for a few more minutes.
- Initial Horizontal Cut: Using a pizza cutter, which offers superior precision and ease for cleanly slicing through pastry without dragging, or a very sharp chef’s knife, make one clean horizontal cut directly across the puff pastry sheet. This strategic cut will effectively divide your pastry into two roughly equal rectangular halves. This step is a helpful preliminary to ensure all your churro strips have a consistent length.
- Create the Churro Strips: Next, proceed to make several vertical cuts into each of the pastry halves. Aim for strips that are approximately 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide. Consistency in width is important for ensuring that all your churros bake evenly and puff up similarly. These slender strips will expand and brown beautifully in the oven, taking on the elongated, appealing shape of traditional churros once baked.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: With utmost care and gentleness, transfer each puff pastry strip onto your prepared parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange them in a single layer, ensuring there is a slight space (at least half an inch) between each strip. This spacing is vital to allow for proper air circulation around each piece and expansion during baking, preventing them from steaming instead of crisping, and ensuring a consistent golden-brown finish on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan; if necessary, bake in batches.
- Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the churro strips have transformed into a beautiful, deep golden-brown color and are visibly puffed, light, and wonderfully crispy to the touch. Keep a close eye on them during the last few minutes, as baking times can vary slightly depending on the calibration of your oven.
- Prepare the Coating While Baking: As your churros are diligently baking away in the oven, take this perfect opportunity to prepare the two essential components for their irresistible coating: the melted butter and the aromatic cinnamon sugar mixture. This synchronization saves time and ensures everything is ready when the churros emerge from the oven.
- Melt the Butter: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter until it is completely liquid. This liquid butter will serve a dual purpose: adding a rich, delicate flavor to the churros and, most importantly, acting as the perfect adhesive for the cinnamon sugar, ensuring it clings beautifully to every surface.
- Combine Cinnamon Sugar: In a separate, wider, and shallow bowl (this shape will make rolling easier), combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Whisk them together thoroughly until the cinnamon is completely and evenly distributed throughout the sugar, creating a uniform, fragrant blend. This aromatic mixture is what gives churros their iconic and beloved signature flavor.
- Set Up for Coating: Lay out a fresh sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on your counter adjacent to your melted butter and cinnamon sugar bowls. This will provide a clean, non-stick surface for rolling your churros and catching any excess cinnamon sugar, significantly simplifying the cleanup process later.
- Dip Immediately After Baking: The moment your golden-brown, crispy churros emerge from the oven, piping hot and fragrant, they are ready for their flavorful coating. It’s absolutely crucial to dip them while they are still hot, as the residual warmth helps the melted butter and subsequent cinnamon sugar adhere most effectively and evenly to the flaky pastry.
- Butter Bath: Take each baked churro, one at a time, and lightly dip it into the bowl of melted butter. Ensure all sides are briefly and evenly coated. You’re not aiming to soak the churro; rather, a quick, light, and even dip will suffice to give the cinnamon sugar something sticky and delicious to cling to.
- Cinnamon Sugar Roll: Immediately after its butter bath, transfer the churro directly to the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Gently roll and spin the churro around, pressing it lightly into the mixture to ensure every single surface and crevice is generously coated with the fragrant sweet mixture. This dual-coating process is what imparts these baked churros with their authentic, irresistible taste and wonderful textural contrast. Continue this delightful and quick process until every single churro is beautifully coated and glistening, ready to be devoured.
Serving Suggestions & Delightful Variations
These easy baked churros are absolutely divine on their own, offering a perfect balance of flaky pastry, sweet sugar, and warm cinnamon. However, their simplicity also makes them a fantastic canvas for various dipping sauces and creative twists. Elevate your dessert experience with these suggestions, turning a simple treat into a gourmet delight tailored to any palate:
- Classic Chocolate Dip: A rich, velvety chocolate sauce is by far the most traditional and beloved accompaniment for churros. Whether it’s a simple melted dark chocolate ganache, a creamy milk chocolate dip, or a warm, thick, spiced Mexican hot chocolate sauce, the combination of crispy churro and decadent chocolate is simply heavenly and utterly irresistible.
- Caramel or Dulce de Leche: For those who prefer a buttery, deep, and supremely sweet alternative, a luscious caramel sauce or traditional dulce de leche makes an exquisite pairing. Its creamy texture and rich, slow-cooked dairy flavor beautifully complement the crisp churros, adding another layer of indulgent sweetness.
- Honey Drizzle: A light, golden drizzle of local honey adds a natural sweetness and a subtle floral note that can be surprisingly delightful and refreshing. It’s a simpler, yet equally satisfying, option that allows the churros’ inherent flavors to shine.
- Fruit Sauces: For a fresher, brighter dimension, consider serving your churros with a vibrant raspberry coulis, a sweet strawberry puree, or even a warm, spiced apple compote. The tartness of the fruit can cut through the sweetness of the churro, creating a wonderful balance.
- Spiced Sugar Blends: Don’t limit yourself to just cinnamon! Beyond the classic, experiment with adding a small pinch of other warm spices like nutmeg, allspice, or cardamom to your sugar mixture for an adventurous and intriguing kick. A tiny dash of chili powder can also add a subtle, exciting warmth, reminiscent of Mexican chocolate.
- Citrus Zest Infusion: For a bright and fragrant twist, finely grate some fresh orange or lemon zest directly into your cinnamon sugar mixture. The citrus oils will infuse the sugar with a lively aroma and a refreshing, zesty flavor that perfectly complements the warmth of the cinnamon.
- Ice Cream Pairing: For the ultimate dessert experience, serve your warm, freshly coated churros alongside a generous scoop of creamy vanilla bean ice cream. The delightful contrast of hot and cold, crispy and creamy, sweet and refreshing, is simply divine and makes for an unforgettable treat.
Craving More Irresistible Recipes?
If you’ve thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity, convenience, and deliciousness of these baked churros, then you’re definitely in for a treat! Our kitchen is always bustling with creative, easy-to-follow, and deeply satisfying recipes designed to bring joy and incredible flavors to your table. Explore some of our other popular and beloved creations that are perfect for any occasion, from festive celebrations to cozy family meals:
- Cinco De Mayo Recipes: A vibrant and delicious collection of dishes perfect for celebrating with flavor and flair.
- Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread: A warm, gooey, and utterly shareable delight that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a comforting dessert.
- Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars: A creamy, cinnamon-infused cheesecake with a delightfully flaky crust, offering a taste of Mexico in a convenient bar form.
- Homemade Churros: For the traditionalist who loves the authentic, deep-fried experience with that classic crispy exterior and soft interior.
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: A delightful combination of sweet and salty, these soft pretzels are coated in cinnamon sugar and are hard to resist.
- Sopapilla Bars: Another fantastic take on the popular Sopapilla flavor profile, these bars are incredibly easy to make and universally delicious.
Easy Baked Churros
Easy Baked Churros require no oil, no frying and no messy dough and still tastes amazing! Puff pastry, butter and cinnamon sugar are all you need!
Pin Recipe
Rate This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully unfold thawed puff pastry sheet and lay it out on a cutting board or counter.
- Make one horizontal cut across the puff pastry (using a pizza cutter or sharp knife).
- Then make several vertical cuts into the pastry until you have 1-inch wide strips.
- Carefully place the dough strips onto your parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.
- While the churros are baking, prepare your butter and cinnamon sugar.
- Melt butter in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Lay out some parchment paper or wax paper for coating.
- As soon as the churros come out of the oven, immediately begin dipping them.
- Dip each baked churro, one at a time, in the melted butter, coating all sides lightly.
- Then roll the butter-coated churro in the cinnamon sugar, ensuring all sides are generously coated. Continue until all churros are done.
Video
Notes
- This recipe uses one puff pastry sheet. If your box contains two sheets, you can double the recipe. Always bake one sheet at a time for best results.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 26g |
Protein: 2g |
Fat: 17g |
Sodium: 127mg |
Sugar: 12g
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!