Yes, you can make churros in an air fryer — and they come out crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, with far less oil than deep frying. Air fryer churros use the exact same choux-style dough as traditional churros, piped directly into the air fryer basket and cooked at 375°F for about 10–12 minutes. This method cuts oil use by over 80% while still delivering the cinnamon-sugar crunch churro fans love.
Why Make Churros in an Air Fryer?
Traditional churros are deep fried in a pot of hot oil — delicious, but messy, oil-intensive, and requiring constant attention to temperature. Air fryer churros solve all of that. You get crispy, golden churros with just a quick spritz of cooking spray, no splattered oil on the stove, and a much easier cleanup. The air fryer also gives you more consistent results: every churro cooks evenly without the risk of one side scorching while the other is still pale.
Air fryer churros are also a great option for health-conscious bakers. A typical serving of deep-fried churros contains around 300–400 calories depending on oil absorption. Air fryer churros clock in at roughly 150–180 calories per serving — a meaningful reduction without sacrificing flavor. If you’re comparing methods, check out our full guide on Easy Homemade Churros for the classic deep-fried version side by side.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Churros
This recipe uses classic choux pastry dough — the same base used in éclairs, cream puffs, and traditional churros. The combination of water, butter, flour, and eggs creates a dough that puffs and crisps beautifully in the circulating hot air of the fryer.
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cooking spray (avocado or canola oil works best)
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (for tossing)
Optional dipping sauces: chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, dulce de leche. For ideas on what to fill or dip churros with, see our Churro Filling Recipe guide covering 5 of the best options.
How to Make Air Fryer Churros — Step by Step
Step 1: Make the Choux Dough
Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally to melt the butter completely. The moment it boils, reduce heat to medium and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a smooth ball — about 1–2 minutes. This step cooks out the raw flour taste and builds the starchy structure that makes churros crisp.
Remove the pan from heat and let the dough cool for 5 minutes. This is important: if the dough is too hot when you add the eggs, they’ll scramble. You want it warm but not steaming.
Step 2: Add the Eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition. The dough will look like it’s separating at first — keep stirring and it will come back together into a smooth, shiny paste. Add the vanilla extract with the final egg. The finished dough should be thick enough to hold a peak but soft enough to pipe — it should fall from a spoon in a slow, thick ribbon. If using a stand mixer, the paddle attachment on medium speed works perfectly here.
Step 3: Pipe the Churros
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (a 1M or 6B tip gives the classic ridged churro shape). The ridges aren’t just decorative — they increase surface area, which means more crunch. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C) for 3 minutes. Line the basket with parchment paper cut to fit, or use a perforated air fryer parchment liner. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
Pipe churros directly into the basket in straight lines, about 4–5 inches long. Leave at least ½ inch of space between each churro — they’ll puff slightly during cooking. Aim for 6–8 churros per batch depending on your air fryer size. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray before cooking. If you don’t have a piping bag, see our tips in How to Make Churros Without a Piping Bag for a ziplock bag method that works just as well.
Step 4: Air Fry
Air fry at 375°F for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway through at the 6-minute mark using tongs. The churros should be deep golden brown and firm to the touch. Don’t open the air fryer during the first 6 minutes — premature opening drops the temperature and can cause the churros to deflate or stay soggy in the center, similar to how opening the oven door too early affects a cake (a principle covered in detail in our post on Why Did My Cake Sink in the Middle?).
Every air fryer runs slightly differently. Check your first batch at 10 minutes — if they’re golden brown, they’re done. If still pale, add 1–2 more minutes. After a batch or two you’ll dial in the exact time for your specific appliance.
Step 5: Coat in Cinnamon Sugar
While the churros are still hot, brush or toss them with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. The melted butter helps the cinnamon sugar adhere and adds that classic rich flavor. Work quickly — the coating sticks best when the churros are warm. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl wide enough to roll a churro in, and coat each one generously.
Air Fryer Churros Tips and Tricks
These small adjustments make a big difference between good and great air fryer churros:
- Use a star tip for ridges. The ridged surface creates more crunch. A plain round tip produces churros that are smooth and softer — still tasty, but not the classic texture.
- Don’t skip preheating. A preheated air fryer gives you an immediate blast of heat that starts crisping the exterior right away. Cold-start cooking produces a softer, less crispy result.
- Spray generously. The cooking spray replaces the oil bath of deep frying. A good coating on top and on the parchment below is essential for browning. Don’t be shy with the spray.
- Room temperature eggs. Cold eggs lower the dough temperature and can affect how the dough puffs. Pull your eggs out 30 minutes before you start.
- Work in batches. Overcrowding the basket blocks airflow and leads to uneven cooking. Space is your friend in the air fryer.
- Flip at the midpoint. Churros need to be flipped for even browning. The bottom tends to brown faster because it sits on the heated surface; flipping ensures the top gets equally crisp.
Serving Suggestions and Dipping Sauces
Classic churros are traditionally served with thick hot chocolate for dipping — this is the authentic Spanish preparation, where churros are dunked into dense, almost pudding-like chocolate. But there are plenty of modern twists worth trying:
- Dark chocolate ganache — melt equal parts heavy cream and dark chocolate, let cool slightly until thick
- Dulce de leche — rich South American caramel with a deeper, slightly tangy sweetness than regular caramel
- Caramel sauce — see how we use it in our Caramel Churros Recipe
- Cream cheese dip — mix softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla for a cheesecake-style dip
- Matcha white chocolate sauce — a modern twist inspired by our Matcha Churros Recipe
Variations and Flavor Upgrades
Once you have the base dough down, the variations are almost endless. The choux dough is neutral enough that it accepts flavor additions easily:
- Cinnamon dough: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon directly to the dough for a double cinnamon hit.
- Vanilla sugar coating: Mix ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla bean paste into the cinnamon sugar for a fragrant twist.
- Chocolate churros: Replace 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of Dutch-process cocoa powder for a chocolate base.
- Spiced churros: Add a pinch of cayenne or cardamom to the cinnamon sugar coating for a spiced version popular in some Mexican bakeries.
- Filled air fryer churros: After cooking, insert a small piping tip into the end of each churro and fill with pastry cream, Bavarian cream, or dulce de leche. See our Churro Filling Recipe for all five classic filling options.
Storage and Reheating
Air fryer churros are at their absolute best fresh — within 20 minutes of coming out of the air fryer. Like all fried or air-fried pastries, they soften as they cool and the cinnamon sugar absorbs moisture from the dough. That said, here’s how to handle leftovers:
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day. They’ll soften but remain tasty.
- Reheat in the air fryer: 350°F for 3–4 minutes restores much of the original crispiness. Far better than microwaving, which makes them chewy and soft.
- Freeze the dough, not the cooked churros: Pipe raw dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-lock bag. Cook from frozen at 375°F for 14–15 minutes. This is the best way to have fresh churros on demand.
Air Fryer vs. Deep Fried Churros: Which Is Better?
This is the question every churro lover asks. The honest answer: both are great, but for different reasons.
Deep fried churros have a slightly more pronounced crunch from the full oil immersion, a richer flavor from the fat, and cook faster — about 2–3 minutes per batch versus 10–12 in the air fryer. According to Serious Eats’ guide to the science of frying, the rapid heat transfer of hot oil creates a distinct crust formation that circulating hot air can approximate but not fully replicate.
Air fryer churros win on convenience, lower mess, significantly less oil, and overall health profile. For weeknight churros, batch making for a group, or when you don’t want to deal with a pot of hot oil, the air fryer is the clear practical choice. The difference in texture is noticeable but minor — most people who taste air fryer churros blind can’t definitively identify them as “not fried.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make churros in an air fryer without a piping bag?
Yes. A large ziplock bag with one corner snipped off works as a piping bag substitute. You won’t get the star-tip ridges, but the churros will still cook properly. For step-by-step instructions on the ziplock method, see our full guide on How to Make Churros Without a Piping Bag. You can also roll the dough into logs by hand if the dough is chilled enough to handle, though this takes more patience.
Why are my air fryer churros not crispy?
The most common causes are: not preheating the air fryer, skipping the cooking spray, overcrowding the basket, or not cooking long enough. Airflow is essential for crispiness — if churros are packed in, the air can’t circulate properly. Also make sure the dough is the right consistency: too loose (too many eggs or not enough cooking of the base dough) produces a soft result. The dough should hold a stiff peak when piped and not spread or droop.
What temperature should I air fry churros at?
375°F (190°C) is the sweet spot for most air fryers. Higher than that and the exterior browns before the interior cooks through; lower and you lose crispiness. Some basket-style air fryers with stronger heating elements can run 10–15°F hot, so if your churros are browning very quickly in the first few minutes, drop to 360°F. Always preheat your air fryer for at least 3 minutes before adding the churros.
Can I make air fryer churros ahead of time?
For best results, make the dough ahead and pipe it, then freeze the raw churros. Cook from frozen when ready to serve. Fully cooked churros can be stored at room temperature and reheated in the air fryer at 350°F for 3–4 minutes, but freshly made is always superior. The freeze-the-dough method is especially practical if you’re making churros for a party — you can prep everything days in advance and just cook to order.
Are air fryer churros vegan?
Standard churro dough contains eggs and butter, so it is not vegan. For a vegan version, substitute the butter with coconut oil or vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), and replace the eggs with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water per egg, let sit for 5 minutes). The texture will be slightly different — less airy and rich — but the churros will still cook well in the air fryer and taste great with cinnamon sugar coating.