Enjoy this classic dessert at home with this baked gluten-free churros recipe. Featuring a perfectly crispy exterior and a soft, tender interior, these choux pastry churros are finished with a warm and aromatic cinnamon-sugar coating.
Gluten-Free Churros Recipe
Traditionally, churros are fried and crispy, then rolled in cinnamon sugar, but I switched it up and baked them instead. I’m happy to say they’re just as delicious and still have the classic crispy exterior and the light and airy inside.
My not-so-secret ingredient in creating the desired light dough is to use a mixture of gluten-free flour and cornstarch. Cornstarch creates pockets of air inside the dough. The best part? You can enjoy 2 or 3 without feeling like you’ve overindulged in a heavy dessert!
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
- Check all of your ingredients to ensure they are gluten-free. Don’t forget to read the cross-contamination warnings on packages as well.
- It is important to weigh the flour so you add the right amount to the dough. Too much flour and the dough won’t stick together properly. Too little flour and the dough won’t hold its shape when piped.
- I used Cup4Cup for this recipe, which already includes xanthan gum.
Gluten-Free Churros
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (115 grams)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup gluten free flour, (140 grams) I use Cup4Cup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, only if your flour blend doesn’t already include it
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick baking spray. Set aside for now.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt together and whisk together until melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and whisk in gluten-free flour, cornstarch, and xanthan gum (if needed). Use a wooden spoon to stir, over low heat, until the mixture starts to come together into dough and is no longer sticking to the side of the saucepan. Remove the saucepan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes before moving on to the next step.
- Add the vanilla extract into the mixture with 1 egg. Stir until the egg is completely mixed into the dough. Then, stir in the second egg until it is completely combined. Then, stir in the third egg until completely combined. It’s important to only add in eggs 1 at a time.
- Add a Wilton 1M tip (or similar large star shape) to a large icing bag. Use a spatula to fill the icing bag with churro dough.
- Pipe churros onto the parchment paper and non-stick baking spray-lined baking sheet. Leave the churros at least 1-inch apart on the tray. Churros should be piped in straight lines and should be about 5 to 6 inches in length each.
- Lightly spray the tops of the churros with more non-stick baking spray.
- Place into the oven (only bake 1 sheet of churros at a time) and bake for 17 to 18 minutes or until the tops are just starting to lightly brown. Do not overbake as they could burn quickly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. If you try to toss them into the cinnamon sugar mixture right away, they will be too soft and they’ll break apart.
- Combine the coating ingredients (sugar and cinnamon) onto a large plate.
- Carefully roll each churro into the cinnamon sugar mixture to fully coat.
- If the cinnamon sugar mixture isn’t sticking well enough to the churros, you can lightly brush melted unsalted butter over the churros before rolling each into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Churros Step-by-Step
Gather all your ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 400°F: line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray it with non-stick baking spray. Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. In the saucepan, combine 1 cup water, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp light brown sugar (packed), and ¼ tsp salt. Whisk the ingredients together until melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
Turn the heat down to low and whisk in 1 cup gluten-free flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and ¼ tsp xanthan gum (if needed). Switch to a wooden spoon and mix until the ingredients start to form into a dough and no longer sticks to the side of the pan. Take off the heat and let the dough cool for 5 minutes before moving ahead in the recipe.
Once cooled, add in ½ tsp vanilla extract and 1 large egg. Stir until the egg is completely mixed in. Add another egg and stir until it’s completely combined. Stir in the 3rd egg and mix until completely combined.
Pipe churro dough: Grab a piping bag and add a Wilton 1M tip (or a similar large star-shaped tip). Fill the piping bag with churro dough using a spatula. Start piping churros on the line baking sheet. Pipe each churro in a straight line, 5-6 inches in length, and 1 inch apart.
Lightly spray the top of the churros with cooking spray.
Bake churros: Place the churros into the oven (only bake 1 baking sheet at a time if you’re using multiple) and bake for 17-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Be careful not to overcook. The churros will burn easily.
Make cinnamon sugar topping: Take the churros out of the oven, leaving them to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes. If you try to toss them into the cinnamon sugar mixture right away, they will be too soft and break apart. On a plate or small baking sheet, combine ½ cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon for the churro topping.
Carefully roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar topping until fully coated. Lightly brush the churros with unsalted butter if the sugar topping isn’t sticking.
Serve warm or at room temperature, enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
My kids love dipping their churros in a warm chocolate sauce. Sometimes, we’ll even do a churros and hot chocolate night! I also love eating these alone or with a fruity sauce like my strawberry reduction.
Storage Instructions
Store churros in a sealed food-safe container for up to 3 days at room temperature. They are best eaten fresh and will start to get a bit soggy on the second day.
