Sourdough Churros With Chocolate Sauce – Easy Same-Day Recipe
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Sourdough Churros are one of the best things you can make with leftover discard. The outside fries up golden and crispy, the inside stays soft and tender, and while they’re still hot from the oil, roll them straight into the cinnamon sugar so it sticks to every inch of the outside. The sourdough discard adds just enough tang to make them taste a little different from the churros you’d grab at a fair, and honestly, better. Want something else that’s just as good and easy to make? Try these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.
The dough starts on the stovetop and comes together quickly, but plan ahead because it needs at least 2 hours in the fridge before you fry it. Serve these homemade churros warm on their own or dip them in the chocolate sauce recipe included below.
Quick Look: Sourdough Churros
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Fermentation Time: 10 hours
- Bake Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 11 hours
- Servings: 9-inch focaccia, about 12 slices
- Calories: ~347 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Lightly sweet and tangy with a soft, airy crumb, bursting with juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor. Finished with a buttery, crumbly streusel and a fresh citrus glaze, it has a bakery-style balance of fluffy focaccia and sweet muffin-like richness.
- Difficulty: Intermediate – It’s not hard, but there are a few moving parts. You’ll be working with a higher hydration sourdough dough and adding layers like the streusel and glaze, so it helps to have a little baking experience under your belt. Totally doable if you’ve made focaccia or sourdough before!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Churros Recipe
- Great flavor-Each fried churro is coated in cinnamon sugar on the outside, and the sourdough discard adds a subtle tang to the dough that you won’t get from the churros at Disney or your local Mexican restaurant. This Sourdough Tres Leches Cake is another Latin-inspired sourdough treat your guests will love just as much.
- You’ll love those ridges-They come from pressing the dough through a star-shaped piping tip and run the full length of the churro. Once they hit the hot oil, those little grooves crisp up beautifully and catch every bit of the cinnamon sugar coating. These Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts have the same soft, tender crumb and are just as easy to make with leftover discard.
- Easier Than You Think-The recipe uses simple ingredients and the dough comes together on the stovetop in about 20 minutes, then goes into the fridge for at least 2 hours before frying. The actual frying goes really fast, about a minute per side. Start the dough in the morning and you’ll be frying churros in about 2.5 hours. If you love fried sourdough treats, these Sourdough Funnel Cakes are just as easy and just as fun to make.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Water – Combined with the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in the saucepan to start the dough.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Sugar – I used white sugar, but cane or coconut sugar work well as substitutes.
- Salt – Any unrefined salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s Unrefined Salt for the extra minerals.
- Vanilla – For the best flavor, go for pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sourdough Starter Discard – For sweet treats like these homemade churros, use sourdough discard no older than 2 weeks.
- Eggs: You will need up to 3 large eggs, but you may only need 2. Add them one at a time and stop when the dough is thick, smooth, and glossy, and slowly drops off the paddle in one thick piece.
- Cinnamon – The star of the cinnamon sugar coating.
How to Make Sourdough Churros
Prepare the Dough
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a small rolling boil.
- Once the butter has fully melted, pull the pot off the heat and immediately add the flour and sourdough discard to the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully incorporated, about 30 to 60 seconds. Put the pot back on the heat and keep stirring until you get a smooth dough ball, about another 30 to 60 seconds.
- Pull the pot off the heat and let the homemade churros dough cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- While the dough is cooling, mix the sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small bowl to form the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set it aside.
- Move the churros dough into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix in one egg at a time on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Stop adding eggs when the dough is thick, smooth, and glossy, and slowly drops off the paddle in one thick piece.
- Transfer the sourdough churros dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. This is the pastry tip and bag I use, and it works really well for me.
Fry the Sourdough Churros
- After at least 2 hours, heat 6 cups of vegetable oil in a large pot over high heat until it reaches 370°F. I used the Candy Thermometer to keep the temperature steady.
- Once the oil is at 370°F, pipe 4-inch logs directly into the oil and cut the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry 3-4 churros at a time, about a minute per side, until each side is golden brown.
- Pull the fried churros out of the oil and set them on a paper towel to drain. While they are still hot, roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture until it is evenly coated. Serve warm on their own or with the chocolate dipping sauce.
Make the Creamy Chocolate Sauce
- Chop the chocolate and place it in a small bowl. Warm the heavy cream over low heat in a small saucepan or in the microwave, being careful not to let it boil. Pour the warm heavy cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
Serve
- Sourdough churros are best served warm, right after they’ve been rolled in the cinnamon sugar. I love serving mine with the homemade chocolate sauce in this recipe because it’s rich, creamy, and takes about 5 minutes to make. Dulce de leche and vanilla sauce are two other dipping options that are just as good with these churros.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Don’t just dump all the eggs in at once—add them one at a time and stop when the dough looks thick and glossy and peels off the paddle in one slow, heavy piece. A lot of times two eggs is all you need.
- The fridge rest is non-negotiable—give the churro dough at least 2 hours to chill out in the fridge to keep it from falling apart when it hits the hot oil.
- Get a candy thermometer and actually use it — the oil needs to be at 370°F. Too low and they turn out greasy. Too high and the outside gets burned before the inside even cooks.
- Roll them in the cinnamon sugar straight out of the oil—wait too long and the sugar won’t stick.
How to Store
Sourdough churros are at their best fresh out of the oil. As they cool, the exterior will soften, the texture will change, and they’ll taste more like a sourdough churro doughnut at that point. But they’re still good. If you have leftover churros, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. When you feel like eating some, pop them in a 375°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp up the outside again without drying out the inside.
Sourdough Churros FAQs
Yes. Add the churro dough to a ziplock bag and cut off one of the bottom corners. Pipe the dough straight into the oil the same way you would with a piping bag. The churros won’t have the classic ridges, but they will taste just as good. You could even spoon the dough directly into the hot oil for more of a sourdough churro doughnut experience if you like.
The dough is ready when it’s thick, smooth, and glossy and slowly drops off the paddle in one thick piece. You may only need 2 of the 3 eggs, so add them one at a time and check the consistency after each one.
The oil needs to be at 370°F before you start frying. Use a candy thermometer to check and maintain the temperature. If the oil is too cool, the churros will absorb too much oil and come out greasy. And if it’s too hot, they’ll brown on the outside before the inside’s cooked through.
Homemade chocolate sauce is a natural pairing, and dulce de leche and vanilla sauce are two other options that are just as good. If you love rich chocolate sourdough bakes, this Sourdough Guinness Chocolate Cake is worth the effort and time.
If you tried this Sourdough Churros recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Churros Recipe
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Ingredients
Sourdough Churros
- 120 grams water 1/2 cup
- 85 grams butter 6 Tablespoons
- 25 grams sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 2 grams vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
- 2 grams salt 1/4 teaspoon
- 70 grams all-purpose flour 1/2 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 2-3 large eggs
- 6 cups neutral frying oil
- 100 grams sugar 1/2 cup
- 4 grams cinnamon 2 teaspoons
Chocolate Sauce
- 120 grams heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup
- 270 grams chopped chocolate 1 cup
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Heat to medium-high and bring to a small rolling boil, stirring occasionally.120 grams water, 85 grams butter, 25 grams sugar, 2 grams salt, 2 grams vanilla extract
- Once all of the butter has melted, take the pot off the heat, then immediately add the flour and sourdough discard to the wet ingredients. With a wooden spoon, stir until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated (about 30-60 seconds). Return the pot to the heat to cook. Continue to stir the dough until a smooth ball of dough is formed (about 30-60 seconds).70 grams all-purpose flour, 120 grams sourdough discard
- Remove the dough from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
- While the dough is cooling, prepare the cinnamon-sugar mixture by combining the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.100 grams sugar, 4 grams cinnamon
- Move the dough to a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. On medium speed, mix one egg at a time into the dough. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl to evenly mix all of the ingredients. You may only need to add 2 of the 3 eggs to the dough. You know the dough is ready when it has a smooth consistency, is glossy, and slowly falls from the mixer, not plop from the whisks.This can also be done with a hand mixer.2-3 large eggs
- Transfer the Sourdough Churro dough into a pastry bag with a large tip (this one worked great!) and place in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- After at least 2 hours, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot on high heat until 370 degrees F. (I used this candy thermometer to regulate the temperature.)6 cups neutral frying oil
- Once the oil is hot, pipe about 4-inch logs into the hot oil, then cut it with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry about 3-4 Sourdough Churros at a time, until each side is golden brown (about a minute for each side).
- Remove the fried churros from the hot oil and place on a piece of paper towel. Then, quickly put each churro in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Mix until each Sourdough Churro is evenly coated.
- Serve warm alone or with a luscious chocolate sauce!
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Sauce
- Chop the chocolate and place it in a small bowl. Set aside.270 grams chopped chocolate
- Warm the heavy cream on low heat in a small saucepan or in the microwave. (Be careful not to let it boil.) Pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 1 minute, then stir to combine until smooth. Enjoy!120 grams heavy whipping cream
Very yummy recipe. I left the batter, in the bag, closer to four hours and they came out great. Fun way to use up some discard. Thank you for this recipe
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe as well! Thank you so much for sharing!
Perfect recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie!
I’m trying to limit vegetable oil and other seed oils. Can you do this using coconut oil or some other option?
Hi K’Leigh! Coconut oil or avocado oil would be great substitutes!
Is there a way to make them less mushy?
Hi Theresa! Sorry to hear the churros were mushy. This most likely happened due to the frying oil being too hot. If the oil is above 370 degrees F, the outside will look done, but the inside will be undercooked. I highly recommend using a candy thermometer – that way you can keep the oil perfectly at 370 degrees F.