Air-Fried Chocolate Lovers' Churros Recipe

Classic churros are beloved for their irresistibly crisp exterior, tender interior, and that delicious coating of cinnamon sugar. If you love classic churros, and also chocolate, these air-fried chocolate churros from recipe developer Jessica Morone are about to become your new favorite dessert. They're everything you love about classic churros, but with a rich chocolate twist and none of the deep-frying mess. 

Thanks to the air fryer, you can achieve that satisfying crunch with a fraction of the effort and no need for a pot of hot oil. This recipe delivers big flavor with an easy, approachable method. The magic of the air fryer lies in its ability to circulate hot air around the food, creating a crispy outer layer while keeping the inside soft and tender, which is perfect for churros. And to take things to the next level for all the chocolate lovers out there, these churros come with a rich chocolate ganache dipping sauce in addition to the chocolate dough and cocoa cinnamon sugar. The ganache is smooth, decadent, and exactly what you want to dunk a warm chocolate churro into. The combo of crisp chocolate churros and creamy ganache makes this dessert feel extra indulgent, without being overly complicated.

This recipe consists of the churros themselves, a cocoa cinnamon sugar to dip them in, and a chocolate ganache dipping sauce. For the churros, you will need water, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, salt, flour, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla extract. For the cinnamon sugar mixture, you will need more granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. For the dipping sauce you will use warm heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and unsalted butter. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt.

Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Add flour and cocoa powder to the saucepan and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together.

Remove the pan from heat and transfer the dough to a medium mixing bowl. Let cool for 8 minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Beat until the dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a large piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped tip and pipe 4-inch churros onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze the churros on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the air fryer to 370 F.

Carefully transfer churros to your air fryer basket or trays and air fry them (in batches if necessary) for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are crispy.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.

Roll warm churros in the sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the fryer. Set aside.

Add the warm heavy cream, chocolate chips, and butter to a medium bowl and mix until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Serve warm churros with the chocolate dipping sauce as desired.

If you don't have an air fryer, but still want to make delicious churros, fear not — there are still a few ways to make this recipe work. One option is baking them in the oven. Preheat your oven to 400 F and pipe the churro dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake for 18 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway through. For this method, you can skip putting them in the freezer because they can bake right on the baking sheet. They won't get quite as crispy as air-fried churros, but they'll still be crisp and puffy with a soft interior. 

Another method is pan-frying in a shallow layer of oil. This gives them a more traditional crisp texture, closer to deep-fried churros, but without needing a deep fryer or as much oil. Fry for a few minutes per side over medium heat until deeply golden. Of course, there's also the classic deep fry method, which gives the crispiest results, though it requires more oil and cleanup. The main differences across methods comes down to texture. Air-fried and baked churros are lighter, while pan-or deep-fried ones will be richer and crispier.

For the best air-fried chocolate churros, you'll want to focus on technique and dough consistency. The dough should be thick but pipeable. If it's too stiff, add a splash of water or milk to thin it out. For piping, use a heavy-duty piping bag with a large star tip to pipe consistent churros that have the classic churro shape. To make sure they cook perfectly in your air fryer, you want to aim for even thickness so they cook uniformly. 

Chill the piped churros in the freezer before air frying to help them hold their shape, otherwise it will be to hard to put them in your air-fryer basket.  Air fry in small batches to avoid overcrowding the basket, as this restricts air circulation and leads to uneven texture. Let them rest a minute or two after frying to firm up slightly before coating. These small technical steps, precise dough texture, proper piping, chilling, and spacing are key to getting that perfect crisp exterior and soft, chocolatey interior in your air-fried churros.