Why Churros Might Just Be the Dessert of Summer

What’s old is new. Even though churros have been savored for centuries, they’re certainly having a renaissance this summer. By the way, food historians are a bit fuzzy about the origins of the churro, but many believe the cinnamon-sugar-dusted fried dough sticks were first developed in Portugal, Spain, or China, then brought to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors during the 1500s.

Now a staple at many state fairs and beach boardwalk food stands, churros have been among our favorite summer snacks since we were kids. (National Churro day is June 6 for a reason, after all.) But thanks to a whole new cast of products, restaurant menu items, and buzzy social media recipes, a churro food trend is brewing; shining an even brighter spotlight on the cinnamon-sugar sticks.

So press pause on all things PSL until fall officially begins. (And please don’t rush us, Starbucks, August is still summer!) Summer is the season for churros, and here are 10 homemade churro recipes, a few mouthwatering new menu items, and several churro-inspired products you can buy to help spice up your life.

The Best New Churro Restaurant Menu Items to Try

If you’d rather outsource the churro recipe duties, seek out these unique menu items. Since they’re brand-new for this year, you’ll be among the first to try them!

Dairy Queen Churro Dip

Now that butterscotch and cherry dip have both been retired at most Dairy Queen locations (RIP!), there’s room on the Dairy Queen menu for a new ice cream cone option. New for summer 2023, you can now get your chocolate, vanilla, or twist cone dunked in a churro-flavored dip, then dusted in cinnamon-sugar.

Burger King Churro Fries

Available as a test menu item at select locations, this Burger King dessert looks a lot like they’re typical fries, but instead of potatoes, they’re made with fried strips of dough. And as a stand-in for the salt, these fries are dusted in cinnamon-sugar.

Hamilton Pork Churro Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich

As soon as we saw the teaser photo on this Jersey City, New Jersey restaurant’s Instagram, we were searching for tickets to a flight to the nearest airport (Newark, BTW), so we could jet in to try one. Until we can make that a reality, we’ll be heading to the Test Kitchen to try to recreate Hamilton Pork’s dessert menu masterpiece, which includes scoops of dulce de leche stuffed between two churro-inspired Belgian waffles.

Churrero Churreggo

Available while supplies last every other Saturday throughout summer at New York City’s IXV Coffee, these unique savory churros are the genius work of Churrero, a pop-up churro company. This brand-new menu item instantly tempted us with its savory, golden-brown fried dough churro “bun.” The cooks split that unconventional churro in half, then fill the breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, gochujang, and spinach. 

13 New Disneyland Churros

Kicking off on National Churro Day, and available all summer 2023, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney locations are offering even more churro flavor variations than usual. (In case you’re curious, here’s a guide to every churro you can eat at Disney parks in California, Florida, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo!) The 13 new-for-2023 churros include:

• Fruity Cereal Churro with sweetened condensed milk drizzle and fruity cereal topping.
• Powdered Sugar Churro with guava-cream cheese dipping sauce.
• Chai-spiced Churro coated in chai-spiced sugar and served with a coffee cream.
• Tropical Churro dusted in pineapple-flavored sugar and drizzled with coconut cream.
• Pineapple Churro sprinkled with pineapple-flavored sugar and paired with sweet pineapple-cream cheese dipping sauce.
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Strawberry Churro with Nutella and freeze-dried strawberries.
• S’mores Churro rolled in graham cracker sugar and garnished with marshmallow creme and chocolate pieces.
• Bacon PB&J Churro dusted in banana sugar, drizzled with peanut butter and jelly, and crowned with crispy bacon.
• Cosmic Disturbance Churro drizzled with blue curacao icing and served with freeze-dried Skittles and Pop Rocks.
• Spicy Chile-Cheese Churro covered with chile-lime sugar and crushed spicy cheese chips and served alongside nacho cheese sauce and crushed spicy cheese chips.
• Strawberry Lemonade Churro with strawberry sugar, lemon sauce, and freeze-dried strawberries.
• French Toast Churro dusted with powdered sugar and served with breakfast syrup on the side.
• Strawberry Funnel Cake Bites showered with powdered sugar, drizzled with strawberry dessert topping, and finished with sprinkles.
  

Our Best Homemade Churro Recipes

If all this sweet talk has you craving churros right now, why not whip up a batch of homemade churros? If you go the DIY route, you’ll not only be able to choose your cooking method and customize the components, but you’ll also be able to infuse your entire home with the delightful aromas of fried dough and cinnamon-sugar.

If you’re craving something similar to classic fair or boardwalk churros, try our fried Cinnamon Churros, Air-Fried Churros with Chocolate Sauce, or these Mexican-style Anise Churros with Chocolate Sauce. 

You’ll perk up any party when you add a Fiesta-Ready Churro Bar to the game plan. This allows each guest to design their own perfect churro by selecting from one of four glazes. Stuffed Churro Puffs, Churro Cupcakes, Cinnamon Churro Snack Mix, and Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches also score rave reviews when we take them to festivities.

There’s no need to wait until dessert, though. Enjoy churros in the a.m. with these ideal-for-brunch Chocolate-Stuffed Churro French Toast Hearts and Fried Churro Apple Rings.

New Churro Products to Add to Your Wishlist 

There are also a wealth of options for churro-inspired products that you can eat, sip, or share as food gifts.

To Eat

• Best Churro Chocolate: Compartés Churros and Horchata Chocolate Bar 
• Best Churro Gelato: Talenti Salted Chocolate Churro Pairings Gelato
• Best Caramel Churro Dessert: Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Churro Ice Cream
• Best Churro Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Churray for Churro
• Best Churro Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal
• Best Churro Candy Bar: Kit Kat Churro Candy Bar
• Best Churro for Breakfast: Krusteaz Cinnamon Churro Waffle Mix

To Drink

• Best Churro-Flavored Tea: Adagio Tea Churro Tea
• Best Churro Coffee: Copper Cow Coffee Churro Latte
• Best Churro Coffee Creamer: International Delights Cinnamon Churro Coffee Creamer
• Best Churro-Infused Alcohol: Gran Malo Churro-Flavored Tequila
• Best Churro Beer: Boulevard Brewing Co. Churro Grande Imperial Brown
  

Now that you know where to find all things churro, it's time to take part in the churro food trend fun, try one of our churro recipes, restaurant menu recommendations, or products you can buy to savor more cinnamon-sugar.