There's a churro stand at our state fair that only opens once the weather turns cold.
You smell it before you see it, cinnamon sugar and hot oil drifting across the parking lot.
I've stood in that line in a wind that went straight through my jacket.
Worth it every single time.
Last November I got tired of waiting for fair season and started working on my own version at home.
The twist came out of my fridge, half a roasted sweet potato left over from Sunday dinner.
Sweet potato makes the inside softer and a little custardy, and it gives the dough a deep orange color you notice the second it hits the oil.
My wife called them the best thing I made all fall, and she does not hand that out easily.
I cook the sweet potato in milk infused with a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves, so the spice goes all the way through the dough instead of sitting on the outside.
Then they fry until the ridges go dark gold, get rolled in cinnamon sugar, and land in a bowl of warm dark chocolate.
Make a batch on a cold night and you'll understand why I stopped driving out to the fairgrounds.
Ingredients You'll Need
Everything here is pantry basics plus one sweet potato. The spiced milk is where most of the flavor comes from, so don't skip the whole spices.
- Sweet potatoes (1 lb, peeled and cubed). Cut them small so they cook fast and mash smooth. Any orange-fleshed variety works, and a garnet or jewel sweet potato gives the best color.
- Whole milk (½ cup). The cooking liquid for the sweet potato. Whole milk gives the dough richness, so skip the skim here.
- Cinnamon stick (1 whole). Simmers in the milk and perfumes the whole batch. Ground cinnamon in the dough is not the same thing.
- Whole cloves (4). Just four. Cloves get bossy fast, and four is enough to add warmth without taking over.
- All-purpose flour (¾ cup). Measured by spooning it into the cup and leveling off. Packed flour makes the dough stiff and the churros dense.
- Egg (1 medium) plus egg yolks (3). The extra yolks are the secret to a rich, custardy interior. This is a real egg dough, and the eggs do the lifting.
- Vegetable oil (about 6 cups, for frying). Any neutral high-heat oil. I use vegetable or canola, and peanut oil works beautifully too.
- Granulated sugar (½ cup). For the coating. Regular white sugar clings better than coarse sugar.
- Ground cinnamon (1 tablespoon). Mixed into the coating sugar. Fresh cinnamon matters more than you'd think, so check the date on that jar.
How to Make Sweet Potato Churros
The dough comes together on the stovetop in one saucepan. It's closer to a choux dough than a batter, and it needs to cool a bit before the eggs go in.
Step 1: Infuse the Milk
Combine the ½ cup whole milk, the cinnamon stick, and the 4 whole cloves in a medium saucepan.
Bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, then cut the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Your kitchen will start smelling like a Mexican bakery. That's the point.
Step 2: Cook the Sweet Potato
Add the cubed sweet potato to the spiced milk along with enough water to just cover.
Simmer over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, until a fork slides through a cube with no resistance.
Fish out the cinnamon stick and the cloves, then drain, saving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
Mash the sweet potato until it's completely smooth, or run it through a ricer if you have one.
Pro tip: Lumps in the mash become lumps in the dough, and lumps in the dough clog a piping tip.
Step 3: Build the Dough
Return the mash to the pan over low heat and stir in the ¾ cup flour all at once.
Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a rough ball.
Scrape it into a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
This cooling step is non-negotiable. Add eggs to a hot dough and you get sweet potato scrambled eggs.
Step 4: Add the Eggs
Beat in the whole egg first, then the 3 yolks one at a time.
The dough will look broken and slippery after each addition, and it will come back together. Keep going.
You want a dough that holds a soft peak and falls slowly off the spoon. If it's stiff, add the reserved spiced cooking liquid a teaspoon at a time.
Step 5: Fry
Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 360°F.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
Pipe 3-inch lengths directly over the oil and snip them off with kitchen shears.
Fry 4 or 5 at a time for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the ridges are dark gold and crisp.
Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper traps warmth and softens the crust you just worked for.
Step 6: Coat
Whisk the ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon in a shallow dish.
Roll each churro while it's still hot so the sugar sticks.
Wait too long and the coating slides right off. Ask me how I know.
Cacao Dipping Sauce
A good chocolate dip takes four minutes and one small saucepan. Thick enough to coat, thin enough to actually dip into.
- Dark chocolate (4 oz, chopped). Somewhere between 60 and 70 percent cacao. Chocolate chips have stabilizers that keep the sauce from going smooth, so chop a real bar.
- Heavy cream (½ cup). Warmed until it just warms up, never boiled.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (1 teaspoon). Deepens the color and the flavor.
- Pinch of salt. Makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate.
Warm the cream until bubbles form at the edge, pour it over the chopped chocolate, and let it sit for 2 minutes before stirring.
Whisk in the cocoa and the salt until the sauce is glossy and smooth.
Too thick? Add a tablespoon of warm milk. It loosens right up.
Tips for Frying Churros Successfully
Almost every churro failure traces back to oil temperature or dough consistency. Get those two right and the rest is easy.
- Use a thermometer. 360°F is the number. Below 340°F they drink oil and go greasy, above 380°F the outside burns before the inside sets.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding the pot drops the temperature 20-30 degrees instantly. Four or five at a time, and let the oil recover between batches.
- Use a real star tip. Those ridges are not decoration. They add surface area that crisps, and a round tip gives you a soft, doughy tube instead.
- Don't overwork the dough. Once the eggs are in, stop stirring. Extra beating develops gluten and makes the churros tough and chewy.
- Snip, don't squeeze and drop. Kitchen shears held right at the tip give you a clean cut and even lengths.
- Fry the same day. This dough does not hold well overnight. It weeps liquid in the fridge and fries flat.
FAQ
What is the secret to a good churro dough?
Temperature control at two points. Cool the cooked flour mixture before adding eggs, and hold the frying oil at a steady 360°F. A dough that holds a soft peak and falls slowly off a spoon is exactly right, and one that stands up stiff needs a splash more liquid.
Can I use canned sweet potato for this recipe?
You can, but you'll lose the spiced-milk step that makes this version taste different from every other churro. If you go canned, use 1 cup of plain sweet potato puree, not the pie-filling kind, and simmer your milk with the cinnamon stick and cloves separately, then beat that infused milk into the puree.
What's the best dipping sauce for sweet potato churros?
Dark chocolate, and it isn't close. The bitterness cuts the sweetness of the coating in a way caramel can't. Dulce de leche is the runner-up if you want something sweeter, and a splash of coffee in the chocolate sauce is worth trying at least once.
Can these be baked instead of fried?
Honestly, no. This dough relies on hot oil to set the ridges and puff the interior. Baked at 400°F they come out pale, dense, and closer to a spoon-shaped biscuit. If frying isn't happening in your kitchen, make the baked sweet potato donuts instead.
Why did my churro dough fall apart when frying?
The dough was too loose, usually from too much liquid or an extra egg. Pipe a single test churro before committing the batch, and if it spreads or breaks up in the oil, stir in another tablespoon or two of flour and test again.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Not really. The dough holds for about an hour at room temperature and no longer. Refrigerated overnight it separates and the churros fry up flat and heavy. You can cook and mash the sweet potato a day ahead, which cuts the active time nearly in half.
Recipe
Sweet Potato Churros
Ingredients
For the Churros
- 1 lb sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 medium egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Cacao Dipping Sauce
- 4 oz dark chocolate 60 to 70 percent, chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Combine the milk, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, remove from the heat, and steep for 10 minutes.
- Add the cubed sweet potato and enough water to just cover. Simmer over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until a fork slides through with no resistance.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid, then mash the sweet potato completely smooth.
- Return the mash to the pan over low heat and stir in the flour all at once. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a rough ball.
- Scrape the dough into a bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the whole egg, then the yolks one at a time, until the dough holds a soft peak. Loosen with the reserved cooking liquid if needed.
Fry and Coat
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 360 degrees F.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe 3-inch lengths over the oil and snip them off with kitchen shears.
- Fry 4 or 5 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the ridges are dark gold and crisp. Drain on a wire rack.
- Whisk the sugar and ground cinnamon in a shallow dish and roll each churro while it is still hot.
Make the Cacao Dipping Sauce
- Warm the cream until bubbles form at the edge, then pour it over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until glossy and smooth. Thin with a tablespoon of warm milk if the sauce is too thick. Serve warm alongside the churros.
Notes
- Oil temperature: Hold at 360 degrees F. Below 340 the churros go greasy, above 380 the outside burns before the inside sets.
- Star tip only: The ridges add surface area that crisps. A round tip gives you a soft, doughy tube.
- Coat while hot: Cinnamon sugar slides off a cooled churro.
- Same-day dough: This dough weeps liquid in the fridge and fries flat the next day. Cook and mash the sweet potato ahead instead.
