Filled Churros (with Vanilla Pastry Cream)

These homemade filled churros are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, coated in a sweet cinnamon sugar mixture and filled with smooth, creamy vanilla pastry cream. Each bite gives you the perfect balance of crunch and rich, velvety filling, making it an irresistible dessert for any occasion.

What makes this recipe even better is how simple it is to make using basic pantry ingredients. You don’t need any special tools or complicated techniques just a few easy steps and you’ll have bakery-style churros right at home. For an even better texture, you can freeze the piped dough before frying to achieve a more defined shape and extra crispiness.

These churros are perfect for serving warm with coffee or tea, as a comforting snack, or as a crowd-pleasing dessert for family and friends. Whether you’re craving something sweet, nostalgic, or just want to try a fun homemade treat, this recipe is a must-try. Once you make them, they’ll quickly become one of your favorite go-to desserts! 😍

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Chill Time (pastry cream): 1–2 hours

Total Time: ~1 hour 40 minutes

Makes: 12–15 filled churros (depending on size)

Ingredients

Churros Dough:

• 1 cup water
• 3 ½ tbsp butter (or margarine)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
• 1 large egg
• Vegetable oil (for frying)
• Cinnamon Sugar:
• ½ cup granulated sugar (or palm sugar, finely ground)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (adjust to taste)

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Churros:

1. In a saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil until the butter melts.
2. Turn off the heat and add the flour. Stir quickly until combined.
3. Turn the heat back to low and cook the dough, stirring continuously until smooth and slightly elastic. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
4. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. The dough will be thick (not as soft as cream puff dough).
5. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
6. Heat oil over medium heat. Pipe the dough directly into the hot oil (or pipe onto a tray first, freeze briefly, then fry for a neater shape).
7. Fry until golden brown. Remove and drain.
8. While still warm, coat with cinnamon sugar.
9. Fill the center with vanilla pastry cream using a piping bag.

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

1. In a heatproof bowl, mix 3 tbsp milk (taken from the 1 cup), egg yolks, and cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk with sugar until it just begins to boil and the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat.
3. Slowly pour some of the hot milk into the egg mixture while stirring quickly (this prevents scrambling). Then pour everything back into the saucepan.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat.
5. While still hot, add butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
6. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Chill in the fridge.
7. Before using, whisk until smooth again. Transfer to a piping bag and fill the churros.

Notes

• Freezing the piped dough before frying helps create a cleaner shape.
• Adjust cinnamon sugar to your preference.
• Best served warm for maximum crispiness 😍
• The pastry cream is intentionally not too sweet, since the churros are already coated in cinnamon sugar.

🍩 Filled Churros with Vanilla Cream

Ingredients

Churros Dough:

• 1 cup water
• 3 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Cinnamon Sugar:

• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Churros:

1. Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt until melted.
2. Add flour and mix quickly until combined.
3. Cook on low heat until smooth, then let cool slightly.
4. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
5. Transfer to piping bag.
6. Pipe into hot oil and fry until golden.
7. Coat with cinnamon sugar.
8. Fill with pastry cream.

Vanilla Cream:

1. Mix 3 tbsp milk, egg yolks, and cornstarch.
2. Heat remaining milk with sugar until hot.
3. Slowly mix into egg mixture, then return to pan.
4. Cook until thick while stirring.
5. Add butter and vanilla.
6. Chill, then whisk before use.

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