Afternoon Tea Churros: Cinnamon Sugar Churros for Tea

I started making churros at home because the ones from the fairground never survive the drive back. This version goes on a tea table instead, with a pot of tea, a jar of strawberry jam and a bowl of clotted cream. It sounds fancy. It is really just a saucepan, a piping bag and about half an hour of frying.

The dough is a choux-style mix. You boil water with butter and vanilla, beat in flour, then beat in eggs one at a time. That is the whole trick. Get the dough thick enough to hold a star shape and the rest is timing.

One thing before you start: the dough needs to cool twice, five minutes after the flour goes in and another ten to fifteen after the eggs. Use that time to heat your oil and set out the cinnamon sugar.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the salt, sugar and lemon zest until everything is evenly spread through.

2. Heat water, butter and vanilla

Put the boiling water, butter and vanilla in a large saucepan over gentle heat. Let the butter melt, then bring it to a boil and turn the heat off.

3. Beat in the flour

Tip the flour mixture into the hot liquid and beat hard and fast until no lumps are left. Leave it to cool for 5 minutes.

4. Beat in the eggs

Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in fully before the next. The dough should end up thick and sticky. Let it cool another 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Heat the oil

Fill a large saucepan with the oil, no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (180°C).

6. Pipe and fry

Load the dough into the piping bag with the star nozzle. Pipe lengths straight into the oil and snip each end with kitchen shears. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 5 minutes, until golden brown all over.

7. Drain and coat

Lift the churros onto paper towels to drain, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while still warm.

8. Serve

Pile them on a plate with strawberry jam and clotted cream on the side, and pour the tea.

How to Store Afternoon Tea Churros

Variations

No lemon

leave the zest out for a plainer dough that leans on the cinnamon sugar.

Make ahead

pipe ropes onto a tray and freeze for 2 hours, then fry from frozen. This is the easiest way to fry them without the dough slumping.

Air fryer

this recipe is written for deep frying and the dough is too soft to air fry raw without a coating, so stick with oil for the first batch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Afternoon Tea Churros: Cinnamon Sugar Churros for Tea

Crisp cinnamon sugar churros with lemon zest, served with strawberry jam and clotted cream. A tea-time twist on a classic, ready in about 45 minutes.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time45 minTotal10Servings

Print RecipePin Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• zest of 1 lemon (zested)
• 1 ¼ cups boiling water
• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil (for frying)
• 1 ½ cups cinnamon sugar (cinnamon and sugar mixed)
• strawberry jam
• 2 ½ cups clotted cream
• piping bag with star nozzle

Instructions

1. 1Mix the dry ingredients — Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the salt, sugar and lemon zest until everything is evenly spread through.
2. 2Heat water, butter and vanilla — Put the boiling water, butter and vanilla in a large saucepan over gentle heat. Let the butter melt, then bring it to a boil and turn the heat off.
3. 3Beat in the flour — Tip the flour mixture into the hot liquid and beat hard and fast until no lumps are left. Leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
4. 4Beat in the eggs — Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in fully before the next. The dough should end up thick and sticky. Let it cool another 10 to 15 minutes.
5. 5Heat the oil — Fill a large saucepan with the oil, no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (180°C).
6. 6Pipe and fry — Load the dough into the piping bag with the star nozzle. Pipe lengths straight into the oil and snip each end with kitchen shears. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 5 minutes, until golden brown all over.
7. 7Drain and coat — Lift the churros onto paper towels to drain, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while still warm.
8. 8Serve — Pile them on a plate with strawberry jam and clotted cream on the side, and pour the tea.

Cook's note: Keep the oil at 350°F and never fill the pan more than halfway. Hot oil and wet dough spit, so keep children out of the kitchen and use a thermometer rather than guessing.

Servings: 10

Cuisine: Spanish-inspired

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes45 minutes

Written by Priya Raman
Priya writes about eggs and breakfast casseroles, cookies and bars, and slow cook breakfasts that feed a crowd without fuss. Her angle is flexible, budget-minded cooking: one base recipe that scales for two or for a holiday table, with clear notes on freezing and reheating. She keeps the writing light and story-first, then lands on a tight recipe card.