Here’s the best dessert ever: Churro Ice cream Sandwiches! Creamy vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched in between cinnamon-sugar coated fried dough is going to be your new addiction. Jazz these treats up even more with a drizzle of chocolate ganache.
And if you’re out of ice cream at the moment, here’s a step-by-step guide to making regular Churros with a chocolate sauce and dulce de leche.
Churros have always been one of my favorite desserts, and I’ll never say no to ice cream. Sandwich the two together (literally) and it’s truly an experience. Crisp, sugary, fried dough with soft and creamy ice cream — these Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches practically melt in your mouth.
They’re also such a fun dessert to get creative with.
Churro Ice Cream Sandwich variations
- Swap the ice cream. We love a good, high-quality vanilla bean ice cream, but other flavors are equally amazing. Salted caramel truffle gelato is a personal favorite, but any caramel ice cream is perfect for these sandwiches. Dulce de leche ice cream is also a great complement to the churros and keeps with the Mexican theme.
- Add chocolate sauce. If you use vanilla ice cream, you may want to add in a little chocolate sauce. I include a chocolate sauce in this recipe, which is very simple to make — just chocolate and heavy cream. I recommend drizzling the chocolate on top, but you could smear the chocolate sauce on the inside of the churros before adding the ice cream.
- Add dulce de leche sauce. If you aren’t a fan of chocolate, try adding a dulce de leche sauce either smeared on the churros or drizzled on top. My homemade (cheater) dulce de leche sauce follows.
Homemade dulce de leche:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup full-fat, regular, sweetened condensed milk
In a medium-sized pot, combine 1 cup cream, 1 cup dark brown sugar, and set the heat to medium. Stir while sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a slow boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces down to 1 cup (~10 minutes).
Once it has reduced, stir in 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and mix until everything is well combined. Let stand at room temperature to continue to thicken while making the churros. Serve the sauce warm and reheat it in the microwave if it starts to get too thick.
Tips for making Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Only fry 3 churro rounds at a time. If the oil is crowded with dough, it will lower the oil temperature and cause uneven cooking.
- Roll the fried churros rounds in the cinnamon-sugar mixture immediately after draining off excess oil; otherwise, the cinnamon-sugar mixture won’t stick.
- Don’t overmix the churro dough; this will cause tough churros (instead of soft, light, and fluffy ones).
- Have the sauces ready to fill up/garnish the churro rounds as soon as they’re fried and dredged in sugar.
- Keep the ice cream sandwiches small. These are a bit overwhelming to eat if they’re bigger than 2 to 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter.
Troubleshooting the churro dough
I highly recommend using a candy thermometer to gauge the oil temperature. The thermometer clues you into sightly increasing or decreasing the heat when frying. This is a game changer for frying churros!
Why are my churros too chewy or too crispy?
- If the churro is chewier than you’d like, it needs to cook longer to get that crispy exterior. But, if cooking longer will burn the outside, you need to lower the oil temperature.
- If the churro is too crispy or brittle, it was overcooked (or the dough was overmixed). Either cook them for less time or lower the oil temperature.
Why is it hard to roll the circles?
Quick Tip
Number One tip: The key to the BEST Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches is to eat them as hot and fresh out of the fryer as possible. Dredge the churros in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, let cool for 30 seconds, then add in the ice cream and eat! This makes the ice cream melt quickly, but it’s really just more incentive to eat it quickly and get another one!
More delicious ice cream treats
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake only four ingredients
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars edible (food-safe) cookie dough bars
- Brownie Oreo Ice Cream Bars reader favorite recipe!
- Ice Cream Pie with a graham cracker crust
- Mango Sorbet made in an ice cream maker
Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches
Equipment
- Medium pot or small pot
- Cloth piping bag with an open star tip
- Deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract or plain vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- Vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- Vanilla bean ice cream or caramel/dulce de leche ice cream or ice cream of choice
Instructions
- In a small to medium pot over medium heat, combine the milk, water, salt, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until the butter is melted, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil. As soon as the mixture boils, add the flour. Reduce heat to low and stir vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute, then remove from heat.
- Using a rubber spatula, continue to mix (and press out any lumps) until the dough is smooth, another 30 seconds or so (don’t overmix dough). Let dough cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the vanilla and 1 egg. It will seem gluey and hard to mix, but mix until it comes together. Add another egg and stir until incorporated. Add the final egg and combine again. Keep stirring and it will come together. As soon as it’s cohesive, stop stirring; don’t overmix.
- Transfer the churro dough to a large canvas or cloth piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (don’t skip the parchment!) and pipe long strips (10 inches) of the dough and roll each strip into a round. Alternatively, pipe the dough into rounds as it comes out of the pastry bag (just keep the rounds about 2–2.5 inches wide). Allow to rest for 15–20 minutes, or place in the freezer.
- In the meantime, preheat a deep fryer (or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat) to 350°F. I recommend using a candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature and keep it consistent.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: While oil is coming to temperature, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Set out a large plate lined with a few paper towels.
- Once oil reaches 350°F, place 2–3 churro rounds at a time in the deep fryer or pot. Allow churros to fry until they are golden brown, flipping about halfway through the cook time (about 4–6 minutes total). Use a wire skimmer or fork to remove the churro rounds onto the plate lined with paper towels.
- Place the hot churros in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat evenly with the sugar.
- While still very warm, make the sandwiches by placing a small scoop of ice cream on one churro round, and top with another. Enjoy ice cream sandwiches immediately.
- Optional Chocolate Ganache: If you want to add a chocolate ganache, microwave the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl until very hot—45 seconds to a minute. Pour in the dark chocolate chips and stir until smooth and creamy. Dip the sandwich in the ganache or drizzle the chocolate over (or spread it on the churro rounds before filling with ice cream).
Recipe Notes
- Only fry 3 churro rounds at a time. If the oil is crowded with dough, it will lower the oil temperature and cause uneven cooking.
- Roll the fried churro rounds in the cinnamon-sugar mixture immediately after draining off excess oil; otherwise the cinnamon sugar mixture won’t stick.
- Don’t overmix the churro dough; this causes tough churros (instead of soft, light, and fluffy ones).
- Have any sauces you’re making and ice cream ready to fill up/garnish the churro rounds as soon as they’re fried and dredged in sugar.
- Keep the sandwiches small. These are a bit overwhelming to eat if they’re bigger than 2 to 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
All of the comments are “these look great” (which they do), but has anyone actually made them? I look at recipe comments for successes, not followers just pumping up ratings.
…the search continues.
I know a lot of people have tried and loved these, if you have any questions i’d love to answer them! 🙂