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Next time you’re in the mood for fried dough, break out the air fryer and a few ready-to-eat waffles from the freezer. Then, prepare to indulge in a snack that’ll transport you to the streets of Mexico and every American county fair or festival you’ve ever attended. You’re going to turn frozen waffles into churros, those cinnamon and sugar-coated strips of fried dough iconic of Latin and South America, and popular in countries like Philippines and South Korea as well. And with this hack, you don’t have to worry about a deep fryer, piper, or searching the fridge for your carton of eggs.
Churros are traditionally made with a dense, flour-based dough piped into the shape of oversized fries and deep-fried (though you can make crispy churros without frying them in oil, too). Frozen waffles and churro dough are both made with similar ingredients — flour, butter, salt, eggs, and water — and the grid-like pockets in frozen waffles provide a texture that mimics the ridges in traditional churros. The waffles will develop the same, churro-like texture when you cut them into strips and cook them in the air fryer, meaning you can ditch the whole dough-making, deep-frying process altogether. They taste almost the same and have a similar texture, and they’re just as dippable as traditional churros.
How to turn frozen waffles into churros and what to use for toppings
Churros are so snackable because they taste great, but also because you get to eat a handful of them at a time. Just like other fried dough treats like beignets and zeppoles, you don’t eat just one churro. So, slice your frozen waffles into several strips so that you get the same satisfactory pile of fried dough for dessert (or breakfast). Then, coat the strips in oil (avocado or coconut oil are both great options) and pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes on each side. After they’ve cooled, coat them in a generous amount of sugar and cinnamon mixed in a 2:1 ratio.
Once you have a stack of waffle churros ready to go, pour yourself a horchata (which is a rice milk-based drink popular in Mexico) and start on the most difficult part of the entire process: deciding what dipping sauce to use. Chocolate sauce is a classic option for churros, or you can grab a bottle of dulce de leche like Las Sevillanas’ traditional cajeta (a thick caramel spread made from goat milk) for a more Mexican-inspired dipping sauce. Fruit sauces like strawberry and mango are also tasty options. If you can’t choose one, make yourself a plate and pour them all on top for loaded churro waffles. Add some crushed Oreo cookies, nuts, or graham crackers for an extra sweet, crunchy garnish.
