Churro Pancakes: A Sweet and Simple Breakfast!

These delicious churro pancakes make any breakfast (or brunch) extra special!

Inspired by the Spanish fried dough treat, these cinnamon sugar dipped pancakes make a nice change from our traditional maple syrup-laden pancakes.

In fact, depending on your toppings and how much maple syrup you normally use, these could even be lower in sugar!

You may wish to double the recipe (or more) to make sure you have delicious leftovers, or if you are feeding a crowd!

These really do make a satisfying substitute for authentic churros without having to bother with deep-frying or going to a crowded festival, especially if you leave leftovers out to cool on the counter for an hour or so to get a bit of a crispy crust.

Suggested toppings/How to serve

While the cinnamon sugar mix is all you really need, you can dress these churro pancakes up with a drizzle of something extra to make them more photogenic and fun.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Honey
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Caramel sauce (as pictured)
• Chocolate sauce
• Whipped cream
• Powdered sugar (as pictured)
• Fruit jam – pineapple, blueberry, cherry, or whatever you prefer
• Fresh fruit – sliced bananas would be wonderful here!
• Nutella
• Nuts – pecans or almonds (as pictured) would both be excellent here
• Ice cream – more for dessert than breakfast, but a nice (and delicious) twist on waffles and ice cream

To read more about cinnamon’s health benefits, as well as some of its history, check out my recipe for baked porridge.

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The contested origins of churros

I mentioned earlier that these pancakes are inspired by churros, the star-shaped Spanish treat, but Portugal and China (with their youtiao breakfast fritters) may also be the origin of these delicious ropes of fried dough.

Of course, with such humble ingredients (half water, half flour, pinch of salt, then deep-fried), they may have independently arisen in all of these places.

Indeed, similar fried treats have been eaten throughout the Mediterranean basin since at least the first century A.D., when the recipe for such a dish appeared in the Roman cookbook Apicius.

The name churro appears to reference the Churra sheep (an ancient Iberian breed of sheep), whose horns strongly resemble modern day churros.

Interestingly, during the Spanish Conquest, Spaniards brought some of these Churra sheep to the Navajo, Hopi, and other Native American tribes of the New World, and the resulting new breed of sheep there are known as Navajo-Churro sheep, or Churro sheep for short.

Some speculate that Arabs introduced the delicious desserts we know as churros (or their forebears) to Spain, while others believe that churros or a similar fried dough starred in depictions engraved in Ramses III’s tomb in Ancient Egypt.

Lebanese mushabbak, or fried fritters, also resemble churros.

This article on BBC waxes poetic about churros and their origins, along with a recipe for the original churro.

Regional variations and serving of churros

If instead you’d rather just get some ideas of how best to enjoy them, here are some regional trends you can replicate, either with churro pancakes or the real deal:

• In Spain, people often dip churros in thick drinking chocolate. This began after Spain introduced chocolate to Europe, once they adopted it from their Aztec conquests in Latin America. Spaniards also sometimes dip their churros in café con leche for a more grown-up treat.

In an interesting example of cultural exchange, Spanish conquistadors introduced churros to Latin America (which is where they got the chocolate they now dip churros in), and from there, churros took on a life of their own. Many regional varieties sprung up, including:

• Guava paste serves as a churro filling in Cuba. You can try recreating something similar with my goiabada recipe.
• Mexican churros, probably most familiar to us here in the U.S., often come covered with cinnamon sugar, (the inspiration behind these tasty churro pancakes), served with chocolate or caramel sauce, or even filled with dulce de leche.
• In Guatemala, you may find savory cheese-filled churros.

Storage and Freezing of Leftovers/Reheating instructions

These churro pancakes will keep very nicely in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

You can simply microwave them for 20-30 seconds or so from the fridge and eat.

If you plan on making these ahead and freezing them for later, definitely skip any toppings, and you can decide if you want to add the butter and cinnamon sugar. Some will come off on the packaging, but much of it will stick to the pancakes.

Add wax paper in between layers, and store in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.

You can pop individual frozen pancakes in the toaster to thaw, or but them in the fridge the night before to defrost.

Variations on this recipe

Of course, you could also make churro waffles for deliciously crispy, cinnamon sugar encrusted flavor.

The butter is optional. The more butter you use, the more of the cinnamon sugar will stick, which makes the final color darker.

In addition, try adding chocolate chips or nuts directly into the batter for more of a dessert-like dish.

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Make these churro pancakes gluten-free

Substitute something like almond flour in place of the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free and lower carb option (although the sugar disqualifies them from being low carb, strictly speaking).

Make these churro pancakes sugar-free

Substitute a non-caloric sweetener like stevia or monk fruit in place of the sugar.

If you use almond flour in place of all-purpose flour AND an alternative sweetener, then you would have a keto-friendly, low carb meal!

Other breakfast recipes with cinnamon you may enjoy

• Vegan monkey bread
• Baked porridge with blueberries, banana, and coconut
• Fig bread

Ingredients for Churro Pancakes

Before you begin, you will need:

Edible Ingredients

For the pancake batter:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• Butter (a few pats)

• Cooking spray

Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl + smaller bowl
• Stirring utensil – a spatula or wooden spoon would work well to get out the clumps of yogurt
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Skillet
• Something to flip the pancakes with
• Butter knife

How to Make Churro Pancakes

1. Firstly, place a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Then, combine all ingredients for the pancake batter thoroughly.
3. Once the skillet is hot, spritz it with cooking spray and use a large spoon to spoon out four small, silver dollar style pancakes at a time.
4. Let them cook for a couple of minutes, or until bubbles rise to the surface and then pop. Carefully flip the pancakes over, and cook on the other side for about a minute, or until sufficiently golden brown for your taste.
5. After that, remove the done pancakes and set aside. While they are still warm, lightly butter the tops, then mix up your cinnamon sugar topping in a small bowl. Then, dip each pancake, top and bottom, into the cinnamon sugar.
6. Repeat with additional batches until all the batter has been cooked.
7. Finally, add any desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these churro pancakes!