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In Spain, mornings belong to churros con chocolate — crispy ridged doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar and dunked into thick, velvety hot chocolate. These Spanish churro pancakes capture every bit of that magic without the deep fryer, the dough piping, or the trip to Madrid.
The concept is brilliant: cook a simple buttermilk pancake, brush it with melted butter while it’s still hot, and press it into sparkling cinnamon sugar. The result tastes exactly like a churro — crispy, buttery, cinnamon-crusted outside, soft and fluffy inside — but comes together in 20 minutes with pancake-batter ease. Serve with warm chocolate sauce for dunking and watch a regular Saturday feel like a Barcelona café.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Real churro flavor, zero frying — the butter + cinnamon-sugar press does it all.
- 20 minutes start to finish — quick breakfast, big payoff.
- Two textures in every bite — crispy-crusted, fluffy-centered.
- Made for dunking — chocolate sauce, dulce de leche, or sweet milk glaze.
- Kid magnet, adult-approved — brunch showpiece or sweet dinner idea.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1½ cups flour · 2 teaspoons baking powder · ½ teaspoon salt · ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar) · 2 eggs · 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup melted butter for the batter, plus another ¼ cup for brushing
- Coating: ½ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Chocolate sauce: 4 oz chocolate chips + ½ cup warm heavy cream + pinch of cinnamon
How to Make Churro Pancakes Step by Step
- Make the batter. Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then fold together until just combined — lumps keep pancakes fluffy.
- Cook the pancakes. Quarter-cup ladles on a buttered griddle, about 2 minutes per side, until deeply golden.
- Do the churro move. While each pancake is still hot, brush both sides with melted butter, then press into cinnamon sugar until fully sparkling.
- Whisk the chocolate sauce. Pour steaming cream over chocolate chips with a pinch of cinnamon, wait a minute, and whisk silky.
- Stack, drizzle, dunk. Serve immediately — the sauce on the side for proper churro-style dipping.
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Pro tip 👉 Coat the pancakes the second they leave the griddle. Hot butter-soaked surfaces grab the cinnamon sugar; cold pancakes let it slide right off. Work one pancake at a time while the rest stay warm.
Watch: Molly Yeh’s Churro Pancakes (Video)
Food Network’s Molly Yeh shows the churro-pancake magic — cinnamon-sugar crust and a sweet glaze — step by step:
Video credit: Molly Yeh Makes Churro Pancakes on YouTube
Dipping Sauces & Topping Ideas
The chocolate sauce is classic, but don’t stop there. Dulce de leche doubles down on the caramel notes, a berry compote cuts the sweetness with bright acidity, and a sweet milk glaze (powdered sugar + milk + vanilla) makes them taste like fairground mini doughnuts. Whipped cream is always welcome at the table. For kids, set out a DIY dipping bar and let them choose.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheating
Churro pancakes are at their peak within minutes of coating — but life happens. Cook plain pancakes up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. When ready to serve, warm them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes, then brush with butter and re-coat in fresh cinnamon sugar to restore that just-made crunch. Freeze uncoated pancakes for up to 2 months, layered with parchment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these taste like churros?Are churros actually Spanish?Can I use pancake mix as a shortcut?How do I keep them crispy for a crowd?
📋 Spanish Churro Pancakes — Recipe Card
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Servings
4 (12 pancakes)
Calories
~350 / serving
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour · 2 tsp baking powder · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup buttermilk · 2 eggs · 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ + ¼ cup melted butter (batter + brushing)
- Coating: ½ cup sugar + 1 tbsp cinnamon
- Sauce: 4 oz chocolate chips + ½ cup warm cream + pinch cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk dry and wet ingredients separately; fold together until just combined.
- Cook ¼-cup pancakes on a buttered griddle, ~2 minutes per side.
- Brush hot pancakes with butter; press into cinnamon sugar on both sides.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate + cinnamon; rest, then whisk smooth.
- Stack, drizzle, and serve with extra sauce for dunking.
🖨️ Print Recipe
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Made a churro stack? Comment with your dip of choice — we’re team dulce de leche. And if this turned your kitchen into a café, share the recipe! ✨🥞