Gluten free waffle churros rolled in cinnamon sugar and dipped in a homemade caramel sauce | Churros made in a waffle maker

Gluten Free Waffle Churros (+ Caramel Sauce)

What happens when you really want to make churros, but don’t have any cooking oil left at home and are too lazy to go out and get some? Waffle churros!

Yep that’s right, you can cook churros in a waffle maker!Β I wasn’t sure what to expect texture-wise and I’m not here to claim that they’re exactly like the real thing – for those who don’t know, churros are delicious, often choux pastry based, doughnuts that are normally shaped into tubes using a piping bag and deep fried – but it’s a damn good alternative. They turned out super light and fluffyΒ on the inside, with a nice crispy outer layer. ?

And bonus point: they’re a bit healthier. ?

P.S.: There are different ways to make churros, some are essentially a choux pastry (the same used to make eclairs or cream puffs) and others, like the authentic Spanish churros I believe, are often made without any eggs or dairy. In this recipe I’m using the former, practically the same exact base I use for my gluten free eclairs.

Gluten free waffle churros covered in cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce
Gluten free waffle churros rolled in cinnamon sugar + homemade caramel sauce.

Tips:

1. The cooking time may vary. Every waffle iron is different so while mine takes about 7 minutes, it may be different for you. Cook until the waffle churros are crispy and golden. This should be relatively soon after steam stops coming out of the waffle iron. Some say to take them out while there is still a bit of steam coming out, but in my experience that resulted in churros with an uncooked centre.

2. These are best eaten freshly cooked, straight out of the waffle maker. Bear in mind that the leftovers with lose their crispy outer layer.

3. Reheat leftovers under the grill or in the waffle maker to regain some of the crispiness. But otherwise they still taste great microwaved, kind of like soft melt in the mouth fried doughnuts. ?

Gluten free waffle churros covered in cinnamon sugar with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce

Gluten Free Waffle Churros Recipe:

Gluten Free Waffle Churros (+ Caramel Sauce)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Gluten free churros cooked in a waffle maker! Perfectly light & fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, covered in cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Spanish / Portuguese
Serves: 12 waffle churros
Ingredients
For the gluten free waffle churros:
  • 85g plain gf flour (I used Schar)
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 150ml whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
For the sugar coating:
  • Caster sugar
  • Ground cinnamon
For the caramel sauce:
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter
  • 20ml whole milk
Notes
Cooking time (per batch): 7 minutes

Directions

HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Add the milk and butter in a saucepan and slowly melt the butter on low/medium heat, stirring constantly. Then once you reach a light boil, turn the heat off completely.Gluten free waffle churros making process: melting the butter in milk
  3. Immediately add the dry ingredients into the sauce pan and stir until the dough comes together. Then transfer it back into the bowl and let it cool down.Gluten free waffle churros making process: mixing the milk and butter with the dry ingredients
  4. Once the dough has cooled down/is lukewarm, add the eggs and mix with a spoon or an electric hand mixer (with mixing paddle attachments; those ones that look like hooks, not the whisks) on low speed. Af first it will look lumpy, but this is normal. Keep on mixing until smooth. Note: don’t skip the cooling down part or the heat will start cooking the eggs.Gluten free waffle churros making process: adding the eggs to the dough and mixing with an electric mixer

Β 

COOK THE WAFFLE CHURROS:

  1. Pre-heat your waffle iron and grease with a cooking oil of your choice or non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Make 12 small balls out of the dough (wet your hands first to prevent sticking) and cook for about 7 minutes, until the outer layer is crispy and golden but still light and soft inside. Note: to save time you can cook four at the same time by placing two dough balls in each corners rather than placing them in the centre like I did.Freshly cooked gluten free waffle churros
  3. Combine caster sugar with a bit of ground cinnamon on a plate and roll the freshly cooked waffle churros into it.Gluten free waffle churros covered in cinnamon sugar
  4. Optional: serve with dipping sauce of your choice.

Β 

HOW TO MAKE THE CARAMEL SAUCE:

  1. Place the caramel sauce ingredients into a non-stick pan, turn the heat on to low and stir constantly until the butter has fully melted and the sugar has completely dissolved. This should take 1 or 2 minutes.
    Gluten free waffle churros covered in cinnamon sugar and dipped in a homemade caramel sauce

Enjoy!

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