churro

American  

[choor-oh, choor-raw] / ˈtʃʊər oʊ, ˈtʃur rɔ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

• churros
  plural

1. a long, slender, deep-fried pastry resembling a cruller.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• churros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of churro

First recorded in 1925–30; from Spanish, perhaps after dialect churro (a kind of coarse-wooled sheep), the name for the inhabitants of the mountainous parts of Valencia, the approximate area where the pastry originated

Explanation

A churro is a sweet fried dough treat that's common in Spain, Portugal, and many Latin American countries. In many places, churros are served at breakfast, along with hot coffee. Churros are made by piping choux pastry into extremely hot oil, then rolling them in sugar and cinnamon. They're similar to doughnuts or really good fried dough — crispy and light on the outside, tender inside. No one's totally sure how the churro originated, but one theory says Portuguese explorers brought the recipe back from China during the Ming Dynasty. The word churro is onomatopoeic, resembling the sound of dough sizzling in oil.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

churro churros

A churro cart vendor who had operated in South Los Angeles for more than a decade stopped vending altogether for six weeks at the peak of the roving sweeps, losing an estimated $5,000 in income.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

While alcohol was an option at the event, most people opted for a curated menu of coffee with homemade horchata, churro or matcha flavors by La Chula Café.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

Mercado González also is responsible for drawing other businesses into Costa Mesa, like Churrería El Moro, the legendary Mexico City churro shop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

Similarly, another user wrote, “I love Costco, but their churro is genuinely one of the worst I've ever had. There's basically zero flavor and I feel like I'm eating tasteless dough.”

From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2024

Carmen waved me over, and I carefully balanced my churro and chocolate sauce as I sat next to her.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Today, the company claims to control more than 90% of the churros market in the U.S. with brands like Hola Churros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

The Mexico City-founded churrería recently opened its first L.A. location and is making its debut festival appearance near the iconic Ferris wheel where guests can watch their churros being prepared fresh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

“It was like, ‘I cannot just make art about churros and rides right now,’” Smith says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026

While this simmers, you’ll dive headfirst into making churros.

From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2025

I paced around the restaurant while Brian munched on the last of his churro and Martín made jokes about the chocolate churros looking like poop.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya