This Mexican Churro Chips Recipe is the absolute best and so easy! They are baked sopapillas and so crunchy and just like the ones you buy from a restaurant, made easily in the comfort of your own home. And we have the secret to making them the absolute BEST: using raw tortillas. Don't worry, if you don't have any (you can make them, but we used store bought) we also have directions for using precooked tortillas too!
These are popular year round, with a little extra boost around Cinco de Mayo. They smell amazing and taste even better.
This was inspired by my Snickerdoodles without cream of tartar, Sopapilla (Churro) Cheesecake, Chai Cookies and Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls.
It is perfect to serve after a meal of our Chicken Tinga Tostadas and Cilantro Lime Guacamole or Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos. These would also be fun to dip into our Edible Brownie Batter Dip.
Pair them as an easy dessert with Birria Quesadillas, Birria Pizza, or Arepa Con Queso recipe..
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy- these are super quick and easy to make! Make a few cuts, slather in butter and cinnamon sugar and bake!
Fun and Versatile - These make such a fun treat or dessert and are easily versatile by simply serving it with a different sauce such as caramel, dulce de leche, chocolate, marshmallow, Nutella, berry, passionfruit curd and more. These also pair great with ice cream.
Kid Friendly - These are super kid friendly, obviously for eating but also for making. If your kid is old enough to use a knife, they are old enough to make these. If your child is not old enough to use a knife yet, this is a great recipe to make with your kids.
Party Friendly - these are great for serving at a party, and especially great for a Cinco De Mayo party!
Simple - these are simple and straightforward with few ingredients that are all pantry staples.
Easily made for food allergies - these are great because they are easy to make for those with food allergies. A simple swap for dairy free butter and gluten free tortillas make these top 8 free.
Ingredients
- tortillas - raw tortillas are what make these the absolute BEST! They have a much better texture and flavor. We love the Tortillaland brand, which can be found at Wal-Mart and other major grocery stores in the refrigerator section near the cheese, usually at the bottom.
- butter- the butter can be easily substituted for you favorite dairy free butter or even water for a lower calorie version
- cinnamon - I use saigon but any kind is fine
- sugar- regular granulated sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a pizza cutter, slice the raw tortillas into eighths. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Melt butter.
2. Sprinkle half the cinnamon and sugar onto a large plate. Using a pastry brush, coat each side of the piece of a tortilla with melted butter.
3. Place buttered tortilla wedge onto cinnamon sugar mixture. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top. Use the spoon to gently push each wedge into the sugar mixture below to make it stick to the butter.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tortilla wedges on parchment paper. Bake 12-15 minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden.
5. The tortillas will still be tender, but will turn crunchy as they cool.
6. After they've cooled, enjoy with your favorite dipping sauces! YUM!
Hint: these will feel tender when they first come out of the oven, but will crisp right up in 5-10 minutes as they cool.
Lighter Churro Chips
These can easily be made much lighter by substituting the melted butter with water. Using a pastry brush, coat the tortillas the same way. The texture isn't quite as good and the sugar doesn't caramelize, but they are still delicious! The water does tend to grab on to more of the cinnamon sugar mixture, so we just recommend making sure you have a very thin coating of water.
Substitutions
- Vegan - these are easily made vegan by substituting the butter for dairy free butter or even water (see our "lighter" method above)
- Allergy Friendly/ "top 8" free - use gluten free tortillas and dairy free butter.
- Precooked Flour Tortillas - we understand that sometimes it can be hard to find raw tortillas. While we highly recommend using raw tortillas for the best flavor and texture, you can use precooked in a pinch.
- Granulated Brown Sugar- substitute white sugar for granulated brown sugar which is drier than regular granulated sugar and will give it a nice almost caramel-y flavor.
Variations
- Spicy - add a small sprinkling of chili powder or tajin for a fun spicy version.
- Pumpkin Spice - substitute half the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice for a fun pumpkin spice version for fall.
- Chai - use half the cinnamon then add 1 teaspoon cardamom and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg for a yummy chai variation
- Brown Sugar- use a more generous amount of butter then lightly sprinkle brown sugar on top before baking for a more caramelized churro chip.
- Sauces- if you've been to Mexico, you know that Mexican churros are often filled with fun sauces. Dip the chips in whatever sauce you can think of! My personal favorite is passionfruit curd, followed by homemade caramel. Chocolate, Nutella, dulce de leche, berry sauce, fruity pebbles and basically anything you can come up with.
- Sopapillas - drizzle with honey!
How to Serve
Serve them up plain or with a few scoops of vanilla or churro ice cream. Top or dip with all your favorite sauces like listed above: Caramel, dulce de leche, berry topping, passionfruit curd, chocolate, Nutella or anything else you enjoy eating 😉
Equipment
Storage
These are best eaten the same day, but store surprisingly well if it isn't humid. Store in an airtight container for 1-5 days at room temperature.
These can be frozen, but for best results we recommend eating fresh. To freeze, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Allow to come to room temperature then air fry at 400F until crispy- 2-4 minutes.
Air Fryer Directions
These can easily be made in the air fryer if you don't want to heat up your house. Baking is easier for me, since I can fit more on a sheet pan. Heat air fryer to 360°F. Place buttered and seasoned tortillas in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 5 minutes, flip, then cook an additional 3-5 minutes, checking for desired crispness.
Deep Fried Sopapillas Directions
Heat oil to 375° F. Place cinnamon and sugar in a large ziploc bag. Fry tortillas 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove and drain oil then transfer to ziploc bag and shake in the cinnamon sugar.
Top tip
Don't overcook the tortillas! They really only need to be lightly golden. They will still be tender when they come out of the oven, but will crisp right up as they cool.
FAQ
Get raw tortillas and coat them in butter, then cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Enjoy!
You can find churro chips at most large grocery stores. If you can't find any, try making them at home!
A sopapilla is made from a tortilla like dough, then fried until puffy then coated in sugar and cinnamon and honey.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Churro Chips:
Recipe
Churro Chips (Baked Sopapilla)
Equipment
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 4 tortillas raw. We HIGHLY recommend raw (Tortillaland is our favorite) for the perfect texture and flavor, but precooked will work in a pinch.
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Pour about half of it out on a large plate.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the tortillas into 8 pieces each.
- Melt the butter then use a pastry brush to liberally coat both sides of each piece of tortilla. Place on the cinnamon sugar plate, then sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top. Use the spoon to gently press the tortilla pieces into the sugar so it sticks to the back. See photos above for a great visual on this.
- Place buttered and sugared tortillas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes until they just start to turn golden.
- The churro chips will be tender while they're hot, but will crisp up as they cool. Allow to set at least 5 minutes before eating.
Notes
- Serve with ice cream and top with your favorite toppings. Or dip in Nutella, chocolate sauce, berry sauce, dulce de leche, caramel, passionfruit curd, marshmallow sauce or anything else you can think of!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you live in a humid area, these do not store as well.
- To Air Fry: Air fry at 360 in a single layer for 5 minutes, then flip and air fry another 2-5 minutes until they start to turn golden.
- See above for more variations and deep fry method!
- To serve as a sopapilla, don't forget to top with honey!
Nutrition
Food safety
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Nicole
These Churro Chips were so so yummy. The raw tortillas truly make them absolutely perfect. Much better than pre-cooked. We drenched some of ours in caramel and it was a hit, the rest we made sopapilla style with honey. Yum! Will make again!