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Exactly How To Reheat Churros – I Test 5 Methods [Pics]

I’ve yet to come across anyone who doesn’t love churros.

Freshly cooked, they’re light-as-air in the middle and crispy on the outside.

But what happens when (shock-horror) you don’t finish them all in one sitting?

Is it possible to reheat them to their former glory? 

I tested five different reheating methods to find out.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

The best way to reheat churros is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F (200°C). Next, arrange the churros on a wire rack with a drip tray underneath. Reheat the churros for 5-10 minutes. Check that they’re hot and crisp all around before serving. You can also reheat churros by broiling them.

A note on my experiment

I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of making choux dough, so I whipped up a batch and deep-fried my churros.

After making sure they were exactly right, I left them out to cool.

The next day I tested the following reheating methods:

  • In an oven/toaster oven (crisp and tasty)
  • In an air fryer (this gave me the best results)
  • On the stove (okay)
  • In the microwave (avoid)
  • By refrying (too oily)

Note: I feel like I have to warn you sooner rather than later. Your churros won’t be the same after you’ve reheated them.

It was impossible to get the freshly-fried texture back, but some methods worked okay. 

If you have an air fryer, that’s your best option. The next best option is a toaster oven or a broiler in a conventional oven.

Avoid the microwave – microwaves are churros don’t mix (unless they’re horribly stale, but at that point, I’d just throw them away). 

Reheating churros in an oven/toaster oven

Preheat the oven to 375°F (200°C) or 350°F (180°F) if it’s a toaster oven. Arrange the churros on a wire rack with a drip tray underneath. Heat them in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Check that they’re hot and crisp all around before serving. You could also use the broiler function in a big oven. 

How to reheat churros in an oven/toaster oven:

  1. Preheat your toaster oven to 350°F (180°F) or 375°F (200°C) if it’s a standard oven.
  2. Place your churros on a wire rack or a baking tray (don’t forget the drip tray underneath the wire rack).
  3. Reheat your churros for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Make sure that they are all hot and crispy before rolling them in cinnamon sugar (if you want), ready for dipping.

Using a wire rack allows the heat to circulate and is best for getting the churros crispy all around.

You can also use scrunched-up foil on a baking tray to elevate your churros if you don’t have a suitable wire rack.

If you have a big oven, I recommend using the broiling option to speed up the heating process. You’ll also get crispier churros.

My verdict

This method worked pretty well with the churros being tasty and getting some of their crisp back, but you could tell they were day-old churros. 

Reheating churros in an air fryer

To reheat the churros in the air fryer, set it to 350°F (180°C). Place the churros in the air fryer basket, leaving a slight gap between each one, and heat the churros for 3-4 minutes. Shake the churros halfway through to get an even heat all over.

How to reheat churros in an air fryer:

  1. Set the air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Arrange the churros in the basket, making sure that they don’t touch and have enough space for the air to circulate.
  3. Heat them for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Shake the churros halfway through to ensure they’re evenly heated.

The air fryer works best when there is good air circulation. So, don’t overload the basket with churros, giving them plenty of room.

The air fryer heat is quite harsh, so don’t forget about the churros because they’ll dry out very quickly. 

There’s no need to add extra oil because the churros will already have residual oil in them from the first time they were fried.

My verdict

This was my favorite method, and I highly recommend using the air fryer if you have one.

The churros crisped up really well, and it was super quick.

If the churros end up a little too crispy – remedy it with lots of dipping sauce!

Note: if your churros have gone past the soft stage and are not hard and stale, even the air fryer won’t be able to help.

Reheating churros in a skillet

To reheat churros on the stove, lightly oil or butter a skillet and put it on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the churros and turn them frequently to heat all sides evenly. When they’re warmed through, place them on a paper towel to drain for a few seconds.

How to reheat churros on the stove:

  1. Lightly oil or butter a pan and heat it over medium-high heat.
  2. Once the skillet is hot, add the churros.
  3. Turn them frequently to ensure that all sides heat equally.
  4. Once they’re hot, allow the excess oil to drip off on a paper towel and then roll them in cinnamon sugar (if needed).

As the churros were deep-fried, they already contain a fair amount of oil that will come out as they heat up. 

So, you don’t need to put too much oil or butter in the pan.

My verdict

This method resulted in warm churros, but the texture wasn’t quite there. 

The classic churro shape meant it was difficult to get them to crisp evenly all over.

Reheating churros in the microwave

To reheat churros in the microwave, put them on a microwave-safe plate. Cover them with a slightly damp paper towel or put a glass of water into the microwave with them. Heat the churros in 10-second intervals until they’re hot. Be careful not to overheat them as they’ll go hard.

How to reheat churros in the microwave:

  1. Place the churros on a microwave-safe plate.
  2. Cover them with a slightly damp paper towel or place a glass of water inside the microwave with the churros. This will prevent them from drying out too much. 
  3. Microwave them in 10-second intervals until warm.
  4. Let the churros rest for 30 seconds before biting into them.

Note: Biting into a hot microwaved churro might burn your mouth. The moisture inside turns to steam while heating and needs a little time to cool.

The sugar on the churros can also get VERY hot in the microwave.

Eat the churros as soon as possible after taking them out of the microwave. Once they cool down, they’ll taste worse than cardboard.

My verdict

This was a waste of a good churro!

The end result wasn’t great. My churros ended up soft, chewy, and limp. The exact opposite of what a churro should be.

I’d only consider using the microwave if my churros were REALLY stale and I wanted to soften them. 

Reheating churros by refrying

To reheat churros by refrying them, heat a few inches of oil in a pot to 350°F (180°C). Drop the churros into the oil and fry for 15-30 seconds. Drain the churros on a paper towel or wire rack for 30-seconds, then roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve while still warm.

How to reheat churros by refrying:

  1. Heat a few inches of oil to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Carefully drop your churros into the hot oil and fry them for 15-30 seconds.
  3. Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel or wire rack for 30 seconds afterward.
  4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the churros and serve while they’re still hot.

It is crucial to get the oil temperature just right.

Otherwise, the churros will soak up all the cold oil or get burnt if the oil is too hot.

To make sure that you hit the right temperature, use a food thermometer.

Be careful when you drop the churros into the hot oil. You don’t want it splashing and burning your hands.

My verdict

With the correct oil temperature, my churros turned out super crunchy.

Unfortunately, they were way too oily for my taste, even after letting them drain on the paper towel.

I also didn’t like the double-fried after-taste, which means this isn’t a reheating method I can recommend.

How to heat churro dipping sauce

To heat the churro dipping sauce, remove it from the fridge and heat for approximately 5 minutes in a pan over medium heat. Stir regularly until the sauce thins out and becomes liquid. If heating in the microwave, use 10-second bursts, stirring in each break until the sauce is smooth and liquid.

How to store churros

Churros will get soft and then stale, so it’s always best to eat them fresh. If you really need to store churros, allow them to cool to room temperature and store them in a paper towel-lined airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for up to 24 hours (but aim to east asap). 

Avoid the fridge because the cold air will speed up the staling process. 

Don’t roll the churros in sugar before storing them if you’re planning ahead. You can add the sugar once you’ve reheated them. 

If you need to keep the churros longer than 24 hours, freeze them.

Can you freeze churros?

Yes, you can freeze churros, but they won’t taste the same as freshly made churros. It’s not possible to get that just-fried taste back. For best results, freeze the churros when they’re fresh out of the pan before they’ve had a chance to stale. Use within 1 month.

Tip: you can freeze churro dough and then cook this from frozen for fresh churros.

How to freeze churros:

  1. Cool the churros to room temperature.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Spread the churros out on the baking sheet and freeze them uncovered for an hour.
  4. Transfer the solid churros to a freezer bag and remove all the air.
  5. Put the churros in the freezer and use within 1 month.

Flash freezing the churros on the baking tray means they won’t stick together in the freezer, so you can easily take a handful out at a time.

To remove the air from the freezer bag, you can suck it out with a straw.

Or dunk the open freezer bag in water and the pressure will force the air out. 

The less air in the bag, the less chance there is of ending up with freezer burnt churros.

How to reheat frozen churros

Frozen churros are best reheated in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and then arrange the churros on a wire rack. Bake the churros for 4 to 6 minutes. You can also reheat frozen churros in the microwave on a paper towel. Use 10-second intervals, until hot.

Exactly How To Reheat Churros

In this short recipe, I show you the best way to revive and reheat your leftover churros.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: churros, reheat churros
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 person
Calories: 447kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 portion churros
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your toaster oven to 350°F (180°F) or 375°F (200°C) if it’s a standard oven.
  • Place your churros on a wire rack or a baking tray (don’t forget the drip tray underneath the wire rack).
  • Reheat your churros for 5-10 minutes.
  • Make sure that they are all hot and crispy before rolling them in cinnamon sugar (if you want), ready for dipping.

Notes

Using a wire rack allows the heat to circulate and is best for getting the churros crispy all around.
You can also use scrunched-up foil on a baking tray to elevate your churros if you don’t have a suitable wire rack.
If you have a big oven, I recommend using the broiling option to speed up the reheating process. You’ll also get crispier churros.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 447kcal

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