Press, Gun or Electric? How to Choose the Best Churro Maker

A churro is a ridged stick of dough, fried until crisp and rolled in cinnamon sugar. The ridges are not decoration. They come from forcing a stiff dough through a star-shaped nozzle, and they are what lets the outside crisp evenly while the inside stays soft. That is why the tool matters more for churros than for most desserts: the dough is too stiff to pipe comfortably from a flimsy bag, and without a star nozzle you get a smooth breadstick instead of a churro.

“Churro maker” covers four quite different tools: a hand press or gun (a churrera) that pushes dough through a star disc, a countertop crank machine for big batches, an electric appliance that bakes batter between hot plates, and the plain piping bag and large star tip that pastry cooks use. This guide explains what each one actually does, including what an electric churro maker can and cannot give you, and names the ones worth buying.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a working Mexican kitchen looks for in a churro maker, the makers’ own specifications and published recipes from reputable test kitchens, which we cite.

Quick verdict: which churro maker to buy

The rest of this page explains why, and which of these suits the way you cook.

Five churro makers compared at a glance

Our five standout picks side by side, one for each kind of cook, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All eight churro tools are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Materials and parts are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best churro maker

These eight tools cover every way a home cook can shape churros: hand presses and guns for most kitchens, a countertop crank machine for big batches, an electric baker for anyone who will not fry, and the piping tip and bag that do the job without a gadget. Each pick says what it is made of, what comes in the box, and one honest reason to skip it. Many churro presses on Amazon come from small brands with no website of their own; we say where that is the case.

Bake or fry: what an electric churro maker really does

The word “electric” causes most of the confusion in this category, because it describes two very different machines.

Electric churro bakers, like the StarBlue, are small appliances with churro-shaped nonstick plates, much like a waffle maker. They cook batter between hot plates with no oil. They are quick and tidy, but they bake rather than fry, so the result is softer and more cake-like than a fried churro, without the crisp, blistered shell. Our guide to Mexican desserts describes a proper churro as dough piped through a fluted nozzle into hot fat, crisp enough to snap and soft inside, and at its best within a few minutes of leaving the oil. An electric baker does not give you that.

Electric churro extruders are commercial machines, often sold as 15-liter “electric churro makers”, that use a small motor to push dough out of a nozzle. They do not cook anything: you still fry the churros. They are built for businesses, and the ones we found were low on stock, so none made this list.

Every other tool on this page, from the hand presses to the piping bag, only shapes the dough. The frying is up to you, and that is what makes a churro.

How to choose a churro maker for your kitchen

Five things decide which churro maker suits you. The cheapest route often works best; the most important choice is whether you are prepared to fry.

1. Press, bag, crank machine or electric baker

• A hand press or gun (churrera) suits most home cooks. It shapes even churros with less effort than a bag, and a lever or booster handle helps with stiff dough.
• A piping bag and large star tip is the cheapest and simplest, and how many pastry kitchens do it. It takes grip strength for a full batch.
• A countertop crank machine holds liters of dough and suits parties and stalls, not weeknights.
• An electric baker avoids frying altogether, at the cost of a less authentic result.

2. Material: stainless steel or plastic

Churro dough is stiff. Cook’s Country, developing its recipe, describes needing warm dough to get it through the small opening of a piping bag. That pressure is why stainless steel presses, such as PAHTTO’s 304 steel body, are the sturdier long-term choice. Plastic presses like Reifier’s are lighter and can go in the dishwasher, but every press stroke loads the plastic.

3. The size and shape of the star

The star nozzle makes the ridges, and its size sets the thickness of the churro. King Arthur Baking says a 1/4-inch star tip makes churros about 3/4 inch wide and suggests a wider tip for fatter ones; Cook’s Country uses a 5/8-inch closed star. A closed star gives tighter, deeper grooves; an open or French star gives more, finer ridges. Presses usually include a churro disc or nozzle; check that a star shape is among them.

4. Filling

If you want filled churros, look for a kit with a filling needle and bag (KneadEat, PAHTTO) or hollow-churro parts (PAHTTO). Fill churros after frying, while they are warm, with chocolate, cajeta or pastry cream.

5. Cleaning and storage

Churro dough sets as it cools, so clean any press straight after use. Dishwasher-safe plastic (Reifier) is the easiest; steel presses come apart and usually include brushes. A reusable cloth bag needs washing and drying; an electric baker needs only a wipe, but never goes in water.

Frying churros safely at home

Whichever press or bag you choose, the frying is where churros succeed or fail. Published recipes agree on hot oil: King Arthur Baking heats it to 375°F, and Cook’s Country heats it to 375°F and adjusts the burner to hold it between 350°F and 375°F, returning it to 375°F between batches. A clip-on thermometer takes the guesswork out. Fry a few at a time: King Arthur warns that crowding the pan cools the oil, and cooler oil makes greasy churros.

Cook’s Country found that piping straight into the hot oil was “hectic but also dangerous”, so it pipes churros onto a parchment-lined sheet, chills them briefly, and slides them into the oil in batches. That works with any press or bag, and King Arthur suggests a similar trick, freezing the piped dough for 20 to 30 minutes to keep the churros straight.

Hot oil deserves respect. The National Fire Protection Association advises staying in the kitchen while you fry and keeping a lid nearby to smother a small pan fire. Use a deep, heavy pot, keep children well back, and let the oil cool completely before you move it.

How we picked these eight churro makers

We started from what a Mexican kitchen asks of a churro maker: a star nozzle that gives proper ridges, enough strength to push stiff dough, and parts that are easy to clean before the dough sets. We then looked for tools sold on Amazon in the United States that were in stock when we checked, covering every way a home cook can shape churros: hand presses and guns, a countertop crank machine, an electric baker, and the piping tip and bag. Specifications come from the brand’s own Amazon listing, and from the maker or established restaurant-supply retailers where they publish more (each review says which).

Most churro presses on Amazon come from small brands with no website of their own, and their listings are sometimes inconsistent; where that is the case, we say so in the review. For how churros should be made, we relied on published recipes from King Arthur Baking and Cook’s Country. We left out electric churro makers that were low on stock, commercial electric extruders, and near-identical stainless presses from unidentified sellers. We have not used these products ourselves; where we describe how a method behaves, we say whose findings those are.

Churro maker questions, answered

Do you need a churro maker to make churros?

No. A sturdy piping bag and a large star tip make proper ridged churros, and that is how many pastry cooks do it. A churro press makes it easier on your hands and gives more even lengths, which helps for a big batch.

Are electric churro makers worth it?

Only if you will not fry. An electric churro baker cooks batter between nonstick plates without oil, so it is quick and tidy, but the result is softer than a fried churro and lacks the crisp shell. For real churros, use a press or bag and fry them.

What size star tip is best for churros?

Something between 1/4 inch and about 3/4 inch, depending on how thick you like them. King Arthur Baking says a 1/4-inch star gives churros about 3/4 inch wide; Cook’s Country uses a 5/8-inch closed star; the Ateco 867 French star has a 0.56-inch opening for thick churros.

Can you bake churros instead of frying them?

You can bake churro dough in an oven or an electric churro baker, but it will not taste like a fried churro: the crisp, blistered shell comes from hot oil. King Arthur Baking uses the oven only to reheat fried churros, at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

What do you serve with churros?

Cinnamon sugar on the outside, and in Mexico usually thick chocolate or cajeta for dipping, as our guide to Mexican desserts explains. For the chocolate, see our guide to the best Mexican hot chocolate, and for flavoring the dough or a filling, the best Mexican vanilla.

Choosing the best churro maker for your kitchen

Buy the KneadEat Churro Maker Kit if you want one press that handles stiff dough and fills churros too. Choose the PAHTTO stainless steel gun for hollow, filled churros, the DNYSYSJ crank machine for party-size batches, and the StarBlue electric baker only if frying is off the table. If you want the simplest, longest-lasting setup, an Ateco 867 star tip in a Wunderbag is how pastry cooks have always done it.

Churros make a good finish to a taco night: our guide to taco bar supplies covers the rest of the table, and flan versus tres leches covers two more Mexican desserts worth making at home.

And if you would rather someone else did the cooking tonight, see the menu or call to order.