You know what? There are some dishes that seem less like recipes and more like little moments of pure joy, and these mini baked churro donuts are definitely one of them. If you love churros, trust me, you are going to be completely obsessed with these little gems.
I still remember the first time I made these. I was craving something sweet and comforting after a long week, but I didn’t want to deal with deep frying or spend hours on some elaborate dessert. My kiddo had been asking for churros ever since we’d had them at the local Mexican restaurant, and I thought, why not try making them at home? But instead of the traditional fried version, I decided to go the baked route.
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- Instructions
- Common Mistakes
- Best Tips
- Soniya’s Top Tip
- Storage
- How to Serve
- Mini Churros Donuts ( Gluten-free+Vegan)
And you know what? These turned out even better than I expected. They have that classic cinnamon sugar flavor we all crave, with a soft cake like center that’s absolutely irresistible. The best part? They’re baked, not fried, which means no messy oil splatters in my kitchen. This is one of those recipes I make when I want something sweet and comforting, but don’t want to deal with deep frying or a long dessert process.
Let me tell you, they come together so fast, and honestly… they disappear even faster. Perfect for weekend treats, kids’ snacks, parties, or anytime a cinnamon craving hits. My family is completely converted into mini churro donut lovers now, and I challenge you there isn’t an easier sweet treat than this.
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INGREDIENTS
See recipe card for quantities.
- All-purpose flour - forms the base structure of these donuts and gives them that tender, cake like texture we’re after.
- Sugar - sweetens the batter and helps create a soft crumb. Don’t reduce this as it affects the texture.
- Baking powder - the secret to light, fluffy donuts. This makes them rise properly in the oven.
- Milk - adds moisture and helps bind everything together. Room temperature works best.
- Melted butter - creates richness and that tender bite. Make sure it’s cooled slightly so it doesn’t scramble anything.
- Cinnamon - the star flavor that makes these taste like churros. I use it both in the batter and the coating.
- For the coating - melted butter helps the cinnamon sugar stick, and extra cinnamon sugar gives that classic churro finish we all crave.
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. This is important because we want that even heat right from the start. While it’s heating up, generously grease your mini donut pan with cooking spray or butter. Trust me on this - don’t skip the greasing or you’ll have donuts stuck in the pan, and nobody wants that drama.
- Make the Sweet Batter In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Mix these together well until everything is nicely combined. The mixture will smell amazing already. Now add the milk and flour, stirring just until you see it coming together. Here’s the thing - we want to be gentle here.
- Add the Magic Finally, add the baking powder and stir gently until the batter is smooth. But here’s my trick - don’t overmix this. Once you don’t see any more flour streaks, stop stirring. Overmixing will give you tough donuts, and we want these to be tender and soft.
- Fill Those Cavities Now comes the fun part. Spoon or pipe the batter into the mini donut cavities, filling each one about halfway. I learned this the hard way - if you fill them too much, they’ll overflow and lose their cute donut shape. A piping bag or even a ziplock bag with the corner cut off makes this so much easier.
- Bake to Golden Perfection Pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops look set and just lightly golden. The kitchen will smell incredible at this point. Don’t overbake these - they go from perfect to dry pretty quickly.
- The Best Part - Coating Remove the donuts from the pan while they’re still warm. Here’s where the magic happens. Brush each donut with melted butter, then immediately roll them in that cinnamon sugar mixture until they’re completely coated. The warmth helps everything stick perfectly.
- Serve and Enjoy These taste absolutely best when they’re fresh and warm. The outside is sweet and cinnamon sugary, while the inside stays soft and tender. Savor the aroma and enjoy!
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | What Happens | How I Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Overfilling donut cavities | Mushroom shaped donuts instead of rings | Fill only halfway, they’ll rise to perfect size |
| Not greasing pan enough | Donuts stick and break when removing | Use generous cooking spray or butter |
| Overbaking | Dry, tough donuts | Check at 10 minutes, remove when just set |
| Coating when cool | Cinnamon sugar won’t stick | Brush with butter and coat while still warm |
Best Tips
- Grease the pan generously with cooking spray to prevent sticking
- Use a piping bag or ziplock bag with corner cut off for neat filling
- Don’t overbake as they dry out quickly once past the 10 minute mark
- Coat them while warm so the cinnamon sugar sticks perfectly
- Make the coating mixture before the donuts come out for quick assembly
Soniya’s Top Tip
Fill the donut cavities only halfway as this will prevent overflow and keep those perfect donut rings intact.
Storage
| Can It Be Saved? | How Long? | How to Store |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, but best fresh | 1-2 days room temperature | Airtight container, may lose crispness |
| Can freeze | Up to 1 month | Freeze without coating, coat after thawing |
How to Serve
These mini baked churro donuts are perfect on their own. But they’re absolutely incredible with a cup of hot coffee or cold milk for dipping. Serve them warm for the best experience, when that cinnamon sugar coating is at its most irresistible.
Treat yourself to this buttery, and cinnamony goodness with these mouth-watering Mini churros Donuts. Do try to make churros using this churros recipe and let us know how you liked it.
- Homemade Churros Bites - Churros muffins
- Date and walnut cake (no refined sugar, eggless, whole wheat)
- Moist & Delicious Mango Semolina Vegan Cake
- Eggless Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake Bars
You can bake them in mini muffin/Donut trays or even make them in the electric donut balls maker or Aebelskiver pan/ Appe pan!
Ingredients
For the mini donuts:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 -3 tablespoon melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease mini donut pan well.
- Make batter: Combine sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon in bowl, then add milk and flour.
- Add leavening: Stir in baking powder gently until smooth, don’t overmix.
- Fill pan: Spoon batter into donut cavities, filling halfway.
- Bake: Bake 10 minutes until tops are set and lightly golden.
- Coat: Remove while warm, brush with melted butter, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately while warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients
For the mini donuts:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 -3 tablespoon melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease mini donut pan well.
- Make batter: Combine sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon in bowl, then add milk and flour.
- Add leavening: Stir in baking powder gently until smooth, don’t overmix.
- Fill pan: Spoon batter into donut cavities, filling halfway.
- Bake: Bake 10 minutes until tops are set and lightly golden.
- Coat: Remove while warm, brush with melted butter, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately while warm.
