You can eat churros as a snack accompanied by chocolate, or in some places, you can eat them stuffed with dulce de leche, but it doesn’t matter how you like them, because today I will talk about the churros storage guidelines.
Churros can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Then, following the guidelines, you can keep the churros in the fridge for 3 or 4 days or freeze them for a month.
Keep reading, and you will find out how to preserve churros best so they remain fresh and crispy.
Store churros at room temperature
If you don’t want to store the churros in the fridge, you can keep them at room temperature, following some steps to prevent them from going soggy. This is the best storage method, in my opinion.
To keep churros at room temperature, you must follow these indications:
- Step 1: Let cool.
Place the fried churros on paper towels and let them cool.
- Step 2: Prepare the airtight container.
Line the container internally with aluminum foil, which will help the churros better preserve their crunchy texture.
- Step 3: Store in a dry place.
Humidity is churros’ number one enemy. So be sure to store the airtight container, tightly closed, in a dry and cool place. In this way, you will perfectly preserve them for two days.
How to keep churros in the fridge
We do not advise storing churros in the fridge; due to the humidity it generates, they can lose the crunchy texture that characterizes them and could get watery.
However, if you follow the instructions that I leave you below, you can store the churros in the fridge quietly:
- Step 1: Cool completely.
Put the churros to drain on absorbent paper while they cool.
- Step 2a: Wrap the churros.
Use aluminum foil to wrap the churros, although the plastic film is also used for wrapping.
- Step 2b: Vacuum sealer machine.
If you have this device, it is much better, and you would not need to wrap each churro.
- Step 3: Store in an airtight container.
Line the container internally with parchment paper, as it helps keep moisture at bay. In addition, the airtight container will prevent cold air from circulating.
When storing churros in the fridge using this method, they can last about 3 or 4 days.
How to freeze churros
Can the churros dough be frozen? If you have cooked or bought many churros and will not eat them soon, then yes, you can freeze them.
Now, if the churros will be prepared by yourself and you want to advance the work for a particular day, we recommend better to freeze them without frying (as dough), but that’s the next heading.
But in case they are already fried, do the following:
- Step 1: Cool.
If they get into the freezer while hot, the steam condenses and completely ruins them.
- Step 2: Perform a pre-freezing.
In a tray, arrange the churros that you will freeze, leaving a space between them so that they do not stick, and freeze them for an hour or two.
- Step 3: Pass in an airtight bag.
After they have frozen, you need to store them in an airtight bag or container to prevent frost burns.
- Step 4: Label the container.
The long-term storage requires a label with the current date to control it.
- Step 5: Store in the freezer.
Now it’s time to store the container in the freezer, where the churros will last a month.
How to reheat churros?
To reheat the churros, you have to consider how they were stored.
In the case of churros stored at room temperature, preheat the oven to 205°C (400°F) for a few minutes, then place the churros until they are hot.
To reheat the churros that were refrigerated first, you have to leave them for a while at room temperature, then bake at 205°C for a few minutes.
Frozen churros must first go through a slow thawing process, so you need to leave the churros in the fridge overnight. Then preheat the oven to 205°C, leave churros at room temperature, and finally, bake for a few minutes.
The texture, in this case, will not be entirely crispy as freshly made, but they will be fine. Do not fry the churros again as they would absorb a lot of oil and would not be crispy either.
Avoid the microwave to reheat them because it would soften them. Instead, it is best to use an oven, toaster, or air fryer.
Preserve the churros dough
Well, as humidity does not do churros good, the best way to keep them cold is to store the dough, that is, without frying them. Therefore, the dough cannot be left at room temperature.
Keep the churros dough in the fridge
If you want to advance the preparation of the churros a little, you can make the dough the night before and refrigerate it.
To do this, do the following:
- Step 1: Wrap the dough.
Wrap the dough completely using plastic film.
- Step 2: Store in an airtight container.
The airtight container will prevent the air in the fridge from affecting the dough. It would be best to put it on the bottom part, where the temperature is more stable and where it can last 24 hours.
Freeze the churros dough
Can the churros dough be frozen? Yes, but in this case, it is not recommended to freeze the entire dough, as it would not be easy to handle a massive pile of frozen dough.
In addition, the dough runs the risk of spoiling when thawed. Therefore, I advise you to do the following:
- Step 1: Arrange a tray.
Shape the churros on a tray with parchment paper, leaving enough space between them.
- Step 2: Pre-freezing.
Cover the tray with plastic film and freeze for an hour or two.
- Step 3: Transfer to an airtight bag or container.
The bag and container must be suitable for freezing. However, there is no need to wrap them because, being frozen, they will not stick to the others.
- Step 4: Label.
Write the storage date on a label and stick it to the container.
- Step 5: Store it in the freezer.
Frozen churros without frying can last between 3 and 4 weeks. It is advisable to fry them directly frozen, but keep in mind they will lower the oil temperature, so it may take longer to fry them. [1]
How do you know when churros are in disrepair?
Generally, churros are discarded when they get soft, although they are still suitable for eating. But since its texture is usually crispy, it is not pleasant to eat watery churros.
If they have a bad smell or taste, or if they have the presence of mold, you should discard them immediately.
Why do churros spoil?
All foods spoil at some point, especially when exposed to air, humidity, and heat, where bacteria and fungi can feast on them.
Storage techniques slow down or inhibit microbial activity for a while. So if a product, or in this case, churros, got bad quickly, it’s because you didn’t properly store it.
How long do churros last?
| Product | Shelf life |
| Churros at room temperature | 2 days |
| Refrigerated churros | 3 – 4 days |
| Frozen churros | 1 month |
| Refrigerated churros dough | 24 hours |
| Frozen churros dough | 3 – 4 weeks |
What is the best way to preserve churros?
Without a doubt, the best way to preserve fried churros is at room temperature since there is no risk that their texture will change.
Therefore, fried churros should avoid the fridge if you do not have a way to preserve them well, as indicated above. In that case, it is better to freeze them.
On the other hand, the churros dough can be stored well in the fridge, at least for a whole night.
However, it is always good to clarify that freshly made churros look better than those stored for a while, but if they are stored correctly, they can maintain excellent quality.
Wanna see more content? Here you have it.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267851907_Food_Freezing_Guide