Churros con Salsa de Café de Olla (Churros with Spiced Coffee Dip)
Churros dipped into a glossy coffee, cinnamon and brown sugar sauce inspired by Mexican café de olla.
Made with Churro dough. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time35 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.75 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Simmer the coffee, muscovado sugar and cinnamon stick in a small pan for 8 minutes until reduced by a third.
8 min - 2
Mix the cornflour with the oat milk, whisk into the pan and simmer 2 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove the stick and keep warm.
2 min - 3
Mix the caster sugar and ground cinnamon on a plate.
- 4
Spoon your ready made churro dough (see the base recipe) into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Heat the oil in a deep pan, no more than one third full, to 180 degrees C.
- 5
Pipe 12 cm lengths into the oil, snipping with oiled scissors. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden. Drain, roll in the cinnamon sugar and serve with the warm dip.
4 min
Tips
- Use coffee you would happily drink; a strong filter or moka pot brew works best.
- Decaf coffee works if you serve this to children or in the evening.
- The dip thickens as it cools; loosen with a splash of oat milk if needed.
Storing and freezing
Eat the churros fresh. The dip keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat gently and loosen with a splash of milk.
Questions
What is café de olla?
Café de olla is Mexican coffee simmered in a clay pot with cinnamon and piloncillo (raw cane sugar). This dip borrows those flavours.
Is it very strong?
It has a clear coffee flavour balanced by sugar and cinnamon. Use half coffee and half milk for a gentler sauce.
Is this vegan?
Yes, with the base churro dough, oat milk and plant based sugar. Check muscovado if you avoid bone-char refined sugars.
More made with churro dough
Churros con Natilla de Vainilla (Churros with Vanilla Custard)
NFVNOGPastel de Tres Leches con Churro Crujiente (Churro Tres Leches Cake)
NFVNOGCopa de Helado con Churros y Cajeta (Churro Sundae)
EFNFVChurros con Miel de Piloncillo (Churros with Piloncillo Syrup)
DFEFNFDouble check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.