Early dusk, cold hands and warm kitchens: the season nudges you towards something spiced, soft, and worth sharing.
Across Britain, an autumn nibble is quietly stealing the spotlight: soft, pumpkin‑laced churros rolled in sugar and dipped in glossy hot chocolate. They use the squash already on your counter, they love cinnamon and nutmeg, and they turn a grey afternoon into a small event without wrecking the budget or the washing up.
Why pumpkin churros now
October fills cupboards with pumpkins and minds with cosy plans. Families look for thrifty ways to sweeten weekends, students chase comfort between lectures, and office workers want a pick‑me‑up that feels like a reward. Pumpkin churros answer all three. The purée brings moisture and a golden hue, spices carry the aroma of the season, and the dunk into hot chocolate seals the deal.
Soft‑centred churros, scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, fried at 170°C and dunked in thick hot chocolate, are the autumn upgrade you can actually pull off.
There is a practical angle too. Pumpkin keeps recipes moist without heavy amounts of butter, and a batch relies on cupboard basics. You can pipe the dough straight from a reusable bag, fry in a shallow pan, and turn out a plateful in the time it takes a film to reach the good bit.
The method in brief
Make a dense pumpkin mash
Steam or simmer peeled pumpkin cubes until tender. Drain very well, then blend smooth. Set the purée in a sieve or a clean tea towel and press to drive out water. This step sets up the soft bite: too much moisture turns churros soggy.
Cook a spiced dough
Bring water, a small knob of butter, sugar, a pinch of salt and your spices to a boil. Tip in plain flour and a little cornflour in one go. Stir hard off the heat, then return to low heat to dry the mixture briefly. When it comes together and looks satiny, beat in the cooled pumpkin purée and then the eggs, one by one, until the dough becomes smooth, pliant and slightly glossy.
Pipe and fry at the right temperature
Heat neutral oil to 170°C. Pipe 10–12 cm lengths directly into the oil using a star‑nosed nozzle or a sturdy food bag with the corner snipped. Avoid crowding; it drops the temperature and spoils the crust. Fry until deep golden, turning once. Drain on paper, then coat immediately in fine sugar or icing sugar while the surface still clings.
Stir a thick hot chocolate
Warm whole milk with a spoon of cream, then add chopped dark chocolate and a whisper of vanilla sugar. Whisk over gentle heat until the liquid turns velvety and coats the spoon. Serve in generous mugs alongside the warm churros.
Key numbers: oil at 170°C, sticks 10–12 cm long, around 35 minutes from first simmer to first dunk.
What a typical batch looks like
- Cooked, well‑drained pumpkin purée: about 200 g
- Plain flour and a spoon of cornflour: roughly 150 g + 30 g
- Butter: 25 g, just enough for tenderness
- Water: 250 ml for the panade
- Eggs: 2 medium, beaten in one at a time
- White sugar and vanilla sugar: a modest shake
- Ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
- Neutral oil for frying and icing sugar to finish
Costs and timing at a glance
| Item | Quantity | Estimated cost (UK) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin | 200 g cooked | £0.40 | From a medium squash or tinned purée |
| Flour + cornflour | 180 g total | £0.10 | Basic supermarket value lines |
| Butter | 25 g | £0.20 | Salted or unsalted |
| Eggs | 2 | £0.40 | Medium free‑range multipack |
| Sugar and spices | To taste | £0.15 | Pro‑rated cupboard use |
| Frying oil | About 500 ml | £0.30 | Much is reusable once cooled and strained |
| Dark chocolate | 120 g | £1.20 | 50–60% cocoa melts smoothly |
| Milk and cream | 530 ml total | £0.65 | Whole milk gives body |
| Approximate total | 6 servings | ~£4.40 | About 70–75p per person |
Prices swing by region and brand, but the outlay stays modest. Timewise, most home cooks can go from raw pumpkin to sugared churros in half an hour, with five more minutes for the hot chocolate.
Flavour tweaks and dietary switches
Spices that sing
Cinnamon and nutmeg set the tone. Cardamom lands a floral lift, star anise brings a gentle liquorice curl, and a pinch of ginger sharpens the edges. Use fresh, fragrant ground spices so a little goes a long way.
Coatings that crunch
Toss straight from the pan in icing sugar with a pinch of cinnamon. For extra texture, swap in golden caster sugar, add crushed praline, or dust with a veil of cocoa for a subtle bitterness that keeps each bite from tipping too sweet.
Gluten‑free and lighter options
Replace wheat flour with a mix of rice flour and finely ground almond for a pleasing snap. Reduce butter slightly or trade half the sugar for mild acacia honey; the pumpkin keeps the crumb tender without losing shape in the oil.
Safety and texture troubleshooting
- Moisture control: squeeze the pumpkin until barely any liquid escapes. Wet purée causes oily, collapsed sticks.
- Temperature management: aim for 170°C; cooler oil absorbs, hotter oil scorches. A simple thermometer pays for itself.
- Batch size: fry in small rounds. Overcrowding drops heat and encourages uneven cooking.
- Piping fix: no nozzle? Spoon dough into a food bag and snip a 1 cm opening; the ridges will be softer but the result stays plush.
- Vegan route: swap dairy milk for oat milk, butter for a plant spread with at least 70% fat, and use a dark chocolate without milk solids. Replace eggs with 2–3 tablespoons aquafaba plus an extra spoon of cornflour for structure.
- Oil reuse: cool, strain through paper, and store capped for one or two more fry sessions if it still smells clean.
Serving ideas that feel like an occasion
Dress the plate rather than the table. Pile churros into paper cones, drizzle with melted chocolate, and finish with fresh orange zest. Offer a salted caramel dip, a tart berry coulis, or a light orange‑scented whipped cream. For a fruit note, scatter diced poached pears or pan‑fried apples with a whisper of cinnamon. Toasted hazelnuts bring crunch without fighting the spice.
Make the most of your pumpkin
Leftover purée never goes begging. Fold it into pancake batter, whisk it into custards sweetened with honey and vanilla, or stir into madeleine mix for an amber tone and soft crumb. Freeze purée in ice‑cube trays for the next round of churros, or for quick soups and lattes.
Waste less, cook more: one medium pumpkin can stretch to churros, pancakes and a pan of soup across the week.
A quick plan for busy afternoons
Cook and drain the pumpkin the night before and chill. Measure dry ingredients into a lidded container. After school or work, the dough comes together in minutes, the oil heats while you pipe, and the hot chocolate simmers as you fry. By the time coats are hung, the first sticks are ready to sugar and share.
If you fancy a curveball
Stir a handful of dark chocolate chips through the dough for pockets of melt, or marble a spoon of cocoa into half the batch for a two‑tone plate. Both versions keep the soft centre and turn an ordinary snack into something that feels a touch festive without straying from the budget.
Tried it tonight—170°C was spot on; crisp outside, soft‑centred middle. New autumn ritual!
£4 for six including hot chocolate? Are thse prices based on value ranges? In London my dark chocolate alone is £2.50!