Mexican Buñuelos (Mexican Fritters) + VIDEO

Authentic Mexican buñuelos are made from simple ingredients – a sweet flour dough that has been fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Stacks of these Mexican fritters and pork tamales are often given in Mexican households during the Christmas season.

These sweet treats are a must-have during the Holidays and posadas.

🥘 Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Butter
• Oil for frying
• Warm water
• Ground cinnamon
• Granulated white sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla extract (Optional)
• Star anise (Optional)

These are the ingredients needed to make this traditional Mexican dessert.

My mother used to do all the mixing by hand because she’s old school.

Use a mixer or food processor to make it easier.

🥣 Instructions

• Add salt, sugar, and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. 
• Mix to combine the dry ingredients. 

The flour mixture will be slightly crumbly.

Have you ever seen a Dutch Apple Pie or a cobbler with the crumbles on top? That’s exactly the consistency you are looking for.

From here, add the wet ingredients – including enough water to make a dough.

Eyeball it. If you add too much water and the dough is too wet, add more flour until you get the right consistency. It’s flour power!

There is some kneading involved to make a smooth dough. This is where a good mixer comes in handy.

Or, burn up some calories to make room for the crispy treats.

• Take a piece of the dough and form small dough balls. 
• Place on a lightly floured surface. 
• Each one should be about the size of a golf ball.
• Roll it out using a rolling pin. 

I’m rollin’… They hatin’ … Turn the dough as needed to roll it like a thin tortilla. Thin it to win it!

You want them to be the size of a flour tortilla. Think fajita-size flour tortillas.

Differences

Buñuelos are different in South American countries like Colombia and in Spain. They are still sweet, but they are fried small balls. Not like the Mexican kind.

See how my mom stretches the dough?

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips 

• If a small hole forms, it’s ok. Just press it or pinch it back together.
• They don’t have to be perfect circles. I’ve eaten plenty of them with holes. Ohhhh holy night… Lol.

• Once you’re done rolling out the dough, lay them on a kitchen towel.
• Cover them with another kitchen towel while they rest and await their turn to jump in the hot oil.
• Heat the oil.

I recommend either canola oil or vegetable oil. Olive oil and coconut oil are not good for frying. You could use avocado oil which has a higher heat point, but you’re also going to pay a higher price.

There are different types of buñuelos and some people like to make these in different shapes.

• Don’t use too much oil.
• See how much vegetable oil I used? I used only about an inch of oil.

Oily to bed, oily to rise. I refilled the frying pan twice to get through all of the frying.

🔥 Burned Dough

• If you burn the buñuelo while frying, you need to start all over again. 
• Dump the oil. Wash the pan. Or, all the other buñuelos will taste like burnt oil.

No joke. You gotta poke.

• Use a fork, and poke it several times while it’s frying.
• Be very careful. The oil is very hot.

If you don’t poke the dough, the center will inflate and not cook.

• Be sure that they turn a golden brown.

The oil is essential. Don’t pat them down.

After you finish frying, place the buñuelo on a paper towel to drain slightly.

✂️ Short Cuts

• In Mexico, there are tortillerías (or stores where they sell tortillas) that sell the dough for buñuelos. You just have to go home and fry the dough.
• In the US, you can use regular flour tortillas or uncooked flour tortillas and fry them. However, the dough in this bunuelos recipe is sweeter than regular flour tortillas.

• You don’t want to drain all the excess oil.
• The oil will help the cinnamon and sugar mixture stick to the fried tortilla.
• Don’t forget to flip it and sprinkle the back with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Sprinkle while the fried dough is still warm. If you sprinkle when it’s cold, the cinnamon and sugar will not stick to the fritter as easily.

This Mexican fried tortilla with sugar and cinnamon is usually had with a big cup of champurrado or chocolate atole.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

🎄More Mexican Christmas recipes:

• Pozole Rojo
• Menudo Recipe
• Sweet Tamales
• Ensalada Navideña

This Mexican buñuelos recipe is perfect for the holiday season. You’ll find these traditional desserts in Mexican households during the December holidays right up to New Year’s Eve.

¡Buen provecho!

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