Buñuelos (Mexican Fritters) + VIDEO

This post is very special to me because of my mom. My mom jumped on a train and came to visit me and my family by herself. I asked her to make buñuelos, and she happily accepted.

In a nutshell, Bunuelos are made from a sweet flour dough that has been fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Stacks of these Mexican fritters and pork tamales, that is what families give each other during the Holidays.

See my mom make Buñuelos in the video.

How to Make Buñuelos

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

My mother did all the mixing by hand because she’s old school. You can use a mixer if you don’t want to get your hands too dirty.

• Add salt, sugar, and baking powder.
• Mix to combine.

After you add the shortening, 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.

More Mexican Desserts: Pastel de Tres Leches, Flan, Carlota de Limón

From here, add enough water to make a dough.

More traditional Mexican Christmas recipes: Pozole Rojo, Menudo, Sweet Tamales.

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. This is where a good mixer comes in handy. Or, burn up some calories to make room for the buñuelos.

Other Mexican Christmas Desserts: Pineapple Empanadas, Ensalada Navideña, Empanadas de Calabaza

• Take a piece of the dough.
• About the size of a golf ball and roll it out.

I’m rollin’… They hatin’ … Turn the dough as need to roll it out thin. Thin it to win it!

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

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

See how my mom stretches the dough?

Note: If a small hole forms, it’s ok. Just press it or pinch it back together.

Buñuelos are not perfect. 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.

FYI: I am using canola oil. Olive oil and coconut oil are not good for frying.

See how much oil I used? Well, I had to refill the pan twice to get through all of the frying.

Oily to bed, oily to rise, those buñuelos are better than fries.

Word to the Wise: 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.

• After you finish frying, place the buñuelo on a paper towel to drain slightly.
• Don’t pat them down.

The oil is essential.

You don’t want to drain all the oil. The oil will help the cinnamon and sugar mixture stick to the fried tortilla.

Sprinkle while the buñuelo 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.

Then flip it and sprinkle the back.

Mexican Differences: My family is the state of Durango. My aunt, however, is from the state of Michoacán. They add a syrup made with piloncillo and anise to their buñuelos.

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 and fry them. However, the dough in this bunuelos recipe is sweeter than regular flour tortillas.

Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!

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