Homemade Authentic Mexican Buñuelos Recipe (Sweet Fritters)
Lightly sweet and perfectly golden brown, this recipe for Homemade Authentic Mexican Buñuelos is a must during the holiday season. Simple tortilla-like fritters are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a deliciously light and crispy dessert.
This traditional Mexican dessert is a favorite at our house, especially around Christmas. Served with cafe de olla or champurrado, they’re a bundle full of warm, cozy feel-good-edness. Give this simple, 30-minute crispy fritter recipe a try – I’m sure you’ll love it!
What Are Buñuelos?
When it comes to desserts, there aren’t many that I don’t enjoy. But I do have to say that Mexican desserts are often my favorite! Made with simple ingredients and often flavored with cinnamon and sugar (such a good combo), classics like sopaipillas, churros, and these delighful homemade buñuelos always make the top of my sweet list.
Mexican buñuelos (pronounced boon-WELL-ohs) are a yummy type of dough based fritters. Unlike other Latin American versions of this dessert that are thick and puffy like donuts, buñuelos are light and crispy, sort of like sweet and crispy flour tostada shells.
My grandma used to make these crispy treats, but never called them “buñuelos.” Her recipe was basically the same as her flour tortilla recipe, which she then fried and drizzled with miel virgen (honey); I still remember licking my sticky fingers wanting more.
While in college I remember seeing buñuelos sold in a Mexican grocery store around the holidays and said, “Hey, my grandma made those!” I didn’t know there was a specific name for them. Technically speaking, these are buñuelos de rodilla, or “knee fritters.” The other type of Mexican buñuelos are buñuelos de viento, or “wind fritters.”
The rodilla version are much simpler, requiring just a rolling pin. Making the viento version requires a piece of equipment known as a buñalera, or rosette mold.
Grandma also made unforgettable sopaipillas, which she would cut in fourths, then fry until light and puffy. Contrary to popular opinion, these two delicious cinnamon-sugary treats are not one and the same.
What is the difference between Buñuelos and Sopaipillas?
Buñuelos are often mistaken for sopaipillas. Sopaipillas are more like a fry bread and puff up when fried like a pillow until golden brown on the outside and soft in the inside. Authentic Mexican buñuelos, on the other hand are rolled out thin and fried until crispy.
The dough for softer sopaipillas is also enriched with more eggs and fat, contributing to their softer consistency. Buñuelos also have less leavening added, which keeps them from puffing up too much.
About This Recipe
My mom came up with her very own recipe for the Muy Bueno cookbook — I think I gained about five pounds in the test kitchen while we did the hard work of sampling three different recipes. It was tough work, but someone had to do it. The recipe below was the clear winner!
Made with fewer than 10 ingredients – most of which you probably already have in the pantry – this recipe for homemade buñuelos de rodilla is not only manageable, it’s downright easy. The whole thing can be completed in just about a half of an hour.
You can also work ahead of time if you’re feeling stressed. Make the dough and refrigerate it for up to a week, or freeze it for up to a month. Fried buñuelos will also last for several days in a zip top bag at room temperature.
We invite you to make these tasty treats for your family and friends this Christmas season. Watch this video to see how simple these buñuelos are made.
How To Make Buñuelos Mexicanos
Mix dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Heat dairy: In a saucepan heat milk, butter, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, then add the beaten eggs to the room temperature milk mixture and whisk quickly.
Mix wet and dry: Add the liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
Knead dough on lightly floured surface 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
Roll: After you knead the dough, divide into 20 dough balls. With a rolling pin, roll out thin tortillas.
Dry: Lay out all the thin tortilla flats on a tablecloth and let them dry. Turn them over once to ensure drying on both sides. This helps remove most of the moisture before frying.
Fry: Heat one-inch of oil in a skillet wide enough for the tortillas to fry flat. Deep-fry tortillas until golden brown, turning once. Remove from pan; stand vertically in a bowl lined with paper towels and drain excess oil.
Season: While warm, sprinkle fried tortillas on both sides with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are excellent served as is, but I personally love drizzling them with sticky honey, a warm piloncillo syrup, or even some warmed maple syrup. Bonus points if you serve them with some cafe de olla. YUM!
I recommend stacking them on a plate and covering them with a simple paper towel or light kitchen linen on kitchen counter for up to three days to keep their crunch and texture.
Sure! Feel free to add a bit of cinnamon to the buñuelo dough, or try steeping the milk mixture with anise seeds or cinnamon sticks for an added burst of flavor. This is also a great idea if you don’t plan on rolling them in cinnamon sugar and would rather serve them with syrup instead.
Absolutely! Try making them with flour tortillas like these Easy Buñuelos {Tree Ornaments} recipe or this Buñuelo Berry Muffin Cups recipe.
They definitely can be! Try these gorgeous buñuelos de viento.
More Mexican Christmas Recipes
Enjoy these other holiday favorites:
- Tamales
- Ensalada de Noche buena
- Pozole Rojo
- Champurrado
- Ponche Navideño (Mexican Christmas Fruit Punch)
If you tried this delicious recipe for Homemade Authentic Mexican Buñuelos Recipe (Sweet Fritters), please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #muybuenocooking.
Homemade Authentic Mexican Buñuelos Recipe (Sweet Fritters)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 beaten eggs
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Sugar coating
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a saucepan heat milk, butter, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, then add the beaten eggs to the room temperature milk mixture and whisk quickly.
- Add the liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
- Knead dough on lightly floured surface 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
- After you knead the dough, divide into 20 dough balls. With a rolling pin, roll out thin tortillas.
- Lay out all the thin tortilla flats on a tablecloth and let them dry. Turn them over once to ensure drying on both sides. This helps remove most of the moisture before frying.
- Heat one-inch of oil in a skillet wide enough for the tortillas to fry flat. Deep-fry tortillas until golden brown, turning once. Remove from pan; stand vertically in a bowl lined with paper towels and drain excess oil.
- While warm, sprinkle fried tortillas on both sides with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Video
Notes
Originally published: December 2010. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
68 Comments on “Homemade Authentic Mexican Buñuelos Recipe (Sweet Fritters)”
Has anyone air fried these? I’m trying to look for healthier alternatives. If you have and were successful, what temp and length of time did you use? Thank you
Can’t wait to try your recipe .
I love your recipes and trying them. The recipes sometimes reminds me of my Grandmother Madalena and my Grt. Grandma Clarita. Love and miss them both. The smell of flour tortillas being cooked will put me back in time when they were still living. My Grandma’s made the best sweet tamales, with cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. They were the best. Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipes. I’m going to try making bunuelos. I haven’t had them in years.
This recipe was so easy and so delicious. I didn’t make the syrup but added sugar and cinnamon to my banuelos; let me tell you, my kids loved them! Thank you for this and your champurado recipes. I made them a few days ago to start 2021 and remember my loved ones I could not spend time with during the holidays, or who passed way too soon in 2020. Thank you for bringing some sweetness to my life. I will repeat this recipe again for sure. Feliz ano!
I made these and they taste good but texture wasa more like sopaipilla than a bunuelos, they puffed up like them to they were soft not crispy,my mom never added egg or vanilla to hers
The bonuelos were super crispy and delicious!
the bunuelos were amazing! super crispy and delicious
I’m not very good with a rolling pin, could the dough be flattened in a tortilla press?
I LOVE bunuelos. I grew up in San Antonio. Bunuelos are very popular there. The grocery stores even had them. I miss them so much! I am so excited to try your recipe.
Sounds like your mother used to make sopapillas not buñuelos. Sopapillas go with honey, can be plain or coated with sugar and cinnamon. Not round could be square or triangle. If she did make buñuelos they could also be eaten with honey.
Just saw your post on Insta. And I drooled a bit. My mother would call them azucaritas. Yum.
How long do they stay crisp? What is the best way to store them?
Buñuelos may be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Mmmm… I look forward to this all year long
My abuelita’s Christmas night gift to all of us, her wonderful Bunuleos, topped off with melted “panocha” (brown sugar in a cone shape) and a hard cheese she shredded. We opened our presents at midnight.
I hope this isn’t weird for you, but that photo of hands rolling out tortilla rounds makes me think of, not a specific family member, but somehow all of my aunties and nanas and my mama all at once. 🙂 thank you!
My mom use to make a dessert called “campachanas”. I have a recipe for them but they are not coming out the way I remember them. She would roll them out with a thin rolling pin, then roll them around the rolling pin, then push them off the rolling pin and do it again. She would do this maybe 3 or 4 times. The last time she did it she would not roll then out but would put them on a greased cookie sheet to bake. I try it but it never turns out correct. Hers would be flaky. Mine are not flaky but they do taste good, but not like I remember hers. Do you have a recipe for campachanas, that you could share?
Hi Marion!
I wish I did — you are making my mouth water. My friend Pati does on her site. Her recipes are always right on! Keep me posted: https://patijinich.com/recipe/campechanas/
I was going to make Bunuelos this year and thought I’d use the pre-made tortilla mix and just follow the recipe on the package, but when I found your website and recipes, I knew I had it in me to try and make them from scratch! I shared them with my friends and family, so glad I did! It made all the difference in the world, and even though I lost my Mom and Aunts many years ago, the memories came flooding back as I rolled the first Bunuelos they looked more like UFO’s but as I got about half way through, they were becoming more like the ones of my childhood! Thank you for your recipe!
Thanks for sharing. Mom is 94 years old and she forgets which ingredients to use 🙁
She still makes them once in awhile, but not like she use to. I’m keeping up tradition and now that I have a complete recipe, I think she will be happy that someone else can take over! Grandkids dig these!
Delicious! Next time will try them with a killer caramel sauce that a relative makes. Have had bunuelos at a local Mexican restaurant topped with melted vanilla ice cream. So heavenly.
This will be my 2nd or 3rd year using your recipe and let me tell you it is my favorite!!!!I grew up in Texas and have tried lots of variations of this recipe. My husband and his mother were stunned at how awesome they tasted and how much better they were than the ones his grand ma used to make. Thank you so much, the children are now learning this recipe and hopefully one day they will carry it on. God bless and Merry Christmas
How long do they stay fresh for? Especially when they have the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them?
Hi Janette, I would say 2-3 days at the most. As long as they are stored at room temp covered or in a tightly sealed container. Feliz Navidad.
Just found your website after a web search. Great find, thank you! A happened to come across a box mix for “Bunuelos” in my small local market in Northern New Mexico and was shocked. I had thought that my childhood memories of “Bunuelos” (in Chula Vista, South of San Diego) were something I had mixed up. Now I know that they really do exist and I’ll quit frying up flour tortillas with the hope of something similar. I wish I had come across your site earlier. I’ll try the box mix for a practice run, as not to waste it and then make your recipe for the real deal. I can’t wait to check out the rest of your recipes.
What were your thoughts on using the tortilla press vs a rolling pin?
Thank you so much for sharing your memories, recipes and expertise!
Hi Heather,
So glad you found Muy Bueno too! As far as a tortilla press that only works for corn tortillas. With flour dough you have to use a rolling pin.
Hope that helps.