The word on the street is the Disney gluten free churros over at Animal Kingdom are obsession-worthy and today we are trying our hand at a copycat recipe! We are thrilled to see Disney World making it easier for people with food allergies and sensitivities to enjoy the exciting offerings at so many Disney restaurants.
Still, navigating Disney World for gluten free snacks can feel limiting. So it's pretty amazing that a gluten free version of churros, an iconic Disney food, is now available at Nomad Lounge in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Not only is it an option, but people are losing their minds over how good these are.
Nomad Lounge is one of those special places you may not have noticed on your way into Pandora- World of Avatar. It's a lounge connected to the Tiffins restaurant and has a reputation for being a solid place to grab some appetizers and cocktails in a relaxing atmosphere.
The gluten free churros at Nomad Lounge are served with two dipping sauces: vanilla crema and chili strawberry (which tastes like strawberry jam, but with some heat at the finish). After playing around in our test kitchen, we came up with a delicious chili strawberry dipping sauce. Then, being super fans of Animal Kingdom Lodge's Boma, we used the recipe for the vanilla sauce that’s drizzled on their amazing bread pudding. This one is addicting and tastes a lot like vanilla crème brûlée.
Before making this Disney-inspired, gluten free churros recipe, we had no clue how a churro was made. We figured deep-frying was involved, but weren't sure about the dough consistency or how in the heck it gets made into that long, star-like tube of yumminess, crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. We found out it's actually pretty simple.
We're big on time-saving recipes (like these copycat Poly Nachos), but this recipe is not! That said, we found it worth the money and time invested. We hope you agree!
Disney Nomad Lounge Gluten Free Churros Copycat Recipe
Yield: 6 Churros
Instructions
1. Make the Chili Strawberry Sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and turn heat to medium low.
2. Stirring occasionally, gently simmer for about 25 minutes.
3. Turn heat up to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
4. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain sauce into a bowl. (The leftover berry pieces make good waffle topping.)
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce will thicken as it cools, but final result should be close to a thin glaze. Yield: 1/3 cup.
2. Make the Vanilla Sauce.
From Boma - Flavors of Africa, Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
1. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, vanilla and sugar. Heat on medium, whisking occasionally so as not to burn, until boiling.
2. While waiting for the sauce to boil, whisk the cornstarch into your egg yolk.
3. Once boiling, remove the sauce from the stove. Add a tablespoon of the sauce into your egg yolk while whisking constantly (this is called tempering the egg and it’s very important to whisk constantly). Then, add the tempered egg into your sauce.
4. If the sauce isn't thick enough, return to the heat, simmering and whisking constantly for 5- 10 minutes until thickened.
5. Once thickened, pour the sauce into a microwave safe dish and set the bowl over ice for 15 minutes or until the sauce cools. Then store in the fridge until ready to use. Yield: 1/2 cup.
3. Make the Gluten Free Churros.
Follow Cooking Classy's excellent recipe and video (link here) EXCEPT:
Make sure to use Cup4Cup multipurpose, gluten free flour instead of all-purpose flour!
Here's Some Tips We Learned When Making Our Gluten Free Churros:
Please note: We make a commission if you use the affiliate links listed below.
- Use an Ateco closed-star, size 848 decorating tip. This sized tip is closest to Nomad Lounge's thicker than average churros. If you aren't picky about nailing the exact size of Nomad Lounge's version, many Ateco closed-star shaped tips will work (within size range 844-849).
- It will take about 1 minute for the dough to come together on the stove top. Our dough looked like mashed potatoes, but the texture was very elastic-y as a result of the Cup4Cup flour. So don't be discouraged by the elastic nature of the dough!
- Use a sturdy, reusable piping bag. We used a Wilton 16" featherweight bag. As a bonus, we thought this bag smelled like a reusable Disney poncho! The dough in this recipe is too firm to use disposable, plastic decorating bags. And don't overfill your bag; it makes it more difficult to pipe the dough.
- Use a coupler that fits the size of your decorating tip. We used a large, Ateco (404) coupler to fit the Ateco 848 decorating tip.
- Click here for a video on how to assemble your pastry bag, coupler and decorating tip together.
- We liked the churros best when we piped them 7 inches long.
- To achieve straighter churros, pipe your dough directly down at a 90 degree angle into the oil. If you're struggling to pipe the dough through the tip over the oil, it's possible to pipe onto plates and then carefully transfer the churro dough to the oil.
Optional: Serve in a small, steel french fry basket. To really kick up the presentation, we served these in a small fryer basket just like Nomad Lounge does. You can order one from Amazon here if you'd like. We've seen Disney use this at other restaurants as well, like the fry basket that accompanies the lobster thermidor burger at Grand Floridian Cafe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
- Please Follow COOKING CLASSY'S EXCELLENT RECIPE AND VIDEO FOR THE CHURROS (ingredients listed below)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup CUP4CUP multipurpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for coating churros
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, for coating churros
- french fry basket, for serving (paid link)
Instructions
- MAKE THE CHILI STRAWBERRY SAUCE.
- In medium saucepan, add 1 pound of strawberries (hulled and quartered), 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Over medium low heat and stirring occassionally, gently simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Turn heat up to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain sauce into a bowl. (The leftover berry pieces make good waffle topping.)
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce will thicken as it cools, but final result should be close to a thin glaze. Yield: 1/3 cup.
- MAKE THE VANILLA SAUCE. (FROM BOMA - FLAVORS OF AFRICA, ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE.
- In saucepan, combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1.5 tablespoons sugar. Heat on medium, whisking occasionally so as not to burn, until boiling.
- While waiting for the sauce to boil, whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch into the egg yolk.
- Once boiling, remove the sauce from the stove. Add a tablespoon of the sauce into your egg yolk while whisking constantly (this is called tempering the egg and it’s very important to whisk constantly). Then, add the tempered egg into your sauce.
- If the sauce isn't thick enough, return to the heat, simmering and whisking constantly for 5- 10 minutes until thickened.
- Once thickened, pour the sauce into a microwave safe dish and set the bowl over ice for 15 minutes or until the sauce cools. Then store in the fridge until ready to use. Yield: 1/2 cup.
- MAKE THE GLUTEN FREE CHURROS.
- FOLLOW COOKING CLASSY'S EXCELLENT RECIPE AND VIDEO (link in ingredients), but be sure to substitute CUP4CUP gluten-free multipurpose flour for the all-purpose flour.
- Serve churros in a small, steel french fry basket (link in ingredients). Serve strawberry and vanilla sauces on the side, in dipping bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have leftover dough that won't pipe through the decorating tip, you can mold it with your hands. We took inspiration from these new, Mickey Celebration Donuts and used our hands to mold it into a Mickey-shaped churro donut!
These churros were one of the best things we've ever made or tasted without or with gluten! Rolled in cinnamon and sugar and crunchy on the outside, the inside somehow melts in your mouth. They are addicting. You might need a double batch to satisfy all the animals in your kingdom.
