Buñuelos de Viento: 'Light-as-Air Fritters'

Bunuelos de viento recipe

​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

Prep: 105 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 115 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 24 buñuelos

Meaning "light-as-air fritters" in Spanish, buñuelos are light, fluffy, and they melt in your mouth. They are perfect for an afternoon snack and are commonly served as dessert with Spanish meals.

Buñuelos are a lightly fried egg and flour dough with a hint of lemon zest. After frying, they're dusted with confectioners' sugar to create an irresistible, bite-sized dessert. They can also be filled with pastry cream, egg custard, or your favorite marmalade. Making these tasty treats is actually quite easy, so you can explore all these options and find out which you like best. 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups water

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon 

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 4 1/2 ounces unbleached white flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 to 3 cups vegetable oil (e.g., canola, corn), for frying

  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

  • Egg custard, for optional fillilng

Steps to Make It

Make the Buñuelos

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for bunuelos
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel 
  2. In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

    Combine water, butter
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  3. As soon as the water boils, add the flour and baking powder all at once and begin stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir constantly until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the pan.

    Add flour and baking powder
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down for a few minutes.

    Remove from heat
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  5. When the dough is no longer hot, but still warm, stir in the eggs, one by one. Use a hand mixer if necessary to ensure that the dough is smooth.

    Stir in eggs
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel 
  6. Set aside for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

    Set aside
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  7. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, pour vegetable oil to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat on medium-high.

    Stir in vegetable oil
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  8. When the oil is just hot enough to fry, begin dropping spoonfuls of dough into the oil.

    Begin dropping spoonfuls
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel 
  9. Turn over when the bottom is golden. The buñuelos should turn a golden color and begin to float when cooked.

    Turn over when golden
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  10. Remove them from the pan one at a time using a slotted spoon or spatula. Drain on a paper towel.

    Remove
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  11. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

    Sprinkle with sugar
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

Custard Filled Variation

Buñuelos can easily be filled with a creamy egg custard. It's best to make the custard while the dough is resting.

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients with custard
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  2. After the buñuelos are fried, wait until they are cool enough to touch, then cut them in half.

    Cut bunuelos in half
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel 
  3. Spoon in custard filling and serve immediately.

    Spoon in custard
    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
  4. The same method can be used for pastry cream and marmalade fillings.

Tip

  • For buñuelos with custard filling, allow an additional 20 minutes to prepare the custard.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
102 Calories
8g Fat
6g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 102
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 23mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 18mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags: