Guatemalan Buñuelos

Guatemalan buñuelos are small fried dough balls, fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, bathed in a sweet spiced syrup.

They’re a traditional Christmas dessert in Guatemala, very popular during December in most homes across the country.

Guatemalan Buñuelos

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 16 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Guatemalan

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of water
• 100 g of butter (about 3.5 oz)
• 4 of eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• to taste of oil, for frying
• 2 cups of sugar or panela
• 2 cups of water, for the syrup
• 1 of cinnamon stick
• 3 of cloves

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Instructions

1. Make the dough, boil the water with the butter and salt. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring quickly until a smooth dough forms.
2. Add the eggs, let cool slightly and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until you get a shiny, elastic dough.
3. Make the syrup, boil the water with the sugar or panela, cinnamon, and cloves until you get a light syrup. Set aside.
4. Shape the buñuelos, with damp hands, shape small balls from the dough.
5. Fry, fry the balls in hot oil, in batches, until golden and floating, puffing up inside.
6. Drain, remove and drain excess oil on paper towels.
7. Bathe, dip the hot buñuelos into the warm syrup.
8. Serve, serve warm, bathed in syrup.

Tips for getting it right

• Cooking the base dough before adding the eggs, like a choux pastry, is key to achieving the characteristic fluffy texture.
• The oil should be at medium temperature so the buñuelos cook through without burning on the outside.
• Buñuelos puff up and float when ready, which is a good sign to remove them.
• Bathing them while still hot helps them absorb the syrup better.

Traditional variations

• It’s a traditional Christmas dessert, very popular in Guatemala during December.
• Some families use panela instead of white sugar for the syrup, giving it a deeper flavor.

How to serve

Buñuelos are served warm, bathed in spiced syrup.

They’re an essential Christmas dessert in many Guatemalan homes during December.

Recommended sides

• Christmas ponche

Did you know?

Guatemalan buñuelos are made with a dough similar to choux pastry, a technique that gives them their characteristic fluffy texture.

They’re one of the most anticipated Christmas desserts in Guatemala, alongside ponche and tamales.