One of the things that I like about Disney’s dessert situation is that the parks have their classics, but also often release limited editions of those classics — variations on the themes, if you will. The resort’s churros in particular have seen some pretty fantastic updates lately, so I was pleased, but not surprised, to find that they’ve gotten an autumnal makeover for 2018: You can get Pumpkin Spice Churros at Disneyland right now — and honestly, it might be the best flavor to arrive at the Anaheim, Calif. parks since the treat first made its debut there in the mid-‘80s. If my love of all things pumpkin spice makes me basic, so be it; that doesn't stop the flavor from being absolutely delicious.
As it turns out, there isn’t just one special kind of churro available at the Disneyland Resort parks for the Halloween season this year; there are a whole bunch of them. In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Churros, Orange Sugar Churros with Candy Corn Sauce, two different kinds of Churro Sundaes, Maleficent-themed churros, churros covered with various colored sugars, S’mores Churros and even Sour Apple Churros are all on the menu right now — but you can’t get them all at every single spot in the resort that sells churros. You’ll need to go to very specific locations in order to find each variety, so, uh, don’t be surprised if you roll up to the churro cart near Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, ask for a Pumpkin Spice Churro, and end up with nothing to show for it but the cast member who runs the cart looking back at you blankly.
(You can, however, get the Orange Sugar Churro with Candy Corn Sauce at the Big Thunder Mountain cart, so at least there’s that. What is Candy Corn Sauce? I have no idea, but I’d love to find out. Anyone care to enlighten me on the subject?)
The Pumpkin Spice Churros can be found at three locations spread across both of the Anaheim parks: At Disneyland Park — the O.G., home of Sleeping Beauty Castle — you can nab a Pumpkin Spice Churro with Cream Cheese Frosting at the churro cart near the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square; meanwhile, at Disney California Adventure just across the way, you can get a straight-up Pumpkin Spice Churro just inside the park Entrance at Willie’s Churros on Buena Vista Street, or a Pumpkin Spice Churro with Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land.
Disneyland’s own website is a little sparse on details when it comes to the churro carts; unlike most of the other restaurants in the park, they don’t have their own individual menu pages, so it’s tough to know exactly what you can get at them and how much the offerings cost. Trip planning website Touring Plans, however, actually has menus for each and every snack cart at Disneyland — as well as, y’know, all the actual restaurants — so we can make some educated guesses about what all of these Pumpkin Spice Churro options might set you back based on the data found there. (Bless you, Touring Plans.)
According to most of the menus, a regular churro at Disneyland tends to run at about $4.25, while the “special” churros — Carrot Cake, in this instance, which was the souped-up churro on offer this past spring — is priced at $5.75. The difference in price covers both the unique flavors and the dipping sauces and frostings that are served with the special churros. As such, I’d imagine that the plain ol’ Pumpkin Spice Churro available at Willie’s Churros is probably closer to the $4.25 mark; the two options with the cream cheese frosting/dipping sauce, however, are probably closer to the $5.75 mark.
Can’t for the life of you get your hands on a Pumpkin Spice Churro at Disney? Fear not! If you’re unable to locate one of those treats specifically, there are two other pumpkin spice-flavored fried dough snacks available within the magical bounds of the Disneyland Resort: Pumpkin Spice Mickey Beignets have dropped at the Mint Julep Bar in Disneyland Park’s New Orleans Square (the location of which is an especially convenient substitute for the Haunted Mansion churro cart; the two snack spots are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from each other), while Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake Fries are set to arrive at California Adventure’s Award Wieners (I see what you did there) quick service spot in the middle of September.
The Pumpkin Spice Mickey Beignets are fairly self-explanatory — they’re a seasonal variation on the Mickey-shaped beignets the Mint Julep Bar serves year-round — but the Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake Fries sound like something special: They consist of snackable bits of fried dough that have been dusted with pumpkin spice sugar, smothered in pumpkin spice sauce, and finished off with a fluffy mound of pumpkin spice whipped cream. Are they excessive? Maybe. Do I want them anyway? YOU BET. I mean... just look at those things. Are they not glorious?
Disneyland’s website has a handy-dandy map pinpointing exactly where every churro cart in the resort can be found, so if you’re in the mood for any of the current seasonal specialties, head here to see where to get them. Or, heck, you can even just get yourself a standard churro. Churros are always a good idea — whether they’re pumpkin spice-flavored or not.
Happy snacking!
