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Canadian

Poutine

Non-vegetarian

Québec's famous comfort food: crisp double-fried chips topped with squeaky fresh cheese curds and smothered in hot, peppery brown gravy so the curds just begin to melt.

Poutine is a Canadian street food from Canada, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with potato and cheese curds. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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A serving of Poutine
Photo: Camelia.boban / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
811

Ingredients

4 servings

For the gravy

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the cut potatoes (opens in a new tab) in cold water for 30 minutes to remove surface starch, then drain and dry very thoroughly on a towel.

    • 5 min
    Vegetables being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Sarah Chai on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Make the gravy: melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), whisk (opens in a new tab) in the flour and cook, stirring, until nut-brown. Gradually whisk in the stock, then add the worcestershire, garlic powder (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab). Simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon. Keep hot.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 160 °C in a heavy Dutch oven. Fry the chips in batches until soft and pale, 5–6 minutes. Drain on a rack.

    Food safety: Fill the pot no more than halfway, never leave hot oil unattended and keep water away from it.

  4. Step 4

    Raise the oil to 190 °C and fry the chips again until crisp and deep golden, 2–3 minutes per batch. Drain and toss with the salt.

    • 8 min
    • 190°C

  5. Step 5

    Pile the hot chips into bowls, scatter over the cheese curds (opens in a new tab) and ladle over the very hot gravy. Serve straight away.

    • 2 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Québec, Canada · Well documentedSeveral rural Québec towns claim to have created poutine in the 1950s; the exact birthplace is disputed.More food from Canada
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Street food · Side dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Simmered
Taste
savoury, salty, rich, peppery
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Pescatarian, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food
Cook more with
Potato · Butter · All-purpose flour · Beef stock · Worcestershire sauce · Garlic powder
Techniques
Deep-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, cheese curds
  • Contains: Fishfrom worcestershire sauce
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, worcestershire sauce
  • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock, worcestershire sauce
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom worcestershire sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

811 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 493 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 26%
  • Fat 61%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy811 kcal165 kcal
Protein25.7 g5.2 g
Carbohydrate54.1 g11 g
Net carbohydrate48.5 g9.8 g
Sugars3.3 g0.7 g
Added sugars——
Fibre5.5 g1.1 g
Fat56 g11.4 g
Saturated fat21.1 g4.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol96 mg19 mg
Sodium1272 mg258 mg
Salt equivalent3.2 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1379 mg
Calcium
579 mg
Iron
2.9 mg
Magnesium
89 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
321 µg
Vitamin C
49 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
83 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Cheese curds: Cheddar (FDC 173414) used as a stand-in; fresh cheese curds are young, unaged cheddar-style curds.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The gravy must be piping hot and the curds at room temperature so they soften without melting completely.

Common mistakes

  • Assembling ahead — the chips go soggy within minutes.

Serve with

  • Eat on its own as a late-night snack or alongside a burger or smoked-meat sandwich.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately. The gravy keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Variations

  • Oven-chip poutine: Use oven-baked chips tossed in a little oil for a less involved version.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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