As Canadians, we pride ourselves on being able to handle whatever winter throws our way. But there’s no denying that curling up with our favourite comfort foods help make the short days and chilly nights a little bit better. Whether you’re craving East Coast seafood chowder, cheesy perogies or a thick slice of tourtière, get cozy with our best Canadian comfort food recipes.
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West Coast Fish Chowder
Smoked, candied salmon and rockfish star in this creamy, comforting soup that will warm your belly and your soul after a chilly walk along the beaches of Vancouver Island.
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2/36
Jen Scott's Butter Tarts
Whether you add raisins or leave them out, pure maple syrup makes these soft, gooey butter tarts irresistible.
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3/36
Flapper Pie
Many Prairie families have a recipe for this much-loved pie that’s thought to have originated in the 1920’s. This simple vanilla custard pie has a graham cracker crust and is topped with lots of fluffy meringue.
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Grandma Mary's Perogies
You can thank Eastern European immigrants for popularizing perogies across Canada. While this recipe, like every family recipe, is rife with tradition, the addition of cheddar cheese gives it a Canadian twist. Perogies are such a part of Canadian culinary history, they were honoured with a statue in Glendon, Alta.
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5/36
Bacon Apple Cheddar Loaf
Combining classic Canadian ingredients, sweet, tart apples, savoury cheese, and smoky bacon, this comforting pull-apart bread is as fun to make as it is to eat.
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6/36
Lobster Poutine
Indulge in the ultimate Canadian treat with tender lobster meat and squeaky cheese curds topped on freshly made fries and doused in perfectly seasoned gravy.
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7/36
Poutine Monkey Bread
Packed with chunks of country-style biscuits, cheese curds and chicken gravy, this ooey, gooey delight just screams comfort food.
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8/36
Perogie Poutine
This indulgent dish starts off with cheddar perogies that are loaded up with fresh cheese curds, gravy, sour cream, onions and finished off with a slice of bacon.
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9/36
Giant Jos Louis Cake
Based on one of Canada’s most popular treats, this giant red velvet cake sandwich is filled with a creamy marshmallow-y layer with a milk chocolate coating.
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10/36
Creamy Stovetop Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Why make boxed mac and cheese when you can whip up a creamy, dreamy homemade dish in the same amount of time.
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11/36
Grilled Bacon Kimcheese Sandwich
This spin on the classic marries melted, aged cheddar cheese and crispy bacon with tangy Korean kimchi for a comfort food sensation like no other.
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12/36
Garlic Fingers with Donair Sauce
Make this East Coast classic right at home, no matter which part of the country you live. Just don’t forget the donair sauce for dipping these garlicky, cheesy bites.
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13/36
Anna Olson’s Nanaimo Bars
For those who like a little extra crunch in their nanaimo bars, roughly chopped walnuts give the base of these sweet bars a chewy bite.
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Donair Pizza
Like the classic donair, this recipe includes all the same fixings, but with one tasty addition: mozzarella cheese!
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15/36
French Canadian Tourtière
Anna Olson’s version of the classic Québécois tourtière is made with an onion, bay leaf, allspice and Worcestershire-splashed ground beef mixture and savoury pie crust.
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16/36
Blueberry Grunt
This East coast delight features blueberries that have been cooked down, topped with soft, steamed dumplings and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
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17/36
Oh Canada Pancakes
Fill your plate (and stomach) with patriotism by whipping up a batch of these super simple flapjacks.
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18/36
Fresh Cod Acadian Village Style
Turn preserved salt cod and fresh potatoes into a hearty, rustic supper with this super simple, traditional recipe.
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19/36
Saskatoon Berry Pie
Bring a slice of Prairie flavour to your table with a freshly baked pie full of sweet, nutty Saskatoon berry filling.You can’t get more authentic than this recipe, which comes straight from Saskatoon itself.
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20/36
Chicken Fricot
A delicious version of chicken and dumplings, this warm, comforting one-pot meal that will feed a family.
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21/36
Nova Scotia Lobster Roll
When it comes to lobster rolls, the fresher the ingredients, the better. This recipe starts with a live lobster. Be sure to toast your bun before you fill it up with a mixture of mayo, lemon juice, green onions, chopped romaine hearts and tender morsels of lobster meat.
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22/36
Coffee Crisp Cake
Layers of vanilla cake, creamy coffee icing and crispy wafer cookies add lots of texture to this cake, and the chocolate glaze is the finishing touch to making this dessert unbelievably delicious.
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23/36
Montreal-Style Bagels
Sweet, dense and cooked in wood fired ovens, it is no wonder many people crave the doughy goodness that is Montreal-style bagels. The yeasty bagels are dipped in boiling water sweetened with honey or malt before fired to perfection.
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24/36
Cantwell Family Sunday Dinner
For much of its history, the Cantwell family tended to the Cape Spear Lighthouse on Canada’s easternmost edge of land, keeping sailors safe.This hearty Newfoundland dinner recipe, filled with salt beef, pork roast, turnips and parsnips, comes from Gerry Cantwell, whose mother made it during his childhood in the lighthouse. Gerry was the last caretaker before it was automated in 1997.
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25/36
Ketchup Chip Popcorn
Make your favourite snack flavour right at home with this addictive recipe. Toss it on popcorn for your kids’ after-school snack — or on roasted potatoes for a sweet taste of nostalgia at dinnertime.
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26/36
Palak Paneer
Even if you’re not a fan of spinach, it’s hard to say no to this deliciously creamy dish. Leafy spinach is sautéed until tender along with tomatoes, cilantro and a variety of spices before being puréed and mixed with cream. Spoon over a bowl of steamy basmati rice or dunk pieces of naan right into it.
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27/36
Teriyaki Salmon
Fresh ginger and lots of garden-picked garlic gives this simple pacific salmon recipe tons of flavour.
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28/36
Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Slip these light and fluffy rolls into the oven before you sit down for dinner, and the smell will waft into the dining room, just in time for dessert. Don’t forget to drizzle with maple glaze and serve warm.
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29/36
Baklava Butter Tart Bake
A tasty dessert or brunch casserole that brings together your two favourite desserts in one gooey, flaky pan, filled with crunchy walnuts and plump raisins.
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30/36
Seared Albacore Tuna Loin
Treat guests at your next potluck to this sensational seared tuna. Simple ginger-garlic sauce enhances the fresh tuna’s flavour.
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Sucre À La Crème with Maldon Salt and Pecans
Chewy maple fudge squares covered in savoury toasted pecans ready to pop in your mouth in just 25 minutes.
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32/36
Traditional Bannock
During the Great Canadian Cookbook’s stop in Tofino, B.C., Marnie Helliwell brought this bannock to the potluck with Lynn Crawford. Marnie learned this simple, traditional recipe from her friend, Grace George, an elder of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, where every family has their own unique version passed down from generation to generation.
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The Savvy Sailor’s Salt Cod Cakes
These scrumptious cod cakes take some planning, but they’re truly worth the wait. The most important part of making cod cakes is to make sure you really rinse the salt off the cod, so be sure and soak the dried fish overnight in the fridge. For a classic dish, serve your cod cake with rhubarb raisin relish.
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Cipaille
The name of this dish is one of legends. Rumour has it that the name is reference to the six (or more) types of meat inside this delectable winter treat. The name could also be an adaptation of ‘sea-pie’. Whatever you call it, the hearty dish is similar to a pot pie, with meat-filled pastry slow cooked to perfection.
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35/36
Fortune Bay Mussel Chowder
Fresh mussels give this potato chowder beautiful depth of flavour, especially when balanced out by smoky bacon.
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36/36
Vietnamese Beef Pho
Nothing warms you from the inside out better than a steaming bowl of pho. Filled with thin slices of tender beef and hearty rice noodles, you’ll love making (and slurping) this fragrant soup at home.
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