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20 Classic Canadian Recipes, From Butter Tarts To Poutine

This July 1, celebrate Canada's bounty with a delicious meal featuring menu favourites from across the country.
Lobster rolls on plate with green salt shaker.

(Photo: Erik Putz)

This July 1, celebrate Canada's bounty with a delicious meal featuring menu favourites from across the country. Enjoy a bevy of sweet and savoury Canadian recipes, including the best way to make those nostalgic blueberry-filled Dutchie doughnuts at home.

Want to delve into the many Indigenous culinary scenes across Canada? We've got recipes—and stories!

Sour Cherry Pie

Summer brings a bounty of fresh fruit, and one of the most treasured is the sour cherry. Also called tart cherries, these ruby-red beauties first appear in July, and their season is fleeting. Unlike sweet cherries, which are often enjoyed straight-up, sour cherries are thin-skinned, brightly coloured and have a unique, zingy flavour that makes them unbeatable for baking—especially in pies. Get our sour cherry pie recipe.

Classic Butter Tarts

These indulgent tarts wrap a gooey, sweet filling in perfectly flaky pastry. Get this classic butter tarts recipe.

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A baking sheet covered with classic butter tarts, some with pecans, some without(Photo: Erik Putz)

Lobster Rolls

An East Coast classic wrapped up in a buttery brioche bun. Get our lobster rolls recipe.

Lobster rolls on plate with green salt shaker.Photo, Roberto Caruso.

Classic Nanaimo Bars

This decadent no-bake dessert bar is named after the city in British Columbia where the recipe originated, likely in the 1950s. Get our classic Nanaimo bars recipe.

Classic Nanaimo bars on wooden cutting boardPhotography, Erik Putz. Food Styling, Dara Sutin. Prop Styling, Krystin Leigh Smith.

Salted Almond Nanaimo Bars

For a less-sweet take on the classic bar, try our staff favorite salted almond Nanaimo bars recipe.

Nanaimo bars and Turtle fudge bars on cooling rackPhoto, Erik Putz.

Cheese Bannock

Originating in Scotland, bannock (a flat bread, leavened with baking powder rather than yeast) has long been an a staple of First Nations, Inuit and Métis cuisine. Get this cheese bannock recipe.

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A cast-iron skillet filled with cheese bannock with one slice taken out and another cut for a post on a cheesy bannock recipe(Photo: Angus Fergusson)

Smarties Cookies

Delight kids—or kids at heart—with a plate of these big chewy cookies. Get our Smarties cookies recipe.

a cookie jar filled with Smartie cookies tipped on one side with the cookies spilling out for a Smarties cookies recipe

Stovetop Clambake

Enjoy a leisurely and memorable dinner with this East Coast clambake. Get our stovetop clambake recipe.

A red pot filled with clams, mussels, corn on the cob, turkey kolbassa and butter next to fishing net and lemon slices for a post on an easy stovetop clambake recipe(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Watermelon Caesar

This unconventional take on the Canadian classic was created for Chatelaine by Christine Sismondo. It uses fresh watermelon and a vegan Caesar mix instead of tomato clam cocktail. All the other products are sourced from Canadian companies with women at the helm. Get our watermelon caesar recipe.

Chatelaine caesar in clear glass, in front of a pink, purple, and red background.Produced by Sun Ngo. Photography by Christie Vuong. Food Styling by Ashley Denton. Prop Styling by Catherine Doherty.

Dutchie-Style Doughnuts

Hacking a Canadian classic isn’t a task we take lightly, but we insisted on perfecting the Dutchie at home! The dough is impossibly fluffy and rich without being too sweet; a light glaze completes the magic. Get this dutchie-style doughnuts recipe.

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Dutchie-style doughnuts on a cooling pan, made with raisins and a light glaze, for a post on a homemade Dutchie-style doughnut recipe(Photo: Erik Putz)

Classic Tourtiére

Traditional French-Canadian fare, this meat pie is a holiday favourite. Get this classic tourtiére recipe.

A classic tourtière with a scalloped crust topped with cut out images of pigs and a slice cut out of it next to a bowl of beet relish and a bowl of pickled mustard seeds for a post on the best tourtière recipe(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Apple Pie

Canada produces millions of bushels of apples every year. From pies to crumbles, crisps, tarts and dumplings, we have loads of apple recipes to enjoy this celebrated fruit. 

Pumpkin-spiced apple pie served on a plateProduced by Sun Ngo; Photography by Christie Vuong; Food Styling by Sage Dakota; Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari; Recipe by Jennifer Pallian

Maple Bacon

Canada produces nearly three-quarters of the world’s maple syrup! And, it can be used for way more than topping pancakes. Try using it as a sweetener, or as we’ve done in this recipe, use it to give bacon an amazing flavour boost. Get this maple fennel bacon recipe.

Maple-fennel bacon in a glass cup.Photo, Roberto Caruso.

Easy Eggs Benedict With Peameal Bacon

This breakfast classic just isn’t the same without a thick slice of back bacon. Get our easy eggs Benedict recipe, complete with golden fried peameal.

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A plate of eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and avocado adorned with easy hollandaise sauce for a piece on simple eggs Benedict recipes(Photo: Robert Caruso)

Kimchi Poutine

Fries, cheese curds and gravy are the hallmark ingredients of this Quebec classic. Here, the traditional Canadian poutine gets a spicy twist—and it’s totally addictive! Get this kimchi poutine recipe.

Kimchi poutine—sweet potato oven fries topped with Napa cabbage kimchi—in a brown bowl next to a wooden fork on a grey linen placemat. All rest on a. rough slate table(Photo: Erik Putz)

Maple Rye And Ginger

We’ve taken this Canadian mixed drink up another notch by adding a splash of maple syrup! Get this maple rye and ginger recipe.

A maple rye and ginger cocktail shown from above with a spoon resting in it on a pink napkin on a cutting board on a marble table next to chocolate-dipped kettle chipsPhoto, Roberto Caruso.

Cedar-Plank Salmon

Barbecuing salmon on a cedar plank adds a layer of natural smokiness and keeps the fish moist. Be sure to buy an untreated plank, sold in most supermarkets. Get our cedar-plank salmon recipe.

centre-cut, skin-on salmon fillets on a cedar plank cut into slices and grilled and then topped with onions and sprigs of fresh dill for a post on an easy, delicious cedar-plank salmon recipe for the grillPhoto, John Cullen.

Grilled Oysters

Not a pro at shucking oysters? No problem! Grilling them helps to open up the shell. Get our grilled oysters recipe

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Grilled Oysters on a blue plate with a slice of lemon for a post on an easy Grilled Oysters recipe(Photo: Colin Faulkner)

Raspberry Cordial

A homegrown alternative to lemonade, this summery drink works just as well with frozen fruit as fresh. Get our raspberry cordial recipe.

A pitcher of ice-filled raspberry cordial and two glasses, garnished with lemons, on a newspaper backdrop(Photo: Erik Putz; Produced by: Sun Ngo; Food styling: Ashley Denton; Prop styling: Madeleine Johari)

New Potato Salad

New potatoes, green peas, leafy greens and dill get dressed in a classic vinaigrette in this super-fresh potato salad. Get our new potato salad recipe.

New potato salad with herbs and peas on a serving plate with salad tongs

Bison-Cherry Burger

A new twist on your classic burger recipe. Get this bison-cherry burger recipe.

A bison-cherry burger, made with ground bison or extra-lean ground beef; chopped parsley; chopped dried cherries; minced red onion; Worcestershire sauce; grainy mustard and salt on a pita topped with pickled ginger and served over arugula, mango and sun-dried tomato next to a basket of fries for a post on a healthy bison-cherry burger recipe(Photo: Angus Fergusson)

Want more Canadian flavours? Check our these recipes for an East Coast-inspired kitchen party.

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