Easy Poutine Recipe (Classic Fries, Curds & Gravy)
“I’m French Canadian from Quebec and this is surprisingly a very authentic recipe!” Isabelle
Treat yourself to a Canadian classic. Poutine starts with French fries, topped with cheese curds, and finished with hot gravy. I may be a biased Canadian, but this homemade version delivers the flavors people expect from classic poutine in an easy, make-at-home recipe.
If you love fries smothered in gravy, you will undoubtedly love poutine. Keep it traditional or try some creative variations.
Poutine is a popular Canadian dish that originated in Quebec in the 1950’s. It is now served worldwide in diners, on food trucks and even in high-end restaurants.
What to expect
There are endless variations of poutine nowadays (see several below), but this recipe sticks close to a classic poutine: homemade fries topped with cheese curds and finished with savory gravy. You’ll find options for making everything from scratch, along with easy shortcuts using frozen fries or quick gravy.
Poutine is rich and indulgent, but making it at home gives you more control over portions, fat, and salt. Compared to popular fast-food versions, this homemade poutine is lighter overall, with fewer calories and significantly less sodium.
Taste, texture, and experience: The warm combination of rich gravy, mildly squeaky and melty cheese, and fries makes it comforting and satisfying. Don’t worry about making the fries super crispy because as soon as you add gravy, they are going to soften – that’s how poutine is meant to be.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are my favorite for baked fries because they have creamy interiors. Russet potatoes work well if you prefer fluffier centers,
- Gravy: The flavor of good poutine comes from a rich gravy made with broth, oil, flour, and seasonings. Use beef broth if you want a traditional, beefy flavor. Use chicken broth, a combination of beef and chicken broth or a vegetarian broth to vary the gravy (see recipe notes).
- Cheese curds: White cheddar cheese curds are used in authentic poutine recipes. If you can’t find fresh cheese curds, full-fat mozzarella, torn into little pieces, is the best substitute. Don’t use the shredded mozzarella – it will melt too much and not give the right texture.
- Optional toppings: These aren’t traditional, but they are popular and delicious:
- Bacon
- smoked meat
- cooked sausage
- pulled pork
- scallions
- caramelized onions
- sautéed mushrooms
- Use whatever you like!
Variations
Here are a few variations to get your imagination flowing.
- Chicken pot poutine – spoon chicken pot pie filling over fries and cheese curds
- Seafood poutine – use lobster bisque as the gravy (thickened a little with cornstarch if you like)
- Gnocchi poutine – instead of fries, use gnocchi
- Butter chicken poutine – pour butter chicken sauce over the fries instead of beef gravy.
- Vegan poutine – try it with miso gravy and vegan cheese. Vegetarians can substitute vegetarian gravy for the beef gravy.
- Greek poutine – sprinkle with cooked, shredded lamb and feta (instead of cheese curds)
- Sausage poutine – use sausage gravy instead of beef. And top with some cooked sausage.
Potato Options
Instead of homemade French fries, try:
- tater tots
- potato wedges
- potato gnocchi
- waffle fries
- sweet potato fries
- root vegetable fries made with potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips
Step-by-step instructions
Tips
- Make sure the gravy is very hot when pouring it on right before serving. This helps melt the cheese curds.
- Let the cheese curds come to room temperature. This allows them to turn slightly melty when the hot gravy its them. Cold curds won’t soften properly.
- Serve right away. Poutine is best eaten immediately so the fries don’t get overly soggy.
- Don’t worry about crispy fries. Once topped with gravy, they will soften – any traditional poutine will do that.
Shortcuts
- Use store-bought frozen French fries. Bake, air-fry, or cook according to the package directions. This is the easiest shortcut and works well for weeknights.
- Use a packaged brown gravy mix. Several store-bought options work well. Taste tests often rate Knorr Classic Brown Gravy Mix and Club House Organic Brown Gravy Mix highly. Results vary by brand, so you’ll have to experiment and choose one you like. Keep in mind, our homemade gravy only takes 5 minutes to make!
- If you’re looking for a shortcut poutine ‘kit’, Trader Joe’s sells a frozen poutine kit that includes fries, cheese curds, and gravy.
How to serve poutine
Serve the poutine as an appetizer, a side dish or even a main meal (with an extra topping or two). I’m perfectly happy to eat poutine as a meal 🙂
To balance the meal, serve it with a simple salad or tomato soup. Or go all in, and serve it with a sous vide burger, a crispy chicken burger, or a hotdog.
Or how about a poutine bar? Set out the fries, cheese curds, and hot gravy (a coffee thermos works well) and several toppings. Let guests make their own.
Recipe FAQs
Cheese curds are young cheddar cheese that hasn’t been aged. They have a mild, slightly salty flavor and a springy texture. In poutine, cheese curds soften and turn slightly melty but don’t fully melt. Very fresh curds may “squeak” when you bite into them. They keep for a few weeks in the fridge and can also be frozen.
Fresh white cheese curds can be harder to find outside Canada. Try farmers’ markets or larger grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or Walmart. If you can’t find fresh curds, full-fat mozzarella torn into small pieces is the best substitute.
In Quebec, poutine is often pronounced poo-tin or poo-tsin. Elsewhere, you’ll usually hear poo-teen. The French word poutine is slang for “a mess” and simply means “fries with cheese and gravy”.
Poutine is best served right away. You can make the gravy and fries ahead, but wait to assemble until just before serving. Once the hot gravy is poured over the fries and cheese curds, the texture changes quickly.
It depends on whether poutine is a side or a main. As a rough guide, plan on about one medium potato per person, or 2–3 servings per pound (450 g) of potatoes.
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Easy Poutine Recipe
Ingredients
Poutine Fries
- 1 pound potatoes, Yukon Gold (or Russet), Note 1 (2-3 potatoes)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon each, kosher salt and ground pepper
Gravy recipe
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil (or meat drippings or butter)
- 1 cup good quality beef broth or beef stock Note 2, 3 if using undiluted, full strength broth, use 3/4 broth and 1/4 water)
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: a teaspoon fresh herbs like thyme or chives; a pinch of onion powder or garlic powder, and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Cheese curds
- ½ cup white cheddar cheese curds – or more, room temperature (or substitute torn full fat mozzarella)
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 425F/218C. Line a baking pan with parchment or foil, sprayed with oil.
- MAKE FRENCH FRIES: Peel potatoes if you like (I don't bother). Cut them into sticks of about 1/3 inch or 1 cm wide and pat dry with paper towels. No need to obsess – thinner will take less time to bake, fatter will take more. Optional: For crispier fries, soak them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes or more to remove some starch. Dry them well in a tea towel. Toss with oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on pan. Bake fries for 30 minutes or until nicely browned, flipping once half way through. Note 4 to fry.
- MAKE GRAVY: While fries are baking, make the gravy. Put 1 1/2 tbsp of fat drippings or oil into a small saucepan. Heat to medium. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until it starts to turn a very light brown. (It should be a loose paste. If too dry, add a bit more oil). Add broth and whisk/stir until smooth – about 3 minutes. Gravy will thicken. Add optional herbs and Worcestershire if using. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- ASSEMBLE: Place hot fries on a plate. Top with cheese curds. Pour HOT gravy over. Serve immediately with additional toppings (Note 5) or optional garnish if you like. Dig in!
Recipe Notes
- French fries shortcut: Use frozen French fries and bake or air-fry according to package directions.
- Beef Broth:
- For beef gravy (traditional), I like using undiluted beef broth. My go-to is Campbell’s beef broth (30% less sodium), used at full strength. It should not say “ready to serve” on the can. If using regular-sodium broth, dilute it slightly with water to avoid an overly salty gravy, since cheese curds are naturally salty. Epicurious wrote an article recommending the best beef broths if you’re interested.
- You can also use a combination of beef and chicken broth. Or just chicken broth.
- Our Better Than Bouillon Gravy with beef base is excellent option too.
- Gravy options and shortcut:
- Chicken gravy: Instead of a brown beef gravy, you can also make a chicken gravy or combination of beef and chicken.
- Shortcut gravy, use a packaged gravy such as Knorr Classic Brown Gravy Mix or your favorite.
- Vegetarian gravy: Use vegetarian broth and herbs. I also add green onions for extra flavor (saute them before adding flour).
- To fry French fries If you prefer deep frying instead of baking, here’s a good french fries recipe from Fifteen Spatulas.
- Optional toppings: Bacon, smoked meat, cooked sausage, pulled pork, scallions, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms. Or whatever ever else you like.
- Make Ahead
- You can make the gravy several days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- The fries can also be made a couple hours ahead. Just reheat them before serving at 400F/204C for 5-7 minutes to crisp up.
Hi!!
I’m French Canadian from Quebec and this is surprisingly a very authentic recipe!
I personally like my poutine with an all-dress pizza topping so a sauté of pieces of salami, mushrooms, oignons, green bell pepper that you put on the fries, add the cheese and sauce!
Enjoy ?
Coming from you, that’s a big compliment! Glad you liked the recipe Isabelle. And yum on your pizza version.
Very delicious !!!!
Glad you liked the poutine Marcus. One of my faves too.