These homemade Beaver Tails are crisp on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. They're made from a yeasted dough and topped with cinnamon sugar.
Can't get enough of fried Canadian pastries? Check out my Timbits recipe!
🇨🇦 About This Recipe
Beaver Tails are an iconic Canadian fried dough invented in 1978 by Pam and Grant Hooker. They've become a cultural symbol of Canada! You can find them at outdoor events, fairs, franchises, and even ski resorts.
The first time I tried Beaver Tails was at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. My wife and I were DYING to try them as we'd seen them at so many events before. The soft and crispy pastry is a bite of heaven. You can choose from a variety of toppings, but cinnamon sugar is our personal favorite.
❓Do Beaver Tails contain milk and eggs?
The short answer is No. According to BeaverTails' website, their classic beaver tail recipe contains no dairy or egg products. However, despite this, the majority of online recipes use ½ a cup of milk and 1 egg.
I've tried making Beaver Tails with milk and eggs, and the texture isn't right. The milk and eggs make it dense and cake-like, whereas it should be light and airy. That said, I've found that a small amount of butter enhances their texture.
My recipe is the real deal. It's authentic and true to the taste of a real beaver tail.
🧂 Ingredients
The dough is essentially a pizza dough with more sugar. We'll need all-purpose flour, sugar, water, butter, salt, and instant yeast. I like instant yeast because you can add it directly to the dry ingredients, whereas active yeast has to be bloomed first.
For the cinnamon sugar topping, we'll need ground cinnamon and sugar. I recommend using a spice grinder to grind whole cinnamon sticks. The flavor is much more aromatic.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl. Pour in water and melted butter and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for two minutes until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add up to two tablespoons of flour.
STEP 2: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Allow it to rest for one hour or until doubled in size. If your house is cold, you may need to rest it for up to 30-60 minutes longer.
📋 Update March 2024
After more testing, I now recommend letting the dough rest in the fridge overnight after proofing for one hour at room temperature. This allows for more gluten development, resulting in a more elastic dough that you can stretch super thin. Thinner dough = crispier beavertails!
STEP 3: Combine cinnamon and sugar in a large, flat-bottomed container and mix well.
STEP 4: Pinch off a tennis ball-sized amount of dough and stretch it into the shape of a beaver tail using your hands or a rolling pin. Aim for a thickness between ¼ to ⅛ inch. The thinner you get it, the crispier it will be. Try to make each dough about the same size so they cook fry evenly.
STEP 5: Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F in a Dutch oven or high-walled skillet. Fry 1-2 beaver tails at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Remove them from the oil and immediately coat them in the cinnamon sugar. You need to do this quickly while they're hot so that the sugar sticks. Transfer to a wire rack and enjoy!
If you're not going to eat beaver tails right away, don't sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar will cause them to dry out as they sit. Instead, sprinkle sugar on them just before eating. You'll need to brush them with a little bit of melted butter for the sugar to stick.
👨🏻🍳 Topping Ideas
- Nutella: Spread on a small amount of Nutella or your favorite hazelnut chocolate spread for a flavor explosion!
- Bananarama: Spread on a small amount of Nutella or your favorite hazelnut chocolate, then top with sliced bananas. Yum!
- Garlic parmesan: Melt a ½ cup of butter, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and ½ teaspoon of dried oregano in a small saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Drizzle on top of the Beaver Tails and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
🥡 Make Ahead Instructions
The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. After kneading, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and transfer it to the fridge. When you're ready to make them, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for one hour so they're easier to stretch.
📋 Recipe
Best Beaver Tails Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon instant yeast (see notes)
- 1 cup water (lukewarm)
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
Cinnamon sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For Frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast.
- Pour in water and melted butter and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead for two minutes until smooth. You may need to add up to two tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.
- In a shallow dish, combine cinnamon and sugar.
- Dust a work surface with flour. Pinch off a tennis ball-sized amount of dough and roll into the shape of a beaver's tail. Aim for a thickness between ¼ to ⅛ inch. The thinner you get it, the crispier it will be. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Fry 1-2 beaver tails at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and immediately coat them with cinnamon sugar. Transfer to a wire rack and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Colleen
Any advice for making the dough ahead? Need to make lots for a big group and want them fried fresh!
Grump
Its basically a pizza dough so you could refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Let it rest at room temperature for one hour before frying. And if you're making this for a big group, I highly recommend making a regular batch for yourself first, to get a feel for the recipe.