Why Everyone Is Suddenly Craving Poutine: The Canadian Comfort Food Taking Over Social Media

Canada’s most iconic comfort food is having a blockbuster year. From coast-to-coast festivals to fast-food giants adding loaded fries to their line-ups, poutine is dominating menus—and search boxes—in 2025. The annual festival returns even bigger From 1–7 February, more than 1 000 restaurants across Canada and the U.S. will serve limited-edition creations for the 13th edition of La Poutine Week, a record number of participants since the event launched in Montréal in 2013. The 2025 theme, “Around the World,” invites chefs to remix the classic with global flavours such as butter-chicken gravy, jerk pork and even sushi-style toppings. Diners vote online, turning every plate into a potential viral post. Fast-food giants jump on the gravy train • Taco Bell is testing “Poutine Fries,” featuring seasoned potatoes piled with slow-roasted pork, brown gravy and squeaky cheese curds, part of a 30-item innovation pipeline rolling out this year. • Canadian chain Harvey’s answered with the limited-time Frings Poutine—half fries, half onion rings under its signature gravy—available nationwide until 30 March. • Disney Springs’ “Daily Poutine” kiosk keeps the trend tourist-friendly, rotating global takes like New Delhi poutine with tomato curry and paneer cheese. Why the surge in interest? 1. Short-form video loves cheese pulls. TikTok and Reels featuring molten curds routinely surpass a million views. 2. Delivery platforms report double-digit growth in poutine orders year-over-year, helped by colder-than-average winters across the Prairies. 3. Comfort-food nostalgia: as grocery prices rise, Canadians are gravitating toward shareable, filling dishes that feel indulgent yet familiar. How restaurants are standing out • Plant-based gravies made with miso and mushroom stock appeal to vegan diners. • Regional cheeses—think Oka or squeaky New Brunswick curds—offer locavore bragging rights. • Gluten-free fries (air-fried or baked) keep health-minded eaters in the loop. Home cooks join the party Searches for “easy poutine recipe,” “air fryer poutine” and “vegetarian poutine gravy” have all spiked this month. Pro tips from chefs: double-fry russet potatoes for crunch, warm the curds to 40 °C for maximum squeak, and use a roux-thickened stock so gravy clings to every bite. Looking ahead With summer food-truck season approaching and major sporting events eyeing poutine pop-ups, analysts expect the dish’s market value to hit a record CAD 1.3 billion by year-end. Whether you sample a kimchi-topped bowl at La Poutine Week or grab a drive-thru order of Poutine Fries, 2025 is shaping up as the year fries, gravy and curds go global.