Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails? What the heck is that and what is it doing on my Food blog? Well because Canadian Beaver Tails are a popular pastry (basically fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar) from my birthplace of Ottawa, Canada (home of the NHL Hockey Team the Ottawa Senators).

They are so good that I think everyone needs to try a beaver tail once in their lifetime.

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

Growing up in Ottawa, I spent many hours skating on the world’s longest skating rink, the Rideau Canal.

They used to have these little huts on the world’s longest outdoor skating rink that sold coffee, hot apple cider, and beaver tails!

What I remember from my younger days is that beavertails were a yummy pastry that you could get with different toppings like jam, sugar and cinnamon or garlic and cheese.

Apparently, it’s now big business. But why bother when you can make your own at home with simple ingredients?

reader feedback

Reader Feedback

“I made this for my family of 5 and we finished the 25 serving recipe in one night! We added a bit of our own toppings to give it a bit more of a punch. But overall this was a really amazing recipe for beaver tails!!!”

~ Ell

When it comes to Deep Frying food you want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point and neutral in flavor so it won’t affect the flavor of whatever you are frying. Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil and Peanut Oil are some of the more popular and affordable options.

When I started writing my Recipe Book and launching this food blog, I was on a mission to find an authentic Beaver Tail recipe.

After experimenting with different techniques, this is the recipe that I believe is the closest to the beavertails I had 40 yrs ago. So whether you spell it beaver tails or beavertails, this is one pastry recipe you will not want to miss!

I often use Canola Oil when I am deep frying but you can use whatever type of oil you have on hand as long as it has a neutral flavor. Vegetable Oil is fine as well as Peanut Oil except the latter is usually more expensive. I like to buy my oil in bulk at Costco.

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

By the way, have you tried one of the most popular recipes on this blog yet? Then you must try my Cinnamon Donut Bread recipe. Similar to this beaver tail recipe in that they are both cinnamon sugar-coated.

Looking for another delicious pastry dessert you can make in the comfort of your own kitchen? Then check out my Awesome Baklava recipe.

While you are here I suggest you check out all my other delicious Canadian Recipes. Some of the recipes are new while others are well over 50 years old but they all originated in Canada.

Does Dry Yeast Go Bad?

Yes, dry yeast can go bad since it’s a living organism. It typically has a shelf life of 1–2 years when stored properly. To check if your yeast is still active, dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of warm water. Add 1 packet of yeast, stir, and wait for 5–10 minutes. If the mixture becomes frothy and bubbly, the yeast is still good. If not, it’s time to replace it.

You will need the following ingredients to make this Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Active Yeast – make sure it is not expired
  • White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
  • Milk – I use 2% milk
  • White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
  • Salt – a must for most recipes
  • Vanilla Extract – you can use store-bought or my Instant Pot Homemade Vanilla Extract or my Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
  • Eggs – fresh large eggs as much as possible
  • Canola Oil – you can also use vegetable oil
  • All Purpose Flour – I mostly use King Arthur but use what you got (no affiliation)
  • Corn Oil – or any other suitable deep frying oil
  • White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
  • Ground Cinnamon – adds a warm, sweet, and slightly woody flavor
  1. In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water, and 1/4 Tsp of sugar. Allow the water mixture to stand for a couple of minutes to allow the yeast to swell and dissolve. Depending on various factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) this could take as long as 10 minutes.
  2. Add the 1/3 Cup of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt, and most of the flour to the yeast mixture. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes using a dough hook, adding flour as needed to form a firm smooth, elastic dough.
  3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Place a warm towel on top of the bowl and “seal”. If you are not going to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate the dough at this point. Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. Gently deflate the dough. (If the dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
  1. Pinch off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. Roll out onto a floured surface into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining dough.
  2. Heat about 4 inches of corn oil in the fryer (or whatever you usually use for frying). The temperature of the oil should be about 385°F.
  3. Stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beaver’s tail, thinning them out and enlarging them as you do. Add the dough pieces to the hot oil one at a time.
  4. Turn the beaver tail once to fry until both sides are a deep brown. Lift the beaver tails out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
  5. Fill a large bowl with a few cups of white sugar and cinnamon. Toss the beaver tails in the sugar mixture, coating both sides and then shake off the excess.

More Recipe Ideas

Printable Recipe Card

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails

A great pastry from my childhood. These beavertails were a must have growing up in Ottawa, Canada and going skating on the Rideau Canal.
4.54 from 162 votes

↑ Click stars to rate

Prep Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Author Rodney
Servings 25
Calories 141 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • ½ Cup Water, warm
  • 5 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
  • ¼ Tsp White Sugar
  • 1 Cup Warm Milk
  • Cup White Sugar
  • 1 ½ Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • Cup Canola Oil
  • 5 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • Corn Oil
  • White Sugar
  • Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water and 1/4 Tsp of sugar. Allow to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell and dissolve. Depending on various factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) this could take as long as 10 minutes.
  • Add the 1/3 Cup of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt, and most of the flour to the yeast mixture. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes using a dough hook, adding flour as needed to form a firm smooth, elastic dough.
  • Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Place warm towel on top of bowl and “seal”. If you are not going to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate the dough at this point. Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Gently deflate dough. (If dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
  • Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough. Roll out onto a floored surface into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining dough.
  • Heat about 4 inches of corn oil in fryer (or whatever you usually use for frying). Temperature of the oil should be about 385 degrees.
  • Stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beavers tail, thinning them out and enlarging them as you do. Add the dough pieces to the hot oil one at a time.
  • Turn the beaver tail once to fry until both sides are deep brown. Lift the beaver tails out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
  • Fill a large bowl with a few cups of white sugar and cinnamon. Toss the beaver tails in the sugar mixture, coating both sides and then shake off the excess.
Nutrition (1 of 25 servings)
Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 52mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1.2mg
This information is an estimate and may vary based on several factors. If nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please verify this recipe with a Registered Dietitian.
Tried this Recipe?Leave a Comment below and share a picture on Instagram and tag @hot_rods_recipes and hashtag #hotrodsrecipes!

52 Comments

  1. Robin McLeod says:

    Before I try them, can you cook these in an air fryer? If so, what temperature should be used?

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      I have not made beaver tails in my air fryer yet. When I do I will update this post.

      1. Dawn says:

        I haven’t made them yet, just wondered if anyone has tried them using an air fryer yet. I’m thinking about giving them a try today.

  2. adorabullgirl says:

    I would give this recipe ten stars if I could!
    I had a craving for some elephant ears so I went to google and searched recipes for inspo. I found a few but under the ratings were a band of comments from Canadians declaring how elephant ears are actually called “beaver tails”
    Hmmm? Beaver Tails? I am USA-based and never heard of the term but was open to the idea.
    A few more searches revealed the recipe for beaver tails was nearly identical to that of elephant ears except for the addition of eggs.
    I noted the difference and decided to cook both recipes. I told myself “why not?” There is no such thing as too much dessert. I prepared the elephant ear recipe and the beaver tail recipe by Chef Rodney and let them both rest, then proceeded to fry them. I did the elephant ears first. They were hot and fresh (used powdered sugar on top) and it was good. No complaints.
    I cleaned up the mess and proceeded to try Chef Rodney’s beaver tails. How much of a difference could 2 eggs make?
    MY OH MY! What a difference. The dough was flaky, FLUFFY, moist, and decadent. I was transported back to the South Florida Youth Fair that came every Fall. Powdered sugar trickled down my chin, painting my black shirt and blue jeans. I felt like a little kid again. DELICIOUS.
    I printed this recipe and cut it out to save in my kitchen cookbook.
    Maybe you Canadians are onto something Eh?
    Bravo Chef Rodney and thank you for the delicious recipe!

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      Thank you for the feedback! Good to know what the difference is between elephant ears and beavertails. I think I had my first beaver tail over 40 yrs ago. A keeper for sure!

  3. Jenny says:

    Just made these for my family today to celebrate Canada day. Topped with cinnamon sugar and served with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I halved the recipe, then only prepared half of that as we are a family of 4. A quarter of this recipe made me 6 moderately large beavertails (a bit smaller than what you’d get at the beavertail shack.) I froze the other half of the dough for another time. I fried the tails in my 12″ cast iron skillet on medium heat. This recipe was easy and delicious!

  4. Eileen Mills says:

    They were fantastic and I loved your recipe but the recipe makes too many. Can I shape the beavertails then freeze them and deep fry them from frozen?

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      While I have never had to freeze the dough, I don’t see why not. Just make sure it’s airtight. I would then suggest letting the dough come to room temperature before deep frying. If you do try it I would love to get your feedback on this. Enjoy!

  5. Lisa says:

    Absolutely delicious! Turned out very yummy!
    The only thing is I used vegetable oil instead, no difference.
    Thanks for the recipe!!!

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Yes you can use pretty much any type of oil that is suitable for deep frying. Vegetable oil or even peanut oil will work. Mind you peanut oil is a little more expensive!

  6. Ray says:

    So happy I found this recipe since you can’t get BeaverTails out west. I ended up using closer to 6 cups of flour, but these taste just like the real thing! My favourite topping is cinnamon sugar with lemon 🙂

  7. oscar schneider says:

    Why do we have to pinch off a golf-ball size piece?

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      That size piece of dough, once flattened, will yield about the exact size of authentic beaver tails. Feel free to use whatever size you want.

  8. michelle s says:

    North Bay – Jan 2021- Since we can’t get to the Canal in Ottawa because of lockdown, we decided to try making these at home. What a success!! The recipe made 30 tails for us, and we used half for a savoury dinner with different dips like southwest ranch, dill and garlic hummus. Then we had the rest for dessert with cinnamon sugar & lemon, nutella and dulce de leche toppings. Thanks for perfecting this recipe – we will be making it again!

  9. Ell says:

    I made this for my family of 5 and we finished the 25 serving recipe in one night! We added a bit of our own toppings to give it a bit more of a punch. But overall this was a really amazing recipe for beaver tails!!!

  10. A Chef says:

    LOVE them!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for posting!!!!!

  11. Inga Calvert says:

    OMG! I made these today and they are amazing! Made so many I had to share with the neighbours 😄 Thank you so much for this recipe!

  12. Brandi says:

    I love these and can eat EVER LAST ONE OF THEM.

  13. Richard Shushack says:

    The sugar beaver tails… WOW WOW.. WOW..EASY TO MAKE AND THEY GO WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT TOPPINGS … CHEF RICHARD…

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      Yes these Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Tails are Awesome!

      1. Isela says:

        WOW!! They really are delicious

  14. Obito says:

    Looks good enough….
    I’ll try it with a couple of people later

    1. Chef Rodney says:

      They are delicious!

    2. Sarah says:

      These look delicious! Have you tried shaping them and then refrigerating them for later? I’d like to have them ready in advance so that I can take them somewhere else to cook. Thanks!

  15. Michelle says:

    Just made these for my family of 5. They were so delicious and easy. We sent some to neighbours and they agreed that they were yummy!!!

    1. Liza says:

      Made these for our friends Canada Day Party. Tasted just like Toronto😂 They were a huge hit!! I shared this recipe with everyone who asked. Thank you!!

  16. Cassandra says:

    Delicious! 😀

    1. paige says:

      amazing

    2. Carole says:

      I also make these and sometimes coat with powered sugar, regular sugar and cinnamon and sugar together yummy

4.54 from 162 votes (132 ratings without comment)