Canadian Maple Leaf Fritters

Maple leaves, maple syrup, beer, pancake batter… could you get any more Canadian than this?

These fritters are a really tasty springtime treat!

I say springtime, because you want nice fresh tender spring leaves for this recipe, not the tough big leaves of summer.

I usually try to find suckers growing at the base of a maple tree that are growing leaves for harvesting. If you harvest the leaf clumps from a good tree, they won’t be growing back any time soon, so use good judgement and don’t go putting undue stress on trees.

They should look like these ones here.

I always use sugar maple leaves, but you could use the maple leaves in your area. Just make sure you check with a local authority if they are edible and safe.

Prep Time10 min
Cook Time5 min
Total Time15 min
Yield6 fritters

Cuisine
- Canadian
- Wild Edibles
Course
- Appetizer
- Snack
Cooking Method
- Frying
Suitable for Diet
- Vegetarian
Difficulty
- Easy

Ingredients

3 heaping cups (or handfuls) young sugar maple leaves
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (30ml) maple syrup + more to serve
1/3 cup (78ml) neutral or sweet beer
Pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (75g) butter
Flaky salt to garnish

Preparation

Rinse off and dry the leaves.

Remove any large stems (small tender stems are okay).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, beer, and salt.

Slowly whisk in the flour until mostly combined (a few clumps is okay, don’t overwork it).

Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the leaves to the batter and mix well so that the leaves are tangled and completely coated in batter.

Heat up the butter in a cast iron pan or skillet over medium high heat.

Using your fingers, pluck out about 1/6 of the leaves and plop them into the hot butter in a vaguely circular shape. Don’t press down on it.

Repeat with the other 5/6s of the leaves (do this in two batches if the skillet is too small).

Pour any leftover batter onto the tops of the cooking fritters.

Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Serve immediately, drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with flaky salt. These go well with the beer you cracked to make them too. Enjoy!