It’s time to loosen those belts and come hungry, because the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is on now until Labour Day in Toronto, and it’s back with all your favourite dairy-filled foods.

The food at the CNE always makes headlines — with outlandish concoctions piquing the city's curiosity. But, if you get past all the sensational food items, there are plenty of staples that have been at the CNE every year — some even since its inception.

From cheese curds to ice cream to mac and cheese, many of these classic CNE treats wouldn't be possible without delicious local Ontario dairy. 

To highlight all the delicious local dairy available, we partnered with Dairy Farmers of Ontario to take you through all the must-have items at this year's CNE.

Deep-fried cheese curds? Why not!

What started as probably one of the more far-out options, deep-fried cheese curds have become a staple of the fair. You quite literally cannot turn a corner without finding some.

Whether you’re hitting up the King of Curds for a Potato-less Poutine while strolling the fairgrounds, or getting in line at the Curd Corner in the Food Building to get it served alongside a bevy of different sauce options, these bite-sized delights are surprisingly light for fair food.

I was able to get mine with a side of creamy dill sauce, but other sauces available include ketchup, ranch, and hot sauce.

If you’re in the market for proper poutine, you can hit up The Ultimate Food Truck for their Ultimate Poutine made with local Ontario cheese curds!

Taking mac and cheese to the next level

Located at Booth 117 in the Food Building, Farm to Fryer will give you one of the cheesiest meals you’ll have at the CNE.

They offer a quarter pound of local Ontario cheese stuffed with Doritos, which is exactly what it sounds like — deep-fried cheese covered in Doritos.

If you’re really looking to take your meal to the max, their Mac & Triple Cheese Chimichangas has you covered! A deep-fried tortilla stuffed with macaroni and cheese, topped with Doritos and cheese sauce, this is definitely not for the faint of heart. But, it’s cheesy, it’s crunchy, and it’s everything you want in fair food.

If you’re looking for more options for your CNE meal, you can also head to Rick’s Good Eats Food Truck, where you can get delicious Butter Chicken on fries, in a samosa, or on mac and cheese. Top it off with a Mango Lassi (mango milkshake) and a dessert of a Rasmalai Cheesecake Samosa for the perfect dairy fuel to get you through the rest of your busy CNE day.

Adding a creamy twist on creative pastry

On those hot end-of-summer days, there’s nothing better than a nice cold ice cream to get you through another lap of the fairgrounds.

A Toronto classic that serves up Japanese-style souffle pancakes, Fuwa Fuwa has two booths inside the Food Building. One serving up their staple pancakes, the other serving up a crunchy croffle.

A mix between a croissant and a waffle, these sweet treats come topped with smooth Ontario ice cream and delicious fruits like strawberries, blueberries and bananas. They also have different flavours like Tiramisu, Oreo, Coco and Banana and my personal fav, biscoff cookie.

The original CNE hot waffle ice cream

No trip to the CNE is complete without getting their signature hot waffle ice cream sandwiches.

One of the only booths sporting the original clown logo of the CNE, Hot Ice Cream Waffle found on The Midway serves up a block of fluffy vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two crispy waffles, making for a great grab-and-go dessert option to travel around to all the amazing attractions.

There are so many delicious Ontario dairy treats to try at the CNE this year, so make sure you head down before September 4, 2023, to grab some legen-dairy eats and tag Dairy Farmers of Ontario on social when indulging in your favourite dairy treats.