We rated the 11 best new Iowa State Fair foods for 2026
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1776 Dubai Strawberry, Porky Parm Gnocchi and Cajun Cluck 'n' Chaos are three of the 11 best new Iowa State Fair foods.
Linh here! I got to judge 11 of the best new Iowa State Fair foods for 2026, and I'm here to share my thoughts on each item.
Why it matters: I grew up in a household where my dad constantly scoffed at restaurant menu prices, so trust me, I've trained my whole life to tell you what's worth your hard-earned money.
How it works: There are more than 80 new foods, but judges on Tuesday narrowed it down to the final three: All-American Scrambled Egg Roll, Porky Parm Gnocchi and Ultimate Minneapple Pie.
- The winner will be determined by fairgoers in August.
State of play: I judged each dish on three criteria: taste, aesthetic and creativity.
Here are the 11 foods, starting with my favorites.
All-American Scrambled Egg Roll — Winn and Sara's Kitchen
An egg roll with bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese with a drizzle of homemade cheesy ranch ($15).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: Winn and Sara's has won twice in a row already, so I wanted to not like it, but it was my favorite item. The crispy, thin skin and the gooey cheese made this a fatty, delectable fried fair treat.
- Drown me in cheesy ranch.
Ultimate Minneapple Pie — Minneapple Pie
Deep-fried apple pie with a homemade crust, served with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream, drizzled with homemade apple syrup ($13).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: I didn't want to like it. Minnesota has taken my friends. They took Peachy's Donuts. Now they want our fair. But my god — this was my favorite dessert. The homemade crust with the little words was delicious and cute. Cinnamon and vanilla ice creams were creamy and divine.
- Go back to Mall of America (just kidding, please stay).
Porky Parm Gnocchi — Destination Grille
Potato gnocchi and Graziano sausage tossed in A&E cream Parmesan sauce with a pesto drizzle, shaved Parmesan and parsley ($14).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: The combo of my two favorite Iowa food brands wins me over. Pasta may seem like a strange fair food, but who doesn't like alfredo? (Also, there's a tiny squeaky pig on top!)
Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds — Brad & Harry's Cheese Curds
Wisconsin Ellsworth cheese curds, marinated in garlic and dill, hand-battered and deep-fried ($9).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈
Overall: Good curds. Subtle garlic and dill.
Cajun Cluck 'N' Chaos — Cluckin' Coop
A Cajun chicken sloppy joe on a brioche bun, topped with sweet pepper slaw, spicy pickles, a pickled egg skewer and lime-infused pickle cotton candy ($14).
Taste: 🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
Overall: We love the creativity on this one, including serving the sandwich on a special Iowa State Fair Frisbee.
- The pickle cotton candy and the red pickled egg that simulates a tomato are very Insta-worthy.
Sweet Americana — Over the Top
Trio of strawberry shortcake, lemon bar and blueberry crisp ice creams, topped with a shortcake cookie, lemon bar and chocolate-covered blueberries ($13).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: I like ice cream, but especially the cookie. Big ol' nod to 2-5-0.
Strawberry Bliss — Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association
A shortbread cookie topped with a fresh strawberry and meringue, coated in milk and white chocolate and finished with fresh strawberries ($8).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: Tastes good. This is the cheapest of the new fair foods.
Stuffed Tater Kegs — Tater Todd and Hot Doug's
Jumbo stuffed tater tots, with a choice of a breakfast version with eggs, sausage and cheddar, or a vegetarian version with cheddar and sour cream (four for $10).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: Hard not to like fried potatoes. Not much pizzazz, but good for children and dads.
Crunchy Lamb Wrap — HoQ
Fried homemade naan, stuffed with creamy risotto, braised Iowa lamb, local cheese, creme fraiche and kale. Served with watermelon ranch sauce ($19).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
Overall: I'm a fan of HoQ wraps at the farmers market. I'm unsure about frying it versus letting the delicious naan speak for itself, but it's a very Iowa State Fair move.
Star Spangled Swine — Whatcha Smokin? BBQ
Pork belly seasoned with an apple chipotle rub, glazed with Big Red soda and coated in blue and white honey crystals ($15).
Taste: 🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
Overall: I really wanted to love this, especially since the meat was delicious, but the crystals were too hard. Kudos for 250 creativity.
1776 Dubai Strawberries — The Strawberry Station
Fresh strawberries topped with milk chocolate, pistachio cream and crunchy kataifi (crispy shredded phyllo dough) ($19).
Taste: 🧈🧈🧈
Aesthetic: 🧈🧈
Creativity: 🧈
Overall: It's very circa 2024. Tasty and full of fresh berries, and while Dubai chocolate is known for its price, it feels steep for the fair.