The Iowa State Fair is gearing up for a birthday blowout — and the food vendors clearly got the memo. When the gates swing open Aug. 13-23, fairgoers will walk into a full‑tilt celebration of America’s 250th, where nightly drone shows, a 250‑flag display and the “Spirit of ’76” exhibit set the stage for the most chaotic, patriotic and over‑the‑top menu the fair has rolled out yet.
The battle for Best New Food at the Iowa State Fair turned into a full‑blown spectacle on July 14, when 11 vendors rolled out their wildest, most patriotic, most maximalist creations for a judging panel of more than 100 media members and celebrities.
While 84 new dishes debut this year, the top 11 competed for Best New Food. Those dishes lean hard into the trends shaping 2026: hyper‑patriotic desserts, chocolate-covered treats, sweet‑heat mashups, cheese‑driven indulgence and the rise of strawberries as the breakout fruit. It’s a Grand Concourse built for people who love novelty foods, who chase chaos creations and who consider a day incomplete without something deep‑fried, chocolate‑dipped or served on a stick.
By the end of the day, three dishes emerged as finalists, earning a coveted spot in the fair’s annual showdown and setting the stage for one of the most trend‑driven competitions in years.
Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said that food remains the No. 1 reason people visit the Iowa State Fair. The 2025 Iowa State Fair drew 1,160,121 attendees, marking the third-highest turnout in the fair’s history, finishing roughly 22,500 visitors short of the all-time attendance record set in 2024.
What are the Top 11 new foods at the Iowa State Fair in 2026?
Cajun Cluck ’N’ Chaos: If you see anyone walking around with this dish, you will do a double-take. The fair’s chaos‑food trend reaches its peak here. A Cajun sloppy joe on brioche gets sweet‑pepper slaw, spicy pickles, a skewer topped with a pickled egg, and — in true 2026 fashion — a puff of lime‑pickle cotton candy. It’s smoky, spicy, crunchy, sweet and sour all at once. This is engineered chaos, the kind of dish that defines the modern fair. Grab this at Cluckin’ Coop for $14.
1776 Dubai Strawberries: This is the year’s most glamorous entry in the hyper-patriotic dessert wave. Fresh strawberries are drenched in milk chocolate, topped with pistachio crème and finished with crunchy kataifi — a Middle Eastern pastry element that brings global luxury to the fair. It’s Dubai-style decadence filtered through American birthday energy: glossy, layered, textural and built for photos. Find it at The Strawberry Station for $19.
Stuffed Tater Kegs: Tater Kegs tap directly into the comfort‑food‑as-handheld trend. These oversized tots pack all the flavors of a loaded baked potato into a crispy shell. The breakfast version folds in eggs, sausage and cheddar; the Cheese Bomb goes with creamy cheddar and sour cream. They’re engineered for portability, craveability and all‑day eating — the fair’s most reliable formula. Get them at Tater Tod and Hot Doug’s for $10.
Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds: Pickle mania remains one of the fair’s most unstoppable trends, and this mashup doubles down. Brad & Harry’s combines their two best‑selling flavors — garlic and dill pickle — into a single curd that hits every note of the savory‑snack craze: salty, tangy, garlicky, crunchy. It’s comfort food engineered for repeat snacking. Get it at Brad & Harry’s Cheese Curds for $9.
HoQ Crunchy Lamb Wrap: This is global fusion meets Iowa farm-to-fair. HoQ, one of the Des Moines Register’s Essential Restaurants, stuffs homemade naan with creamy risotto, braised Iowa lamb, local cheese, crème fraîche and greens — then fried naan surrounds the whole wrap. It comes with a side of watermelon ranch. It’s a collision of Mediterranean comfort, Midwestern sourcing and carnival technique, landing squarely in the fair’s growing trend of international flavors wrapped in handheld, deep-fried formats. Get it at HoQ for $19.
Star Spangled Swine: Whatcha’ Smokin BBQ, one of USA TODAY’S Restaurants of the Year in 2026, earned a spot in the Top 3 new fair foods the previous three years, but missed the finals in 2026. This dish is a pure patriotic spectacle, the defining theme of the 250th anniversary. Prime pork belly gets an apple chipotle rub, a glaze made with Big Red soda and a coating of blue and white honey crystals. It’s sweet heat meets Americana maximalism — a red, white and blue pork belly that tastes like a backyard barbecue turned up to carnival volume. Find it at Whatcha’ Smokin BBQ for $15.
Sweet Americana: Named the fair’s best Red, White & Blue New Food, Sweet Americana is the year’s most polished entry in the patriotic ice cream trend. If you like to sample a variety of ice cream flavors, this dish is your go-to. Start with the sweetness of Strawberry Shortcake ice cream topped with a sugar cookie, then get the tang of Lemon Bar ice cream topped with a lemon bar square. Save the Blueberry Crisp ice cream for last and make your final bite the chocolate-covered blueberries. It’s a dessert flight celebrating 250 years of American sweets, packaged in Over the Top’s trademark maximalist style. Find it at Over the Top for $13.
Ultimate Minneapple Pie: This newcomer to the fair hails from St. Michael, Minnesota, and leans into the nostalgia dessert trend. Deep-fried apple pie meets vanilla and cinnamon ice cream and homemade apple syrup, creating a warm, cold, crisp, soft contrast that taps directly into Americana dessert tradition. It’s the fair’s most reliable crowd-pleaser, elevated with a 250th birthday sense of indulgence. Find it at Minneapple Pie for $14.
Strawberry Bliss: Strawberry Bliss is the purest expression of the summer strawberry boom — a trend dominating 2026. This layered treat stacks buttery shortbread, a whole peak‑season berry, a cloud of meringue and a full milk‑chocolate shell, then finishes with white‑chocolate drizzle and fresh‑cut strawberries. It’s maximalism without the chaos: crisp, creamy, fruity and indulgent, the kind of dessert that proves strawberries are the year’s most powerful nostalgia trigger. Get it at the Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association for $8.
Porky Parm Gnocchi: You know when you see a former Top 3 contender for Best New Food at the fair, you should pay attention. And Destination Grille really delivered. This dish blends Italian comfort with Iowa sausage culture. Gluten-free potato gnocchi and Graziano sausage swim in AE’s cream Parmesan sauce, topped with pesto, shaved Parmesan and parsley — plus a 250th year flag and a souvenir pig. It’s the fair’s growing trend of restaurant-quality pasta bowls delivered with playful, patriotic flair. And that squeaky pig is a fun bonus. Find this dish at DG — Destination Grille for $14.
All-American Scrambled Egg Roll: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen won Best New Food at the fair for the past two years, and the restaurant out of Indianola has a shot at doing it again for the three-peat. This egg roll is a tribute to classic American breakfast wrapped in a crispy carnival shell. Bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs and cheddar melt together inside a golden wrapper, then get a drizzle of cheesy ranch. It’s comfort food with a patriotic wink — the fair’s love of breakfast‑for‑any‑meal in its most portable form. It also represents a mini-trend of breakfast foods at the fair. Find it at Winn & Sara’s Kitchen for $15.
Which three dishes compete for Best New Foods?
The Porky Parm Gnocchi from Destination Grille, the Ultimate Minneapple Pie from Minneapple Pie and the All-American Scrambled Egg Roll from Winn & Sara’s Kitchen will compete for the People’s Choice Best New Food for 2026.
What happens next?
Fair-goers vote on their favorite new foods in the Iowa State Fair app through Aug. 19. The winner of the coveted People’s Choice Best New Food for 2026 will be announced on Friday, Aug. 21.
How does the Iowa State Fair select the top 11 new foods?
The job of narrowing down the list of 84 new foods at the fair to 11 that competed for Best New Food goes to a group of panelists who look at a photo of the dish and a description to vote on their favorites, said Iowa State Fair Director of Vendor Services and Thrill Parks James Romer.
“So it’s not just me sitting down and looking at the list,” he said.
Some vendors are already thinking about what to create for 2027 or 2028. “I don’t have to motivate them,” he said. “I mean, they’re at the Iowa State Fair. This is the premier state fair in the country, and iron sharpens iron. They’re always out there trying to find out what the next best thing is going to be.”
Previous winners of Best New Foods at the Iowa State Fair
2013: Zag’s Po Boys — Shrimp Corn Dog
2014: Multiple vendors — Funnel Cake on a Stick
2015: The Rib Shack — Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb
2016: Iowa Turkey Federation — Not Your Mamma’s Taco
2017: Steer ‘N’ Stein — Pork Almighty
2018: Applishus — Apple Eggroll
2019: G Mig’s Wrap Stand — Georgie’s Roast with the Most Wrap
2021: Cluckin’ Coop by the Iowa Egg Council/Iowa Poultry Association — Chicken Egg Salad with Fry Bread
2022: The Rib Shack — The Finisher
2023: What’s Your Cheez — Deep-Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese
2024: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen — Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll
2025: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen — Bacon Chicken Ranch Eggroll
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 11 new Iowa State Fair foods ranked: Chaos, classics and hits
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
