It’s all about the food at the Iowa State Fair, and a panel of judges has named their top new foods coming to the fair in 2026.
From an initial list of 84 entries, the field was narrowed to 11 contenders. Judges tasted each of the 11 new foods and voted for three finalists during a Facebook livestream event from the fairgrounds on Tuesday, July 14.
Those three will compete for fairgoers’ votes for the 2026 Best New Food at the Iowa State Fair.
Last year, Winn & Sara’s Kitchen’s bacon chicken ranch eggroll took home the top honor.
These three finalists will face off in public voting Aug. 13-19 at the Iowa State Fair. The winner will be announced Aug. 21.
What are the top three new foods at the 2026 Iowa State Fair?
All-American Scrambled Egg Roll
Winn & Sara’s Kitchen will try for its third-straight win with a breakfast offering. The All-American Scrambled Egg Roll is stuffed with bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs and cheddar, finished with cheesy ranch.
Porky Parm Gnocchi
The Pork Parm Gnocchi features gluten-free potato gnocchi with sausage, parmesan cream and pesto. It’s topped with an America 250 flag and a suvenir piggy pal.
Ultimate Minneapple Pie
An offering from a Minnesota State Fair vendor making its first Iowa State Fair appearance, the Ultimate Minneapple Pie includes fried apple pie with ice cream and apple syrup.
More standout new foods at the 2026 fair
Here are the eight other items that rounded out the top 11:
Previous winners of Best New Foods at the Iowa State Fair
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the 3 Best New Food at the Iowa State Fair finalists for 2026
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
