There Are More Than 80 New Iowa State Fair Foods for 2026 [LIST]

The Iowa State Fair is only a month away, and we now know all of this year's new foods! According to the Iowa State Fair website, here are the 80+ new foods that will be available in 2026:

1776 Dubai Strawberries

• The Strawberry Station - $19
• A cup of fresh strawberries topped with milk chocolate, pistachio crème, and sprinkles of Kataifi (roasted Middle Eastern Philo dough)

1776 Parmesan Ice Cream

• Bubbly - $14
• Parmesan Ice Cream layered with tart cherry and buttery pound cake

Affogato

• Biscuit Bar - $8
• An espresso ice cream drink drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce

All-American Scrambled Egg Roll

• Winn & Sara's Kitchen - $15
• An egg roll filled with bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese topped with cheesy ranch dressing

Amaretto Ice Cream, Cake Batter with Chocolate Cake Balls, and Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream

• The Bird's Nest - $13
• Amaretto ice cream with cherries and chocolate flakes, vanilla cake batter ice cream with salted chocolate cake balls, and birthday cake batter ice cream with cake bits and frosting chunks, served in a waffle bowl and topped with sprinkles

America’s "Berry” Good Grilled Cheese

• What’s Your Cheez - $16
• Grilled cheese made with caramelized brioche bread, artisan blueberry white cheddar cheese, raspberry amaretto jam, blueberry bourbon jam, and candied pork belly

Banana Cream Fries

• Taylor Concessions - $8
• Funnel cake fries coated in powdered sugar and topped with banana pudding, banana slices, whipped cream, and crushed vanilla wafers

BBQ Pulled Pork Cheddar Corn Bread Waffle

• Old West Roadhouse BBQ - $18
• 12-hour smoked pulled pork on a cornbread waffle that's stuffed with sweet corn, cheddar cheese, and diced jalapenos and topped with house-made BBQ sauce

Bedrock Twist

• Smith’s - $9
• A deep-fried pretzel covered in sweet glaze and topped with a Fruity Pebble crunch

Belgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• The Strawberry Station - $17

Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake Funnel Cake

• McGrath’s Funnel Cakes - $15
• Funnel cake layered with Biscoff cookie butter, topped with cookie crumbles and homemade cream cheese icing

Bison Burger

• Sleepy Bison Grill - $13

Bison Cheesesteak Slider

• Sleepy Bison Grill - $11
• Grilled marinated bison steak strips on a hoagie bun with caramelized fried onions, American cheese, and queso

Bison Nachos

• Sleepy Bison Grill - $14
• Ground bison, queso, lettuce, and picante sauce (optional) on corn tortilla chips

Burrata Bomb

• JR’s SouthPork Ranch - $11
• A ball of burrata cheese served with fresh tomatoes and a drizzle

Butter Dipped Ice Cream Cone

• Coney Corner - $6
• Vanilla soft serve coated in a buttery hard shell and sprinkled with flaky salt

Butterfinger Ice Cream Bar

• Dough Crazy - $7
• A vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate and topped with peanut butter candy bar pieces

Cajun Cluck 'N' Chaos

• Cluckin’ Coop - $14
• A Cajun-style chicken sloppy joe on a brioche bun topped with sweet pepper coleslaw, spicy pickles, and a skewer stacked with a pickled egg, more pickles, and lime-infused pickle cotton candy

Candied Pork Belly Mac & Cheese Pizza

• Wiseguys Woodfired Pizza - $9
• A slice of pizza topped with candied pork belly mac & cheese and a sriracha cream corn glaze

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Roasted Pecans, Topped with Cheesecake Bites, and

• The Nut Farm - $10
• Drizzled with a bourbon caramel sauce

Caramel Apple Crumble Cinnamon Roll

• Buni’s Cinnamon Rolls - $14
• A cinnamon roll topped with cinnamon apples, caramel, crumble, and icing

Caviar and Chicken Nuggets Package

• JR’s SouthPork Ranch - $99
• "The rich crème fraiche adds a smooth, tangy finish that perfectly balances the salty pop of the caviar and the crispy comfort of the chicken nugget."

Cinnamon Cloud Rolls

• The Snack Box - $7
• Fried sweet rolls dusted in cinnamon sugar and finished with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk

Cinnamozza Kdog

• GoldenKDog - $18
• A full mozzarella cheese Korean corn dog dunked in salted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Cluck Yeah Hush Puppies

• Cluckin’ Coop - $8
• Fried hush puppies loaded with sweet corn, bacon, spicy jalapeños, cheese, and chopped hard-boiled eggs

Cowboy Candy

• Stockman’s Inn - $5
• Sweet and spicy breaded jalapenos

Deep Fried Cookie Dough Pie

• Minneapple Pie - $12
• Served with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

Dough-Noli

• Dough Crazy - $10
• Cannoli shells filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with chocolate drizzle and powdered sugar

Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

• Best Concessions - $15

Firecracker Churros

• Applishus - $10
• Churros topped with Lola’s sweet seasoning (caramelized cinnamon with subtle spice), honey molasses, sugar, and a jalapeno and habanero pepper spice blend - served with an apple butter/cream cheese dip

Flamin' Hot Cheetos® Breakfast Burrito

• Burrito Bobo - $16
• An extra large tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, tater tots, green chiles, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños, breakfast sausage gravy, and crunchy Flamin' Hot Cheetos

French Silk Cannoli

• Hagar’s Hoagies - $4
• A cannoli shell filled with French Silk chocolate and topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and chocolate syrup

Fried Green Tomatoes

• The Veggie-Table - $10

Fried Saimin Noodles

• Kama’aina Grill - $15/$17 with huli chicken

Fuego Bowl

• Big Acai Bowls - $13
• Mango sorbet topped with fresh pineapple and chamoy sauce and served with a tahin-coated spoon and a lime slice

Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds

• Brad & Harry’s Cheese Curds - $9

Garlic Parmesan Pretzel

• Pretzels - $13

Hand Rolled Pretzel

• Josephine’s Glazed Doughnuts - $8

Hawaiian Ricotta Ravioli

• Grater Taters - $9
• Ravioli with ricotta, pineapple, coconut, mango, and a few additional ingredients

Hd-Smokin' Cowboy Dog

• Smokey’s Grill - $14
• A ¼ lb hardwood smoked-burnt ends beef sausage infused with jalapeno and topped with cowboy candy breaded jalapeno slices and drizzled with a special sauce

Homestead Bites

• Its Dough Time - $15
• Frybread cut into strips and covered in sausage gravy, bacon crumbles, maple syrup drizzle, and green chives

HoQ Crunchy Lamb Wrap

• HoQ - $19
• Deep-fried, breaded homemade naan stuffed with risotto, braised Iowa lamb, local cheese, creme fraiche, and local greens - served with watermelon ranch sauce

Hot Honey Chicken Wrap

• Chuckie’s Famous Breaded Pork Tenderloin - $12
• A tortilla wrap with Chuckie’s chicken strips, cole slaw, and hot honey

Huli Chicken

• Kama’aina Grill - $17
• A Hawaiian grilled chicken dish basted with a huli sauce

Iowa Sweet Corn & Popcorn Sundae

• The Salad Bowl - $10
• Sweet corn soft serve ice cream layered with toffee corn, caramel, sea salt, and toffee popcorn and topped with whipped cream

Italian Hand Pies

• Biscuit Bar - $11
• 2 fried hand pies made with mild Italian sausage, cheese, sauce, and Italian seasoning

Jalapeño White Cheddar Pretzel Dog

• Pretzels - $14

Kalua Pork

• Kama’aina Grill - $18
• Served with rice and macaroni salad

Kama'aina Bento

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Teri beef, fried saimin noodles, Spam, and garlic chicken served with rice and macaroni salad

Kama'aina Mix

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Huli chicken, teri beef, fried saimin noodles, and kalua pork served with rice and macaroni salad

Kapu Poke Bowl

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Kalua pork, shrimp tempura, shoyu poke, and ahi tuna and served on a bed of rice with furikake seasoning (dried seaweed flakes)

Liberty Shrimp Melt

• Po-Boys - $15
• French bread stuffed with shrimp alfredo (handheld)

Loaded Sausage Waffle Stick

• Waffle Chix - $12
• A Belgian waffle baked around a large sausage link and topped with sausage gravy, bacon, and cheese (on a stick)

Massive Mix

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Huli chicken, teri beef, BBQ pork, and kalua pork served with rice and macaroni salad

Mozza-Tini

• DG – Destination Grille - $10
• 4 hand-breaded, gluten-free mozzarella sticks served with warm vodka sauce, jalapeno ranch drizzle, and fresh parsley

Northshore Poke Bowl

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Kalua pork, huli chicken, shoyu poke, and ahi tuna served on a bed of rice with furikake seasoning (dried seaweed flakes)

Oreo® Overload Nachos

• Dairy Zone LLC - $10
• Waffle chips piled around vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge, crushed Oreo cookies, and whipped cream

Pastrami Burger

• Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters - $11.50
• A grilled beef patty with smoked sliced pastrami, white American cheese, and a sweet mustard/BBQ sauce

Patriotic Molten Lava Celebration

• Bauder’s Ice Cream - $12
• An 8 oz chocolate lava cake on a bed of raspberry topping with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and red, white, and blue sprinkles

Patriotic Nachos

• Dairy Zone LLC - $10
• Waffle chips surrounding vanilla ice cream that's drizzled with cherry and blue raspberry dips, whipped cream, and festive red, white, and blue star sprinkles - served with an extra side of cherry dip

PB & J Corndog

• Double Bacon - $10
• A hand-dipped corndog baked with peanut butter batter and topped with strawberry or grape jelly, a dressing of peanut butter, and with powdered sugar - served with a special dipping sauce

Pecan Caramel Apple Crumble Cinnamon Roll

• Buni’s Cinnamon Rolls - $15

Pete's Southwest Salad

• Jalapeno Pete’s - $14
• A choice of pork, chicken or beef served with corn, black beans, pico, cheddar/jack cheese, avocado, tortilla strips, balsamic dressing, and chipotle ranch

Porky Parm Gnocchi

• DG – Destination Grille - $14
• Gluten-free potato gnocchi and Graziano sausage tossed in a house-made AE cream parmesan sauce with a pesto drizzle, shaved parmesan, and fresh parsley

Porky Pileup

• Stockman’s Inn - $15
• Fries layered with BBQ pulled pork, mac n' cheese, cowboy beans, and bacon bits

Saigon Birria Pupusa

• Saigonais Cuisine - $10
• A handmade pupusa filled with pho-braised brisket and melted cheese - served with a hoisin birria consommé

Scotch Egg

• Pioneer Wagon - $12
• A hard-boiled egg wrapped in seasoned sausage and deep fried - served on a stick

Shoyu Poke Bowl

• Kama’aina Grill - $18
• Ahi tuna served on a bed of rice with furikake seasoning (dried seaweed flakes)

Spam Musubi

• Kama’aina Grill - $5
• A slice of grilled, glazed Spam on a block of rice and wrapped together with a strip of nori (seaweed)

Spicy Italian Sausage Dog

• Carl’s Gizmo - $9
• A sausage link marinated in a special red sauce and topped with hot giardiniera peppers and parmesan cheese on an Italian roll

Star Spangled Swine

• Whatcha’ Smokin BBQ - $15
• Pork belly with apple chipotle rub and a signature big red soda glaze - rolled in blue and white honey crystals

Star-Spangled

• Its Dough Time - $12
• Fresh frybread drizzled with a sweet glaze and topped with red, white, and blue sprinkles and a dusting of powdered sugar

Strawberry Bliss

• Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association - $8
• A shortbread cookie topped with a strawberry and enveloped in meringue and then covered in milk chocolate, white chocolate drizzle, and fresh-cut strawberries

Stuffed Tater Kegs

• Tater Tod and Hot Doug’s - $10
• Breakfast Skillet Tater Keg - filled with eggs, sausage, and cheddar cheese
• Cheese Bomb Tater Keg - loaded with cheddar cheese and sour cream

Sweet Americana

• Over the Top - $13
• Scoops of Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Bar, and Blueberry Crisp Ice Cream, each topped with a signature garnish: a shortcake cookie, a lemon bar square, and chocolate-covered blueberries

Tanghulu

• Bao Bao’s Tanghulu - $12
• Candied fruit on a stick

The 1776 Liberty Bowl

• Blue Ribbon Bar & Eatery - $15
• A freshly-baked sourdough bread bowl filled with cheese curds and fries and then topped with slow-roasted shredded beef, spiced gravy, and hand-breaded onion rings - served with a side of sour cream

'This Little Piggy' Tornado

• Dairy Zone LLC - $12
• Vanilla ice cream topped with brownie chunks, cocoa rice cereal, hot fudge, chocolate whipped cream, and a peppermint candy pig

Ultimate Bacon-Brisket Mac & Cheese Donut

• The Rib Shack - 1 for $7 or 6 for $30
• Mac & cheese topped with bacon and brisket that's breaded in a cake-style coating with a sweet BBQ glaze and topped with chopped brisket and a slice of fresh jalapeno

Ultimate Minneapple Pie

• Minneapple Pie - $14
• Deep-fried apple pie served with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream and drizzled with homemade apple syrup

Waimea Poke Bowl

• Kama’aina Grill - $23
• Spicy poke, shrimp tempura, shoyu Poke, and ahi tuna served on a bed of rice with furikake seasoning (dried seaweed flakes)

Walkin’ Oreo® Sundae

• Wonder Bars - $9
• A bag of Oreo cookies topped with soft serve vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup

Zower Sour Tanghulu

• Bao Bao’s Tanghulu - $14
• Fruit skewers coated in melted sugar glaze that are then plunged into an ice bath, "instantly creating a glass-like candy shell around every piece" - after the candy shell is created, the fruit stick is dipped into a sour powder and rolled in Nerds candy

What's Next?

The next step for the Iowa State Fair's Best New Food Contest is to narrow the list down to just 11 items. Then, next week, members of the media from all over Iowa (including Brain and me!) will gather at the fairgrounds in Des Moines for a tasting of those 11 news foods. At the end of the event, everyone will get to cast their vote for the top 3, and those 3 will be the ones that fairgoers will get to vote on during the Iowa State Fair. Stay tuned, because we will have a ton of photos and reviews for you next Wednesday morning!

The 2026 Iowa State Fair is scheduled for August 13th through 23rd. You can get more information about this year's fair HERE.

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