Move over, roller coasters—it’s the culinary offerings that truly steal the spotlight at the Iowa State Fair.
Returning to Des Moines from August 13 to 23, this annual spectacle promises an outrageous and tantalizing array of food choices that fans eagerly anticipate.
Among this year’s mind-boggling creations are chicken nuggets topped with caviar, pickle-flavored cotton candy, spicy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos breakfast burritos, and even Parmesan-infused ice cream.
Perhaps the dish causing the most buzz is the Caviar and Chicken Nuggets, staggering with its $99 price tag. This unique dish marries the everyday appeal of crispy nuggets with the opulence of caviar and crème fraîche, blending fast food with high-end dining.
On a more budget-friendly note, the Cajun Cluck ‘N’ Chaos is available for $14. This tasty treat features a Cajun-style chicken sloppy joe nestled in a brioche bun, topped with sweet pepper coleslaw and spicy pickles. Adding a twist, it’s served with a skewer that holds a pickled egg and extra pickles, crowned with lime-infused pickle cotton candy.
The fair is also celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a host of patriotic creations.
For dessert with a historic twist, there’s 1776 Parmesan Ice Cream. The $14 creation combines savory aged Parmesan ice cream with tart cherry and pound cake and is inspired by an 18th-century version of the unusual dessert.
And yes, Parmesan ice cream is exactly as divisive as it sounds. Another creation that might get a similar reaction is the bacon brisket mac & cheese cake donut, which is described as ‘the perfect sweet and spicy bite’ for $7.
The Iowa State Fairis back in Des Moines, and this year’s food lineup is every bit as outrageous as fairgoers have come to expect, with caviar-topped chicken nuggets among the new creations
The 1776 Parmesan Ice Cream combines savory aged Parmesan ice cream with tart cherry and pound cake and is inspired by an 18th-century version of the unusual dessert
The 1776 Dubai Strawberries, costing $19, take inspiration from the viral Dubai chocolate trend, combining fresh strawberries with melted milk chocolate, pistachio crème and crunchy kataifi pastry.
The Sweet Americana dessert combines strawberry shortcake, lemon bar and blueberry crisp ice creams, while the Patriotic Molten Lava Celebration pairs warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry topping, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and red, white and blue sprinkles.
America’s ‘Berry’ Good Grilled Cheese, priced at $16, uses caramelized brioche, blueberry white cheddar, raspberry amaretto jam, blueberry bourbon jam and crispy candied pork belly.
For breakfast, meanwhile, the All-American Scrambled Egg Roll stuffs bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs and cheddar into a crispy egg-roll wrapper before adding cheesy ranch sauce. It costs $15.
And then there’s the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Breakfast Burrito, which packs scrambled eggs, tater tots, green chiles, cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and sausage gravy into a tortilla before adding the fiery Cheetos. It costs $16.
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The fair’s deep-fried tradition is alive and well, too. Banana Cream Fries turn funnel cake into crispy sticks covered with banana pudding, fresh banana slices, whipped cream and crushed vanilla wafers for $8.
There’s also a Deep Fried Cookie Dough Pie with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream for $12, while the Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake Funnel Cake piles cookie butter, cookie crumbles and cream cheese icing onto a funnel cake for $15.
The bacon brisket mac & cheese cake donut is described as ‘the perfect sweet and spicy bite’ and it is on offer for $7
And then there’s the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Breakfast Burrito, which packs scrambled eggs, tater tots, green chiles, cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños and sausage gravy into a tortilla before adding the fiery Cheetos. It costs $16
Cotton candy branded as ‘Trump Hair’ is displayed on a vendor’s stall at the Iowa State Fair
The Cajun Cluck ‘N’ Chaos are a $14 Cajun-style chicken sloppy joe piled onto a brioche bun with sweet pepper coleslaw and spicy pickles
Those looking for something savory can try the Porky Parm Gnocchi, one of this year’s three finalists for the Iowa State Fair’s People’s Choice top new food.
The $14 dish combines gluten-free potato gnocchi and Graziano sausage with a creamy Parmesan sauce, pesto, shaved Parmesan and parsley. It even comes with a tiny souvenir pig.
The other two finalists are the $15 Ultimate Minneapple Pie, a deep-fried apple pie served with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream and homemade apple syrup, and the $15 All-American Scrambled Egg Roll. Fairgoers voted on the finalists through August 19, with the winner due to be announced August 21.
There are plenty of other mashups for adventurous eaters, including Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds, a $9 combination of two classic fair flavors, and a PB & J Corndog for $10, featuring peanut butter in the batter and strawberry or grape jelly on top.
The Iowa Sweet Corn & Popcorn Sundae is another particularly unusual option, combining sweet corn soft serve with toffee corn, caramel, sea salt, buttery popcorn and whipped cream.
And for those who prefer their food to remain somewhat recognizable, there are still plenty of burgers, bison dishes, pretzels, grilled meats, fried treats and classic fair staples to choose from.
For more than a century, state and county fairs have provided an excuse to abandon sensible eating habits for a day – and Iowa has turned that tradition into something of an art form.
The fair originally dates back to 1854, when the first fair was held in Fairfield with an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 visitors and a budget of just $323; it moved permanently to Des Moines in 1878.
Today, the fair attracts more than 1.1 million visitors over its 11-day run, making it Iowa’s largest annual event and one of the biggest state fairs in the US.