Iowa State Fair Top 3 New Foods Announced

Just announced-our panel of expert judges has taken this year's lineup of over 80 new foods and narrowed it down to the top three finalists for 2026.

Fairgoer votes will be tallied August 13-19 and the winner of the coveted People's Choice Best New Food for 2026 will be announced on Friday, August 21.

Will your favorite top the list this time?

The TOP 3 Best New Foods, in no particular order:
Porky Parm Gnocchi, Destination Grille: Gluten-free potato gnocchi and Graziano sausage tossed in a house-made AE cream parmesan sauce with a pesto drizzle, shaved parmesan, fresh parsley and topped with an America 250th year flag and a souvenir piggy pal.

Ultimate Minneapple Pie, Minneapple Pie: Deep fried apple pie served with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream drizzled with homemade apple syrup.

All-American Scrambled Egg Roll, Winn & Sara's Kitchen: Wrapped in their signature crispy golden egg roll is the ultimate American classic feast: thick-cut smoky bacon, savory sausage, hearty hash browns, farm-fresh fluffy scrambled eggs and melted cheddar cheese - all perfectly blended into one mouthwatering masterpiece. Finished with a rich drizzle of their homemade cheesy ranch, every bite delivers the comforting flavors of an American favorite with an irresistible Fair-food twist.

Plus, because we're helping celebrate America's 250th birthday, Sweet Americana at Over the Top has been named the best Red, White and Blue New Food.

The eleven finalists and foods in the Best New Foods contest, in no particular order:

Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds, Brad & Harry's Cheese Curds (The Lawn, west of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center)

Cajun Cluck 'N' Chaos, Cluckin' Coop (North of Ye Old Mill, West of the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center)

Porky Parm Gnocchi, Destination Grille (The Lawn, west of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center)

HoQ Crunchy Lamb Wrap, HoQ (Triangle east of the Administration Building)

Strawberry Bliss, Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association (Main floor of John Deere Agriculture Building, under the southwest stairs)

Ultimate Minneapple Pie, Minneapple Pie (South of Robert G. Horner and Sheri Avis Horner Service Center)

Sweet Americana, Over the Top (North of William C. Knapp Varied Industries Building)

1776 Dubai Strawberries, The Strawberry Station (West Marketplace)

Stuffed Tater Kegs, Tater Todd and Hot Doug's (Front of the John Deere Agriculture Building)

Star Spangled Swine, Whatcha Smokin? BBQ (The Lawn, west of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center)\

All-American Scrambled Egg Roll, Winn & Sara's Kitchen (The Lawn, west of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center)

The Iowa State Fair boasts nearly 200 food locations with traditional favorites and new zany, crazy creations. Some of the vendors participating in the new food contest are new vendors at the Iowa State Fair, while others have a long history of making amazing food creations for Iowa State Fairgoers.

For a list of all the new and traditional foods at the Fair, visit iowastatefair.org or download the official Iowa State Fair App.