Iowa State Fair 2026: what's new and what to eat

The Iowa State Fair is back August 13 to 23, and the part everyone actually plans around is the food. This year there are more than 80 new items spread across nearly 200 stands, which is both a gift and a logistical problem. You cannot eat all of it. So here is how to spend your stomach wisely, starting with the three you get a vote on.

The three to try first

Every year a panel narrows the new foods down to three finalists, and then fairgoers crown the winner by voting during the fair. Hit these first so you can cast an informed ballot:

• Porky Parm Gnocchi, from DG (Destination Grille). Gluten-free potato gnocchi and sausage in a parmesan sauce. The rare fair food that sounds like an actual dinner.
• All-American Scrambled Egg Roll, from Winn & Sara's Kitchen. Bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and cheddar rolled up and fried. It is breakfast in a handheld, which is exactly the right idea at 10am on the fairgrounds.
• Ultimate Minneapple Pie, from Minneapple Pie. The fair's apple-pie-on-a-stick people going bigger. A safe bet if you want your vote to go to something sweet.

Try all three, then vote. It is the one democratic process everyone should participate in.

The savory stuff worth the walk

If you only came to eat real food, this is where the money goes:

• Bison, everywhere. There is a Bison Burger, a Bison Cheesesteak Slider, and Bison Nachos on the new list this year. If you have never had bison at the fair, this is the year to fix that.
• Candied Pork Belly Mac & Cheese Pizza. Four of the fair's favorite words on one slice.
• Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds. Iowa cannot leave a cheese curd alone, and honestly, good.
• Flamin' Hot Cheetos Breakfast Burrito, for people whose breakfast rule is "spicier."
• BBQ Pulled Pork Cheddar Corn Bread Waffle and a Hot Honey Chicken Wrap, both hitting the sweet-savory note the fair does so well.
• Fried Green Tomatoes and Cajun Cluck 'N' Chaos, if you want something with a little more South in it.

The sweet and the ridiculous

You knew this was coming. Save room:

• Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake Funnel Cake. A funnel cake wearing three desserts at once.
• The Dubai chocolate wave hits the fair. There are 1776 Dubai Strawberries and a Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie on the new list, because even the state fair follows the internet.
• Deep Fried Cookie Dough Pie and Firecracker Churros, for the fry-everything purists.
• Banana Cream Fries, a Butterfinger Ice Cream Bar, and Caramel Apple Cheesecake, if you want to end on ice cream and pie like a reasonable person.

How to actually do it

The trick to the fair is the same every year: go hungry, go early, and split things. One person cannot finish a mac and cheese pizza, a funnel cake, and a smoothie the size of a small child, so bring friends and trade bites. Pace it across a few hours, hydrate more than you think, and leave a little room for the classics you already love (the corn dog, the turkey leg, the bottomless cup of milk for a nickel).

Then vote for Best New Food. You earned it.

If you want the short list of what's worth your time in Des Moines every week, not just for ten days in August, that is exactly what we send. One email, no noise.