10 Over-The-Top Fair Foods Everyone Should Try At Least Once

Some people go to state fairs for the carnival rides and games, others for the agricultural shows and performances. But for foodies, fairs are all about trying a smorgasbord of over-the-top foods. Fair food isn't subtle, and it's not trying to be. It's big, messy, and meant to grab your attention. Think giant hunks of meat, creative mashups of sweet and salty treats, and deep-fried everything. In many cases, it's a limited-time thing, as once the fair is over, you might never see those foods again — and that's all part of the fun of fair feasting.

Growing up, I attended fairs every chance I got, and as an adult, I've even been known to take a road trip or even a flight to attend some of the bigger ones across Canada and the United States. Over the years, I've sampled my fair share (pun intended) of event food, and I've also watched it evolve. Classics like corn dogs and candy apples are still around, but now it seems like vendors are always trying to outdo one another with bigger portions, stranger combinations, and foods that make for major social media fodder.

While every fair offers different foods, a few over-the-top dishes have really taken off and pop up frequently at fairs across North America. At first glance, they might seem like novelties, but once you dive in, you realize they're actually truly delicious. The next time you're perusing the concession stands at your local state or county fair, consider giving some of these over-the-top fair foods a try. 

No trip to a fair is complete without sampling at least one deep-fried treat, and at most fairs, you'll have plenty of options to choose from. Some common foods that get the deep fryer treatment include Oreo cookies, corn dogs, and dill pickles. Some bizarre fair foods I've seen on offer include deep-fried jelly beans and cheesecake. Then there is deep-fried butter, which sounds absolutely nuts. I wasn't sure how I would feel about shoveling crispy-fried butter into my face, but after one bite, I was sold.

The genius behind deep-fried butter was a man named Abel Gonzales Jr., who was no stranger to fried foods. He worked as a fry cook at the State Fair of Texas and had previously introduced the world to a deep-fried peanut butter, jelly, bacon, and banana sandwich, as well as fried cookie dough and fried Coca-Cola (more about that later). In 2009, he concocted deep-fried butter by whipping it, freezing it, encasing it in dough, and then throwing it in the deep fryer.

Obviously, eating pure butter on its own isn't exactly appealing, but when it's battered and fried until golden, you get the crispiness of the exterior with the soft, melty butter inside. It's almost like eating a rich, buttery pastry. Plus, it's not all that difficult to put together. If you want to make deep-fried butter at home, you can experiment with different shapes, add sugar, or include other ingredients before freezing, like fresh fruit or chocolate.

If it's meat you're craving, most fairs offer a great selection of grilled and smoked eats, but few are as over-the-top as the giant turkey leg. It's easy to see the appeal of these massive club-like hunks of meat. They're crispy on the outside, tender inside, and they'll definitely fuel you up so that you can keep hitting all those games and rides. Plus, they feel a tad healthier than some of the deep-fried eats and sugary treats on offer, though they can be slightly greasy.

Giant turkey legs are popular at all sorts of fairs and amusement parks, from state fairs to Renaissance fairs — and even the Walt Disney Land resort. And although each spot might make them slightly different, you can usually expect more or less the same thing every time you order one. More often than not, the turkey legs are brined in salt and spices to help draw out water and firm up the meat. Then, the legs are smoked, which adds even more flavor. The process gives the meat a deep pink hue and smoky taste, which is why some people say smoked turkey legs taste like pork.

The size is also part of the appeal. Most fairs, festivals, and parks aim for turkey legs that are at least two pounds (and sometimes more). After all, that's what catches people's attention and makes them such a novelty to eat. With that in mind, you may want to consider sharing one with someone else so that you can save room for more fair treats. 

Can't decide whether you want to indulge in something savory or sweet? Enter the donut burger, a truly gluttonous creation that features a hamburger patty in a glazed donut instead of a burger bun. It's a pretty common offering at many fairs, and it's all sorts of good. You get the soft squishiness of the donut mixed with the meaty patty and the sweet sugar that plays nicely with the umami flavor of the beef. Toppings can include the usuals, like bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

There's a great deal of debate over who created the donut burger. One legend states that R&B singer Luther Vandross wanted a bacon cheeseburger one day, but he didn't have any buns, so he improvised with a donut instead. That's why the donut bacon cheeseburger is often called a Luther Burger. In 2013, Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen also claimed she invented it, but that was quickly debunked. Yet another story states that the burger debuted at a bar called Mulligan's outside Atlanta, Georgia.

Regardless of who invented the donut burger and when, it became a wildly popular fair food. It makes sense considering it's unapologetically unhealthy, but seriously delicious, and just bizarre enough to be fun. Today, you can find multiple variations of the donut burger. Krispy Kreme donuts are the classic donut choice, but you might also find versions with other donut flavors. Some vendors also play around with different toppings, like crispy onions, pickles, fried egg, and a variety of sauces. 

Pizza may just be the perfect fair food because you don't need utensils to eat it, and it's easy to munch on as you stroll through the fairgrounds. Pepperoni and cheese are always crowd pleasers, but over the past few years, some over-the-top flavors have started making it into the mix. Dill pickle pizza is one of those things that polarizes people. Some say it's an abomination to put pickles on pizza, the same way some believe pineapple has no place on 'za. Others (myself included) think it's absolutely brilliant.

Dill pickle pizza started lighting up social media feeds around 2018, and many sources cite Kathy Szuba, an employee at Rhino's Pizzeria in Rochester, New York, as the creator. Apparently, she was inspired by a pickle festival she attended. The Rhino's team settled on a recipe featuring sliced dill pickles, mozzarella, a creamy garlic sauce, and sprinkles of dill weed. It wasn't long before the controversial dish started showing up at state fairs.

There are a few reasons why pickles pair so well with pizza. For one, the acidity helps cut through the cheese's fattiness, providing a nice pop of tang. The pickles also give a pleasant crunch to the pizza and a bit of extra juiciness. They work in the same kind of way that pickled jalapeños do, although without the kick of spice. Instead, you get a nice mix of salty, sour, and herbaceous flavors that enhance the mild flavor of the cheese and dough.

Ridiculously large and insanely good, elephant ears are essentially fried dough that's sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, or powdered sugar. The snack has its roots in Native American fry bread and is named for its large, flat, asymmetrical shape. Elephant ears are a favorite at fairs, rodeos, and festivals because they're easy to make and supremely tasty if done right. The trick is to fry the dough in hot oil until it puffs and turns golden. Ideally, you want a nice crispy exterior and soft, fluffy inside.

If you're north of the border, beaver tail pastries are similar to elephant ears in that they're made by frying dough in hot oil, and they can also be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. However, it's much more popular to cover them with an array of sweet toppings. Popular additions include Nutella, hard candies like M&M's, whipped cream, sliced fruit, marshmallows, maple syrup, and crunchy nuts.

Another popular (and sometimes over-the-top) fair food that's similar to elephant ears and beaver tails is funnel cake. This swirly-looking confection is made by pouring batter through a funnel into hot oil. The strands of batter gather and crisp on the outside, creating a beautifully crunchy, soft "cake." Powdered sugar is the traditional topping, but I've seen some creative funnel cakes at fairs topped with items like cookie dough, Dubai chocolate, and even savory toppings like cheese and Mexican street corn.

Remember Abel Gonzales Jr., the creator of fried butter? Well, several years before he created that, he wowed fair-goers and food judges at the State Fair of Texas with his deep-fried Coke. Frying liquid is somewhat of an impossible feat, so his solution was to make a batter with Coca-Cola that could be rolled into balls and fried. He served them in a cup with a drizzle of concentrated Coke syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon, and a cherry. The dish earned him the award for Most Creative Food at the fair in 2006.

Gonzales' deep-fried soda inspired another vendor at the State Fair of Texas to experiment with a different beverage — beer. In 2010, Belgian waffle stand owner Mark Zable figured out how to create a pastry that would hold beer and could be deep-fried. He likened it to ravioli with a crispy exterior and a liquid center (he filled the pastry with Guinness). His seemingly impossible deep-fried beer won the Most Creative Food Award for 2010.

Ever since those two trailblazers unleashed their deep-fried liquids on the world, others have followed suit with all sorts of takes on deep-fried liquids. In 2011, Charlie Boghosian introduced deep-fried Kool-Aid at the San Diego Country Fair. He took the same route as Gonzales and made a batter featuring Kool-Aid powder and flour. In 2024, Max Burrows of Lulu's Public House debuted deep-fried ranch dressing at the Minnesota State Fair. The treats were essentially fritters filled with cream cheese, buttermilk, and ranch seasoning. Thanks to fairs, we now know that you can deep-fry pretty much anything.

The line between dessert and dinner gets pretty fuzzy at the fair, and the hot beef sundae is a perfect example of that. At a quick glance, it looks like an ice cream treat, but what you actually get is a mound of mashed potatoes topped with shredded or sliced roast beef, savory gravy, sprinkles of cheddar cheese, and a cherry tomato on top. Some people also add sour cream to emulate whipped cream. Created by the Iowa Beef Industry, it first debuted at the Iowa State Fair in 2006, and it's now a must-have dish at many Midwestern carnivals.

The hot beef sundae is pretty genius if you think about it. You get all the elements of a hearty dinner in a cup or paper boat that you can walk around with and eat on the go. That may be why so many people have emulated it in different forms. Take, for example, the pulled pork parfait featuring mashed potatoes, pulled pork, and barbecue sauce. It started popping up at fairs in the U.S. and Canada as far back as 2008, and it's still a popular concession stand snack.

While many of the foods on this list first appeared at fairs, Koolickles are Southern snacks that made their way into fair concession stands. Also called Kool-Aid pickles, they originated in the Mississippi Delta and consist of pickles soaked in Kool-Aid. As the colorful drink absorbs into the pickles, it adds bright jewel-like tones and sweet, fruity notes that contrast nicely with the tangy tartness of the pickles.

Koolickles can be served as whole pickles, spears, or slices. They're great on their own, but also make for fun additions to burgers and sandwiches. They're also a good match for barbecue because the acidity helps cut through the fattiness of grilled and smoked meats, and the sweet notes pair nicely with many meats. And if you really want to get into the spirit of adventurous fair eating, you can try them on ice cream or with other sweet treats like elephant ears and funnel cakes.

Can't find Koolickles at your local fair? Not to worry, because they're super easy to make at home. All you need is a packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid mix in your preferred flavor, some sugar, and a jar of pickles. Take the pickles out, then pour the Kool-Aid powder and sugar into the pickle brine and stir or whisk until they're fully dissolved. Put the pickles back in and let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few days, shaking every so often to make sure everything is well dispersed.

Nothing hits the spot on a hot summer day at the fair quite like ice cream. And, of course, even the ice cream at fairs tends to veer towards the wild side. Dippin' Dots is a case in point. It consists of tiny frozen balls that are super dense, so they have a nice bite to them at first, but then melt into smooth and creamy ice cream. And yes, Dippin' Dots is considered real ice cream. It's just made by flash freezing the ingredients with liquid nitrogen instead of churning it. 

Dippin' Dots has an interesting backstory. A microbiologist named Curt Jones developed the flash-freezing technique while working on ways to preserve cattle feed. He decided to try the method on homemade ice cream, and in 1988, he officially launched Dippin' Dots. He marketed it as "the ice cream of the future," and by the early 1990s, it had become a smash hit at amusement parks, fairs, and baseball stadiums across the nation. Today, it comes in a wide range of flavors, including vanilla, strawberry, birthday cake, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

Part of the appeal of Dippin' Dots is that it feels different from any other ice cream, both in texture and presentation. But it's not the only out-of-the-box ice cream you'll find at fairs. For several years now, many vendors have been experimenting with truly bizarre ice cream flavors. Just a few that I've come across have included cheeseburger, raspberry beer, and lobster.

Ever since Flamin' Hot Cheetos hit the snack scene in the early 1990s, they've earned legions of fans who can't get enough of the shockingly reddish-orange, crunchy corn sticks coated in a mouth-searing chili and cheese seasoning. They're pretty extreme all on their own, so it's easy to see how they found their way into many fair foods. Even just a little bit can add instant pops of color, crunch, and spicy flavor to dishes. Plus, people recognize the brand, so heat fiends know what they're signing up for.

There are numerous ways vendors incorporate Flamin' Hot Cheetos into fair foods. Some use the snacks in their entirety, like the Flamin' Hot Elote Fries at the Florida State Fair, featuring fries topped with corn, mayo, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, Tajín, and a layer of Flamin' Hot. Others crush the snacks into dust and use them for seasoning, like the Flamin' Hot Potstickers at the Calgary Stampede. These unique treats featured potstickers glazed with teriyaki sauce, then rolled in the spicy Cheetos dust. The dust is also often used to coat corn on the cob and corn dogs.