New foods at the Iowa State Fair

Corn dogs. Fried Twinkies. Grinders. 

If you think that sounds like food from the Iowa State Fair, you are correct. But fair food goes beyond a porkchop on a stick. Each year, the Iowa State Fair offers dozens of new foods, including 67 tantalizing treats for 2025. 

This year, I joined 99 other fair food judges, and we ate our way through 11 new foods and narrowed it down to the top three vote-getters. Fairgoers then vote during the fair Aug. 7-17, when one food will be crowned the champ. 

The top three foods for 2025 are Bacon Chicken Ranch Eggroll, Three Little Pigs and Scotcheroo Ice Cream Shake. I have also highlighted a few of the other must-haves.

My No. 1 choice was the Bacon Chicken Ranch Eggroll, which contained chicken, bacon, and white cheddar topped with homemade ranch dressing. It is all rolled up into a hand-made crispy eggroll, about half a foot long. The tasty item was made by Winn and Sara’s Kitchen and costs $15. Winn and Sara’s Kitchen is located in both Indianola and Norwalk. Their bacon cheeseburger eggroll won best new food in 2024. 

The second top food was Three Little Pigs offered by Whatcha Smokin BBQ, which hails from small-town Luther, north of Des Moines. The Three Little Pigs consist of a trio of smoked ham balls with nostalgic flavors, including honey mustard with cornbread crumbles, cherry soda with Maraschino cherries and a vanilla glaze dusted with powdered sugar.

It is difficult to imagine powdered sugar or cherry flavoring on a ham ball, but, for some, it works. For $13, you get three giant meatballs.

My sweet favorite was the Scotcheroo Ice Cream Shake found at the Over the Top stand for $12. It is a creamy shake made with homemade peanut butter, butterscotch scotcheroo ice cream, fudge and chewy chunks, topped with whipped cream, caramel, chocolate and a scotcheroo bar. With so many flavors going on, and a bonus bar on the top, my bet is this tasty and refreshing concoction will be the winner.

Rounding out my favorites from the top 11 includes the Nashville Hot Chicken Mac N’ Cheese Pizza, from Wiseguys Woodfired Pizza. The crispy crust includes shredded chicken, sweet and spicy rub, melted mozzarella, macaroni and secret hot sauce, drizzled with hot honey. 

There is a lot of hot seasonings packed in one slice. It is one of those spices that when you first eat it, you think it’s not that spicy. Then, as you are licking your lips, the burn sets in. Enjoy a large slice for $8. 

JR’s Southpork Ranch continues to up its food fare, after its famous lobster roll. Pickle lovers will savor their Chicken Pickle Ranch Rocket On-A-Stick. A skewer of thick-cut, sweet, dill and garlic pickles and grilled chicken, drizzled in a zesty ranch butter glaze and served with a side of AE dill pickle sour cream is $9. 

The cute factor goes to the Butter Cow Tornado, a gooey butter cake ice cream with butterscotch, served with a mini butter cow made of white chocolate available at the Dairy Zone for $10. Tell your friends you are eating the butter cow.

With 11 fair foods already under my belt, I’ve got 56 new ones to go. Plus, you can add in the favorites, such as a salted nut roll and Bauder’s ice cream sandwich. The list goes on, and so does my waistline.