15 Boysenberry Treats Worth Trying At Knott's Berry Farm

There is no question that Orange County, California institution Knott's Berry Farm offers all the rides and attractions that you look for in an amusement park, but it's also a celebration of one of the greatest fruits to ever bless humans with its presence: the boysenberry. According to Knott's Berry Farm's website, Walter and Cordelia Knott purchased their farm in 1920 and decided to try to cultivate a friend's new berry plant — 100 years later, it's clear they've been successful. Now, you can't find boysenberries everywhere, but you will be lucky enough to encounter a lot of them when you take a trip to Knott's. Sometimes, they take an expected form — you're not going to find any shortage of pies and other desserts here. However, boysenberries show up in unexpected ways that will change the way you think about fruit.

If you're wondering what kind of boysenberry dishes you can find at the park, you're in luck. Some of them are available year-round, while there are others you can only try during the park's annual Boysenberry Festival. Try them out for yourself the next time you take a trip to Knott's Berry Farm.

While Knott's Berry Farm offers plenty of straight-forward boysenberry treats, you'll also find some culinary curveballs throughout the park. One of our favorites?: the unique boysenberry corn dog. Yes, you read that right. And before you knock it, you really do have to try it for yourself. 

The cornbread coating contains boysenberries, which adds an interesting element that you've likely never experienced while enjoying a corn dog before. Along with providing a layer of sweetness to the already slightly sweet batter, there's also a touch of acidity there as well. Combined with the savory profile of the hot dog itself, everything comes together in a harmonious bite. (We recommend adding a squirt of mustard for a touch of heat.) This is a snack you absolutely have to try if you go to Knott's Berry Farm (you can find it over at Strictly-On-A-Stick). After all, where else are you going to find something like this? 

This is one you're simply going to have to taste to believe — a fruity twist on an all-time classic. It's Knott's Berry Farm's pot roast with boysenberry mashers. What are mashers, you ask? Just mashed potatoes, only these are blended with boysenberries. It gives the dish a purple hue that's probably unlike any other kind of mashed potatoes you've had before in your life.

The pot roast tastes like just that: braised meat pure and simple. It's delicious, but there's nothing that's really out of the ordinary there. The mashers, on the other hand, deliver a unique culinary experience that you'll likely only be able to enjoy if you head to the park's annual Boysenberry Festival. It's a chance to explore this ingredient in a wide variety of dishes, and the pot roast and mashers is definitely among the most interesting of them. It's not for everyone, but it is for those who have an adventurous palate who are open to trying new things.

There is perhaps no better amusement park food than the Icee. The classic frozen dessert is literally just a sweetened cup of ice begging to be consumed on those hot summer days you spend with your family and friends. Like most theme parks, Knott's Berry Farm sells Icees, which are available in a variety of flavors. Go for that electric blue number or the unnaturally colored red option if you want to stick to the classics. As for us, we prefer to sip on a boysenberry Icee from the Log Ride Mix-It-Up.

It's sweet. It's tart. It's unlike any Icee you've ever encountered up to this point in your life. And you can even get it with soft serve on top. There's something so refreshing and thirst-quenching about boysenberries that work exceptionally well in an Icee. Sipping on one of these is the ultimate way to cool off when the temps are soaring and you're just trying to have a good time.

It's nothing unusual to find pizza at an amusement park. But what should you expect when that amusement park focuses its culinary expertise on a single berry? As it turns out, something pretty good. Undercover Tourist listed the boysenberry ricotta and ham pizza available at the Grizzly Creek Lodge and Sutter's Pizza as one of a long list of boysenberry-infused savory treats available at the Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival.

We're really glad that they decided to pair ricotta with the boysenberry. The sharp acidity and crumbly texture of the ricotta pairs exceptionally well with the sweetness and smooth texture of the boysenberries, creating an unexpectedly delicious pizza base. But then comes the ham. There's nothing like pork and fruit paired together, and this pizza highlights that perfectly. You may not ask for boysenberries on your pizza at your favorite local pizza shop, but Knott's Berry Farm is the right place to give it a try.

If there's one thing we love, it has to be unconventional desserts. And is there anything less conventional than Dippin' Dots? The tiny, flash-frozen ice cream bits generally come in all the expected flavors, like chocolate and banana split. Don't get us wrong — we love the classics. But when you want to sample a flavor you won't find anywhere else, you have to venture to one of the two Dippin' Dots locations at Knott's Berry Farm. Why? It's the only place in the world that carries the boysenberry version of the ice cream of the future.  

Dippin' Dots offers a few other fruity flavors, but the boysenberry variety is by far our favorite. It's juicy and refreshing but still has a distinct creaminess to it. It's surprisingly fresh-tasting and is the ideal way to finish off a meal when you're at the park. Dippin' Dots aren't everywhere anymore, so it's always fun to snag some when you get the chance — especially when they're boysenberry flavored.

The Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival is the place to be when you want to enjoy savory boysenberry-infused eats. One of the absolute best of these dishes is the boysenberry-filled donut open-faced chicken sandwich. Is there a lot going on here? Absolutely. But does it all come together in a delicious sandwich that incorporates the best of sweet and savory flavors? Definitely. The donut has a distinct sweetness to it that's tempered by the addition of the boysenberries. The breaded chicken adds a much-needed savory component. but to make things even more interesting, there's an addition of bacon jam (once again mirroring the perfect marriage of sweet and salty flavors) along with some arugula, which is much needed considering the heaviness of the rest of the dish.

This creative combination of flavors is absolutely perfect for anyone who loves a well-constructed sweet and savory dish. When you can't decide whether you should get breakfast or lunch, this open-faced sandwich is the way to go.

There are plenty of expected boysenberry dishes at Knott's Berry Farm, but the park really pull out all the stops for some of its festival offerings. Those who visited during the 2022 Boysenberry Festival had the opportunity to get their hands on a tasty plate of tamales topped with boysenberry sauce (via NBC Los Angeles). The tamales themselves are delicious with their soft but firm texture and luscious filling. But the real magic comes in with the sauce.

You might be expecting a boysenberry sauce to be too fruity, but we have to say that it works really, really well with these tamales. It does have a touch of sweetness to it, but the main appeal is the tart flavor profile. And it's not all sweet — it has a savory quality to it, which means you won't feel like you're eating a weird main course-dessert hybrid. Chances are, you've never had boysenberry sauce with your tamales before, so this is a must-order item in our books.