The 9 All-Time Wildest Minnesota State Fair Foods

The Minnesota State Fair rolls around each year in late summer, marking one of the largest state fairs in the United States. Over a century and a half later, the fair — which started in 1859, in what would eventually become downtown Minneapolis — attracts millions of visitors.

A lively carnival of entertainment, exhibits, and plenty of family-friendly fun, perhaps the biggest appeal of this massive 12-day event is the food. Minnesota State Fair's food frenzy all seemed to start in 1947, with the debut of the Pronto Pup, a flour-battered, deep-fried hot dog on a stick. Decades later, you're still able to enjoy the corn dog-style treat, but you won't just find the most classic fair foods here. Rather, this event is known for its unconventional — and unexpected — dishes that subvert your expectations, and might even change your perspective on some food items you thought you knew.

If you've attended this fair for yourself, then you know that every year, there are new and extremely interesting dishes to try. In the vein of seeking out the wildest state fair foods across America, we're taking a closer look at some of the all-time craziest Minnesota State Fair foods. Some of them indeed look downright delicious, while others may leave you scratching your head. Who knows, you might just want to make plans for a trip to the North Star State — just for the fare at the fair.

If you're a fan of sweet baked treats, then you probably love eclairs just as much as we do. You can always pick up the frozen versions at your local grocery store, fresh versions from your local bakery, or you can even learn how to make mini chocolate eclairs from scratch. But at the Minnesota State Fair in 2024, eclairs that were decidedly not dessert made their debut — in the format of the original dish, but with savory ingredients, and a saltier flavor profile.

The eclairs, which were on the menu at New Scenic Café's mobile food truck Scenic 61, came in two different, distinct flavors. The Bánh Mì Eclair was made with chicken liver pate, pork confit, pickled carrot, cucumber, and daikon radish — ingredients that are all found in the traditional Vietnamese sandwich. The other, the Lobster Eclair, was designed to taste like a New England-style lobster roll, with cold lobster meat and mayo, served with cucumber, hot sauce, and chives.

The eclairs seemed to be popular, as one redditor claimed they were sold out by the time they got to the food truck. Another reviewer said that although the eclairs were enjoyable, they were a bit too salty. The vendor said they "improved" both, and offered them as Bánh Mì and Lobster Croissants, instead of eclairs, in 2025.

Cheese curds are a staple of the Midwest, with Minnesota being in the heart of the country's Dairy Belt. But if you find the standard cheese curds that Midwesterners adore a bit boring, then perhaps the Caprese Curds that debuted at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair might pique your interest. Offered by LuLu's Public House, the curds are a more flavorful take than plain old cheese curds, thanks to the flavor and crunch provided by the Italian-seasoned breading.

Caprese Curds — which were made with mozzarella vs. cheddar cheese curds — were served atop a blend of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and spices, and finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, with crostini on the side. One reviewer said that the combination of hot cheese curds and cold tomatoes felt out of place, but another said that they enjoyed the flavor combination. Others claimed that although they found it tasty, they said the curds unfortunately didn't retain their crispiness for long. Perhaps that's why we didn't see the item on the Lulu's 2026 Minnesota State Fair menu.

Love both potatoes and pasta? Then gnocchi might be a dish that's right up your alley. And while there are basically countless gnocchi recipes out there, you probably will not consider any of them for breakfast. But The Blue Barn decided that the Italian dumplings could indeed be served for breakfast, and introduced Breakfast Gnocchi to the Minnesota State Fair in 2022.

Served with scrambled eggs and bacon for a protein-packed base, this dish was further enhanced by a rich pesto cream, balsamic glaze, and shallots, along with a smattering of chopped scallions for extra color and sharpness. It's likely one of the most creative uses of gnocchi that we've seen.

Apparently, though, the gnocchi didn't taste too good after it sat for too long. One online reviewer said that they were "chalky, hard," and that the eggs weren't much better either, likening them to rubber. Yet a reviewer on Reddit  said they liked to start their fair day with breakfast gnocchi. Hey, whatever gets you going.

It appears as if 2023 was the year of the dill pickle at the Minnesota State Fair, with offerings such as lemonade, fries, and doughnuts all getting a taste of the briny treatment. But the Dill Pickle Cheese Curd Taco from Richie's Cheese Curd Tacos might just be one of the wildest items. The taco consisted of fried cheese curds and dill pickles, along with cream cheese and lettuce, all served in a fried flour tortilla. 

Perhaps the strangest addition to this taco, though, was the raspberry chipotle sauce; but, maybe the combination of sweet, spicy, and smoky flavors worked to temper the acidity from the pickles. One reviewer referred to the sauce as "nast(y)", while others said they substituted the sauce with ranch dressing, which most agreed was a better accompanying condiment. Another reviewer said that the combination of sour pickles and cheese curds worked well together. The tacos seem to be popular, as they were served at the 2026 Kickoff to Summer at the Fair, and were also spotted on the menu for the 2026 fair.

Look, we're all for the sweet and savory flavor combos, and we can even get on board with the "swicy" trend. But the Hot Honey Jalapeño Popper Donut from Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair takes the sweet heat up to an altogether different notch. Yes, a doughnut — not a bagel — was adorned with a thick layer of cream cheese, jalapeño slices, and bacon bits.

This doughnut might not be for everyone, but for adventurous spice lovers, it has obvious appeal. The combination of cream cheese "frosting," spicy jalapeños, and salty flavors from the bacon had sweet-and-savory food lovers swooning. One reviewer said that the doughnut itself was quite thick, and that the peppers and cream cheese clashed on the palate. Another said they enjoyed the sweet-and-spicy flavor combination, but said they could not finish extra-large pastry due to its size. We see that the doughnut is listed on Fluffy's menu for 2026, and we agree — pacing yourself is a good thing to keep in mind, as there seems to be endless fair goodies to go for.

Ranch dressing is generally regarded as a dip to accompany other foods — certainly not a snack food in its own right. And while it's a delicious sauce, especially for fried fair foods, if you're like us, you probably never dreamed that the sauce could actually be fried itself. But at the Minnesota State Fair in 2024, LuLu's Public House somehow managed to do just that, with its Deep-fried Ranch Dressing.

Cream cheese formed the base of the ranch-flavored filling, which was battered and fried before the bites were dusted with ranch powder for even more pronounced flavor. The panko shell provided the perfect crispy container for this undeniably saucy treat. According to one reviewer, it was a lot less runny than they had anticipated.

So, what exactly are you supposed to dip deep-fried ranch into, anyway? No, not more ranch. Instead, these bites were served with hot honey from Minnesota's Cry Baby Craig's hot sauces, for a contrasting and spicier touch. Whether with dip or not, the deep-fried dressing seemed to be one of the fair's biggest hits.

It's time to talk about what could arguably be one of the strangest burgers we've ever seen, the Uncrustaburger. This burger, a creation that Coasters Beer Garden debuted at the fair in 2025, featured two deep-fried peanut butter and grape jelly Uncrustables sandwiches as the bun. Inside those Uncrustables you'd uncover a burger, cheese, lettuce, and pickles, along with a special sauce.

This is truly one of the odder state fair foods we've seen, and it's certainly a burger unlike any other. Some reviewers said that the combination of flavors actually worked pretty well, while others also added that the sandwich was a bit difficult to hold. Even Governor Tim Walz got in on the Uncrustaburger action, with a YouTube video on his official channel documenting the experience. If you were an Uncrustables fan growing up (or even as an adult), this might just be the burger you've been waiting for.

You've probably heard of deep-fried Twinkies before, and perhaps you've even gotten the opportunity to give deep-fried Oreos a try. But at the Minnesota State Fair in 2025, patrons got the opportunity to try Deep-fried S'mores. This sweet mashup dessert option was also from LuLu's Public House, who cominbed the ingredients into a triangular shape before deep-frying the bites and topping them with powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle. In the place of marshmallows, they used cream cheese in the filling.

One reviewer wasn't too fond of the fried s'mores, claiming that the breading was too thick. They also said that the choice of using cream cheese was a strange choice, since marshmallow is so integral to the flavor of s'mores. Additionally, this reviewer complained that the description of this treat said it should've come with a dipping sauce, but that they didn't actually receive any with their order. Still another reviewer claimed that the filling was so sweet that it made their teeth hurt. We didn't see them returning to Lulu's menu for the 2026 fair.

The Halo Cone was like something that emerged from a land of fairies and unicorns. This fantastical treat made its appearance at the Minnesota State Fair in 2019, courtesy of Rainbow Ice Cream. What really made this dessert stand out was its "halo" of soft cotton floss surrounding a colorful soft serve swirl of blue raspberry and cotton candy ice creams. The entire thing was handed to you after it was sprinkled with gummy bears, cereal, and other confections.

One reviewer said that the treat did, in fact, taste good — but perhaps the real appeal was mostly its eye-candy appeal. Another admitted that it was tricky to eat, but that was outweighed by the fun they had while eating it. It seemed that Halo Cone's otherworldly appearance would magically make you want to take a bite. Unfortunately, Rainbow Cone, who served ice cream at the fair for over 90 years, closed in 2021.