Minnesota State Fair 2026:
Every New Food You Need to Try

The Minnesota State Fair officially announced its 2026 new foods on July 9, and it’s another strong list. There are 36 new official foods, nine brand-new vendors, and a total menu approaching 1,600 items across nearly 300 concession locations. The fair runs August 27 through September 7 — a full 12 days, longer than most years due to a particularly late Labor Day on the calendar.

Below is a complete rundown of every new food, plus the nine vendors making their debut in 2026.

The Headliners

Every year a handful of items rise above the noise. Here are the new foods most likely to have lines out the door in 2026.

Pickle Pie — Lulu’s Public House (West End Market, south of Schilling Amphitheater)
Pie crust filled with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and cream cheese, topped with a homemade savory whipped frosting of ranch and Cholula Hot Sauce, garnished with a gherkin and dill. Vegetarian. Lulu’s made waves with Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing a couple years back — they know what they’re doing.

Cracklin’ Corn Ribs — The Blue Barn (West End Market, south of History & Heritage Center)
Corn cob quarters dipped in tempura batter, fried, brushed with seasoned butter, and topped with bacon ranch, green onion, and candied jalapeños. Served on a bed of pork rinds. A crowd-pleasing shareable.

Surf ‘N’ Turf Burger — Cafe Caribe (South side of Carnes between Chambers & Clough)
Lobster tossed in garlic-herb butter stacked on a one-third-pound beef patty with pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayo, and a lemon wedge on a toasted brioche bun. One of the pricier items, and likely worth it.

Hmong Corndog — Union Hmong Kitchen (International Bazaar, south wall, west corner)
Pork Hmong sausage flavored with ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili, and lemongrass — made in collaboration with Kramarczuk’s — skewered, battered, and fried. Served with a citrus Kua Txob sauce. One of the most interesting items on this year’s list.

Shakshuka Lamb Meatballs — French Meadow Bakery & Cafe (North side of Carnes between Nelson & Underwood)
Seasoned lamb and pork meatballs stuffed with whipped garlic herb goat cheese, flash-fried, and served atop shakshuka with chimichurri-spiced sourdough crostini. Gluten-free upon request. One of the more sophisticated offerings.

French Chouxnut Sundae — Bridgeman’s Ice Cream (Northeast corner of Judson & Liggett)
Bridgeman’s Salted Caramel Espresso ice cream piled atop a choux pastry donut filled with milk chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate fondant icing, caramel drizzle, whipped cream, and a cherry. Vegetarian. This one is going to be a problem.

More Savory New Items

Walking Chopped Italian Grinder — Mancini’s al Fresco (North side of Carnes between Nelson & Underwood)
A chopped Italian blend of salami, pepperoncinis, olives, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella tossed in Italian dressing, layered over a bag of Dutch Crunch kettle chips, drizzled with Calabrian chili aioli.

Longanisa Cheese Curd Lumpia — Lumpia City (West side of Liggett between Carnes & Judson)
Filipino longanisa pork sausage with garlic and Wisconsin cheese curds in a lumpia wrapper, deep-fried, served with sweet chili sauce.

Bao Belly — RC’s BBQ (North side of West Dan Patch between Liggett & Chambers)
Smoked barbecue pork belly with RC’s hot sauce and yum yum sauce, pickled vegetables, and cilantro on steamed bao buns.

When Pigs Fly — Sausage Sister & Me (Food Building, east)
A flight of four pork sausages in puff pastry on-a-stick: Chorizo with chimichurri, Texas Two-Step with sweet pepper coleslaw, Oktoberfest with cheddar and chili crunch, and Porketta Italian with pickle aioli.

Tacos de Mole — El Burrito Mercado (International Bazaar, south wall)
Flour tortillas filled with shredded chicken, cheese, and house-made mole sauce, deep-fried and drizzled with more mole, garnished with queso fresco.

Chorizo Manchego Croquettes — Paella Depot (South side of Judson between Clough & Nelson)
Spanish-style potato croquettes with manchego cheese and Spanish chorizo, fried, with lemon garlic aioli. Gluten-free.

Honey Brisket Battered Potatoes — Australian Battered Potatoes (South side of Judson between Nelson & Underwood)
Deep-fried battered potatoes topped with beef brisket, nacho cheese, and hot honey.

Sligo Slider Bites On-A-Stick — O’Gara’s at the Fair (Southwest corner of Dan Patch & Cosgrove)
Handmade dumplings stuffed with a cheeseburger blend of beef, cheddar, pickle, and onion, skewered and deep-fried, served with Thousand Island dressing.

Peri-Peri Bowl — Afro Deli & Grill (Food Building, east wall)
Fried peri-peri hot chicken combined with mini beef sambusas and fried sweet plantains, topped with peri-peri sauce and a choice of spicy Somali green chili sauce or red chili sauce.

Elote Tots — Tot Boss (East side of Underwood between Wright & Dan Patch, south of Kidway)
Tater tots tossed in Tajín and topped with roasted corn, diced peppers, cheddar cheese, crema, cream cheese, cotija, and more Tajín. Vegetarian.

Korean BBQ Bao Buns — Rooted & Wild by Snack House (Warner Coliseum, south side)
Vegan Chunk plant-based shredded “meat” in hot Korean barbecue sauce with pineapple slaw on steamed bao buns. Fully vegan.

The Fried and the Furious: Cubano Drift — The Herbivorous Butcher (Food Building, west section)
Deep-fried Cubano-style sandwich with vegan Cuban pork, vegan Swiss cheese, dill pickle relish, vegan garlic mayo, and mustard, served with jalapeño citrus sauce. Fully vegan.

Sweets, Desserts & Drinks

Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough — Kora & Mila’s Cookie Dough (South side of Dan Patch between Cooper & Cosgrove)
Edible cookie dough with nonalcoholic brandy flavor, orange zest, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, and dried cherries — on-a-stick, hand-dipped in brandy-flavored chocolate, rolled in Biscoff crumbs. Vegetarian.

Apple Donut Ham Grinder — Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop (North side of Dan Patch between Cooper & Cosgrove)
First Kiss apples battered, deep-fried, and tossed in cinnamon sugar, stacked with uncured ham from Hidden Stream Farm, dressed arugula, and Crybaby Craig’s Hot Honey on a toasted hoagie roll. All-Minnesota ingredients.

Dubai Whoopie Pie — Dino’s Gyros (North side of Carnes between Nelson & Underwood)
Pistachio cream between two dark chocolate cakes, rolled in a Dubai crunch topping of shredded filo, crushed pistachios, honey, and brown sugar.

Pumpkin Bar Funnel Cake — Taulelle’s Jurassic Corn Dogs (East side of Underwood between Murphy & Lee)
Real pumpkin, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla blended into funnel cake batter, deep-fried, with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Yes, pumpkin spice arrives in late August. Vegetarian.

Blue Moon Crunch — Minnesnowii Shave Ice (West side of Nelson between Dan Patch & Carnes)
Shave ice infused with blue moon flavor, dusted with Fruity Pebbles cereal, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. Gluten-free; vegan upon request.

Strawberry Ube Sundae Tart — Sara’s Tipsy Pies (Food Building, northwest wall)
Swirled strawberry and ube marshmallow cream with chocolate chips, in a gluten-friendly shortbread crust, topped with whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and edible glitter. Gluten-friendly.

Butter Brew Mustache Pretzel — Blue Moon Dine-In Theater (Northeast corner of Carnes & Chambers)
Soft pretzel shaped like a mustache, coated in a caramel-vanilla-butterscotch butter brew sugar, served with vanilla soft-serve dip. Vegetarian.

Dill with it, Cookie! — Urban Glow Mocktails (North End, northeast section)
White chocolate chips, finely chopped dill pickles, and fresh dill baked into a cookie, finished with sugar and Maldon sea salt. Created by Holman’s Table. Vegetarian.

Sweet Peach Lemonade Sparkler — Quench’d (South side of Dan Patch between Nelson & Underwood)
Fresh-squeezed lemonade layered with peach syrup and peach sweet cream cold foam, topped with popping candy. Vegetarian.

Caramel Apple Iced Tea — Loon Lake Iced Tea (West side of Underwood between Wright & Dan Patch)
Black tea brewed with natural tart apple flavor and topped with caramel-infused cold foam, garnished with a Caramel Apple Pops lollipop. Vegetarian.

Mango Sticky Rice Refresher — Chan’s Eatery (East side of Underwood between Murphy & Lee)
Coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, mango flavoring, and half-and-half over ice, topped with fresh and dried mango, with a dried mango sugar rim. Vegetarian.

Nine New Vendors in 2026

In addition to the new menu items, nine entirely new vendors are making their State Fair debut this year:

• Dodopop — Dirty sodas in six flavors (Northeast corner of Dan Patch & Cooper)
• Lemochi Japanese Confections — Tanghulu (fruit in hard candy shell) in four varieties; gluten-free (International Bazaar, south wall)
• Jive Turkey BBQ — Crack-n-Cheese Bowl, Soul Rolls, stuffed turkey legs, smoked turkey legs (North side of Lee between Underwood & Cooper)
• Midtown Global Market’s El Taco Torro — Birria Crunch Bombs, Fairground Fiesta Tacos, horchata; Sept. 2–7 only (International Bazaar, east wall)
• Minnesota’s Original Apple Fries — Fresh-cut apple fries, fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar with caramel (North side of Dan Patch between Underwood & Cooper)
• Roon’s Savories — Savory parmesan-cheddar-herb waffle cones with four filling options (West side of Liggett between Carnes & Judson)
• Saturday Dumpling Co. — Chinese Sausage & Cheese Poppers, Ube Cheesecake Wontons, Salted Mango Yuzuade (Food Building, east wall)
• Solem’s French Fries — Fresh-cut fries in four sizes with a self-serve sauce bar; gluten-free and vegan (East side of Underwood between Murphy & Lee)
• Summer Lakes Boat House — Dockside Poppers, Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers, walleye sliders, cocktails, daily live entertainment; brand-new building (Southwest corner of Randall & Underwood)