The 2024 Minnesota State Fair, happening August 22 – September 2, features 33 official new foods. But if you look closely around the Fairgrounds, vendors will have other new items for sale. The official new foods list is comprised of “flashy” foods that gain the media’s attention.
I will be at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair for 8 of the 12 days, and I’ll be eating my way through the Great Minnesota Get Together. Keep reading for reviews of official and unofficial new foods I’ve tried (and photos of what they actually look like).
Here’s how this guide works. If you see a photo of a food, that means I have tried it. I also provide a rating. The scale:
Absolutely worth it (5 stars)
Worth it (4 stars)
Take it or leave it (3 stars)
Pass (2 stars)
Hard pass (1 star)
To see publicity photos of the official new foods, check out the State Fair’s website.
If you are looking for a list of my favorite Fair foods, click here to read a list of the best foods you should order.
You can get a taste of the State Fair before opening day! The appropriately named Taste of the Fair usually features new foods, along with live music, Midway games, and more. The 2024 edition happens on Thursday, August 15. Learn more here.
3 Piggy Pals on-a-stick
From Sausage Sister & Me, Food Building
Three smoked sausage slices wrapped in bacon, filled with a cream cheese mix, and drizzled with barbecue sauce. Topped with a jalapeño slice and served on-a-stick. (Gluten-Friendly)
My take: It’s good, but there are only 3 bite sized sausages on-a-stick. At $12, this was way overpriced. 3/5
Afro Poppers
From Afro Deli, Food Building
Bite-size pastries infused with an African blend of spices – ground vanilla, cardamom, ginger, cloves and nutmeg – deep-fried and coated with choice of coconut flakes, sugar or served plain. Topped with choice of drizzle – mango chutney, caramel or chocolate.
Ba’bacon Sour Cream + Onion
From Baba’s, on Underwood between Lee & Randall
Sour cream + onion hummus topped with beef bacon, sumac tater tots, caramelized onions, scallions, French onion creme fraiche (pronounced krem fresh), black cumin seeds and chive oil. Served with pita puffs dusted with sour cream + onion powder. (Gluten-Free without pita puffs, Vegetarian without bacon)
My take: Incredible. So fresh and a lighter deviation from all the deep-fried goodness at the State Fair. This made the honorable mentions for my top 10 foods and beverages of the 2024 State Fair. 5/5
Blazing Greek Bites
From Dino’s Gyros, Carnes Avenue by Ye Old Mill
Deep-fried bites made from a blend of chickpeas, tomato, roasted red pepper, scallions and cayenne pepper. Served with a side of roasted red pepper hummus. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Buffalo Cheese Curd & Chicken Tacos
From Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos, Judson Avenue between Liggett & Clough
Fried buffalo-flavored cheese curds and chicken topped with blue cheese slaw, drizzled with buffalo sauce, and served in a fried flour shell.
My take: Pretty darn good. My boyfriend’s son demanded we go back to the booth so he could get another one (he liked the pickle one the best). You can taste the cheese curds in the taco shell. The buffalo chicken isn’t my favorite they serve, but the booth is worth a visit. 4/5
(Unofficial) Cherry Lime Freeze Slushie
From Mancini’s al Fresco, near the Giant Slide
My take: 2024 was the year of the slushie at the State Fair, and this one ranks right up there. Refreshing and not too sweet. 4/5
Chile Mango Whip
From Tasti Whip, at Dan Patch & Underwood
Mango Dole Soft Serve in a cup rimmed and topped with chamoy and Tajín. Garnished with a tamarind candy straw. Alternate flavors of Dole Soft Serve include pineapple, strawberry and lemon. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
(Unofficial) Cinnamon Sugar Cheese Curds
From Miller’s Flavored Cheese Curds, next to the Giant Slide
Cheese curds rolled in a cinnamon sugar powder.
My take: Were the bad? No. Were they great? No. I wanted the squeak that regular cheese curds have, and they we’re salty enough to make the salty-sweet magic happen. Your call on these, but I’m sticking to the curds in the Food Building. 3/5
Cookie Butter Crunch Mini Donuts
From Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds, Underwood between Murphy & Lee
Vanilla-flavored mini donuts coated with vanilla sugar, topped with Biscoff® cookie butter drizzle and cookie crumbles, and served in a bucket rimmed with cookie butter and cookie crumbles.
My take: I didn’t hate them, but it needed more toppings. I’m sticking to the regular mini donuts fresh out of the bag. 2/5
Cotton Candy Iced Tea
From new vendor Loon Lake Iced Tea, Underwood between Wright & Dan Patch
Brewed butterfly pea flower tea sweetened with natural flavor and cane sugar. Garnished with a swirl of edible glitter and a rock candy swizzle stick to stir for a color-changing effect. (Gluten-Free, Caffeine Free, Vegan)
Crab Boil Wings
From Soul Bowl, Food Building
Chicken wings marinated in hot sauce, grilled and then fried with corn, chicken apple sausage and potatoes. Tossed in a “crab boil” butter and finished with a lemon wedge and parsley. (Gluten-Free)
My take: The wings are super buttery and tender. The butter made the potato wedges hard to put down. It’s not the easiest Fair food to eat, and at $20, it’s a bit steep. A group of people could easily split this. 4/5
Deep-Fried Halloumi Cheese
From Holy Land Deli, International Bazaar
Halloumi (pronounced huh-loo-mee) cheese, crafted from a blend of sheep and goat milk, wrapped in pastry dough and deep-fried. Served with a side of sweet chili sauce. (Vegetarian)
Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing
From LuLu’s Public House, West End Market
Ranch dressing filling made with ranch seasoning, buttermilk and cream cheese in a panko shell, deep-fried and dusted with ranch powder. Served with a side of hot honey sauce crafted with Cry Baby Craig’s hot sauce. (Vegetarian)
My take: the inside is a creamy, cheesy dream which gave me Greek vibes. It has just enough ranch flavor, too. 5/5
Dill Pickle Tots
From Tot Boss, Underwood between Dan Patch & Wright
Fried tater tots tossed in dill seasoning with a hint of vinegar flavor – like a dill pickle potato chip. (Vegan)
My take: Simple and hard to stop eating. 5/5
(Unofficial) Esquites
From El Burrito Mercado, International Bazaar
Corn kernels cooked with herbs, topped with sour cream, crumbled cheese, chile powder and lime, served in a cup.
My take: When trying this with a co-worker, she said that she could eat this all day. A classic Mexican dish now available at the State Fair. 4/5
Fried Bee-Nana Pie
From Sabino’s Pizza Pies, Coliseum
Handmade pie filled with Minnesota honey, fresh banana and Biscoff® cookie butter; battered and deep-fried. (Vegetarian)
My take, revised: So I originally tried this before the Fair started, and it was way too sweet. However, after getting it at the Fair, they adjusted something, because this is a can’t miss from the new foods list of 2024. 5/5
Grilled Purple Sticky Rice
From Union Hmong Kitchen, International Bazaar
Purple sticky rice grilled over an open flame until crunchy, then topped with choice of shredded Hmong beef jerky or pickled mushrooms. Garnished with fresh herbs and finished with Union Hmong Kitchen’s Krunchy Chili Aioli. (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian option)
Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin
From Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken, Food Building
Three fried potato skins filled with a blend of sour cream, cream cheese, chopped pickles and ham. Topped with potato chip crumbles. (Gluten-Friendly)
Honey & Spike Shake-Up
From Hamline Church Dining Hall, near Visitor’s Plaza
Espresso, honey and spices shaken and topped with oat milk.
My take: No one in our group was blown away by this. Ours had way too much cinnamon and the creamy oat milk topping was not frothy at all. I will note that coffee choices at the State Fair isn’t amazing, so this fits right in the pack. 3/5
Lady’s Slipper Marble Sundae
From Bridgeman’s Ice Cream, Judson & Liggett
Bridgeman’s strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
My take: These are generous servings of ice cream, which will be perfect on a hot day. This is a rather simple new Fair food, but it should be a crowd pleaser. 4/5
Marco’s Garden
From Jammy Sammies by BRIM, North End
Local rhubarb jam, thyme-marinated locally sourced tomatoes, farmer cheese, jalapeño and honey served with a side of grilled gluten-free flatbread. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option uses thyme tofu dip and maple syrup instead of cheese and honey.)
Mocha Madness Shave Ice
From Minnesnowii Shave Ice, Nelson between Dan Patch & Carnes
Fluffy shave ice with caffeine-free coffee flavoring and an overflowing caramel macchiato cold foam center. Drizzled with chocolate syrup and garnished with dark chocolate espresso beans. (Gluten-Free)
Nixtamal & Wild Rice Bowl with Wóžapi & Bison Meatballs or Sweet Potato Dumplings
From Midtown Global Market’s Indigenous Food Lab, International Bazaar
Choice of bison meatballs or sweet potato dumplings, topped with mixed berry wóžapi sauce, and served on a bed of nixtamal (white corn, blue corn and yellow corn) mixed with wild rice and seasoned with maple and spices. Cricket & seed mix topping optional. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option). Available August 28 – September 2 only.
Patata Frita Focacciawich
From West End Creamery, West End Market
“Patata Frita” kettle chip-flavored ice cream created by Minnesota Dairy Lab, sandwiched between focaccia bread from Wrecktangle Pizza. Topped with
a blend of honey butter, kettle chips and herbs.
My take: If you have not had Wrecktangle Pizza, you are missing out. This focaccia bread is a softer, more buttery version of their award-winning pizza crust. But overall, this was tough to eat when it was served to us. Melting ice cream between pieces of bread isn’t the most Fair-friendly. (Note I tried this before the State Fair started). 2/5
PB Bacon Cakes
From The Blue Barn, West End Market
Thick-cut bacon dipped in pancake batter, griddled and topped with peanut butter whipped cream, grape jelly and banana chips.
My take: Good. The pancakes were a bit cold, but we were impressed how they could keep the bacon so crispy inside that batter. 3/5
(Unofficial) Quesabirria Taquitos
From El Burrito Mercado, International Bazaar
Deep-fried, rolled tacos filled with beef marinated in red sauce & cheese, topped with salsa verde and crumbled cheese.
My take: If you feel that ketchup is a spice, these will definitely have a kick. But for me, they were perfect. They’re filling, easy to eat, and definitely shareable. 5/5
Raging Ball
From The Herbivorous Butcher, Food Building
Deep-fried sesame mochi dough ball with vegan cheeseburger filling. Made with house-made vegan burger mix, vegan cheddar cheese, grilled onions and pickles. Topped with bacon-flavored powdered sugar. (Gluten-Friendly, Vegan)
Savory Éclairs in Two Varieties
From Scenic 61 by New Scenic Café, Underwood between Lee & Randall
Choux pastry éclair shell with choice of filling: Bánh Mì or Lobster.
Bánh Mì Éclair: Filled with pork confit, chicken liver pâté, pickled carrot & daikon, cucumber and sriracha mayo, garnished with micro cilantro – inspired by a traditional Vietnamese sandwich.
Lobster Éclair: Filled with lobster meat, celery, mayo, Cholula hot sauce, lime, chives and salt & pepper, topped with dried corn and micro cilantro – inspired by a New England-style lobster roll.
Shroomy “Calamari”
From French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, Carnes between Nelson & Underwood
Oyster mushrooms hand-breaded and deep-fried. Served with a side of chipotle sauce. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Strawberries and Cream Waffle Stick
From Waffle Chix, Judson between Liggett & Clough
Belgian waffle filled with strawberry shortcake cookie dough, topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce, and served on-a-stick.
Strawberry Lemonade Donut
From Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts, near Carnes & Chambers
Hand-cut yeast-raised donut frosted with lemon buttercream, rolled in strawberry lemonade crunch, and garnished with lemon gummy candy and freeze-dried strawberry slice. Served with a strawberry lemonade-filled pipette to squeeze in more flavor. (Vegetarian)
Swedish Ice Cream Sundae
From Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall, Randall Avenue
Vanilla ice cream covered in lingonberry jam, sprinkled with Swedish ginger cookie crumble, and garnished with a ginger cookie heart. (Vegetarian)
My take: Your call. The jam was a nice add to the ice cream, but this didn’t blow me away. They also had a rather slow moving line. 3/5
Swedish ‘Sota Sliders
From Hamline Church Dining Hall, Dan Patch Avenue
Hamline Church Dining Hall’s Cranberry-Wild Rice Meatball formed into patties, paired with dill Havarti cheese and a red relish of beets, red onions, red peppers, lingonberries and cranberries, served on two brioche buns.
My take: Not great for $10. It was pretty bland. 2/5
Sweet Corn Cola Float
From Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, Carnes & Chambers
Minnesota-made sweet corn cola and sweet corn ice cream in a cup, finished with whipped cream, popping candy and house-made frozen caramel.
Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch
From RC’s BBQ, Dan Patch west of the Grandstand
Double-smoked slab bacon tossed in RC’s red barbecue sauce and topped with hot honey & chili crunch, served over a bed of white rice, and garnished with green onions.
My take: I should mention that the photo isn’t necessarily a serving you’ll get at the Fair (owner Charlie Torgeson made a pan for us at work). However, it’s incredible. If you love BBQ, this is a must stop. 5/5
Turkey Kristo
From Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Avenue
Minnesota-made Texas toast from Pan-O-Gold Bakery, sliced Ferndale Market turkey, CannonBelles white cheddar cheese, apple butter made from locally sourced Westcott Orchard apples, and house-made spicy brown mustard mayo, dusted with powdered sugar. (White Cheddar Kristo vegetarian option uses extra cheese instead of turkey.)
Walking Shepherd’s Pie
From O’Gara’s at the Fair, Dan Patch Avenue
Two handmade hot pastries filled with braised ground beef, mashed potatoes and a blend of onions, carrots and peas tossed in herb gravy.
My take: A no-frills shepherd’s pie here. It’d be great on a cool day at the Fair. 4/5
Wrangler Waffle Burger
From Nordic Waffles, West End Market
Fresh all-beef patty and signature Whataburger® Patty Melt Sauce layered with American cheese and served in a caramelized onion-infused Nordic Waffle.
