Iowa State Fair Announces 3 ‘Best New Food’ Award Finalists Out Of 67 Entries

There were 67 entries in this year's 'Best New Food' contest.

One of the best parts of fairs are the food options. It seems like everything is deep-fried, drowning in butter or sugar, or the wildest food combinations you could only get away with at a fair.

Every year, the Iowa State Fair does a 'Best New Food' contest. This year had over 60 entries, all reviewed by a panel of judges, then narrowed down to the top 3 for fairgoers to vote for the 'Best New Food'.

All Of The Entries: Iowa State Fair's 60 New Foods For 2025: The Full Fried List 

Before we jump into the top 3, let's look at the semifinalists first:

• Maple Bacon Bourbon Grilled Cheese (What's Your Cheez)

• Nashville Hot Chicken Mac n' Cheese Pizza Slice- (Wiseguys Woodfired Pizza)

• HoQ Lamb Wrap- (HoQ)

• Hawaiian Hog- (Iowa Pork Producers, Iowa Pork Tent)

• Sweet Granny's Apple Delight Sundae- (Applishus)

• The Butter Cow Tornado- (Dairy Zone)

• Potato Half & Half Korean Corn Dog- (GoldenKDog)

• Chicken Pickle Ranch Rocket On A Stick- (JR's SouthPork Ranch)

And now, we move on to the top 3 finalists for the Iowa State Fair's Best New Food award 2025.

You can vote for your favorite of these 3 on the Iowa State Fair app or website from August 7th-August 13th.

The Top 3 Finalists

• Bacon Chicken Ranch Eggroll- (Winn & Sara's Kitchen)

(Winn & Sara's Kitchen is the vendor that won 'Best New Food' for another item last year)

• Three Little Pigs- (Whatcha Smokin? BBQ)

• The Scotcheroo Shake- (Over The Top)

The Scotcheroo Shake was also voted the Fair's Sweetest Food.

How is one supposed to choose a favorite from those 3? Even the semifinalists??

The Iowa State Fair says they have over 200 food locations featuring both fair staples and "zany, crazy creations". If you have a clear favorite finalist to vote for, you'll be able to do that on Iowa State Fair's website.