One of our favorite parts of the Indiana State Fair every year isn’t just the rides, concerts, or exhibits—it’s seeing what crazy new foods vendors come up with.
And honestly… 2026 might be one of the wildest years yet.
The Taste of the Fair lineup is back with nearly 50 brand-new food and drink creations, ranging from burgers served on Honey Buns to butter-covered ice cream, pickle pizza, craft beer soft serve, and even a beer inspired by a corn dog.
If you’re planning to visit the fair this summer, come hungry—because choosing what to eat might be harder than deciding which ride to try first.
FuThe Wildest Foods That Caught Our Attention
Some of these creations sound so over-the-top that we already know they’ll be all over social media.
A few that immediately made our list include the Bacon Jalapeño Honey Bun Burger, served on toasted Honey Buns instead of regular burger buns, and the Junkyard SPAM® Dog, loaded with mac & cheese, coleslaw, potato chips, barbecue sauce, and jalapeños.
Then there’s the Butter Dipped Ice Cream, where vanilla soft serve is coated in real melted butter before hardening into a sweet-and-salty shell. Definitely one of the most unexpected items this year.
For BBQ lovers, the Cornbread & ‘Que combines pulled pork, warm cornbread, and hot honey, while The S’Morksomehow turns a classic s’more into a pulled pork sandwich served on a fried sugar biscuit.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try the Tatanka General Tso Fries, loaded with ground bison and sweet-spicy General Tso sauce, or the Soul Train Egg Rolls, filled with jerk chicken, Caribbean cabbage, rice, and cheese.
And yes… pickle fans have options too. The Pickle Pesto Pizza, The Big Dill grilled cheese, and Pickle Shake Up all made this year’s menu.
Don’t Skip Dessert
Desserts might actually steal the show this year.
We’re especially curious about the Hot Cheeto Fried Oreo, a fried Oreo coated in Hot Cheetos and finished with nacho cheese.
Other sweet treats include:
- Cookie Butter Biscoff Funnel Cake
- Deep Fried Lindor Dubai Chocolate Truffle
- Brownie Delight
- Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Key Lime in Paradise
- Dirty Popcorn loaded with candy, cookies, sauces, and outrageous toppings
If you’re someone who loves trying the weirdest fair desserts, you could easily spend an entire afternoon just working your way through this list.
Drinks Worth Trying
The drinks are just as creative as the food this year.
Coffee lovers can cool off with the Bananas Foster Cold Brew Float, while fair favorites return with creative twists like the Lemon Shake-Up Float and Sky Ride Sunset Shake Up.
A few other drinks we’re adding to our list include:
- Blue Raspberry Milkshake
- Craft Beer Soft Serve
- Corn Dog Beer from Sun King Brewery
- Cosmic Mango Coconut Dirty Soda
- Dew Drop Banana Dirty Soda
- Dirty Slime Licker
- Grand Slam Mary
- Raspberry Sweet Tea Slushie
- Strawberry Cream Lemonade Shakeup
- Strawberry Pineapple Twister
- Tropical Breeze Boba Lemonade
- Orangey Wild
Whether you’re looking for something refreshing, sweet, or completely unexpected, there are plenty of options to cool off while exploring the fairgrounds.
WhWe’ll Be Trying the Craziest Ones
Of course, we couldn’t let this list go by without putting some of these creations to the test.
We’ll be visiting the Indiana State Fair to try as many of the new Taste of the Fair items as possible and sharing our honest thoughts along the way.
We’ll also be posting a special Instagram carousel featuring 10 of the craziest foods at this year’s fair, plus videos, reviews, and recommendations to help you decide what deserves a spot on your must-try list.
So if you’re heading to the Indiana State Fair this summer, save some room—you’ll definitely want to come hungry.
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