Everything I Ate and Drank at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair

This iced coffee is seriously one of the best coffee drinks I've ever had (right up there with the iced latte I had from Duluth Coffee Company). I had three this year (and would have gotten a fourth had I not forced myself to try the Campfire Cold Brew from Blue Barn). I'm trying to recreate this at home but haven't yet had much success.

From Que Viet.

This was one of the items I missed out on last year due to the long lines. This year, Peachey's upgraded their operations to focus on getting through the line faster. Even though the line appeared long, I was in and out in under ten minutes. It reminded me a lot of a fresh, warm Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. I do wish it was a bit thicker and more robust though, as it was a little difficult to eat given how floppy it was.

From Peachey’s Baking Co..

This was a new item this year and from a vendor that I loved the tea from last year. As someone who grew up in the South, I'm intimately acquainted with iced tea. This caramel apple iced tea was made with an apple-infused tea and then topped with a caramel cold foam. The first few sips were just pure cold foam (still delicious), but after a few minutes the foam mixed with the tea, perfectly marrying the two flavors.

From Loon Lake Iced Tea.

This is a Minnesota State Fair staple, and I fully understand why. It ended up being my favorite item of the fair this year. I'm a huge fan of pickle on pizza, but this managed to perfectly balance the pickle with the dill seasoning and possibly a ranch-infused cheese of some kind? Majestic. 10/10. Would eat every week if I could.

From Rick’s Pizza.

It's fried cheese curds. There's really not much to say here.

From The Mouth Trap.

This year I wanted to try at least one of the alcoholic beverages available, and a wine slushie sounded like exactly the right thing to go with. I'm not a huge fan of drinks that have high ABV, so this one at 5.3% ABV was perfect. This was also new this year, and I expect it'll be back again given how many people I saw trying it.

From Minnesota Wine Country.

This was a returning item from my visit last year. While it didn't hit the same, it was still an enjoyable contrast to all the other fried foods I was having.

From The Produce Exchange.

Once again, a returning favorite. This reminds me of jambalaya, and thus of home back in Louisiana. The fried egg is a must!

From Paella Depot.

Last year I got the mango pineapple agua fresca, so I wanted to try something new this year. While this flavor wasn't my favorite, it was still super refreshing!

From Paella Depot.

This is what I started my second day at the fair with. The additional flavors of marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker were subtle but present. The little marshmallow they added wasn't the freshest after sitting in the cold drink for a few minutes, but was still a nice touch.

From Blue Barn.

Probably my least favorite thing at the fair this year (which explains why there were no lines at their booth). Totally fine, just a bit bland and unwieldy.

From French Crêperie.

Since the crêpe was a bit disappointing, I decided to follow it up with this chocolate croissant from French Meadow right next door. It was fresh and flaky and had the perfect amount of chocolate in it.

From French Meadow.

These are another State Fair staple, with two locations on the fairgrounds. I saw people walking around with giant buckets full of these french fries. There was apparently a bit of drama where the vendor sourced their potatoes from another region resulting in a noticeable difference. People take their fries seriously! I thought they were perfectly adequate, but they didn't blow me out of the water.

From Fresh French Fries.

These were another returning favorite from last year. I don't usually eat grapes (mostly because I have two dogs at home who are always hovering around me when I'm eating something), so it was a nice palate cleanser after the french fries.

From Bayou Bob’s Gator Shack.

I'm a huge fan of root beer, and 1919 Root Beer is made in Minnesota! I was glad they had a small version of their root beer float since I didn't want a giant serving.

From 1919 Root Beer.

This was the standout drink for me at this year's fair. It perfectly balanced sweet with tart and helped support local farmers! Will definitely be getting it again next year.

From Minnesota Farmers Union.

On day two I had to go back to my friends at Loon Lake Iced Tea for their dill pickle iced tea, which comes with a chamoy rim and a pickle spear.

From Loon Lake Iced Tea.

During my first year at the fair I completely missed the International Bazaar, so I didn't want to make the same mistake again this year. Holy Land has a pretty big presence there, but this specific item didn't really hit the spot for me.

From Holy Land.

Last year, as I passed the Deep Fried Candy Bars booth, the worker would not let me walk by without trying one of their deep-fried red velvet Oreos. This year, instead of going for the original, I decided to get a full set of the red velvet version. Delightful.

From Deep Fried Candy Bars.

As I walked out of the 2026 Minnesota State Fair, this is what I decided to grab. While I was hoping for a repeat of the Watermelon Mint Limeade, this one didn't strike the same balance, leaning more towards the tart side. Still good though!

From Blue Barn.