Recipes Holidays and Events Recipes Events and Gatherings Recipes Carnivals and Fairs 15 Over-the-Top Carnival and Fair Foods You Can Make at Home By Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Instagram Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on August 19, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: The Gruntled Gourmand Gird your loins and pack your Pepto — it's fair-food season. But let's all agree to suspend judgement and simply marvel at some of the more outrageous, gut-busting food you'll find at America's biggest carnivals and state fairs. We've rounded up 15 favorites you can make at home so you can bring the fun to your own backyard. 01 of 15 Deep Fried Oreos View Recipe Pam Ziegler Lutz The crispy batter, crunchy cookie, and creamy filling combine to make one of the world's most decadent fair foods. "This is a carnival favorite where I grew up," says Olivia C. "Oreos get dipped into pancake batter and fried — yummy! You can do this with or without a deep fryer." 02 of 15 Churros View Recipe Laura Y "These Mexican fritters are very common at fairs," says recipe submitter Delia. "In my border hometown, the line at this stand is always overwhelming. People wait hours in line just to get a taste of these churros. I have run across several recipes but this is the best one by far." 03 of 15 Real Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds View Recipe Allrecipes Not just for Cheeseheads anymore! Enjoy as is, or give your fried cheese curds a Canadian upgrade — pile on the fries and gravy! 04 of 15 Mac and Cheese in a Cheese Waffle Cone View Recipe The Gruntled Gourmand "This is a fun way to serve the classic mac and cheese," says recipe creator Poker Mike. "Cheddar cheese is melted and formed into crisp waffle cone and mac and cheese is poured in. I made this for a few kids and they loved it...gotta love cheese though." 05 of 15 Deep Fried Candy Bars View Recipe Melissa Goff "How much food sin can one make with this recipe? OMG! Was awesome," raves reviewer Melissa Goff. 06 of 15 Elephant Ears View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine These crispy confections are more fun than a turn on the Tilt-a-Whirl! "This is it!!!!" says JDURLAND. "I grew up in Indiana and at the state fair we ALWAYS had an elephant ear." 07 of 15 Fried Ice Cream View Recipe Greg "Delicious!" raves NEAN THE BEAN. "I've tried making fried ice cream so many times, and this recipe has turned out the best! Very simple, just make sure you let it all freeze for a long time — it makes all the difference!" 08 of 15 Corn Dogs View Recipe sopenia There's no fair food that's more iconic than a crunchy corn dog on a stick. "I made up this recipe many years ago, because I loved the corn dogs you buy at carnivals but could not find a recipe for them," says SUZZANNA. 09 of 15 Country Fried Floured Bacon View Recipe pelicangal Fried battered bacon makes any day a carnival! "This is excellent for breakfast, snacks, or upgrade your BLT to a place it has never been before," says MomMom. 10 of 15 Funnel Cakes IV View Recipe 97purplefish These crispy fried confections are the ultimate fair food! "I absolutely loved this! It tasted just like the funnel cakes at the amusement parks," says MELEXAN 11 of 15 Grilled Turkey Legs View Recipe Patricia Harris "This is a family favorite," says Amy Landis Wilson. "My picky eaters love amusement park turkey legs and say these taste the same. Total winner in my home!" 12 of 15 Gourmet Caramel Apples View Recipe Melissa Goff There's an apple underneath all that sweet, sticky caramel — so that means these are good for you, right? RIGHT? Get Tips to Make the Best Caramel Apples 13 of 15 Hot Beef Sundae View Recipe Anonymous "We had this at the New York State Fair," says recipe creator Cindi. "When we saw the sign Hot Beef Sundae, we were both curious. Really, it looks just like a hot fudge sundae and when we got home we made our own version." 14 of 15 Deep Fried Dill Pickles View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine Battered then fried, these delicious dill pickles are fair food at its finest. Says MARBALET, "This recipe also works well with other pickled vegetables, like pickled peppers." 15 of 15 Deep Fried Jalapeno Slices View Recipe SunnyDaysNora Jeannie Lemoine Palermo says, "Addictively delicious describes these perfectly!! I did change one thing in the recipe I used 1/2 cup yellow corn meal & 1/2 cup flour in place of 1 cup flour. They don't last long so be sure to cook plenty!! We used ranch dressing for dipping." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit