Carnival and Fair Food Recipes

Looking for deep-fried butter and other State Fair-style recipes? Browse more than 60 recipes for fair foods like funnel cakes, elephant ears, corn dogs, and just about anything fried!

Staff Picks

Deep Fried Oreos®

Rating: Unrated
216
This is a carnival favorite where I grew up. Oreos get dipped into pancake batter and fried - yummy!! You can do this with or without a deep fryer.
By Olivia C.

Real Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds

Rating: Unrated
78
Real Wisconsin fried cheese curds!
By Markg238

Grilled Turkey Legs

Rating: Unrated
49
These spicy turkey legs are sweet and hot--just like the smoked turkey legs you get at the fair or theme park!
By Tony B

Monkey Tails

Rating: Unrated
24
These chocolate-covered frozen bananas are a great summer treat. The ripe bananas have a wonderful creamy consistency when frozen, and the rich chocolate coating is delicious. You can vary the toppings to suit your taste, including drizzling with melted white or milk chocolate, or caramel. Roll in shredded coconut, chopped nuts, sprinkles, or other toppings.
By CRYSTALSHOE

Elephant Ears

Rating: Unrated
99
Crispy cinnamon-sugar fried bread confections!
By LEEMA

Fair Scones

Rating: Unrated
21
A hallmark of the Puyallup and Evergreen State Fairs in Washington State. Now you can make them at home any time of year. Just like at the fair, they are best served hot, with butter and raspberry jam.
By Drew Britten

Fried Ice Cream

Rating: Unrated
162
Vanilla ice cream with a crunchy coating. Serve with whipped cream, honey, and cherries.
By Jeri Zieman

Vintage Lemonade

Rating: Unrated
246
In the 1800's this is how people made lemonade--you can do it too! It's not that difficult, and tastes wonderful!
By Aunt Suzie

Best Lemonade Ever

Rating: Unrated
2151
This is a very refreshing drink!
By Jo

Churros

Rating: Unrated
634
These Mexican fritters are very common at fairs. 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.
By Delia

Kettle Corn

Rating: Unrated
1231
Take a trip to the county fair with a bowl of old-fashioned Kettle Corn. Your family will never want plain popcorn again! If you use white sugar, it will taste like popcorn balls and if you use brown sugar, it will taste like caramel corn.
By SUE202

Funnel Cakes

Rating: Unrated
177
You don't need to wait for the county fair to enjoy delicious old-fashioned funnel cakes. You just need a funnel with a 1/2-inch opening that can hold a cup of batter.
By TARMIA

Inspiration and Ideas

Over-The-Top Homemade Carnival Foods

Over-The-Top Homemade Carnival Foods

Let's all suspend judgement and simply marvel at the most outrageous, gut-busting foods found at state fairs. Plus, we've got recipes if you want to bring the fun to your own backyard.
Kettle Corn

Kettle Corn

"Never spending $9 on a bag at a fair ever again!" – meltedavocado
Corn Dogs

Corn Dogs

Funnel Cakes III

Funnel Cakes III

15 Over-the-Top Carnival and Fair Foods You Can Make at Home

15 Over-the-Top Carnival and Fair Foods You Can Make at Home

Elvis Sandwich

Elvis Sandwich

Rating: Unrated
25

Southwest Steak Bites

Rating: Unrated
31

Tired of the same old chicken nuggets? Give these a try! Feel free to 'play' with the seasonings, but this is how my family likes them. Serve hot with barbeque sauce or salsa for dipping.

More Carnival and Fair Food Recipes

Homestyle Potato Chips

Rating: Unrated
174
Making homestyle potato chips is fun and easy. Guaranteed they won't last long! A food processor with a slicing attachment is very helpful. Experiment with the thickness; you may like them thicker or thinner. I like to use olive oil because it has less trans fats, but you can use safflower, corn, or peanut oil as well as vegetable oil.
By ALMALOU

Candied Almonds

Rating: Unrated
358
This is a favorite with my father. They taste so good warm! Substitute any type of nuts you prefer.
By Darla K

Old-Fashioned Roasted Pecans

Rating: Unrated
100
My ex-mother-in-law lives in the South and has lots of pecan trees. She sends me bags of shelled pecans every year for Christmas. I found out how they make the roasted pecans at the fair. Even though they use big roasters, these turn out just as great.
By Patricia K

Chef John's Apple Fritters

Rating: Unrated
137
I didn't think I liked apple fritters, but turns out I just don't like chunks of almost raw apple, surrounded by a doughnut. Maybe I've just been going to the wrong shops, but I've never enjoyed the texture, and always wanted to try them with cooked apples.
By Chef John

Snow Cone Syrup II

Rating: Unrated
92
Flavored Syrup to drizzle over shaved or crushed ice. Yummy on a hot summer day.
By BONNIE544

Caramel Apples

Rating: Unrated
209
The caramel coating is very gooey, so refrigerate the apples for about 15 minutes, or until the caramel has firmed up. (You will need 6 wooden craft sticks for this recipe.)
By Suzie

Frozen Vanilla Custard

Rating: Unrated
27
American-style ice cream uses no eggs, but this is the French style--with eggs! It's rich and creamy and, although traditionally served soft in cones, I prefer to freeze it firm then scoop it.
By Chef John

Festival-Style Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches

Rating: Unrated
43
These delicious grilled sausage sandwiches are my attempt to duplicate the ones I ate when I was growing up and attended Italian street festivals in the North End of Boston. They come together really quickly, and make a great summer lunch. Choose hot or mild sausages as you prefer.
By carina

Deep Fried Jalapeno Slices

Rating: Unrated
134
These are addictively delicious. Spicy and sinful. Best if served with melted nacho cheese sauce.
By Micah Smith

Deep Fried Dill Pickles

Rating: Unrated
167
Delicious dill pickles that are battered then fried. This recipe also works well with other pickled vegetables, like pickled peppers.
By MARBALET

Churros II

Rating: Unrated
70
Spanish crullers.
By DIZZYTOE

A Plus Fair Corn Dogs

Rating: Unrated
186
Make your own corn dogs just like at the fair with this rich buttermilk corn batter.
By ROBY

Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches

Rating: Unrated
36
One of my favorite fair foods that I always looked forward to, until I learned how to make them myself. Serve on Italian hoagie rolls.
By wannabe chefette

Crispy Deep Fried Bacon

Rating: Unrated
10
Battered and fried bacon that is even better after cooking in the oven for 7 minutes. My husband and I saw the idea of fried bacon on the travel channel where they just battered and fried it and we decided to make it. It was so good. But then we cooked in the oven and it was even better. Serve with white gravy and it is a heart attack waiting to happen but tastes so good!
By Yolanda

Caramel Chocolate Corn

Rating: Unrated
51
Caramel corn with roasted peanuts and chocolate. This will take a while to make, but is well worth it!
By Jen

Coney Island Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Rating: Unrated
7
This recipe is quick and easy. Only have to simmer for 30 minutes! It started as a very saucy Coney Island hot dog sauce. I prefer a meatier chili sauce, but if you prefer it saucy with less meat, reduce ground round to 1/2 pound meat.
By OLIVIAC15163

Home-Fried Cheese Sticks

Rating: Unrated
82
These is an easy, cost-efficient way to make home-made fried cheese sticks. Taste just wonderful, light crispiness. More for your dollar and easily stored in the freezer for when you have a craving. I make 2 batches, one for the 'now' and one for later. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
By Melissa Goff

State Fair Kettle Corn

Rating: Unrated
40
This will be an instant family hit; a bowl of the pop corn is so good it won't last a whole movie.
By happy cook

Pecan Snack

Rating: Unrated
206
These smell like a walk through a county fair, and they taste heavenly!
By Bea Gassman

Apricot and Peach Fried Pies

Rating: Unrated
58
Apricot and peach fried pies have the best flavor of any fried pie I've ever eaten. My family loves these great pies. My grandmother made this up years ago. I have made this delicious fried pie for over 40 years. Enjoy!
By Elaine

Bacon-Wrapped Double Dogs

Rating: Unrated
4
We are building a better bacon dog by using 2 smaller hot dogs instead of 1 larger one, which we will merge together using the latest bacon-binding technology. Other than some potato chips, I think potato salad is the ultimate hot dog side dish, so go ahead and serve this up with some.
By Chef John

County Fair Style Kool-Aid® Drop Doughnuts

Rating: Unrated
11
I tried 'Chicken Charlie's Deep Fried Kool-Aid®' at the San Diego County Fair. They were very good so I started to search on a way to recreate them. I searched for drop doughnut recipes and took one of those and adapted it. This is a very close version of the one I had at the fair in looks and taste. The fair's version was cherry-flavored, but you could use any flavor you like.
By BHYLER

Simple Fry Bread

Rating: Unrated
11
This fry bread is easy to make and can be served with any meal or as dessert with jams, honey or, my favorite, maple syrup.
By jdarlin44

World's Best Funnel Cakes

Rating: Unrated
8
Whether it's in the morning, lunch, or afternoon, this recipe makes a good snack. Top with confectioners' sugar!
By kdogisthebest
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