Food and Recipes Recipes 26 Iconic State Fair Food Recipes To Make at Home By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Micah A. Leal Let's be real—Southerners don't go to the state fair, or even the county fair, just to win a stuffed monkey at the ring toss or get seasick on the Tilt-A-Whirl. We go for the iconic fair foods, all gloriously deep-fried and full of flavor, whether a sweet dessert (hello, fried Oreos), a salty snack (say no more, fried macaroni and cheese), or something else entirely. Dill pickle chips, green tomatoes, and apple cider doughnuts get the excitement going way more than any amusement ride. While you might not always be in the radius to hit the once-a-year state fair—though, the legendary State Fair of Texas with its annual competition for most bizarre fried foods is a bucket-list item in itself—you can easily recreate the same dishes at home. We're stocked with plenty of delicious renditions of all of the deep-fried state fair foods of our childhood, as well as a few special standouts that go beyond the fryer. Think old-school cherry cola slushies, Texas frito pie in the bag, and classic candy apples. Here are some deliciously deep-fried and beyond recipes that copy your favorite fair foods right in your kitchen. 01 of 26 Fried Pickle Chips Alison Miksch Recipe: Fried Pickle Chips Typically dipped in a comeback sauce of sorts, fried pickles are a Southern delicacy you'll see at bustling state fairs and beachside seafood shacks alike. 02 of 26 Homemade Corn Dogs Southern Living Recipe: Homemade Corn Dogs Yep, we're bringing this all-time favorite to your kitchen—and you'll be so glad you made the deep-fried hot dogs on a stick with homemade comeback sauce. They're to-die-for. 03 of 26 Apple Cider Doughnuts Micah A. Leal Recipe: Apple Cider Doughnuts Most state fairs take place in autumn, which means apple treats as far as the eye can see—and nose can smell. This classic apple cider doughnuts are deliciously coated in cinnamon sugar. 04 of 26 Fried Deviled Eggs Micah A. Leal Recipe: Fried Deviled Eggs The motto of any state fair: When in doubt, deep-fry it. These fried deviled eggs are a delicacy you never knew you needed. 05 of 26 Golden Corn Fritters Southern Living Recipe: Golden Corn Fritters Nothing sets off a twinkle in a Southerner's eye like a crispy, golden corn fritter fresh out of the fryer. This recipe is sheer crunchy perfection. 06 of 26 Homemade Candy Apple Micah Leal Recipe: Homemade Candy Apple Just a handful of ingredients is standing between you and recreating this classic apple snack at home, starting with crisp apples from the farmers' market. 07 of 26 Memphis Style BBQ Nachos Greg DuPree Recipe: Memphis Style BBQ Nachos At any fair, you'll find nachos. At any Southern fair, you'll find pulled pork barbecue nachos. Here's the easiest, cheesiest remake to try tonight. 08 of 26 Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs Recipe: Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies Is there anything cuter than a miniature pie? Plus, you get more caramel-dipped apple flavor by the bite. 09 of 26 Fried Green Tomatoes Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes At the fair, anything fried goes—and this Southern classic is bound to make an appearance. 10 of 26 Mini Apple Pies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Mini Apple Pies A muffin tin never looked so adorable. Meet hand pies' even tinier cousin, the mini apple pie. 11 of 26 Air Fryer French Fries Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Air Fryer French Fries There are always French fries to be found at any fair, and we'd like to introduce our super crunchy, mess-free recipe that can be made in the air fryer. 12 of 26 Alabama Hush Puppies Southern Living Recipe: Alabama Hush Puppies Deep-fried cornbread bites? Whoever thought up hush puppies should be considered a genius. If you've never made them at home, now's the time to try. 13 of 26 Bourbon Cola Grenadine Slush Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Bourbon Cola Grenadine Slush The bourbon is optional in this recipe for an old-fashioned cherry cola slushie. All you'll need for this frozen cocktail recipe is some Coca-Cola, cherry syrup, a few maraschinos to garnish, and your favorite bourbon (optional). 14 of 26 Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Greg DuPree; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Homemade mom-and-pop ice cream is a dime a dozen at the county fair, and we're partial to anything strawberry or peach. This recipe is made with fresh strawberries and cubed angel food cake. 15 of 26 Frito Pie Southern Living Recipe: Frito Pie At the State Fair of Texas, you'll see this classic recipe of Texas chili, sour cream, and jalapenos served right out of the Frito bag. 16 of 26 Chicken Fingers Coated with Cheesy Snack Crackers Sheri Castle Recipe: Chicken Fingers Coated with Cheesy Snack Crackers Chicken fingers never go out of style, but we gave the dish a cheesy twist by using cheese snack crackers (such as Cheez-Its) to coat the outside. 17 of 26 Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers Micah A. Leal Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers If these were to appear at the county fair, odds are they'd be coated and deep-fried. For now, these will do, for health's sake. 18 of 26 Spiced Pear Hand Pies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spiced Pear Hand Pies Everybody loves a hand pie. Stray from the usual peach or apple by using pears spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. 19 of 26 Cherry Flag Pie Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cherry Flag Pie America's favorite dessert, our popular Cherry Flag Pie can be latticed any way you'd like, like the basic pattern shown here. 20 of 26 Fried Catfish Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Fried Delacata Catfish At the most Southern of fairgrounds, you'll find real-deal cornmeal-fried catfish. Make at home with hushpuppies and grits for the most comforting meal ever. 21 of 26 Homemade Pulled Candy Southern Living Recipe: Homemade Pulled Candy Pulled taffy is a soft, chewy candy Southerners love, and the process of making it is easy and enjoyable enough to do with the whole family on any afternoon. 22 of 26 Beef Tamale Pie Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Beef Tamale Pie Typically served in a more hand-held form at the fair, this skillet recipe topped with a corn muffin mix dotted with jalapeños is perfect for an easy weeknight supper. 23 of 26 Fried Shrimp-and-Okra Po'Boys Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Fried Shrimp-and-Okra Po'Boys Fried shrimp just belongs on chewy sub bread with a generous slathering of mayonnaise, and you can't go wrong with this recipe that adds fried okra for good measure. 24 of 26 Banana Fritters Jennifer Causey Recipe: Banana Fritters Forget banana pancakes—banana fritters are where it's at. These fried bites of banana-infused batter are a pure delight to eat. 25 of 26 Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies Savory hand pies deserve a shoutout, and you can make these with any pot pie filling you'd like. 26 of 26 Funnel Cake Bites Micah A. Leal Recipe: Funnel Cake Bites There isn't a fairground out there—big or small—that doesn't run on the sweet, sugary scent of funnel cakes wafting in the air. Turns out, they aren't hard to make at home, either. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit