Craving a heart attack? Check out these fried fair foods at your local state fair.
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Fried scorpions
Is that a scorpion walking by? Yes, yes it is, and at the Arizona State Fair (Sept. 20–Oct. 27), they toss it into the fryer and call it lunch.
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Fried jellybeans
Do you know what the problem is with jellybeans? They’re not bathed in a frothy tub of scrumptious fat. Problem solved at the Massachusetts State Fair (Sept. 12–28).
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Fried meatballs
For those of us who prefer ethnic fare, there’s deep-fried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 21–Sept. 1).
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Fried butter
Because butter isn’t fattening enough on its own, the Wisconsin State Fair (July 31–Aug. 10) offers it up deep-fried.
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Fried Snickers
If you like your fat sweet, the good people at the Florida State Fair (Feb. 5–16, 2026) will happily throw a Snickers bar into the deep-fryer for you.
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Fried burgers
If you’re not a sweets person, California’s Orange County Fair (July 18–Aug. 17) serves deep-fried White Castle Burgers—bun and all.
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Fried beer
How does one deep-fry beer, exactly? Ask the folks at the Texas State Fair (Sept. 26–Oct. 19). They insert the drink into a pocket of pretzel-like dough and fry it for 20 seconds. The quick cook time means the food keeps its alcohol content (phew).
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Fried Coca-Cola
Similar to beer, you can also get a refreshing Coke popped in the fryer. For this confection, chefs create a dough batter made of normal dough ingredients, plus Coca-Cola. Then they fry it.
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Fried latte
Deep-fried lattes are also sold at the Texas State Fair. Hey, sometimes you need a caffeine boost to make your way through all that food.
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Fried Kool-Aid balls
The San Diego County Fair (June 11–July 6) favors its fried beverages in the form of Deep-Fried Kool-Aid balls. After all, true aficionados recognize that kids drinks are best served as finger food.
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Fried pumpkin pie
Have a pumpkin pie sitting around? Hey, that’s fryin’ food at the North Carolina State Fair (Oct. 16–26).
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Fried Twinkies
At the Indiana State Fair (Aug. 1–17), Hoosiers know that the only thing better than a Twinkie is a Twinkie fresh out of the fryer.
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Fried Jell-O
At the Kansas State Fair (Sept. 5–14), dessert options include deep-fried Jell-O and deep-fried Nutella. How’s that for a serving of jiggly, sweet goodness?
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Fried salad
You may have reached the heretical conclusion that all these fried fair foods are the stuff of Dr. Oz’s nightmares. If that’s the case, take a trip back to the Texas State Fair and dig into a Fried Club Salad. You’re mostly eating it for the bacon and chicken, of course, but there have been sightings of lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. Deeply fried, of course.
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Sources:
- Deep South Magazine: “Deep Fried Paradise”
Originally Published in Reader's Digest
