Homemade Fair Food Recipes

You don’t have to wait until the state fair to enjoy your favorite fair food! Many fair food dishes are easy and less expensive to make at home and I’ve round-up up some of my favorite recipes to share. If you love fried Oreos, soft pretzels, fried avocado and other fair food you will love this recipe collection.

I love going to the San Diego Country Fair every summer because I love to try all of the new food items plus my favorites from years past. It’s fun, but I’m always surprised by the prices because many of the items are easy and cheap to make at home. So, of course, I’ve made some of my own versions at home to share with you.

If you don’t want to wait for your state fair to get your fair food fix, you should definitely try some of these recipes. I’ve divided them up into savory and sweet recipes – I hope you find some fun recipes to try!

Savory Recipes

Sriracha Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings | In keeping with the bacon-wrapped theme here are some over-the-top onion rings inspired by the fair. Instead of breading and frying onion rings I wrapped them in bacon and dipped them with a spicy-sweet glaze.

Fried Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Balls | Fried macaroni and cheese is a fair staple and I’ve had many versions are regular restaurants, too. It’s a fun treat to make at home.

Fried Avocados | Creamy avocado slices coated in breadcrumbs and bacon bits. These avocado fries are lightly fried and so delicious.

Bacon-Wrapped Avocado Fries | It seems like there is every “bacon-wrapped” dish you can imagine at the fair so, of course, I had to try making my own bacon-wrapped avocados which combines two of my favorite foods.

Soft Pretzels | I love soft pretzels but I had to experiment with a lot of recipes before I found one that’s as good as the soft pretzels I get at the fair. This recipe is by far the best homemade pretzel recipe and I love that I can make them whenever I want now.

Homemade Potato Chips | You don’t have to wait for the fair or even turn on your oven to make homemade potato chips. All you need are some thinly sliced potatoes and your microwave to make crispy potato chips!

Fried Pickles | The combination of tangy pickles with a deep-fried breading is so delicious. I think I might have had fried pickles for the first time at the fair, but lots of restaurants make them, too. I actually prefer our homemade version! Perfectly crispy and never soggy.

Pizza Fries | Fair food often combines two different kinds of snack foods into one dish and I couldn’t help but try combining French fries with pizza and the combination, not surprisingly, is delicious.

Sweet Recipes

Fried Oreos | This is one treat that I had to get every year until I realized how easy they are to make at home. Oreo cookies dipping in pancake batter and pan-fried are a fair food you don’t have to wait to try at the fair. Plus, they’re a lot less expensive to make at home.

Chocolate Covered Bacon | The first time I tried chocolate-covered bacon at the fair I didn’t like it. It was greasy, the bacon wasn’t crisp and the combination just didn’t work for me. That didn’t stop me from trying to make my own, though, which I enjoy a lot more than what I get at the fair.

Fried Cookie Dough | This treat is a cross between a donut and a cookie. I use a shortcut to make these fried cookie dough bites super easy to make.

Mexican “Fried” Ice Cream | Did you know this classic fair treat is not actually fried? Instead, the crispy “fried” texture is created using crushed cereal which means it’s totally easy to make at home.

Nutella Funnel Cake | This funnel cake isn’t exactly like the ones you get at the fair, but it’s still delicious and a fun dessert to make at home.

Fried Thin Mints | I can’t resist buying boxed of Girl Scout cookies every year and I love the deep-fried ones they serve at the fair so, of course, I had to try my own