Winners of Indiana State Fair's 'Taste of the Fair' contest announced

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana State Fair announced the winners of its "Taste of the Fair" competition Tuesday morning.




This year's iteration of "Taste of the Fair" featured 33 items ranging from Butterfinger funnel cake to lobster mac and cheese. The top three dishes were determined via public voting that happened during the early portion of the 2025 Indiana State Fair.




The following dishes cracked this year's "Taste of the Fair" top three:





First place - Cinnamon Toast Cookie Butter Pretzel Bites





Prepared by Wilson Concessions, the Cinnamon Toast Cookie Butter Pretzel Bites claimed first prize in this year's "Taste of the Fair" competition. The dessert is described as "pretzel bites covered in cinnamon and sugar then smothered with cookie butter, cream cheese icing and covered in Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal."




On FOX59/CBS4's list of the 10 best state fair eats, the Cinnamon Toast Cookie Butter Pretzel Bites clocked in at No. 7.

In a review of the Cinnamon Toast Cookie Butter Pretzel Bites, FOX59/CBS4 digital producer Deja Studdard wrote the following:




"If you've got a sweet tooth - THIS. IS. IT. Classic fair food energy: deep-fried, rolled in sugar, drizzled with sugar, then dusted with even more sugar for good measure. It was rich, decadent, and slightly chaotic in the best way. Bonus: this was actually my first time ever having Cinnamon Toast Crunch (gasp), and honestly? I fear the regular cereal could never live up to this."





Second place - Pickle Bacon Ranch Pizza





The Pickle Bacon Ranch Pizza from Swain's Concessions placed second in the "Taste of the Fair" contest. Swain's Concessions provided the following description of the pizza:




"Homemade pizza dough stretched to perfection and covered with award-winning pickle ranch sauce and mozzarella cheese. Topped off with pickles, bacon and pickle ranch."




The pickle bacon ranch pizza from Swain's Concessions is served by the slice. The item was ranked third on FOX59/CBS4's list of best state fair eats.




In a review, FOX59/CBS4 digital producer Austin Hanson wrote the following about the Pickle Bacon Ranch Pizza:




"This dish is a fun twist on a traditional chicken, bacon and ranch pizza. The dill throughout the pizza and briny chip-style pickles compliment the ranch to make this a truly unique slice. If you're a ranch fanatic, this condiment-turned-sauce is for you."





Third place - BBQ Machos





Nitro Hog BBQ's BBQ Machos claimed the third and final spot in this year's "Taste of the State Fair" rankings. Nitro Hog BBQ provided the following description of its "Taste of the State Fair" entry:




"BBQ Machos are here - tortilla chips topped with creamy mac and cheese, smoky pulled pork and cheese sauce."




The BBQ Machos did not make FOX59/CBS4's list of best eats of the 2025 state fair.




FOX59/CBS4's top three foods of 2025's "Taste of the Fair" were the Cookie Butter Cold Brew from Hooks Drugstore Museum, the Dirty Dancing Egg Roll from Taste of Home Catering and the Pickle Bacon Ranch Pizza from Swain's Concessions.

FOX59/CBS4's list of the top 10 state fair eats is available here. This year's full "Taste of the Fair" lineup can be found here.




The three winners of this year's "Taste of the Fair" competition were rewarded with cash prizes from state fair organizers. The Indiana State Fair runs through Sunday.





via: https://fox59.com/news/winners-of-indiana-state-fairs-taste-of-the-fair-contest-announced/