The 147th Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) returns to Exhibition Place from August 21 to September 7, 2026, and this year’s food lineup includes more than 30 new creations to hunt down across the fairgrounds.

There are plenty of returning fair-food classics to look forward to, but the new lineup is where things get especially interesting. The CNE is leaning hard into sweet and spicy flavours this year with its first-ever CNE Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, a cotton-candy-inspired hot sauce with a 3-out-of-5 spice level that makes its way into several new dishes and drinks.

And then there’s the stuff that could only really happen at the CNE: a Kraft Dinner smoothie, lobster on a stick, pickle cheesecake, ramen-coated frog legs, cheeseburger dumplings and ice cream topped with Szechuan peppercorns.

Basically, come hungry and come curious

Here are the 27 new CNE food and drink creations we’re adding to our must-try list this year.

The Sweet Heat Collection

CNE Sweet Heat Hot Sauce

The CNE is getting into the hot sauce business this year with its first-ever Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, developed with flavour inspiration from classic cotton candy. The result is a sweet-forward sauce with a kick of spice, rated a 3 out of 5 on the CNE’s spicy metre.

The sauce is produced in small batches by Hamilton-based artisan hot sauce company Tijuana Tom’s House of Hot Sauce, and you’ll find it worked into several new CNE creations throughout the fair.

You can also take a bottle home for your own post-CNE food experiments.

Find it: CNE Drip Shop in the Music Building, across from the Kiddie Midway
Price: $12 + HST

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“The Szechuan Sizzle” Spice Cream

Remember the CNE‘s viral Wasabi Ice Cream? The creators behind it are back with another soft-serve creation that’s bringing the heat.

Caf-eh TO is infusing vanilla soft serve with authentic Szechuan peppercorns, known for their aromatic, tongue-numbing sensation, then topping it with savoury chili oil and a generous layer of textured chili crunch.

It’s sweet, spicy and tingly all at once.

Find it: Caf-eh TO, Food Building

Korean Fried Chicken Ramen Taco

Korean fried chicken meets instant noodles in this very CNE creation.

A piece of juicy fried chicken is dipped in the CNE’s Sweet Heat sauce, topped with cotton candy aioli and kimchi, then tucked into a ramen taco shell made with the viral Buldak instant noodles.

It’s basically several internet food trends in one handheld bite.

Find it: Los Vietnamita Taqueria, Food Truck Frenzy

Sweet Heat Cloud Fries

Fries are getting a little lighter this year. Instead of traditional cheese sauce or gravy that can leave fries soggy, Bacon Nation is topping theirs with a light and airy cheese foam.

The spicy cheese foam is made with the CNE’s Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, then finished with bacon and maple drizzle for the ultimate sweet-and-spicy-salty combination.

Find it: Bacon Nation, Food Building

Marry Me Mochi’s CNE Sweet Heat Collection

Marry Me Mochi is bringing an entire Sweet Heat lineup to the CNE, with three new doughnut creations that play with the fair’s signature sweet-and-spicy theme.

The Mango Habanero Donut gets a sweet and spicy mango glaze marbled with CNE Sweet Heat sauce, then finished with candied mango pieces and white chocolate.

The Pina-Colada Inferno Donut takes the tropical route with pineapple-chilli flavour.

And the Nacho Aaair Donut goes fully savoury, topped with creamy nacho cheese, crispy bacon, crunchy tortilla chips, fresh green onions and cracked black pepper. You can pair it with either a sour cream dip or the CNE Sweet Heat Hot Sauce.

Find it: Marry Me Mochi, Food Building

Foods Just Wanna Have Fun

KD Smoothie

Kraft Dinner in a smoothie? The CNE said yes.

The KD Smoothie blends KD Shaker Original Cheese flavour with mango, pineapple juice, vanilla frozen yogurt and skim milk for a sweet-and-savoury drink that sounds bizarre enough that we’re going to have to try it.

Find it: Booster Juice, Food Building

Sushi Pops

Sushi gets a playful makeover with these interactive push-pop-style creations.

Sushi rice is layered with fresh ingredients inside nostalgic push-pop packaging, with options including salmon, tuna, shrimp tempura and California roll.

Find it: HK Station, Outdoor Concession Space

Space Rocks

Inspired by the CNE’s new Space EXperience, these “cool” treats are designed to make you feel like you’ve left Earth without actually leaving Exhibition Place.

They combine nitrogen-infused Oreos, freeze-dried Nerd Clusters and ice cream sandwich bites. There are also ice-cold slush drinks served in a nitrogen fog.

Find it: Yeti Puff Nitro Snacks, Heritage Court, Enercare Centre

Edible Dirty Soda Spheres

Dirty Soda is getting a bite-sized makeover with edible spheres filled with Citrus Ice Blue Raspberry and served over strawberry cold foam.

There’s also a CNE Sweet Heat version, made with cotton candy soda and topped with CNE Sweet Heat Cold Foam.

Find it: Dirty Sodas, Outdoor Concession

Blue Heat Taki Tenders

Chicken tenders get a serious colour and spice upgrade with these crispy creations from Lucky Chicken.

House-made chicken tenders are brushed with hot honey and coated in crushed Takis Blue Heat™, then served with your choice of dipping sauce.

Find it: Lucky Chicken, Food Building

Pickle Cheesecake Pop

Sweet and savoury collide on a stick with this rich New York-style cheesecake.

The cheesecake is dipped in chocolate and rolled in crunchy dill pickle potato chip crumble, creating a combination that sounds strange but might just work.

Find it: Mr. Pickle, Outdoor Concession

Popcorn Falafel Poutine

This gluten-free take on poutine swaps in crispy mini falafels, paired with vegetarian gravy, pickled turnips, sweet dates, pickles and tahini sauce over fries.

It’s a very Canadian comfort food with a Middle Eastern-inspired twist.

Find it: Donia’s Donair, Outdoor Concession

Jamaican Beef Patty Mini Pierogies

Two comfort-food classics collide in these mini pierogies stuffed with everything you’d expect from a Jamaican beef patty.

Ground beef, spices and Scotch bonnet peppers are tucked inside the pierogi, then served with sour cream for dipping.

Find it: Supreme Pierogi, Food Building

Rollin’ in the Deep… Fried

Lobster on a Stick

Yes, there is lobster on a stick at the CNE.

A Canadian lobster tail is tempura-fried, then topped with Old Bay seasoning and house-made creamy dill sauce, with a lemon wedge on the side.

Find it: Lobster on a Stick, Food Building

Footlong Butter Chicken Taquito

Rick’s Good Eats is taking butter chicken to fair-food proportions with a crispy, golden footlong taquito.

It’s stuffed with tender butter chicken, basmati rice, butter chicken sauce, cheese and fresh veggie toppings, then served with a creamy butter chicken aioli.

Find it: Rick’s Good Eats, Food Truck Frenzy

Fried S’MOREO

Oreos and marshmallows are stacked together, rolled in chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumbs, battered and deep fried.

It’s essentially a s’more and an Oreo getting the deep-fried CNE treatment.

Find it: Legend Dairy, Food Building

Garlic Parmesan Twisted Pickle

Oh, this for for the pickle, saucy, creamy, garlic lovers for sure. Think of those classic, and maybe even vintage now, twisted potatoes on a stick, replace it with a deep fried pickle, absolutely drenched in garlic sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Find it: Twisted Pickle, Midway

Twisteroni

Think of a corn dog, now instead of that hot dog in a batter it’s pepperoni, mozzarella, and tomato sauce in a deep fried batter and served on a stick.

It’s not quite a pizza, but it’s got all the taste of one – making it the perfect portable fair food this CNE season.

Find it: Coco’s Corndogs, Midway

S’more Deep Fried Slice

Pizza Pizza is getting in on the dessert deep-fry action with a cheese slice dipped in batter and deep fried, then coated in graham cracker crumbs and topped with marshmallow whip and chocolate drizzle.

Sweet and savoury? Absolutely.

Find it: Pizza Pizza, Food Building

Brie Cheese Deep Fried Oreos

Oreos get paired with Brie cheese, deep fried and finished with rosemary.

It’s probably not what you expected when you walked into the CNE looking for a snack, but that’s exactly the point.

Find it: Sam’s Grill, Outdoor Concessions

Dill Pickle Pegrolls

When pierogi meets spring roll, you get the CNE debut of the Pegroll.

These dill pickle-filled creations are deep fried until golden and served with either plain sour cream or house-made spicy sour cream.

Find it: Pegrolls, Outdoor Concession & Enercare Centre

Ramen Fried Frog Legs

Frog legs are getting a ramen-inspired coating before being deep fried and served with sweet Thai chili sauce.

It’s one of the more unexpected new foods making its debut at this year’s fair.

Find it: Farm to Fryer, Food Building

Meat Me at the Fair

Smash Burger Dumplings

Your favourite burger ingredients are getting folded into a dumpling.

These house-made steamed dumplings are filled with seared hamburger meat, cheese, dill pickles and griddled onions, then drizzled with homemade burger sauce and sesame seeds.

Find it: Smash City, Food Building

The Carnival Cone

Beach Hill Smokehouse is loading a warm, crispy waffle cone with candied yams, then topping it with a signature Mac N’ Meat Ball and a generous drizzle of award-winning Mac N’ Cheese Sauce.

It’s basically comfort food in an ice cream cone.

Find it: Beach Hill Smokehouse, Bandshell Park

Beef Butter Tart

An award-winning butter tart gets a very savoury makeover.

Aninna’s Bakeshop butter tarts are topped with 12-hour braised beef, smoked gouda, beef demi and chipotle mustard.

Find it: Temptations Food Truck, Food Truck Frenzy

Rib Nachos

Slow-cooked BBQ ribs are loaded up with Tex-Mex cheese, crushed nacho chips, diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and bacon bits.

Basically, nachos and ribs decided to become one dish.

Find it: Bacon Nation, Food Building

Root Beer Candy Bacon

Bacon Nation is also giving thick-cut bacon a sweet makeover.

The bacon is coated in Root Beer BBQ sauce and baked until caramelized and, according to the CNE, mouth-wateringly sticky.

Find it: Bacon Nation, Food Building

Steak Barrel Pork Belly

These barrel-roasted pork belly bites come with crackling and cassava fries for a seriously hearty fair-food option.

Find it: Steak Barrels, Bandshell Park

Sip, Sip, Hooray

Sweetcorn Wasabi Lemonade

Sweet summer corn and wasabi might not be the most obvious lemonade pairing, but that’s what makes this one so CNE.

The drink combines sweet summer corn with the familiar kick of wasabi for a buttery, spicy and refreshing twist on lemonade.

Find it: Alijandro’s Kitchen, Food Truck Frenzy

Pickle Flavoured Coffee & Bacon Flavoured Coffee

Coffee gets weird at the CNE, and we mean that in the best possible way.

Greekery Bakeshop is offering two unusual iced coffee creations. “Pig Me Up” is an iced espresso drink made with Belgian white chocolate and double espresso, with smoky bacon flavour and creamy cold foam on top.

Or go for “The Big Dill,” an iced Greek coffee whipped into a smooth foam with a burst of dill pickle flavour.

Find it: Greekery Bakeshop, Outdoor Concession

The 2026 CNE Food Bucket List Starts Here

With more than 30 new food creations arriving at this year’s CNE, you could probably visit multiple times and still have something new to try.

From the Kraft Dinner Smoothie and Szechuan soft serve to deep-fried lobster, butter chicken taquitos, pickle cheesecake and the CNE’s new Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, this year’s lineup has plenty of contenders for your next viral food photo.

The 2026 CNE runs August 21 to September 7 at Exhibition Place. So grab your friends, bring your appetite and maybe plan your route before you arrive. There’s a lot to h’eat.

Browse everything new you can do, from concerts to activities and shows at the CNE this year, here! Enjoy exhibition season!