The Savory Sundae You'll Find At Iowa's State Fair

The concept of food imposters — savory dishes that look like desserts and vice versa — has been showcased on programs like Food Network's "Kids Baking Championship," where young contestants craft sweet creations that resemble entrees. At Iowa's annual state fair, one real-life food imposter has become an award-winning favorite fairgoers can't get enough of: the hot beef sundae.

This hearty dish is designed to look like an ice cream sundae, with mashed potatoes in place of vanilla ice cream, shredded beef and gravy standing in for hot fudge, sour cream replacing whipped cream, shredded cheese masquerading as candy sprinkles, and a cherry tomato perched on top instead of a maraschino cherry. It's served every year at the Iowa State Fair in the Cattlemen's Beef Quarters, a restaurant that began as a tent and is now a permanent building with seating for 380 diners.

While the restaurant serves a variety of items, from breakfast combos to prime rib dinners, the hot beef sundae is what it's best known for. Since its introduction in 2006, the dish has been a favorite among fairgoers. In 2024, it earned the "Best Choose Iowa Fair Food" award, which honors food vendor items that utilize ingredients produced within the state.

The hot beef sundae is so popular that when the Iowa State Fair was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WG Provisions — the company that supplies Cattlemen's Beef Quarters with the shredded beef portion of the recipe — created a hot beef sundae "meatbox" containing all the fixings for the dish. This allowed disappointed would-be fairgoers to order the kit, prepare the entree at home, and still enjoy their favorite taste of the fair even though the event wasn't being held. Though the pandemic is now far in the rearview, the meatboxes are still available for purchase year-round through the company's website.

The beloved dish has become iconic to Iowa, much like other foods that have become signature cuisine for their home states — such as Kentucky's iconic hot brown sandwich, made with turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and Mornay sauce layered on Texas toast, or Minnesota's original hot dish, which is based on ground beef, elbow macaroni, and canned peas.

Since the hot beef sundae uses a pretty straightforward recipe, it's easy to make at home. Due to its food imposter status, some enjoy serving it as a fun entree on April Fools' Day. It's also a great vehicle for leftovers, such as pot roast or similar beef remnants, and is another delicious way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.