Don’t walk, run: 10 food items for $10 or less at The Big E

It’s here and it only happens once a year — that’s right — The Big E.

Nothing says ‘fall in Massachusetts’ quite like kicking off the fair season, and what better way to ring it in than trying all the flavors the fair has to offer?

After all, The Big E has been known to get people talking for its elaborate shows, concerts and of course, food.

This year brought in some new recipes like Fluffy’s Donuts Glazed Donut Coffee Float, while embracing some returning favorites like LuAnn’s Bakery pickle cupcake.

• Read more: The 2024 Big E Eater’s Guide: What to eat and where to find it

But between admission costs, amusement rides and carnival games, celebrating can get expensive rather quickly. With this in mind, MassLive made our rounds of the fairgrounds in search of food options that were budget-friendly but still fun.

Check it out.

Traditional Poutine

At Poutine Gourmet, you can get a bowl of french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds for $10.

This option offers attendees a pretty good bang for their buck and is a safe option for picky eaters. The ratio of gravy to potato makes it an easy-to-eat option — providing you use a fork.

Pickle Lemonade

This unconventional take on lemonade features a bread and butter pickle flavor rather than dill. Other vendors offer $3 cups of pickle juice and pickle juice only.

The pickle lemonade shown is available at Lemonade & Corn Dogs for $6.

Cookie Dough

For $8, fairgoers looking for a little something sweet and light for an afternoon “pick me up” can enjoy hand-dipped cookie dough on a stick from Cora and Mika’s Cookie Dough.

We opted for the classic sugar cookie dough, but other options such as chocolate chip, Oreo crumble and chocolate cookie dough are also available.

Mac N’ Cheese

Those who need something more sustainable than cookie dough or pickle juice can get a heaping bowl of fresh Mac N’ Cheese from the Mac Trailer.

This cheesy classic is not only budget-friendly, but a good option for both adults and children who aren’t feeling too adventurous in the food category while at the fair.

Also available at the Mac Trailer are $8 cheddar melts.

S’mores Smoked Bacon Candy

Ever get the urge to try candied bacon on a stick? Well, at The Big E, you just might.

And in case that happens, House of BBQ & Bacon, behind the Connecticut Building, has got you covered.

For $5 you can try a s’mores smoked bacon. Our self-proclaimed, staff “Weird Food Guy,” Nick O’Malley described this treat as having a “delicious coating of brown sugar,” though not a lot of chocolate or graham cracker notes. He concluded it was “$5 well spent.”

Doughnuts

1/5

Fluffy’s Donuts offers an array of classic and specialty doughnuts for $10 or less. Specialty doughnuts include a Strawberry Lemonade option, Cookie Monster doughnuts, Stores, Oreo and more.

The Strawberry Lemonade doughnut is a hand-cut, yeast-raised doughnut frosted with buttercream frosting and rolled in strawberry lemonade toppings.

It’s topped with a lemon gummy candy, a freeze-dried strawberry and a pipette of strawberry lemonade you can squeeze into the pastry yourself.

For those wanted a sweet treat that’s a little lighter can get hand-cut doughnut holes for $2 each.

Pizza

Angela’s Pizza offers a variety of pizzas including slices of pickle pizza, street corn pizza, plain cheese and more.

A slice of cheese is $7 but those feeling a bit more adventurous can splurge on an $8 slice of street corn pizza topped with buttered sweet-corn, mozzarella cheese, drizzled mayo, parmesan and Tajin seasoning.

Angela’s is also home to a foot-long mozzarella stick, which costs $11.

Veggie Egg Rolls

For $8, attendees can get two veggie egg rolls from The Veggie Patch stuffed with cabbage, carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms.

These rolls are fried to perfection, sporting a golden dough and crunchy texture.

Funnel Cakes and Fried Dough

Fried foods are a fair season staple, and at Tootsies Fried Dough attendees can get a fried dough or funnel cake for a flat $10. This price does not include additional toppings.

For extras, such as strawberries, there is a $2 upcharge.

Candy Apples, Hot Dogs, Popcorn and more

At Cotton Candy Apples, everything is $10 or less.

For just $5, guests can score a candy or Carmel apple, small popcorn, cotton candy, hot dog or snow cone.

For $7, you can upgrade to a jumbo bag of cotton candy, large popcorn, nachos or traditional lemonade.

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