10 Most Popular Foods in America
Most Popular Foods in America – As I get older, I become more and more fascinated by food figures. I love discovering how popular foods are in the United States and the rest of the world.
Several times I have had lengthy live streams on my YouTube channel, where I chat with my followers about my favorite worldwide foods. In this article, I focus on America’s top 10 most popular foods.
This is not an exhaustive list and is somewhat subjective, the term “popular” itself is a bit subjective, but there is objective data to support it. I pulled data from several different sources (cited) and from other lists, but looking at the list, I agree.
That way, you can make your own if you want, especially if you live outside the US and want to try making one of the most popular foods in America at home. And for the most part, all of these foods are very easy to make. Let’s get started!
Check out the Most Popular Desserts in America list if you love desserts.
Top 10 Most Popular Foods in America
10. Potato Chips
It’s no surprise to see that potato chips made a list. Wherever I go, parties, etc. I see potato chips. In supermarkets, there are rows and rows of chips and many different flavors of potato chips.
According to Statista, 284.37 million Americans ate potato chips in 2020. That’s an insane amount of potato chips. Do you want to know of any other country that eats a lot of potato chips? France!
Who knew? Potato chips originated in the United States, but it’s heartening to see that French people love them as much as we do here in America.
Want to know how to make thinly crunchy potato chips at home? Follow this fantastic Potato Chips recipe. Or maybe you want something healthier?
9 – Donuts / Doughnuts
Whether you spell them donuts or donuts, these delicious pastries rank number 9 on America’s list of Most Popular Foods.
Ever since I was a little kid, I have enjoyed eating donuts. Walking to the local donut shop and picking up a few, or a dozen, haha.
Such a wonderful thing to eat for breakfast or a feast all day long. Here in the United States, donut shop, Krispy Kreme, Winchells, and Dunkin’ is easy to find.
According to this article, more than 10 billion donuts are consumed annually in the US! That’s an insane amount of donuts.
Want to make your Krispy-Kreme style donuts at home? Check out this Homemade Glazed Donuts recipe. Or maybe you like chocolate cake donuts or pumpkin cake donuts? I have recipes for them too. (Most Popular Foods in America)
8 – Ice Cream
Ice cream is coming at number 8—another childhood favorite of mine. I have fond memories of going to a Thrifty store and getting a scoop of Thrifty brand ice cream with my family. My favorite flavor was Chocolate Malted Crunch.
The average American consumes 23 pounds of ice cream and other frozen desserts yearly. The most popular flavor is first vanilla, then chocolate. I like some ice cream!
Learn how to make this chocolate ice cream in a bag or this 3-ingredient vanilla ice cream. (Most Popular Foods in America)
7 – Most Popular Food in America – Chicken Tenders
Next on list number 7, chicken tenders. Americans love their chicken tenders, whether you get McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, Chick-fil-A Nuggets, or other varieties.
According to this article, it has been said that this may not always happen. It looks like those delicious chicken morsels are in decline.
Although I haven’t seen it, it still seems one of the most popular meals for kids when parents go to fast food restaurants.
Check out this recipe for Chicken Tenders and make them at home. (Most Popular Foods in America)
6 – Soft Drinks / Soda
We have become accustomed to a ubiquitous phrase in the United States and many other places worldwide. Coming in at the No. 6 spot for most popular foods in America is soda.
Not only in America, but people everywhere also can’t get enough of their sugary sodas. I’m not an average person; I guess I hardly drink any soda.
How popular is soda here in America? According to this article, the average American drinks 45 gallons of pop/soda each year. Which is about 470 cans, more than one can of soda every day. Is it safe to say that Americans are addicted to soda?
Coca-Cola has been the No. 1 soda in America and worldwide for decades. (Most Popular Foods in America)
5 – Pizza
The next wildly popular food is pizza. I can see why it ranks 5th on the top 10 most popular foods in America.
I love making and buying and eating pizza with friends and family. My family used to drive to Little Caesar’s, get a couple of pizzas, and rent a movie at the movie rental place next door.
I’ve certainly eaten my fair share of pizza over the years. Pizza is one of my favorite foods when I feel like a splurge.
According to this article, Americans eat 3 billion pizzas annually, while the average American eats about 40 pizzas yearly.
What is the most popular pizza topping? Surprise, surprise, the most popular pizza topping is pepperoni.
I love homemade pizza. Check out this recipe for Amazing Homemade Pizza Dough. And this recipe for Homemade Pizza Sauce. (Most Popular Foods in America)
4 – Oreo Cookies
We have Oreo cookies at No. 4 on the Most Popular Foods in America list. These versatile sandwich cookies are amazing.
Whether you eat them plain or steeped in milk or use them in many different dishes, you can’t go wrong with them.
Oreos aren’t my favorite cookie, but I enjoy them. I use them quite rarely as an ingredient in my desserts. And if you love Oreos and chocolate, you’ll love these Oreo Pops.
How prevalent are Oreos? According to Statista, 71.26 million Americans ate Oreos in 2020. That’s a heaping ton of Oreos. I know I ate a lot or used them in recipes. (Most Popular Foods in America)
3 – Most Popular Foods in America Are French Fries
Time for the third most popular food item in America, french fries. I couldn’t agree more; I love french fries. I loved them as a child and still love them.
Potatoes are great for anything, but I think french fries are the best potato dish. Almost every fast food restaurant and many diners/restaurants serve a version of french fries.
According to this article, Americans eat about 30 pounds of french fries yearly! And Belgians eat, even more, 1/3 more. Which restaurant sells the best in America? You guessed it, McDonald’s.
They use about 7% of all potatoes grown in the US for their french fries. About 1/3 of all French fries sold in the US come from McDonald’s.
I can see why; their fries are delicious. Not my favorite, though. I like the fries from places like Five Guys. Want to learn how to make amazing Crispy French Fries at home? This is a beautiful Homemade French Fry recipe. (Most Popular Foods in America)
2 – Hot Dogs
And coming up at number 2 on the list are hot dogs! Yes! I knew these would be on the list when I was doing my research. I eat quite a few of these every year. Some weeks I eat one for lunch every day, haha.
They are classic ballpark food and carnival/theme park food. And it is a popular street vendor food in some busy US cities like New York.
They’re straightforward to make at home, which is probably why they’re so popular. And the kids love them. Don’t just watch a video of how they’re made, lol.
Americans consume 20 billion, yes billion, hot dogs per year on average, 70 per person per year, according to Hot-Dog.org. And hot dogs are served in about 95% of American homes. Yes, we love our hot dogs here in America.
While I don’t have a recipe for Frank’s myself, I do have a recipe for Homemade Hot Dog Buns. Check it out if you like it. (Most Popular Foods in America)
The No. 1 most popular food item in America is the hamburger
Oh yes, oh yes, hamburgers are the No. 1 most popular food item in America. Astonished? I am not; I am a little addicted to eating hamburgers. If I had it my way, I’d probably eat one every day.
I prefer homemade burgers, but I certainly don’t mind fast food burgers, especially Wendy’s and Five Guys, two of my favorite places.
Sorry, McDonald’s! And it’s hard to be an excellent sit-down burger joint when you have the time and are willing to pay extra.
Many homes in the US grill burgers and hot dogs year-round, especially on holidays such as Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.
According to Yahoo and the USDA, Americans eat an average of 2.4 hamburgers daily, or 50 billion burgers yearly. I certainly don’t eat that much, but many Americans do.
If you are making these at home, you must try this juicy hamburger recipe. And why not make these homemade hamburger buns to go with the patty? (Most Popular Foods in America)
Here are the top 10 most popular foods in America in a nutshell:
- Potato chips
- Donuts
- Ice cream
- Chicken tenders
- Soft drink/soda
- Pizza
- Oreo cookies
- French fries
- Hot dog
- Hamburger
I hope you enjoyed learning about these popular American foods. There are other “popular” lists out there that you can find, but they all have similar results with some differences from the items in the list.
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