As I get older I get more and more fascinated with food statistics. I like finding out how popular foods are in the United States and in the rest of the world. Many times on my YouTube channel I have done long live streams where I chatted with my followers about my favorite worldwide foods. In this article, I focus on the Top 10 most popular foods in America.
This is not an exhaustive list and is somewhat subjective, the term “popular” in and of itself is slightly subjective but has objective data to back it up. I pulled the data from many different sources (cited) and other lists, but looking at the list I tend to agree. Also, I will include links to recipes that I have for each of those items on this list.
That way you can make your own if you want. Especially if you live outside of 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 pretty easy to make. Let’s get started!
If you like desserts, check out the most popular desserts in America list. If you love candy check out this article for the Most Popular Candy in America.
Top 10 Most Popular Foods in America – Number 10 Potato Chips
It is not surprising to see that potato chips made the list. Everywhere I go, parties, etc. I see potato chips. At the supermarket, there are rows and rows of chips and several different flavors of potato chips.
According to Statista in 2020, 284.37 million Americans ate potato chips. That is an insane amount of potato chips. Do you want to know another country that eats a lot of potato chips? France! Who knew? Potato chips originated in the United States, but happy to see the people of France love them almost as much as we do here in the US.
Want to learn how to make thin crispy potato chips at home? Follow this awesome potato chips recipe. Or maybe you want something a little healthier? Try this sweet potato chips recipe.
Number 9 – Donuts/Doughnuts
Whether you spell them donuts or doughnuts, it doesn’t matter, these tasty pastries are number 9 on this the most popular foods in America list.
Ever since I was a little kid, I enjoyed eating donuts. Walking to the local donut shop and picking up a few, or a dozen, haha. Such an amazing thing to eat for breakfast or a treat throughout the day. Here in the United States, it is easy to find a donut shop, Krispy Kreme, Winchell’s, Dunkin’, etc.
According to this article, over 10 billion donuts are consumed in the US every year! That is an insane amount of donuts.
Want to make your own Krispy-Kreme style donuts at home? Check out this homemade glazed donuts recipe. Or maybe you love chocolate cake donuts or pumpkin cake donuts? I have recipes for those too.
Number 8 – Ice Cream
Coming in at number 8 is ice cream. Another childhood favorite of mine. I have fond memories of going to the Thrifty store and getting a scoop of Thrifty brand ice cream with my family. My favorite flavor back then was Chocolate Malted Crunch.
The average American consumes a whopping 23 pounds of ice cream and other related frozen desserts in a year. The most popular flavors are Vanilla first, then Chocolate. I do love some ice cream!
Learn how to make this chocolate ice cream in a bag or this 3-ingredient vanilla ice cream.
Number 7 Most Popular Food in America – Chicken Tenders
Next up on the list number 7, chicken tenders. Whether you get McDonald’s chicken McNuggets, Chick-fil-A nuggets, or many other varieties, Americans love their chicken tenders.
With that said according to this article that may not always be the case. There appears to be a decline for those tasty chicken morsels. I haven’t seen it though, it still seems to be 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.
Number 6 – Soft Drinks/Soda
Would you like a drink with that?
An all too common phrase we have grown accustomed to here in the United States and many other places around the world. Coming in at the number 6 spot for the most popular foods in America is Soda.
People everywhere not just in the US, can’t get enough of their sugary soda. I am not a normal person I guess, I don’t drink hardly any soda.
Just how popular is soda here in the US? According to this article, the average American drinks 45 gallons of pop/soda every year. Which is roughly 470 cans, well over 1 can of soda every day. Is it safe to say, Americans have a soda addiction?
Coca-Cola has been the number 1 soda in the US and around the world for decades.
Number 5 Most Popular Foods in America is Pizza!
Up next is the wildly popular food, pizza. I can see why it ranks number 5 of the top 10 most popular foods in America.
I have many fond memories of making and buying and eating pizza with friends and family. My family used to drive to Little Caesar’s and get a couple of pizzas as well as rent a movie at the next-door movie rental place.
I have definitely eaten my fair share of pizza over the years. Pizza is actually one of my favorite foods when I feel like splurging.
According to this article, Americans eat a whopping 3 Billion pizzas per year with the average American eating around 40 pizzas a year.
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.
Number 4 – Oreo Cookies
At number 4 on the most popular foods in America list, we have Oreo cookies. These versatile sandwich cookies are simply amazing.
Whether you eat them plain or dip them in milk, or use them in many different recipes, you can’t go wrong with them.
Oreos aren’t my favorite cookie but I definitely enjoy them. I use them as an ingredient in my desserts quite a bit. And if you love Oreos and you love chocolate, you will love these Oreo Pops.
Just how popular are Oreos? According to Statista, 71.26 Million Americans ate Oreos in 2020. That is a heap ton of Oreos. I know I ate several or used them in recipes a lot during that time.
Number 3 Most Popular Foods in America are French Fries
Time for the 3rd most popular food in America, French Fries. I couldn’t agree more, I absolutely love French fries. I loved them as a kid and still love them.
Honestly, anything potato is awesome, but French Fries are the best potato dish in my opinion. Nearly every fast food restaurant and many diners/restaurants serve a version of French fries.
According to this article, Americans eat almost 30 pounds of French Fries each year! And Belgians eat even more, 1/3rd more. Which restaurant in America sells the most? You guessed it, McDonald’s.
They actually use roughly 7% of ALL the potatoes grown in the US for their French Fries. 1/3 of all the French Fries sold in the US come from McDonald’s.
I can see why, their fries are definitely delicious. Not my favorite though. I actually prefer fries from places like Five Guys. Want to learn how to make amazing crispy French Fries at home? This is an awesome homemade French Fry recipe.
Number 2 – Hot Dogs
And coming in 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 actually eat quite a few of these each year. Some weeks I eat one every day for lunch, haha.
They are the classic ballpark food and carnival/theme park food. And it is a popular street vendor food in some of the busy American cities, like New York.
They are incredibly easy to make at home, probably one reason they are so popular. And kids absolutely love them. Just don’t watch a video on how they are made, lol.
According to Hot-Dog.org Americans consume 20 Billion, yes Billion, hot dogs each year, with an average of 70 per person per year. And hot dogs are served in about 95% of American homes. Yes, we love our hot dogs here in the US.
While I don’t have a recipe for the franks themselves, I do have a recipe for homemade hot dog buns. Check it out if you like.
The Number 1 Most Popular Foods in America are Hamburgers!
Oh yes, oh yes, Hamburgers are the number 1 most popular food in America. Surprised? I am not. I am slightly addicted to eating hamburgers. If I had it my way, I would probably eat one every day, haha.
Homemade burgers are my preference, but I definitely don’t mind fast food burgers, especially Wendy’s and Five Guys, which are two of my favorite places to go. Sorry McDonald’s! And it is hard to be a good sit-down burger joint when you have the time, and are willing to pay extra.
Many households in the US grill burgers and hot dogs all year around and especially on Holidays like Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day.
According to Yahoo and the USDA, Americans eat an average of 2.4 hamburgers a day, or 50 Billion burgers each year. I definitely don’t eat that many, but apparently, many Americans do.
If making them at home you have got to try this juicy hamburger recipe. And why not make these homemade hamburger buns to go with the patties?
To sum up, here are the Top 10 Most Popular Foods in America:
- Potato Chips
- Donuts
- Ice Cream
- Chicken Tenders
- Soft Drinks/Soda
- Pizza
- Oreo Cookies
- French Fries
- Hot Dogs
- Hamburgers
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 in the items on the list.
If you love desserts, check out The Most Popular Desserts in America article.
Time to go out there and eat some of them!
Watch the video I made about this list:
Top 10 Most Popular Foods in America | vlog Episode 4 Talking Food
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salty sweet yummy
Matt Taylor
YouTuber and food blogger with a passion for cooking, eating, being outdoors and watching movies. Did you know I wrote an ebook cookbook called "All Things Chocolate: 30 of my favorite chocolate recipes."? Help support the food blog and YouTube channel by buying a copy in my shop. :)
61 Comments
Matt
December 5, 2023 at 12:51 pm·Reply
We even have the same name lmfao, what’s a recipe you’d like me too try???
Matt Taylor
December 5, 2023 at 1:53 pm·Reply
Awesome! Best name ever haha. Try any of those that I have a recipe for in this list, which is most of them!
Matt
December 5, 2023 at 12:50 pm·Reply
I love your articles so much. This is my third week trying your awesome recipes they are all 10/10 !!!
Matt Taylor
December 5, 2023 at 1:53 pm·Reply
Thank you, Matt! I really appreciate it!!
Samuel
September 8, 2023 at 8:30 am·Reply
Thank you so much for this!, I had to use it for one of my science projects in class. Great information !!
Keep up the good work!!Matt Taylor
September 8, 2023 at 8:42 am·Reply
You are very welcome!
kevin
July 7, 2023 at 8:39 am·Reply
“To sum up, here are the Top 10 Most Popular Foods in AMERICA”
Please check your spelling. Thank You.Matt Taylor
July 7, 2023 at 10:16 am·Reply
Good catch. Thanks
Marvin
June 17, 2023 at 8:00 pm·Reply
You did a great job putting together this list – but, I have a different perspective. Here is what I ate today:
Fresh mangoes – absolutely delicious and way better tasting than donuts.
Chicken and hummus from my local Lebanese Restaurant – way better tasting than hamburgers.
Stir fry vegetables with rice from a Chinese Restaurant – also very tasty.
Do you know what I don’t have? Type 2 Diabetes. I’m also very healthy and not overweight – and I’ll be 68 in a few days.
Most Americans are overweight and sick because they eat the foods on this list! An occasional donut or ice cream cone is ok – but eating the foods listed on a regular basis will make you physically unwell. Please think about creating alternatives for these top 10 foods. And, the alternatives are better tasting too – once you get past the addiction. I had a smoothie today from pineapple, papaya, and bananas – it was fantastic! Plus, healthy food makes you feel better and more mentally alert. I made the change – it is a much better life.Matt Taylor
June 17, 2023 at 10:56 pm·Reply
Thanks Marvin, but this list is not called “Most popular healthy foods in America” this is just a list of the most popular foods, since lots of people are curious what Americans eat. It is a factual article with data to back it up, period, that is all that it is. It doesn’t mean you should eat those foods.
March 23, 2023 at 6:27 am·Reply
My favorite food is hamburgers with fries and pizza\.
Matt Taylor
March 23, 2023 at 10:36 am·Reply
Awesome! Two of my favorites as well.
Myrania
January 19, 2023 at 10:53 am·Reply
OMG YOUR MY IDDLEEEEEE. HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII OMH I FINNALLY FOUND THIS WEBSITE
Matt Taylor
January 21, 2023 at 8:53 am·Reply
Glad you like it! 🙂
Sussy
January 19, 2023 at 10:42 am·Reply
Burgers are so overrated
I love them! They definitely deserve 1# !!! 🥰Matt Taylor
January 21, 2023 at 8:54 am·Reply
The burgers are great!
Barbra
January 5, 2023 at 6:35 am·Reply
Wowzersssss ! Those foods look delish 🤯🤯🤯😳😳😳😳
Matt Taylor
January 5, 2023 at 8:53 am·Reply
They are all super yummy!
Nya
November 3, 2022 at 11:37 am·Reply
I love burgers!!! Definitely deserve to be at number 1!!
Matt Taylor
November 3, 2022 at 12:23 pm·Reply
Same!! 🙂 Love hamburgers!
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