Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs: Sweet History with Fresh Flavor

The ovens are hot, the powdered sugar is flying, and for the first time ever, chocolate cream puffs are the fresh flavor on the menu at the Wisconsin State Fair. The historic Dairy Building, formerly known as the Original Cream Puff Pavilion, is open following an 11-month renovation. The work returns the building to its agriculture roots with an updated look and major bakery upgrade with state-of-the-art equipment.

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First built in 1909, with landmark ovens added in 1924, the building will remain as the official home to the long-time, beloved cream puff tradition.

“It’s a showcase of Wisconsin’s dairy pride,” Kristi Chuckel with the fair explains. 

A peek inside the building, and you’ll see the newly updated bakery run by “Team Cream Puff.” It’s where you can watch them make more cream puffs than ever before. 400,000 are traditionally sold during the fair, but the new bakery could crank that number up. 

Cream Puff: a round shell of light pastry filled with whipped cream or a cream filling.

-Definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The 2025 fair also brings not one, but three flavors of the legendary treat:

• Original Cream Puff
  
• Chocolate Cream Puff
  
• And the limited-edition Celebration Strawberry Cream Puff, honoring 20 years of partnership between the fair and UScellular®.
  

And if you can’t decide? You don’t have to — six-packs to mix-and-match the Original and Chocolate puffs are available for the first time.  

Don’t know how to eat a Cream Puff? There are suggestions for that, too.

“Some people will twist the top and bottom apart and keep cream on both sections so it’s not so messy,” Chuckle explains. “But others just like to go for it.”

The same excitement applies to some national buzz around the Wisconsin State Fair. It is currently a finalist for USA TODAY’s 10Best list of top state fairs in the country. Winners will be announced August 6 at noon (CT), and some say the Original Cream Puffs just might give Wisconsin the upper crust.

This year with more natural light, a reimagined interior, and faster service, the newly remodeled Dairy Building is ready to greet the next generation of puff-lovers. It’s always been one of the most visited buildings at the fairgrounds and remains home to one of Wisconsin’s most time-honored traditions.

“So, whether you’re a longtime loyalist or a first-time fairgoer, grab a puff and savor the moment,” Chuckle says. “And bite into a little piece of sweet Wisconsin history.”

Find more information about the Wisconsin State Fair, running through August 10, 2025, here.