The Most Popular Comfort Food in Every State

If you've ever wondered if your neighbors near and far have the same culinary cravings as you, wonder no more. E-conolight, an indoor/outdoor lighting company pondered the same question and decided to look into it. To do so, the company identified more than 100 dishes people classify as “comfort foods,” then used Google Trends to identify which the residents of each state and Washington, D.C. searched for most. There are predictable outcomes in the results from 2020, as well as some surprises. 

Related: Surprising Comfort Food From Every State

Alabamans searched for this feel-good dish typically made with hominy or stone-ground cornmeal, cheese, spices, and more. 

Almost unbelievably, this is the only time those ooey-gooey swirls of pillowy dough, sugary icing, and spicy cinnamon appear on this list. Alaskans know a thing or two about carb-heavy goodness, apparently — E-conolight noted in other parts of its survey that the main and side dishes most searched for by residents of The Last Frontier were biscuits and gravy and sourdough bread, respectively. 

This comfort food favorite is going to show up a couple more times on this list, as it's not just residents of the Grand Canyon State that craved it the most during lockdown. In fact, it was the third most searched comfort food in the United States, according to E-conolight.

Proving that chicken and, well, carb-laden things are a popular item to eat when you need a little pick-me-up for the soul, denizens of this Southern state (and one other — can you guess which?) searched for chicken and dumplings over all other comfort foods in 2020.  

Cheesy breaded goodness was the most searched for comfort food in the United States, topping E-conolight's research in California and six other states. 

Nothing warms up a snowy and frigid day better than a bowl of chili, and that's probably what Colorado's residents were banking on when they searched for this comfort food over all others. Chili also made a showing in two other states … read on to find out where. 

In the realm of comfort foods, this one at least has fruit on it, so maybe residents of Connecticut were just trying to keep it a little healthier? Somewhat surprisingly, this wasn't the only state where strawberry shortcake was popular. Hint: A New England neighbor's residents also craved this berry-laden dessert.  

Residents of Delaware were among four states craving some good, old-fashioned fried chicken. This comfort food, in fact, was the second-most-searched in the nation, just behind grilled cheese. 

Throwing us for something of a loop, D.C. is the only area of the country searching for this particular dish. Perhaps when The Washington Post noted in a December 2020 article that "American Chinese food is the best American comfort food," it was merely expressing the sentiment of its nearest readers.

Honestly, we have no idea what to make of this development. Did we expect to see key lime pie or conch fritters? Sure. But corned beef and hash in the Sunshine State? Mind. Blown. 

Another state all aboard the fried chicken train, which leaves two to go. Both are in the South, but which states will they be? 

Residents of the Aloha State were craving sugar combined with cream cheese, egg, butter, and graham cracker crumbs. Who could hoʻopaʻapaʻa (translation: argue) with that? 

Given that the Gem State grows more potatoes than any other, and that potatoes are a classic part of pot roast, this one seems like a natural fit. 

The second state to declare love of cheese and bread via Google searches, and four more to go. 

You knew biscuits and gravy would show up somewhere, right? But did you guess it would be the Hoosiers searching for it? Indiana was the only state where this classic comfort dish made a showing. 

If you've had it, you know that this mass of dough, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins is delicious, but we were still surprised to see it as a top search in any state. 

E-conolight noted that it "saw some unique comfort foods with surprising statewide popularity," and named this pairing of state and soup as an example. We can't argue — didn't see this one coming.  

Just like Arkansas peeps, Kentuckians apparently have a love for this dish. And this concludes the chicken and dumplings portion of this list — you won't see it show up again. 

Another Southern state with a love of fried chicken? No surprises here. 

Related: Chef Secrets for Crisp, Juicy Fried Chicken

Frankly, we're surprised it took this long for a classic cookie to show up on this list, and we're doubly surprised Mainers were the only folks searching for chocolate chip cookies en masse. 

Related: Walmart's Chocolate Chip Cookies Beat Top Brands in Taste Test'

Another state, another love of grilled cheese. Maybe it's the fact that you can do so much to make this simple sandwich more remarkable? At any rate, three grilled cheese states down, three to go. 

Related: Ways to Make an Ordinary Grilled Cheese Extraordinary

Just like its neighbor to the south, Bay Staters love some comforting strawberry shortcake. Coincidence or conspiracy? 

Given that residents of the Wolverine State saw more than their fair share of COVID-19 cases in 2020, we're gonna chalk this one up to the purported medicinal properties of this dish. 

Factor in the number of descendants of Swedish immigrants living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and there's no surprise here. 

Jambalaya might be thought of as a quintessentially New Orleans dish, but given the relative proximity of the two states and the amount of shrimp processed in the Magnolia State, again — no huge revelation here. 

Yes, Mizzou residents shared a love of this comforting soup with their neighbors to the east. The two states share Kansas City, so why not a soup, too? 

Nothing pairs with tomato soup quite like a grilled cheese sandwich, so we're guessing Montana residents already know a thing or two about how to make a great cheesy sandwich and have moved their comfort food search tendencies on to this classic soup. 

Not sure there are any meaningful conclusions to be drawn here, but here's a fun fact: A doctor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha once conducted lab tests to see if the soup's reputation as a common cold folk remedy was deserved.  

The second of three states that searched for this dish over all others, Nevada residents apparently know there's no reason to settle for one comfort food when you can have two (with syrup). 

The Granite State is one of two that searched for stuffing above all other comfort foods. The other? Here's a hint: It's another state in the Northeast. 

Related: Jell-O Salad and Other Old-School Summer Recipes We Secretly Love

Jersey residents are the first of the final three states to search for this mega-popular comfort food above all others. 

Just like their colder neighbors to the north in Colorado, those living in the Land of Enchantment crave chili above all else. 

Another state, another point on the comfort food scoreboard for grilled cheese (and a note — this dish won't show up again until near the end of this list). 

Related: Amazing Sandwiches From Around the World

Given that Travel + Leisure once named Raleigh, North Carolina, as one of "America’s Favorite Cities for Brunch," perhaps it's not too surprising that residents here searched for chicken and waffles above all other comfort foods.  

Sure, mashed potatoes might seem a little boring on the surface, but given all the extras you can load into them — cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon, etc. — they're the perfect gateway comfort food, no? 

Given the popularity of Cincinnati Chili, it's a safe bet that a fair number of Buckeyes were putting their comfort food of choice over noodles or hot dogs. After all, notes the What's Cooking America website, "outside of the state of Texas, Cincinnati, Ohio is the most chili-crazed city in the United States."

It might not be the biggest pecan-producing state in the union, but Oklahoma has plenty of pecan trees with which to make these coveted pies. 

This one was unexpected, but given the versatility of this comfort food — which can just as easily be served with cheese, sour cream, and scallions as it can a heaping dollop of jam or maple syrup — we're not mad about it. 

Remember when we hinted in the New Hampshire portion of this story earlier that there was another stuffing-loving Northeastern state? Here it is. 

Almost shocking, isn't it, that it took until this point for pizza to make a showing? Rhode Island is the only state where it appears.  

Grits make another showing here in the Palmetto State, but this time with seafood instead of cheese. 

A Midwestern state with a love of pot roast? Yep, this tracks. 

If you're not from the Volunteer State or thereabouts, you might not have ever heard of chess pie. If you have a sweet tooth, though, you're missing out. The pie contains mostly humble but delicious ingredients such as cornmeal, sugar, flour, butter, milk, and eggs. 

Rounding out the last of our locations craving fried chicken is the Lone Star State, where foods such as fried chicken are taken to art-form status. 

We're not sure one has anything to do with the other, but apparently researchers found the "world's oldest mashed potatoes" in the same state where they were craved above all other comfort foods in 2020. Fun fact, if nothing else. 

Do you know the only thing that can make banana bread better than it already is? Maple syrup. There you go. 

Related: Comfort Food Recipes That Freeze Well

Closing out the much-craved grilled cheese portion of this list is Old Dominion, otherwise known as Virginia.

Swedish pancakes are made from an eggier batter than regular pancakes, and in the Evergreen state, they are served with lingonberries, ham, and other toppings.

We're not sure meatloaf stands out as a favorite comfort food, but hey, if it's good enough for a publication such as Bon Appetit to pay homage to it, who are we to judge? 

Apparently, in some parts of the Badger State, people "guard their mushroom soup recipes like family jewels."  

Rounding out our trio of pot roast-loving states and this entire list is the Cowboy State, where we're guessing no one is truly surprised that meat and potatoes were on the comfort food menu.