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Hey foodie friends! My name's Hannah, and I really enjoy tasting and writing about food. Whether I'm on a restaurant tour around New York City with a famous YouTuber, or subjecting my parents to the drunk snacks of my college days, I'm always thinking about ways to connect with people over food.
SO, I decided to conduct a little ~experiment~ that required help from you guys, my awesome readers! I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell me some unusual food combos that shouldn't work together, but absolutely do! After sifting through hundreds of shocking responses, I decided to sample 30 of these pairings for myself. Here are the food pairings I tried, and all of my unfiltered thoughts! Enjoyyy!
1. "Peanut butter and mayo sandwiches (specifically Miracle Whip)."
—Anonymous
This was, by far, the most requested pairing! So, why not start this adventure with what the people want?! Here we go.
Let me tell you a little secret: I LOVE peanut butter, but I cannot stand this kind. I'm such a Jif girl, but I couldn't track down any Jif or Skippy at the time of my purchase. I have a little Jif leftover in another jar, but I'm saving it for better food combos...sorry.
Ugh, this peanut butter is so mediocre. I prefer my peanut butter less natural and more processed apparently...and I really hate to say that 😅. Anyway, there was nothing natural about this sandwich. As someone who actually thinks mayo is great (and will happily slather it on a sandwich or a burger), this was a bit funky for my taste. The peanut butter overpowered the Miracle Whip for sure, but I was still getting some mayonnaise-y bites. I'm not repulsed, and I don't judge anyone for liking this combo, but it didn't do anything special for me!
2. "Pickles and vanilla ice cream. Maybe just a period craving snack, but it’s actually kinda good!"
I'm lucky I love pickles, but I swear this list is really going to test the strength and persistence of my love!!
Some bowls of vanilla ice cream get topped with cookie crumbs. Others, with fruit. Mine gets covered in chopped up Claussen pickles.
Well, there are certainly worse things to put on your ice cream (and you'll see some on this list)! There was something oddly satisfying about the crunch of the pickles with each bite. I'm honestly kind of on-board with this. Would I do it often? No, probably not. Did I enjoy it in the moment? Oddly enough, yes!
3. "So, my family has been making this combination since forever: Coke and milk. Hear me out! You fill your glass about three quarters of the way with Coke. Wait for the fizz to settle, then fill the rest of the glass with milk. We've always used whole milk, so I don't know how it'll taste with other types. It's really good, and we always thought everyone drank it, but everyone I've asked gets weirded out, so I guess it might be a family thing. It's worth a try, I promise! Especially on a really hot day."
—Anonymous
I've never purchased whole milk before, though I'm sure I've had it in a chai tea latte long before the days of almond and oat milk. Though this combination may be a smidge unconventional, it feels pretty safe.
As the BuzzFeed Community user suggested, I filled my cup three quarters of the way up with Coke, then just barely topped it off with the whole milk, which immediately coated the entire glass and made it look like I really, really like milk.
Not the most appetizing color when mixed, but more appealing than after it sat for a few minutes and began separating and settling 🤮. Despite the drab aesthetics, I'm on board with Coke milk! It tastes a bit like a Coke float — as if a small scoop of vanilla ice cream melted in the Coke. As someone with a caffeine sensitivity and a temperamental tummy, I didn't press my luck by downing the whole thing. But, taste-wise, I totally could've — it was yummy.
4. "Banana slices topped with Kraft singles."
—Anonymous
Not necessarily my first choice for a hearty breakfast, but here we are. There's nothing like processed cheese in the morning!
Look at that yellow nightmare 💛. I ripped the cheese up into little, bite-sized bits to adorn my banana slices. Please don't judge my presentation!
I suppose I'm a bit underwhelmed. This was neither delicious nor disgusting...it just felt sort of silly. Bananas have such a strong flavor, and that certainly dominated each bite. The cheese was mainly there to provide a rubbery texture, but it didn't do much in the realm of flavor. So, I'm not gonna say this was bad; it was simply boring.
5. "Chili Cheese Fritos and chocolate pudding. Sounds absolutely disgusting and weird, but it’s honestly delicious."
—Anonymous
I'd reallyyy love to know the origin of this combo. What possessed my dear anonymous submitter here to give this pairing a try? It feels like something your middle school friends would dare you to eat during lunch period. Fascinating. And alarming.
Not gonna lie, I was soooo ready to dive into this pudding cup. I would prefer to eat it with a spoon and NOT a bunch of Fritos, but I'll take what I can get. I've also never had Chili Cheese Fritos before, so I guess I'm eager to try them.
Don't hate me...PLEASE don't lose faith in me yet. These make a tasty pair. THERE. I SAID IT. I would've never thought to eat these two together, but now I kinda get it. The Fritos slappp, and I'm totally on board with the way their seasoning mingled with the chocolate pudding. I probably wouldn't serve this combo to guests during a dinner party, but if a craving were to strike, I could indulge again. If I'm being honest, it was a little odd. Fritos have a veryyy distinct flavor, and the aftertaste was a bit unsavory. But, salty and sweet flavors really do complement each other.
6. "Dip a grilled cheese into grape jelly. I swear it’s delicious!"
I don't even need to be sold on this one — it already sounds great. I love a grilled cheese, and I love a sweet jelly or jam. This pairing seems perfectly nostalgic, and I like it.
The jelly had a very gelatinous consistency (shocking, I know), so it wasn't the best substance for dipping. I grabbed a knife so I could spread the jelly on top of my sandwich. I refuse to go light on the Smucker's!
Perfect — no notes! The sweet grape jelly absolutely complemented the buttery, cheesy sandwich. Petition to make the grape-jelly-grilled-cheese a popular breakfast item!!
7. "Fried cheese curds and caramel sauce is a life changer. It's like a fried caramel cheesecake in your mouth!"
—Anonymous
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Farm Rich snacks are the BEST. I genuinely always have fried cheese curds or mozzarella sticks in my freezer ready to go. I was wayyy too excited about this combo.
Look at that plate of pure yumminess — like something you'd buy at the fair. Greasy and good for the soul.
When Lizzie McGuire sang, "This is what dreams are made of," she was referring to fried cheese curds covered in caramel. And she was right. This IS what dreams are made of. Run, do not walk, to your nearest grocery store, and buy this pairing. I am completely infatuated with this gooey, cheesy goodness. Sure, I'm more of a salty/savory person and tend to like my fried apps sans sweetness, but this was a decadent duo. A+++
8. "Raw carrots and peanut butter! Way better than celery!"
I know celery and peanut butter are a popular pairing (though I prefer my celery with blue cheese), but I'd never considered subbing in carrots instead! Notice I've abandoned the 365 peanut butter...for my own sanity.
So much orange!!
Okay, I get it. The peanut butter complements the sweetness of the carrots, and it makes for a pretty good bite. Peanut butter is good with nearly everything, isn't it? That being said, I do still prefer my carrots with a salad dressing of some sort. But, this totally works, and I would eat it again.
9. "BBQ potato chips dipped in a chocolate milkshake. Seriously yummy."
Oh, ABSOLUTELY. Let's goooo. I ADORE barbecue chips, and I've never met a chocolate milkshake I didn't like. I can totally see this pair working together. It's sort of a spin-off of the ol' "dip your fries in your Frosty" phenomenon.
Regretfully, I had to keep the milkshake on the smaller side, as to avoid a tummy crisis. Ahh, the things I do for content.
Well, this is a food combo after my own heart! That barbecue flavoring worked reallyyy well with chocolate, which makes a lot of sense! Both are rich, robust, sweet flavors. Don't knock it 'til ya try it.
10. "Pickles and mustard. Hoping I’m not pregnant because I love this combo."
Hey, pregnant or not, this is a totally reasonable craving! There's a reason pickles and mustard go on so many sandwiches and burgers together! They just make sense.
In addition to the OG, Heinz, I decided to use my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Honey Spice mustard as well...for more variety. And, of course, Claussen is king, so I decided that I needed three pickles in order to properly conduct my taste test.
We've reached a verdict, Your Honor. Pickles and mustard are freakin' delicious together. Of course, they're delicious individually, too, so what did you expect? I know there are condiment haters and anti-pickle people out there who are retching at this pairing. To them, I say: Sorry, you're missing out.
11. "Flamin' Hot Cheetos and vanilla ice cream."
Noooo 😭. You guys, I don't even like Flamin' Hot Cheetos! Regular Cheetos, sure! But these...the smell conjures up some foul high school memories, and I just don't care for them. Now, I have to ruin some perfectly delightful ice cream with their fiery, red funk. Ughhhh.
SO many food crimes being committed in this bowl. There are about 100, maybe even 200, ice cream toppings I would rather have than Cheetos!! I'll eat the pickles and ice cream again, please! Anything but Cheetos!!
Thank the lord for the potency of that vanilla bean flavor. It really helped mask the Cheeto taste. Texturally, the Cheetos reminded me of a cone — NOT a waffle cone, but one of those smaller, crusty, wafer cones. Anyway, this smelled like feet and made my stomach churn!
12. "Any time I have scrambled eggs, I'll cover them in either taco sauce or salsa."
Great. Easy. I always have eggs, and I usually have salsa on hand. Truthfully, this combo doesn't scare me like some of the others do. Honestly, this is very normal. Like, I've definitely had a breakfast burrito before. Even so, salsa isn't always a flavor I crave first thing in the morning. But, maybe that will change!
I always mix shredded cheddar cheese in with my scrambled eggs because I'm a fiend for dairy. Anyway, here's my salsa-egg breakfast with some cilantro on top because why not?
A delicious and appropriate pairing! This combo is pretty tame in my opinion, especially compared to others on this list.
13. "Open up an Oreo, and put a Lay's potato chip in the middle. IT'S SO BUSSIN', I SWEAR!"
I'd say this pairing is pretty low stakes. Lay's and Oreos just make sense together. Imagine opening your lunchbox at school to find that your mom packed you chips AND cookies?! Such a win.
Here are the chosen ones, preparing for their inevitable fate.
And just like that, two became one. No big surprises here; the pair tasted like afternoons spent in the school cafeteria. I liked the combo, but I wasn't stunned or blown away.
14. "Mac and cheese with pickles. No shame."
No shame necessary; this is a stellar suggestion! Two of my favorite things coming together?? Yes, please.
Now that's what I call lunch!
Reader, you might have lost faith in me at this point. I get it; your trust is wavering. But hear me out: Mac 'n' cheese is a beautiful, customizable medium that just so happens to be a fantastic vehicle for dill pickles! And I bet sweet or spicy pickles would absolutely banggg in mac 'n' cheese, too. I say: You can put whatever you darn well please in your mac 'n' cheese! As a pickle person, I approve this message.
15. "Beer and ice cream. I saw beer milkshakes on a menu in Peru and thought it was a joke, but they turned out to be amazing. I've made them at home with both vanilla and chocolate ice cream. You literally just dump the beer and ice cream in the blender."
As a beer drinker, I was soooo ready to try a beer milkshake. Boozy shakes are the best! I love Kona Brewing Co.'s beer, but I wasn't totally convinced it would be the best beer for my shake. But, alas, it's all I had to work with! So, I was ready to make the most of it.
Mixed it all up! Look how frothy!!
Hey, I like it! But, I have notes. There are a billion better ways to make a beer milkshake. Do NOT follow my example. Vanilla ice cream + a lager is probably not what beer milkshakes are all about. I think the perfect beer milkshake would ideally contain chocolate ice cream and one of the following: a Guinness, a chocolate stout, an oatmeal stout, a chocolate peanut butter stout, or a vanilla porter. Now THAT sounds like dessert to me! So, I'm very into the beer milkshake concept, but I think you have to be more intentional about the beer you're using. I opted for convenience, and that was my mistake.
16. "Olives and Flamin' Hot Cheetos."
Not these Cheetos again! Ugh, at least I really like olives.
It's like the world's saddest charcuterie board.
I felt the need to put the Cheetos inside of the olives to heighten my culinary experience. Did that really help anything? No, I don't think so. To be honest, I'm not sure these flavors really complemented each other. There was nothing particularly groundbreaking or jaw-dropping here. The olives were a salty, sort of bland vehicle for the Cheeto to wreak havoc on my mouth.
17. "A dab of Nutella on a Cheez-It. SO WICKED TASTY."
Alright, I can live with this. These are two snacks I really enjoy, so I don't see how putting them together can be too awful. Wouldn't be my first choice, but it's certainly not my last choice either.
I decided to approach this like a "chips and dip" situation. One or two Cheez-Its simply wouldn't be enough to properly assess.
If you enjoy a sweet + salty pairing, this will satisfy your craving! The Nutella definitely overpowers the Cheez-It and mutes that cheesy flavor. But, the saltiness from the cracker helps cut a little bit of that Nutella sweetness. Not bad.
18. "Sharp cheddar cheese (or extra sharp cheddar) and honey."
Oh, absolutelyyy. There's a reason so many charcuterie boards feature a little baby jar of honey! Hand me a slab of brie with honey drizzled on the top, and I will assume it's a marriage proposal. I'm eager to try this with cheddar, but I already feel confident that it'll be good.
Alright, so I got a little "honey happy" and did more than just a drizzle. ... I'm only human.
Let's put our hands together for yet another winning combo!! 👏 There's just something irresistible about a good savory + sweet duo. I think this snack could be enhanced further by using a hot honey. I've drizzled my fair share of baked bries with hot honey, and let me tell ya, it's freakin' magical. As an avid cheese lover, I approve.
19. "Strawberry ice cream with balsamic glaze."
—Anonymous
I can't say balsamic would be my first choice for an ice cream topping, but I guess it's also not my last? I know balsamic and berries can pair well together, sooo I'm optimistic.
Looks like chocolate syrup 😍, but it's not. I wish it was.
I looove strawberry ice cream, and Häagen-Dazs makes a mean pint. I usually prefer my balsamic drizzled over tomatoes and mozzarella, but sure, why not distort this lovely dessert?? Look, it wasn't foul. I really didn't mind the tanginess of the vinegar with the sweet ice cream, but there are better toppings out there. If my balsamic was flavored, I could see this being a really delicious bite. I've had a lovely blueberry balsamic before that was sweet and tart, and I think that would be a better pairing for this ice cream.
20. "Nacho Cheese Doritos and M&M's. I don't know why it works, but it just does!"
You don't have to tell me twice! Any excuse to eat Doritos or M&M's sounds good to me. This is another one of those salty + sweet pairings that just makes sense.
It's like an alt bowl of trail mix featuring absolutely no nuts and no dried fruit...just the way I like it!
I felt like I was eating snacks at a child's birthday party, but in the best possible way. As you can tell, this isn't the funkiest combo on my list, so I won't take up too much of your time here. Doritos = good. M&M's = good.
21. "Tater tots in apple sauce. It's an odd hot/cold mix with very different tastes, but it works."
—Anonymous
You call it an unusual food pairing; I call it breakfast. But in all seriousness, I feel like I've eaten these items in tandem before. You know when you're at a hotel continental breakfast and there's a line for the waffle maker, the eggs look sweaty, and they've just run out of french toast? You're hungry, but you're short on time and want to play it safe, so you figure some hash browns/tater tots will do the trick. But, you also want to get a little fruit in your system and some bratty kid just took the last banana, so you slop some applesauce on your plate and call it a day. Yeah, that's what we've got going on here.
It's not the prettiest, most colorful looking plate of food, but it'll do! Oh, and just because I feel like sharing: I won this bag of tater tots playing Trader Joe's bingo at my favorite bar. Sooo, I already had them in stock. 😎
LOL, it honestly looked so unappetizing. Texturally, it was not the most appealing pairing. It sort of reminded me of eating hospital food. That being said, I'll take any excuse to eat fried potatoes. Also, applesauce still slaps, and I don't know why society has deemed it a kid's food. I'd rather eat a cup of applesauce than a cup of Greek yogurt. ... I said what I said. So, overall, not groundbreaking, but also not heartbreaking.
22. "When I was in college, a friend told me that if you mix vanilla ice cream and a small amount of soy sauce, it tastes like butterscotch. It actually works!!!"
—Anonymous
Oh, this feels iffy, right? Momofuku soy sauce is no joke — it's totally delicious — but it doesn't feel like an ice cream add-in.
It started with a drop...and then I splashed a bit more soy sauce than initially planned into the bowl. Oh well! Guess I'll be getting the full experience.
AHHHH, YOU GUYS. No offense to the person who submitted this, but I didn't have a ton of faith in the pairing. Well, I was WRONG! Holy crap. This was delicious! As it turns out, soy sauce mixed in vanilla ice cream DOES taste like butterscotch. It's amazing! I could've probably done a teeeeny bit less soy sauce, but the flavor was honestly so good. I'm still in shock.
23. "A peanut butter and jelly with Doritos. Sounds weird, but the jelly and the seasoning on the chips just works together!"
—Anonymous
I love a PB&J, and I love Doritos. What could possibly go wrong?? Literally nothing. This is like the pinnacle of childhood school lunches.
Though the submission didn't say to put the chips inside the sandwich, I decided that, in order to fully commit to the pairing, I had to put the Doritos right in the middle of the action. Overzealous? Perhaps.
It tasted like a warm summer afternoon spent at the pool. Does that make sense? It reminded me of going to my grandma's neighborhood pool with the family and getting out of the water to eat our packed lunch. Ahh, memories. Even though I still enjoy PB&Js as an adult, there's something inherently nostalgic about them. Same with Doritos! So, this combo totally screamed "childhood" in a fun, reminiscent way. I was worried I went too far by putting the chips on the sandwich, but that wasn't the case. That Dorito seasoning really hit when it was paired with the PB&J.
24. "Flamin' Hot Cheetos and ketchup. I love dipping most of my chips in ketchup, but hot Cheetos are easily my favorite."
—Anonymous
Dang, you people really love your Flamin' Hot Cheetos. It's times like these I wish I liked them!!!
Oh, so vibrantly red! Aren't I lucky?
As someone who loves a dipping sauce, I only really use ketchup on fries if ranch or honey mustard aren't options. I'll definitely enjoy ketchup on a hotdog or a burger, but yeah, I don't just dip foods into it all willy-nilly. I'm not really sure what possessed our lovely comment submitter here to give this a try, but it's certainly an eccentric pairing! Not totally heinous, but also not my cup of tea. Like at all. The ketchup made the Cheeto less spicy. That was about it. It didn't make me queasy, but I wouldn't do it again.
25. "A peanut butter, dill pickle, and bacon grilled sandwich. Sounds kind of disgusting, but it is actually awesome. Give it a try; see what you think. Put everything on the bread and grill it like a grilled cheese sandwich."
—Anonymous
Seriously? This is just excessive. I love all of these ingredients individually, but they don't seem compatible enough to blend into one dish. Alas...that's exactly what I'm about to do.
Yeah, I went a little light on my portions of each ingredient...so sue me. I'm not wasting perfectly good pickles, bacon, or peanut butter on this stomach ache. Sorry.
Alright, moment of truth: Why is this not totally repulsive? I'm serious — why is it kind of tolerable? I guess, in hindsight, I could've gone a bit heavier on the peanut butter. That would've maybe improved the overall textural experience. But, even without drenching the bread in Jif, peanut butter is still the dominant flavor here. It doesn't cancel out the smokiness of the bacon or the tartness of the pickles, but it makes those flavors much more subtle. Somehow, I don't hate this sandwich...even though my mind tells me I should.
26. "Chocolate ice cream with Cheerios! It’s like having an ice cream cone without the mess, and one that stays crunchy! Any flavor Cheerios will work, but I prefer original."
—Anonymous
This sounds like a genius ice cream hack, and I'm really excited to give it a try! I've certainly seen Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles used as toppings, so why not Cheerios? The more I think about it, the more I realize that Cheerios do kind of taste like an ice cream cone...🤔
Dessert time! Let's dive in.
Perfection! This really delivered on its promise. The Cheerios stayed nice and crunchy, and their flavor was totally reminiscent of a cone. Simple and smart — just the way I like my snacks.
27. "My brother used to love mustard and would eat it on anything. Eventually, he started eating Oreos with mustard, and still does to this day."
—Anonymous
Hi, hello — thanks so much for your submission! This pairing has been keeping me awake at night. I've been putting it off and putting it off. I could've lived my whole life without knowing someone out there dips their Oreos in mustard, but it's too late for that. Now, I have somehow committed myself to wasting a perfectly good Oreo and some perfectly good mustard on a pairing that, frankly, makes me shudder.
I made it a smiley face to try and make myself feel better. It did not work. I still wanted to gag.
I mean no disrespect to you or your brother, but it's on sight. Was this a cruel, sick joke? Did you want to make the silly BuzzFeed woman look like even more of a fool? I have been so good. I have tried so many things and been pleasantly surprised by quite a few! There were no surprises here. I knew this was going to make me sad, and reader, it really did. I could've swished bile around in my mouth and had a similar experience. I feel like I disrespected the poor Oreo that I sacrificed for this experiment. All I can say is: People better read this freakin' article. I am out here suffering for my craft.
28. "Popcorn and buffalo sauce."
—Anonymous
A little random, but I'm here for it! As someone who loves sprucing up their popcorn with butter, truffle oil, cheesy powder, or whatever I can find, this is intriguing.
Before you call my cowardly, I didn't want to douse my entire bowl of popcorn in sauce right off the bat. The buffalo sauce was thick, and I didn't want to make the popcorn a sticky, soggy mess. I decided to do some dipping.
See, there is a method to my madness! I could coat each piece as much or as little as I was feeling, and the popcorn didn't get all soggy! Gotta say, I thought this one was a little random, but I actually really liked it! Buffalo sauce usually isn't my first choice, but it kind of slapped on popcorn. Maybe I need to set some time aside to experiment with a variety of unique popcorn toppings/flavors, because this was pretty tasty.
29. "Hot Cheetos and French onion dip! SO GOOD."
—Anonymous
Finally, a Flamin' Hot Cheeto pairing I can get behind! Dean's French Onion Dip SLAPS, so I thought maybe it would help me tolerate the Cheetos a little better.
I'm going in.
Yes, I dipped those suckers right into the container, and now, the dip is filled with red Cheeto dust. Anyyyyway, this was, by far, the best Flamin' Hot Cheeto pairing! The Cheetos with ice cream was a flamin' hot disaster, but this was the proper way to combine dairy and chips. The dip definitely cooled down the spiciness from the Cheetos, so if you're looking to keep some of that heat, this isn't for you. But, if you're a dip-lover, this is totally up your alley.
30. Finally: "Chocolate-covered bacon."
—Anonymous
Sorry, I'm not going through the trouble of making actual chocolate-covered bacon. Smothering a piece in Hershey's syrup is MORE than enough.
I didn't want to make a *total* mess, but I also wanted the bacon to be thoroughly covered. This looks like enough, yeah??
Hey, not bad! Truthfully, I was more excited to lap up this chocolate syrup than I was to eat the piece of bacon, so I basically used the bacon as a vehicle for gathering as much chocolate as possible. As far as weird combinations go, it was acceptable! It's not that different from enjoying maple syrup with your bacon, really. Honestly, I'd take chocolate syrup over maple syrup any day!
Well, what did we learn here? Soy sauce tastes great with vanilla ice cream, and everyone seems to love Flamin' Hot Cheetos but me! Honestly, this experiment has expanded my snacking palate, and I'm excited to get creative with more food combos in the future!
