Brian Nagele
If you’re from the south, visiting Buc-ee’s on a road trip is as much a priority as your final destination.
Buc-ee’s revolutionized the concept of gas station convenience stores by transforming them into full-fledged country stores with unique features.
Founded by Arch Beaver Aplin in 1982, Buc-ee’s opened its first location in Clute, Texas, as a large country store with multiple gas pumps.
Aplin wanted to offer travelers and truckers a more hospitable atmosphere and scratch-made goodies. Buc-ee’s became an instant hit, attracting acclaim and becoming legendary in the local and state traveling and commuting communities.
Buc-ee’s has since expanded to over 40 locations in the South and Southwest regions of the U.S., with plans for expansion into the Midwest.
The main reason for Buc-ee’s success is its delicious scratch-made and name-branded food.
Fudge
Country stores, soda fountains, and old-fashioned candy shops all have a tantalizing fudge counter, and Buc-ee’s is no exception.
Every Buc-ee’s location has a long glass case full of different fudge flavors to ogle.
Fudge is one of the best Buc-ee’s menu items because there’s so much variety. Buc-ee’s has over 20 different kinds of fudge flavors, including traditional fudge flavors like:
- Chocolate
- Mint Chocolate
- Chocolate Pecan
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Salted Caramel
You’ll also find creative and seasonal flavors like:
- Birthday Cake
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Red Velvet
- M&M
- Watermelon
- Nilla Wafer
- Maple Pecan
With all the options, I recommend getting Buc-ee’s variety pack, which comes with multiple squares of different flavors. It was like opening a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day.
Banana Pudding
A staple of Southern desserts, banana pudding at Buc-ee’s is authentic and scratch-made daily with real chunks of banana, whipped cream, and vanilla wafers.
Buc-ee’s serves its banana pudding in individual cups, layering fresh custard with sliced banana, whipped cream, and vanilla wafers and topping it off with a large dollop of cream.
They also make a key lime pudding if you want a tangier treat. You can find the banana pudding in the refrigerated prepared food section, along with fresh sandwiches, salads, fruit cups, and meat and cheese boxes.
I love the vanilla wafer crunch to compliment the banana cream.
Beaver Nuggets
Buc-ee’s top-selling snack is Beaver Nuggets, a crunchy corn snack that’s a mix between caramel corn and a corn pop.
Beaver Nuggets’ original flavor is sweet, consisting of the following base ingredients:
- Corn meal
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- Oil
Each oval-shaped corn meal nugget gets a sweet brown sugar coating before being fried and packaged. Beaver Nuggets also come in sea salt and caramel and cinnamon sweet flavors.
Once you get a taste of these light, crunchy corn puffs, you’ll be hooked.
I will always get at least one bag because I know how quickly everyone will gobble them up once the smell of caramel corn and the sound of crunchy munching fills the car.
Breakfast Tacos
Any state that shares a border with Mexico also shares its love for Mexican breakfasts.
Since Buc-ee’s started as a Texas-based country store, they have always sold breakfast tacos.
You can get breakfast tacos at Buc-ee’s from 4 am to 11 am but don’t be surprised if they sell out before 9.
Buc-ee’s uses flour tortillas grilled for added flavor as the base, filling tacos with numerous fresh and flavorful ingredients.
Most of them come with eggs and cheese, but they also stuff them with homemade barbecued meats, bacon, sausages, potatoes, and beans.
I always get one shredded brisket and egg taco, as well as their signature “Hippo Taco,” with cheese, beans, egg, bacon, and potato.
Buc-ee’s Nug-ees
Buc-ee’s Nug-ees are essentially the savory version of Buc-ee’s Nuggets.
Fried corn puffs are salted and seasoned with cheesy and spicy additives instead of coated with sugar and caramel.
In my opinion, they taste like Cheetos cheese puffs and are equally as addicting as their sweet counterparts. They come in three flavors:
- Bold and Spicy
- White Cheddar
- White Cheddar Habanero
They’re the perfect bite-sized salty snack. I’m partial to the bold and spicy flavor, which tastes almost like a smoked, spicy barbecued corn puff.
A good rule of thumb is to purchase Nug-ees and Nuggets in an even 1:1 ratio to balance the sweet and savory.
Kolaches
A little-known fact outside of Texas is that it was once home to a large Eastern European migration.
Texans have adopted the most popular culinary traditions of its Czech settlers, namely kolaches. Kolaches are sausage or custard-filled bread commonly eaten for breakfast.
If you’re on a road trip through Central or East Texas, you’ll find kolache stands at many rest stops or rural gas stations.
Buc-ee’s keeps the Texas kolache tradition alive by offering their own array of sweet and savory options with a Texas twist.
You can get kolaches with cream cheese and fruit compote filling that look more like open-faced Danishes with doughy bread instead of flakey pastry.
Still, the best kolaches are the savory kolaches. My favorite is the jalapeno and cheddar sausage kolache.
Trail Mix
No road trip is complete without trail mix, and Buc-ee’s has a mix for every preference, whether you want salty or sweet or healthy or trashy.
I noticed at least five different trail mixes lining the shelves. The classic trail mix that we all know from childhood had:
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Cranberries
- Raisins
- M&Ms
There’s a tropical mix with:
- Granola
- Dried banana chips
- Blueberry flavored cranberries
- Pecans
- Yogurt covered raisins
- Walnuts
- Honey roasted almonds
I’m partial to savory, so I always go with one of their crunchy, salty trail mixes, including:
- Southwest Trailmix
- Blazin BBQ Trailmix
- Riverboat Trailmix
They all have heavily seasoned mixes of peanuts, flour crackers, sesame sticks, seeds, and candy-coated nuts.
Barbecue
Barbecue is unofficially the state food of Texas and the state’s pride and joy. Serving barbecue at roadhouses and gas stations has always been the norm.
Texas barbecue distinguishes itself from other Southern regions with its sweet and spicy sauce.
The most popular barbecued meat in Texas is brisket, with sausage and ribs a close second.
Buc-ee’s doesn’t smoke their own meats, but they do honor the tradition of a roadside barbecue by offering barbecue sandwiches in the prepared foods section.
They get the freshest smoked meats in daily from local Texas purveyors to craft various sandwich varieties, including:
- Pulled pork
- Texas brisket
- Turkey
- Sliced sausage
Most sandwiches come on a buttery bun with onions, pickles, and barbecue sauce.
Cinnamon Roll
You’ll find Buc-ee’s homemade cinnamon rolls alongside the fresh kolaches and baked goods.
In my opinion, they’re on par with the finest bakeries. Buc-ee’s cinnamon rolls are as classic as they come, consisting of perfectly proportioned rolls of dense dough wrapped around layers of buttery cinnamon-sugar paste.
The hot rolls are then smothered in cream cheese icing, a cut above your average sugar frosting.
They’re best when served fresh out of the oven, but you can always ask your server to heat them.
These cinnamon rolls are Texas-sized, so you’ll leave satisfied. I wouldn’t try to share because you’ll end up fighting for the last bite!
Fresh Fruit Cups
Road trip snacks are notoriously unhealthy, but sometimes you need a healthy reprieve from all the heavy sweets and packaged processed snacks.
Buc-ee’s has health-conscious snacks that aren’t limited to cellophane-wrapped apples and bananas.
Buc-ee’s fresh fruit cups have hearty 12-ounce portions of freshly chopped fruit. Depending on the season, you’ll find fruit salads with melons, grapes, and pineapple.
There are single-fruit fruit cups with pineapple, chopped apples, and watermelon.
I’ve even seen blueberries and raspberries. They also have crudites cups with celery and carrot sticks.
I usually go for a mixed fruit cup and a coffee as a mid-morning snack.
Gummies
They say you outgrow foods you loved as a child, but gummies have made it into my adult life.
They’re still as fun as they were when I was a kid and continue to be a go-to treat for road trips.
You’ll find them in abundance at Buc-ee’s in perfectly packaged Buc-ee branded bundles. Whether you want gummy bears, sour worms, or fruit rings, Buc-ee’s has its own versions.
You’ll find them all hanging in multiple columns along a designated “Gummies” wall. I counted at least a dozen flavors and shapes. You’ll find varieties like:
- Gummy bears
- Sour gummy bears
- Gummi butterflies
- Watermelon gummy rings
- Peach gummy rings
- Cinnamon gummy bears
The list goes on and on.
Jerky
If you’re looking for a savory chew, look no further than Buc-ee’s vast selection of beef jerky.
You can find it fresh at their jerky counter alongside the kolaches and breakfast bread.
They also sell it prepackaged, hanging on the wall next to the gummies and trail mixes.
Flavors include:
- Sweet and Spicy
- Bohemian Recipe Garlic
- Ghost Pepper
- Mesquite Pepper
- Steakhouse Beef Jerky
- Hot and Spicy
Beef jerky is filling, packed with protein, and incredibly flavorful. A little goes a long way.
If you’re unsure which flavor to choose, you could ask for a sample at the jerky counter.
Meat-and-Cheese Cups
Meat-and-Cheese Cups are the perfect protein-packed snack or light lunch.
They’re definitely an upgrade to the Lunchables of your childhood. Meat and cheese cups at Buc-ee’s include thick slices of cured summer sausage, cubes of cheddar cheese, cubes of Jack or Swiss cheese, and a handful of pretzels.
I love the fresh summer sausage slices enough to eat them on their own. I intersperse each bite of meat with a cheese and pretzel sandwich.
It’ll keep my hunger at bay for at least a couple of hours. I like to have them for lunch alongside a fruit cup and a cup of sliced veggies.
Sizzlin’ Saltines
Saltines may be a boring cracker you only eat when you have the stomach flu, but Buc-ee’s Sizzlin’ Saltines have become my new favorite roadside snack.
Sizzlin’ Saltines consist of heavily seasoned, spicy saltine crackers.
Buc-ee’s saltines are puffier and greasier than regular saltines, with a delicious spice mixture that you’ll be licking off your fingers when you’ve polished off a box of them.
They also come in Ranchin Saltines, with a tangier, creamy, and oniony ranch seasoning.
I can eat these all day, whether they’re by themselves, topped with slices of cheese, or accompanied by a can of tuna or a dip.
Buc-ee’s is the ultimate pitstop to stock up on the best roadside snacks while filling your gas tank.
Unlike a conventional convenience store, Buc-ee’s prides itself on scratch-made baked goods, sandwiches, jerkys, and proprietary packaged snacks.
Buc-ee’s snacks have garnered acclaim from travelers and critics alike, featured in publications like Texas Monthly or even on national news. My list of the best Buc-ee’s menu items has everything you need to eat well while you travel.
Check out other favorite gas station foods to grab on the road!
Does Buc-ees have real ice cream sodas like you used to get an and old fashioned soda shop?
Buc-ees doesn’t have anything like that at my location. I did see some prepackaged ice-cream treats like you’d see at any other convenience store; but I did not see any place to even store or serve ice cream floats or sodas.
Yes. They have 14 or more flavors to choose from and they are huge.
Can I order ur dried banana chips
I love love the bbq sandwich. Loads of yummy bbq on a potato bun! Fantastic. Two meals worth of good!!
BRISKET ????❤️
The Brisket is AWESOME ❤️
Any sugar free options in the candy/desserts menu?
Has anyone played whole lotta rosie on guitar inside a Buc-ee’s?
When is the Mississippi store set to open?
I can’t wait to visit the Buc-ees at exit 407
So I have been looking for Buc-ees Corn nuts? I found them at one store . When I asked I was told that only certain stores carried them. If it’s a Buc-ees product, why not carry it at all the stores. Very disappointing, stopping and not finding it there.