27 Unusual Food Combinations You'd Never Guess Are Delicious

Food pairings like peanut butter and jelly, ketchup and fries, and chips and guacamole received a stamp of normalcy somewhere along the way. Many more unique food combinations don't receive the same broad acceptance. It's a challenging barrier to break into as these pairings have become staples in pantries and restaurants worldwide.

Weirder combinations, like a peanut butter and pickle sandwich or french fries, dipped in honey, may sound strange at first but deserve a fair chance in the food-tasting arena. Although not so widely accepted, we like to use the old quote, "don't knock it until you've tried it."

If you're looking to push your palette to the next level, challenge your taste buds, or explore new pairings, you're in luck. While many of these might make your stomach turn, others could make for a unique found favorite combination. We're sharing 27 weird food combinations you'd never guess are delicious.

Peanut butter and jelly is a favorite sandwich combination shared between children and adults, but have you ever tasted a peanut butter and pickle sandwich? This unlikely pairing unites two saltier identities with a difference in texture that allows smooth and crunchy to coexist.

Reviewers at HuffPost suggest peanut butter and pickle sandwiches might be having a moment. Is it safe to say this pairing could be here to stay? We don't believe this pairing will become mainstream anytime soon, but it will undoubtedly remain a cult favorite with pickle lovers. If you like an extra crunch in your peanut butter sandwich, this one's for you.

It's the best of both worlds: hot sauce and cold ice cream. If you need something to cool down your favorite hot sauce, grab a bowl of vanilla ice cream to create a perfectly balanced dessert. Your mouth will cool down faster from the hot sauce with a spoonful of something creamy and cold.

One Reddit user notes that hot sauce on ice cream is pretty good if you have the proper sauce. The sweeter the hot sauce, the better the overall combination. Some saltier sauces yield a less pleasant treat combined with the sweet ice cream flavor.

This combination adds a savory twist to a usually sweet dish: oatmeal with soy sauce. HuffPost claims that savory oatmeal dishes change the breakfast game.

Soy sauce usually complements fried rice, sushi, dumplings, or noodles. Think of oatmeal as your fried rice breakfast substitute. Enjoy the benefits of gluten-free whole-grain oatmeal with your favorite salty sauce in the morning.

Adding eggs and greens to this pairing will create a delicious and filling meal. Toppings like sesame seeds, cucumbers, or scallions will give you that Asian cuisine taste in the comfort of your breakfast table.

Salt takes its place in almost every kitchen spice cabinet. Still, when we think of our morning coffee, we generally add (if anything) cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or some coconut oil before reaching for the salt shaker.

According to coffee connoisseurs, salt can reduce bitterness and enhance specific flavors in your favorite blend. The mainstream coffee scene has yet to fully adapt to this hack, leaving it in the weird food combination space. Next time you visit your local coffee shop, ask for a sprinkle of salt and see how your brew tastes.

Chocolate adds sweetness to any food pairing. While we consistently see chocolate and strawberries, chocolate and cheese, or chocolate and peanut butter, the following combination has yet to reach mainstream popularity: chocolate, and fried chicken. Chefs use chocolate in savory cuisines, so don't be afraid to mix your chicken with chocolate next time you're in the kitchen.

Fans on Reddit raved about how well chocolate compliments fried chicken. According to one user, it balances out the oiliness in the chicken. 

Sweet and savory toppings find their way on a pizza, but citrus is not the first topping to come to mind. The next weird food combination you'd never guess is delicious: lemon on pizza.

The unexpected citrus topping adds freshness to the pizza that meats, cheeses, and vegetables don't supply. Lemon's contrast creates a blast in your mouth that few other toppings can. Lemon on pizza might be the new dinner order we didn't know we needed.

This weird food combination elevates the most basic frozen treat. The surprising combination of ice cream and olive oil will change how you enjoy your favorite dessert.

Not only does it taste good, but also olive oil adds extra creaminess making the ice cream easier to scoop, suggests the Wanderlust Kitchen. With this combination, please don't use any olive oil; make sure it's high quality. After trying this pair, you'll question why you settled for chocolate chips or confectionary sprinkles.

The interesting toppings paired with ice cream continue with the weird food combination of ice cream and soy sauce. Soy sauce made much more sense with a carbohydrate like oatmeal, but we didn't expect to pour it on a traditional dessert.

Kikkoman, the leader in soy sauce brands, claims soy sauce enhances ice cream's sweetness. Who knew something we dip raw fish into would also create a sweeter dessert experience? These combinations have changed the way we think about ice cream toppings.

Rethink your favorite Thanksgiving pie because the following combination takes apple pie and mixes in cheddar cheese. Apple pie doesn't require a pairing unless you want to top it with vanilla ice cream but adding a rich, sharp cheddar takes this sweet treat to the next level.

We didn't expect this combination as most fruits and cheeses only find one another on a charcuterie board, but the sharp addition in this pie sets it apart from the average sweet slice.

We've tried bananas with peanut butter, but Elvis took it one step further by adding bacon to his sandwich. If the King himself suggests this sandwich, it's likely spectacular. PB, B & B may not be the healthiest combination, but it merges exciting flavors that will make your tastebuds whirl.

The crunchy bacon is exceptionally delicious and surprising with each bite of this otherwise soft and creamy concoction. The saltiness from the bacon contrasts the sweet peanut butter and banana, creating a fusion like no other.

Hot toppings like spicy sausage or hot sauce on pizza are nothing new, but have you ever drizzled hot honey on your favorite slice? This approachable topping's popularity can be attributed to its taste and versatility to complement even the strangest toppings.

According to Taste, this combination is turning into a phenomenon in pizzerias across the country, like Roberta's in New York and Ken's Artisan Pizza in Portland, Oregon. Patrons can't get enough of it, and we'll jump on the bandwagon next.

What happens when you mix your favorite coniferous vegetable with your go-to cheesy snack? You'll have a bowl of broccoli with Cheetos, sure to provide a significant amount of crunch in every bite. We wondered who would choose this combination as it doesn't scream either healthy or junk food, creating a confusing snack territory.

Savour reported that Chef Craig Koketsu of New York City's Park Avenue Winter loves Cheetos and uses them to garnish broccoli with his signature Gouda and Parmesan cheese sauce. Patrons say, "Don't knock it til you try it."

The debate about what's better, a sweet or savory breakfast, remains a topic of discussion for breakfast lovers everywhere. You can't go wrong with most breakfast combinations, whether you prefer an eggs scramble with bacon or a sweet croissant and jam.

Along the way, someone pushed the boundaries of breakfast as we know it and decided to combine sweet and savory to create a weird food combination, grape jelly and scrambled eggs. This concoction allows for a sweet and savory sensation in every bite.

When we reach for an apple as an afternoon snack, we generally add peanut butter on the side or a dash of cinnamon for sweetness, but have you ever added salt and cayenne pepper to apple slices?

These sweet, yet spicy slices, also known as matchsticks, will have you returning for more. They are a sweeter french fry that will help you easily add another serving of fruit into your meals. The cayenne gives these apples a definite kick, and the addition of cinnamon adds another layer of flavor. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? We'll be adding salt and pepper to our daily apple from now on.

We live for a sugary bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, but this next weird food combination threw us for a loop. Michellemirae90 on Instagram takes cereal and milk to a new level by replacing cereal with Cheetos.  The last slurp of milk is the best part of finishing a bowl of cereal. With this combination, you're left with a flavorful orange liquid that tastes more creamy and cheesy than we could have imagined. It nearly creates a cheese sauce on its own in the bowl.

Staffers at 98.7 WFGR in Grand Rapids, MI, tried the combo, using Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The result: "The milk cut the spice out of the Flaming Cheetos. It was more palatable. Once the sweet milk cut the spicy, it was just like cereal."

This weird food combination makes one of our favorite comfort foods a little creamier. On Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Guy Fieri introduces us to a burger coated in an American delicacy, peanut butter. You would never imagine these two foods uniting, but the beef and peanut butter complement one another like you wouldn't believe.

Too much peanut butter slathered on a burger can overpower the other flavors, but adding the proper sauces and burger toppings can create a sweet and savory unity on a bun.

Move over chips and cheese; this following combination puts nachos to shame. We found out people love this sugary and crunchy pairing, Frosted Flakes with cheese.

One Reddit user notes cheese is one of those foods that elevates food you would least expect. We agree and wouldn't immediately think to add a sharp cheese to a bowl of sugary cereal, but someone they balance one another out. Make sure to get each food in every bite to taste all the flavors.

Are you looking for an added crunch in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich? This next food combination does that with the addition of Doritos inside. We discovered this thread asking if anyone had tried this delicacy. The comments vary, but one user suggested the sandwich using Nacho Cheese Doritos over Cool Ranch.

Creamy peanut butter, sweet jelly, and crunchy cheesy chips provide the perfect blend inside two slices of bread. You'd never guess this weird combination is satisfying and delicious.

Hot honey strikes again, but this time instead of a pizza topping, we're dipping our french fries in it. If you love sauces and condiments with your food, you won't want to sleep on this strange food combination.

This spicy honey adds a punch of heat with a sweet aftertaste to create the perfect dipper for your favorite potato stick. The crispier the fry, the better in this combination to ensure the honey doesn't contribute to any sogginess. Nothing is worse than a soggy french fry.

We've combined many foods with peanut butter, but this one might be the strangest. We like adding onions to deli sandwiches and burgers, but have you ever added onion to your peanut butter sandwich?

Raw onion fans will love this surprisingly delicious sandwich. Each bite includes an assertive and spicy onion with creamy and salty peanut butter. While our initial reaction to this sandwich was confused and disgusted, we might add onions to our next peanut butter sandwich after reading the reviews.

Forget a glass of milk; pass the orange juice. According to this Reddit user, Oreos taste better dunked in a glass of orange juice. We know Oreos dipped in milk can turn soggy, but orange juice makes the cookie softer without breaking it into crumbs while adding a hint of flavor.

This intriguing combination initially caused disgust but left us curious to try it ourselves. It wasn't as strange as we thought, and the poster didn't lie when detailing the sogginess of the cookie.

After reading the following combination, a new movie theater snack might hit your rotation. People on the internet have raved about adding ketchup to their bowls of popcorn.

YouTuber, Review Time with Tim described the snack combination as surprisingly good. The buttered popcorn and ketchup pairing is oddly tasty but incredibly messy for your fingers. Whoever came up with this duo, we'd like to know what other strange food combinations you enjoy because this is one for the books.

If Kylie Jenner tried it, it would taste good, right? The internet exploded after the television personality and billionaire shared she puts honey on her avocado toast. Honey and Avocado usually don't go hand in hand.

Food reviewers, writers, and creators took to their respective sites to share their thoughts on the sweet and savory toast combination. She adds honey and red pepper flakes to create the best of both worlds on one slice of toast.

Our next combination perfects the unity of salty and sweet. This pair takes potato chips turned into dessert with the addition of rich Nutella. If you're an avid Nutella lover, you've likely dipped pretzels or another salty snack into the hazelnut spread. Potato chips give the same effect and add that saltiness for the ideal snack.

Reddit users rave about this combination, saying it's absolutely delicious. Beware when dipping; the most significant problem remains if you're potato chip can withstand the Nutella dip without cracking.

We often use soy sauce or hot sauce in our rice dishes, but have you ever considered adding ketchup? The taste combination may surprise you.

YouTuber totikky tikky posted her rendition of the ketchup and rice recipe, noting it's the perfect dish for kids or anyone who can't handle the spice of a traditional hot sauce on rice. We will keep this in mind for days when we want a rice dish that packs less heat. No rice will ever go to waste with this new addition to our rotation.

What's black and white and filled with a pickle? If you guessed an Oreo stuffed with a pickle, you've learned the following weird food fusion. The components flawlessly balance one another out. The sour and crunchy pickle meshes with the sweet and softer middle of the Oreo to create a unique pair.

With so many pickles and a variety of Oreo filling types, you can make this combination whatever you like. If you want added creaminess, we suggest using a double-stuffed Oreo option.

This last weird food combination threw us for a loop. In the past, we tried fruit with yogurt, but this next pairing, strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar, surprised us.

Yogurt makes an ideal pairing because the flavors all balance, but sour cream has a more tart taste which contrasts with the fruit. In this pairing, adding brown sugar makes the whole dish come together. While this combination might not look the prettiest, it sure tastes good.