Dolly Parton's Favorite Foods Include A Gas Station Hot Dog

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Don't let the rhinestone-studded outfits and towering blonde wigs fool you. Dolly Parton likes real-people food. Mashed potatoes. Butter. Or better yet, butter on mashed potatoes.

She grew up in Tennessee, where she developed a love of Southern cooking. Many of her favorite foods — like meatloaf or her mama's banana pudding — are delicious reminders of family. She believes good chicken and dumplings can bring people together and isn't too fancy to grab a hot dog from a local gas station. As per one popular Dollyism uttered to Elle, "A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond." Maybe that gas station hot dog shines just as bright as anything you'd find at a five-star restaurant.

Parton's rags-to-rhinestones story does allow for some finer food favorites. For one thing, that butter doesn't just go on potatoes — it also goes on steak. But for the most part, Parton's go-to dishes feature plenty of comfort classics. She may be a superstar from "9 to 5," but when it comes to food, she's just like the rest of us when dinner rolls around.

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If you ever find yourself in a conversation with Dolly Parton and want to win her heart, skip the small talk and just say one word: potatoes. They're her favorite food. Any kind of potato makes her happy — baked, fried, mashed, you name it. As she said in an ode to potatoes on TikTok, "I've never met a spud I didn't like." She's also taken potato praise over to X, where she wrote, "I'd say my favorite dish is anything that starts and ends with a potato!"

For Parton, potatoes aren't just delicious — they're a comfort food. She grew up surrounded by them. Her dad, who was a farmer, grew more potatoes than anything else. Spuds were a staple, cooked every which way and often enjoyed in soups and stews.

Despite a childhood of potato abundance, Parton didn't grow tired of them. Neither did her sister, Rachel Parton George. Together, they wrote "Good Lookin' Cookin'," which is basically a love letter to potatoes. They offer up recipes for the likes of baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, country potato salad, broiled potato wedges, sweet potato casserole, and holiday potatoes. If you ever land a dinner invite to the Parton household (do let us know how you managed that), there's a very good chance potatoes will be on the table. Or if you bump into Parton at a summer barbecue, she loves bringing a mayo-based potato salad. She doesn't worry about it spoiling in the Southern heat — it'll disappear too fast!

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Dolly Parton isn't shy about cooking with lots of butter. It's a key ingredient in her recipes for everything from pies to a Thanksgiving turkey. So, when PureWow asked the country legend to name her favorite condiment, her answer shouldn't have surprised anyone. "It would be butter," Parton declared, sending hungry wordsmiths scrambling to look up the definition of "condiment" before also clarifying, "Lots of butter." We're not talking about the stick that disappears into a mixing bowl. We're talking about the stuff we slather, dollop, and melt on top of just about everything.

Given that Parton's favorite food is any kind of potato, butter as her favorite condiment actually makes perfect sense. In the Parton sisters' cookbook, "Good Lookin' Cookin'," their baked potato recipe calls for at least a tablespoon of butter atop each spud. The recipe's side note warns, "If your family is like ours, you're going to need extra butter!" The mashed potatoes recipe also specifies a pat of butter for serving.

Of course, butter works as a condiment on more than just potatoes. The Parton sisters love grilling and, surprise, butter makes it better! For steak, they insist you don't need to stick to just a pat of butter once it's done. Instead, they opt for an entire dollop. They also recommend topping steak with flavored butter, like blue cheese or herb. In Parton's world, butter truly is a coat of many flavors.

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Dolly Parton's favorite appetizer is clams casino, but with a little twist. Traditionally, the dish features clams on the half shell topped with a savory mix of breadcrumbs, bacon, and often the likes of bell peppers, onions, garlic, and parsley. It's all broiled until golden and crispy, with chefs often making clams with casino using top neck, littleneck, or cherrystone clams — sometimes whole or sometimes halved, depending on their size.

That all sounds good to Parton, except she doesn't like big, chewy clams. So, her favorite appetizer is really chopped clams casino. Using chopped clams, you get all the clam flavor without all that clam chew.

Unfortunately, it's all too easy to overcook clams, which can make them especially rubbery. Chopped clams cook more evenly, stay tender, and distribute that salty flavor through every bit of the breadcrumb topping. No wrestling a slippery clam on a shell or overworking your jaw. Just clam flavor mixed up in breadcrumbs, which is exactly what Parton enjoys.

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One of Dolly Parton's favorite family recipes is good old-fashioned meatloaf. The Parton family version has been passed down for years like a treasured heirloom. The secret starts with the meat blend — about two parts beef to one part pork. Adding pork to meatloaf brings in extra flavor. To help hold all that meat together, the Parton family recipe calls for rolled oats over breadcrumbs. Don't worry, you won't taste your morning breakfast in your dinner by using oats. They practically disappear during cooking, but work behind the scenes to create a hearty and sliceable meatloaf with perfect texture. No sad, crumbly meatloaf disasters in the Parton family.

For flavor, the family keeps it classic with chopped onion and green bell pepper, along with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. And of course, it wouldn't be complete without a sweet-and-savory glaze made from ketchup, sugar, and mustard. The very definition of straightforward Southern comfort food.

As any good family recipe should, Parton's meatloaf holds special memories. She fondly remembers cooking it for her goddaughter, singer Miley Cyrus. Over the years, Cyrus's dietary preferences changed, resulting in fewer meatloaf marathons. But according to Parton, Cyrus can hold her own in the kitchen and made a pretty darn good meatloaf herself. Apparently, talent runs in the family, whether it's making music or making meatloaf.

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Dolly Parton's favorite thing to cook is her specialty dish, chicken and dumplings. In 2018, she posted "Dolly's Chicken & Dumplin's Recipe" on social media while promoting the Netflix movie "Dumplin'." By now, the recipe for her iconic dish is all over the internet. Or is it?

Parton has admitted that she sometimes holds back when sharing her staple recipes. However, her co-author and sister, Rachel Parton George, wasn't about to allow any recipe shenanigans in their family cookbook. Full recipes only. And the full chicken and dumplings recipe that actually made it into their cookbook? That's Rachel Parton George's version, not Dolly Parton's.

When Today asked for the recipe in 2022, Parton said she doesn't give it out. She explained that her version is loaded with secret ingredients, though she did reveal the main one: love. So, while that recipe floating around online might not be Parton's special version, at least we have her philosophy: throw in a little extra love.

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Dolly Parton loves her greens, and not just in the "eat your vegetables" kind of way. As a Southern side dish staple, she's kind of obligated to like collard greens. And she does. She'll also happily dig into nutritious and versatile mustard greens. But leave it to Parton to root for the underdog of veggies. Her favorite greens are the often-overlooked turnip greens.

Turnip greens are the leafy tops of turnip plants. They have a slightly bitter, earthy flavor similar to collard greens or kale, but with a little extra sass. In the South, they're often simmered in a broth with onion, garlic, and a bit of pork or bacon for flavor. After cooking low and slow, tender and tasty turnip greens are swimming in a savory cooking liquid known as "pot likker" or "pot liquor." And that's not to be wasted — sip it like soup or soak it up with cornbread.

Parton grew up eating greens straight from the garden. She learned that the hardest part isn't the cooking — it's the washing. And the rinsing. And the soaking. And the washing again. Turnip greens are notorious for clinging to every bit of garden grit. But once they're scrubbed clean, Parton combines them with bacon grease, onion, garlic, and bits of country ham. She even chops up the turnip itself and tosses those pieces in for added flavor. After an hour of simmering, those turnip greens are ready to star as a side dish — move over collard greens!

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Frank Allen's Market & Grill is easy to miss, tucked inside a gas station in Sevierville, Tennessee. But locals know it well, and it's far from just another stop at the pump. In 2024, Frank Allen's won The Mountain Press Readers' Choice Award for best hamburger and best hot dog in the area — and that's far from its first time in the winner's circle.

This local burger joint isn't in just any ol' Eastern Tennessee town. It happens to be in Dolly Parton's hometown, and she loves the place. Her favorite menu item is, of course, one of the hot dogs. Frank Allen's menu boasts plenty of loaded hot dog options, including the Nacho Dog, Inferno Dog, Bacon Cheese Dog, and BBQ Dog. Parton's top pick, however, is the Slaw Dog.

The Slaw Dog isn't just a hot dog with a little coleslaw on top. At Frank Allen's, the Slaw Dog comes fully loaded with chili and slaw (it goes without saying, but be sure to grab napkins before tucking in). Not a fan of chili with your coleslaw? Parton won't judge. She encourages folks to eat their way through the menu to find their own favorite. At a place that makes Parton a happy patron, you're more than likely to find something worth smiling about.

Taco Bell

Being a millionaire doesn't have to stop you from enjoying a place with a value menu and a big bell on the sign. Dolly Parton's go-to Taco Bell order includes a Soft Taco Supreme with mild sauce and a side of rice and beans. She does like crunchy tacos, but she doesn't like their questionable structural integrity, especially for eating on the go. So, she plays it safe and sticks to soft tacos.

Parton also loves Taco Bell's iconic Mexican Pizza. When Taco Bell pulled it from the menu in 2020, fans panicked and petitioned. Parton shared the sentiment and has since noted that she thinks the Mexican Pizza should come back. She cared so much about this cause that she even starred in Mexican Pizza: The Musical, a story of heartbreak and hope — and, at long last, of a beloved menu item's inspiring return.

In 2022, Parton celebrated on X, posting, "My favorite little pizza has finally returned home. The Mexican Pizza is back!" She also shared a passionate video on Instagram, radiating with joy as she sat at a piano, Mexican Pizza in hand. After so long apart, she enthusiastically took a long-awaited bite. She didn't sing her hit song "I Will Always Love You," but she might as well have.

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When Dolly Parton visits her namesake theme park, you won't find her screaming from the top of a rollercoaster. Not only does she tend to get motion sickness, but she's not about to risk a wig or shoe malfunction on a triple spiral-looping coaster speeding at nearly 70 miles per hour. But that doesn't mean she skips the fun. Parton enjoys people-watching, soaking up the music, and, of course, sampling the food.

Parton counts all the food there among her favorites. Indeed, a ranking of Dollywood theme park treats is not easy with so much available. Emphasis on "so much," with the likes of ½-pound muffins, footlong corn dogs, or a 25-pound apple pie (thankfully, you can also order just a slice) all on offer at the theme park. But if Parton absolutely had to pick a favorite food at Dollywood, it would be the funnel cakes.

Even if Parton is away from the action in her suite or on the tour bus, she'll put in a request for funnel cake. She can't leave Dollywood without it, and she's not alone in that sentiment. The deep-fried treats — which you can customize with your favorite toppings, such as crumbled Oreos or strawberry pie filling — are one of the most popular food items in the park, and arguably just as exhilarating as a rollercoaster.

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Both chocolate and coconut cake hold a sweet spot in Dolly Parton's heart — and her family history. For Parton, a coconut cake is an Easter staple. It typically sits proudly on a cake stand, frosted in buttercream and sprinkled with coconut flakes, just begging to be the grand finale of the holiday meal. In Parton's family, that coconut cake is as traditional as dyeing Easter eggs.

Birthdays in the Parton household also come with a delicious tradition: chocolate cake. Parton's mother would bake a chocolate cake for each child's birthday. Sugar wasn't always in abundant supply, so a homemade cake was a big deal. Walnuts, on the other hand, were plentiful thanks to the family's trees. The kids pitched in by collecting nuts to decorate the cake. Sometimes they'd even find nuts on the road, and if they were lucky, a passing car would do them the favor of cracking the shells. Talk about curbside service. These days, Parton probably isn't dodging traffic for dessert ingredients. But a classic chocolate cake, especially with a thick layer of chocolate frosting, is still one of her favorite things.

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Dolly Parton may have grown up blowing out candles on homemade chocolate cakes, but these days, she's more of a pie-on-my-birthday kind of gal. As she told Knox News on her 73^rd birthday, "I usually have pie on my birthday. My favorite pie is chess pie." Ever the entertainer, she couldn't resist clarifying, "That is 'chess' not CHEST pie." An important distinction.

Classic chess pie is a simple Southern dessert with a custard-like filling. It's made from basic pantry ingredients like eggs, butter, sugar, and a bit of flour or cornmeal for thickness. The secret zing comes from a splash of vinegar. There are countless variations, from pumpkin to chocolate, and Parton leans into the chocolate side of things with her frozen Dolly Parton's Decadent Chocolate Pie. The fudgy thaw-and-serve dessert draws inspiration from her favorite Southern chess pie.

When it comes to pie, Parton's loyalty is big enough for more than one favorite. To celebrate Pi Day (March 14, if it's not already in your calendar), she shared a recipe for Dolly's Walnut Pie on X. Along with the recipe, she wrote, "Here's a favorite of mine that I could probably eat at least 3.14 slices of at a time." That's math we can get behind. Her walnut pie has a gooey, pecan pie-style filling, topped with toasty walnuts. The recipe's final instruction is clear: "Serve with a Dolly-up of whipped cream." We'll be sure to do as we're told.

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Banana pudding has always been one of Dolly Parton's favorite desserts. But not just any banana pudding. Parton grew up surrounded by women who knew their way around a mixing bowl. Her mother, grandmothers, and aunts all made a version of what she now lovingly calls Mama's Banana Pudding. Her dad loved it, too, and Parton still enjoys celebrating Father's Day with the family recipe.

Luckily for a young Parton, banana pudding wasn't reserved only for special occasions. A nearby grocer would let Parton's mother know when the bananas were going soft. Browning bananas might not look good in the produce section, but Parton's mother was happy to take them to make banana pudding.

Mama's Banana Pudding starts with making a thick stovetop custard. In Parton's experience, good butter helps. Her family's cows kept them stocked with fresh butter, which Parton says is probably why her mother's pudding was better than most (via Hallmark Channel). Once the custard's ready and cooled, it's layered with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas in a casserole dish (or a trifle dish to create extra alternating layers). That's all covered with a meringue topping. The entire dish goes in the oven for a quick two minutes, just long enough to slightly brown the meringue. Then it's cooled, served, and devoured quickly.