Relive Autumn Like a Heartland Local: Dip Your Cinnamon Rolls in Chili

When Adam Schneider relocated from St. Louis to Yoder, Kansas, and joined Carriage Crossing Restaurant in 2000, he instantly adored the restaurant’s homemade cinnamon rolls. However, he was taken aback by the surprising way customers enjoyed them once beef-and-bean chili made its fall debut on the menu.

“I was taken aback when our patrons began requesting the two together for lunch,” recalls Schneider, who is now the owner of Carriage Crossing. Though the combination seemed odd at first, he now offers chili and cinnamon rolls as a seasonal favorite from November to March. “I quickly discovered that this duo is a beloved tradition in this region.”

Throughout the Heartland, especially in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa, and Colorado (and reportedly as far as Idaho and Washington), this delightful pairing has stood the test of time for nearly a century. As you travel across the Great Plains, you’ll likely encounter this duo featured as an alternative to pancake dinner fundraisers, a seasonal menu item in restaurants, or a comforting dish enjoyed in many local homes during colder months.

What’s the origin of this iconic pairing?

For many, school lunches might not evoke fond memories, but countless generations have enjoyed “bowl and a roll” Fridays in school cafeterias. For years, the arrival of cooler weather has marked the return of the beloved combination of beef-and-bean chili and warm cinnamon rolls, served alongside carrot and celery sticks, fruit cocktail, and a carton of milk.

The origins of this pairing can be traced back to a focus on child nutrition after the agricultural and economic hardships of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. During this time, the Works Progress Administration and later President Truman secured federal funding for school lunch programs in rural areas. School cooks, experienced in preparing hearty farm meals, had to work with whatever was available, often using dried beans and ground beef.

While “chili” varies widely across the nation, the version paired with cinnamon rolls in schools generally adheres to a recipe established in the 1940s: a tomato base combined with ground or diced beef, beans, onions, and spices, affectionately known as — look away, Texans — chili con carne. This classic recipe appears in various collections, including School Lunch Recipes for 100, published by the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics in 1946. By 1962, chili con carne had traveled east and became firmly linked with its sweet partner; Marion Louise Cronan, a public school lunch program director in Massachusetts, included the chili con carne and cinnamon roll combo in her 1962 recipe book, The School Lunch.

In the mid-1800s, the farmlands of Kansas and Nebraska became a hub for settlers of German and Volga German descent, as well as Swedish immigrants escaping famine. These newcomers transformed the area into a pastry haven, likely bringing their skills in crafting cinnamon-infused dough to local school cafeterias.

Cheryl Johnson, the director of Child Nutrition & Wellness for the Kansas State Department of Education, notes that many schools in Kansas still offer the classic bowl and a roll. “Those days see an increase in participation,” she shares. “Kids eagerly anticipate that menu item.” However, this combo has evolved; since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in 2010, the cinnamon rolls have become “healthier,” Johnson explains — meaning they are slightly smaller, made with whole grains, and drizzled with less frosting than the ones she enjoyed growing up in Valley Falls, Kansas, in the ’60s.

What makes this combination so delightful?

“There’s nothing about this pairing that misses the mark — the spicy chili balances perfectly with the cool, creamy cinnamon roll, the contrasting textures, and the blend of spicy, salty, and sweet,” explains Meg Heriford, owner of Ladybird Diner in Lawrence, Kansas. “Stews and bread are truly best friends.”

Some people prefer their chili bean-free, while others like to add cheese on top. According to Heriford, the sweetness of a frosted cinnamon roll creates an unexpectedly delicious harmony with the chili’s saltiness. The warmth and spice of cinnamon, often used in savory dishes, enhance the heat from paprika, chili powder, and cayenne in the chili. (Heriford notes that the soup and sweet roll pairing is quite versatile; she sometimes serves sweeter treats like zucchini or cranberry-orange muffins alongside hearty soups like butternut squash or chicken noodle for her family meals.)

Nostalgia plays a significant role in the enduring appeal of this duo. Heriford recalls the weekly lunch special as “one of my fondest memories from middle and elementary school,” and remembers her aunts sharing stories of enjoying them in Manhattan, Kansas, back in the ’50s. When she opened Ladybird Diner in 2014, she was eager to offer her own seasonal bowl and a roll special on Fridays from October to March, but it wasn’t until her second winter in 2015 that it truly gained popularity. “I wasn’t sure if others shared my fondness for it, but the response was incredible,” she shares.

Heriford isn’t the only one recognizing the nostalgic charm of this duo. In recent decades, it has become much easier to find a bowl and a roll outside of school cafeterias and home kitchens, including at Runza restaurants, a regional fast-food chain that serves this combination from October 1 to March 31 across its 85 locations in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa. Runza introduced its annual chili and cinnamon roll special in 2007 after acquiring the cherished cinnamon roll recipe from Lincoln, Nebraska’s now-closed Miller & Paine department store, where it was once offered in the fifth-floor tea room. (Though the chain discontinued the Miller & Paine version after a few years for a more consistent recipe, fans can still order the original through the online Runza shop.)

“The return of chili and cinnamon rolls generates the strongest engagement for us on social media,” says Becky L. Perrett, director of marketing at Runza, who fondly remembers enjoying bowl and a roll in Lincoln, Nebraska. “We owe a huge thanks to the amazing lunch ladies from back in the day for creating this pairing,” she adds. “We’re simply riding the wave of something unique that highlights a couple of beloved homemade items.”

Thanks to Runza, skeptics from all over can now experience this culinary tradition. However, it still stirs up debate among critics. Each year, when Heriford announces the special's return at Ladybird on Twitter and Instagram, comments on the posts from both supporters and detractors tend to spark heated discussions.

How to enjoy it

Even among those who believe chili and cinnamon rolls complement each other well, there’s still disagreement on the best way to enjoy them. “There’s a lively debate about whether you should eat them separately, one after the other, or if you should dip,” says Perrett. “That’s a conversation that can go on for quite some time.” Some even prefer the chili served over the cinnamon roll, which is a more intense approach.

“I love that everyone has their own way of enjoying this combo — it’s a shared experience that we each savor uniquely,” says Heriford. “I’ve been known to dip, but I usually alternate bites. However, I absolutely must finish with a bite of cinnamon roll.”

Although Schneider found the combination a bit unusual when he first arrived in Kansas to work at Carriage Crossing, he decided to give it a try — after all, he grew up with lunch ladies who paired chili with peanut butter sandwiches in St. Louis, and his staff often think he’s “crazy” for having it for lunch. He has since “learned to embrace the chili and cinnamon roll combo,” even occasionally enjoying it himself. “I suppose I’m now a true Kansan.”

More spots to enjoy bowl and a roll

Caesar’s Table

Located in downtown Wichita, Kansas, Caesar’s Table is famous for a variety of American comfort dishes, including coconut fried catfish, fried chicken, and meatloaf. Bowl and a roll is the Friday buffet special, allowing you to serve your chili and cinnamon roll just the way you like it.125 N. Market Street, Wichita, KS 67202

Tina’s Cafe

If you’re on the hunt for a bowl and a roll in Lincoln, Nebraska, head over to the diner counter at Tina’s Cafe, located just west of the Irvingdale neighborhood. The chili comes generously topped with cheddar cheese, and the menu features a “huge cinnamon roll” made from scratch.616 South Street, Lincoln, NE 68502

Casey’s Bakery

During the winter months, Casey’s Bakery embraces the cold with a Chili Bash every Thursday for lunch. Visit the bakery’s deli — both located in the Centre Mall in downtown Sioux Center, Iowa — for all-you-can-eat chili and cinnamon rolls.251 N Main Avenue, Sioux Center, IA 51250

Anna Archibald is a freelance writer based in Lawrence, Kansas, who fondly recalls dipping cinnamon rolls and carrot sticks in chili during her school days in Neodesha, Kansas.