Chips, Ice Cream and Pizza Topped America’s Comfort Foods, but One Pantry Staple Stood Apart

When researchers asked 2,022 Americans to name the foods they reach for after a bad day, the answers came back fast: chips, ice cream, pizza, chocolate and cookies. But when the team looked at the nutrition behind America’s favorite comfort foods, one familiar dish stood apart from the rest, and it is probably sitting in your pantry right now..

The question researchers asked about comfort foods

The study comes from the UCLA Eating in America Study, a national survey taken between December 2019 and January 2020. Researchers recruited 2,022 adults using U.S. census quotas for age, gender, race and ethnicity, income and region, so the group looked like the country as a whole. Each person could name up to three comfort foods, and 1,760 people gave answers the team could analyze.

The results were published in October 2026 in the journal Nutrients. The top five, in order, were chips, ice cream, pizza, chocolate and cookies. Candy, burgers, cake and pasta also ranked high. Nuts, fruit and vegetables made the list too, just much further down. Be honest: is your number one pick in that top five?

What the nutrition numbers showed

The team sorted the answers into 300 nutritionally distinct foods in 132 categories, then looked up their nutrition in the USDA’s What We Eat in America database. The average serving had 223 calories, with 39% of those calories from fat and 18% from sugar. Most of the foods were low in fiber.

Nearly three in four of the foods met the study’s criteria for “hyperpalatable.” About 43% were fully ultra-processed, meaning all of their calories came from the most processed group of foods, and 36% were both. The authors noted that their strict definition probably undercounted ultra-processed foods.

In plain words, hyperpalatable foods pair fat with sugar, fat with salt, or refined carbs with salt in a way that makes them very easy to keep eating. Think of how hard it is to stop at one chip. That is not a personal failing; it is simply how these foods are made to taste. For cozy ideas with a lighter touch, browse our healthy comfort food swaps that still hit every craving.

Men, women and age: small but real differences

Men’s comfort foods were slightly higher in calories, protein, fat and sodium, because men named more burgers and meat-based meals. Women’s picks had a bit more sugar, because women named more desserts. Age mattered a little too: adults 55 and older chose comfort foods with about 41 fewer calories per serving than adults ages 18 to 34.

Where you live made very little difference. People in the Northeast named foods that were somewhat higher in calories and a few nutrients than people in the South and Midwest, but the gaps were no more than about 4% of recommended daily values. In other words, a bad day tastes about the same in Maine as it does in Texas.

Why pasta stood apart from the other comfort foods

Here is the twist. Of all the top-10 comfort foods, pasta was the only one that was neither hyperpalatable nor fully ultra-processed. Chips, ice cream, pizza and chocolate met both of those criteria. Plain dried pasta is a simple food, usually just wheat flour and water, and what you put on it makes the biggest difference.

That makes pasta a comfort food you can make almost entirely from scratch on a weeknight. A bowl of spaghetti with a quick homemade tomato and garlic sauce costs a few dollars, feeds a family and tastes like a hug. The researchers did not tell anyone to give up chips or ice cream. Their findings simply show which favorites are easiest to make at home with simple ingredients.

A homemade comfort night: 20-minute spaghetti with tomato and garlic sauce

This is the bowl to make the next time a long day calls for comfort. It uses pantry staples and is ready in about 20 minutes. Serves 4.

You will need:

• 12 oz spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed or whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (only if the tomatoes taste sharp)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Grated Parmesan, to serve

How to make it:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until just tender. Save 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
2. While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic smells sweet and turns pale gold. Do not let it brown.
3. Add the pepper flakes and tomatoes (crush whole tomatoes with your hand or a spoon). Add the salt and sugar if using. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thick.
4. Stir in the butter. Add the drained spaghetti and a splash of pasta water and toss for 1 minute until the sauce clings to every strand.
5. Tear in the basil and serve with Parmesan.

Tip: for a heartier bowl, stir in a can of white beans or some cooked chicken. Leftover sauce keeps in the fridge for 4 days or the freezer for 3 months.

What the study cannot tell us

This survey was taken in 2019 and 2020, and people named their favorite comfort foods. The researchers did not measure how often people actually ate those foods or how much. Every food counted the same, whether one person named it or hundreds did, and the nutrition values were estimates from databases and labels, not measurements of real portions.

So the study does not say comfort food is bad for you. It paints a picture of what Americans say they reach for when life gets hard, and it found that one of those favorites, a simple bowl of pasta, is easy to make with real, simple ingredients. Which comfort food would you name first?