13 Football Party Foods Perfect for Game Day
Are you ready for the big game? Not without snacks! Football season is underway, and if you’re like me, watching football is twice as fun with a crowd. It’s time for you to enjoy delicious football party food with friends and family.
It may sound daunting to prepare football party food. You want to just enjoy yourself and not have to spend time worrying about preparing food. Luckily, these football food ideas are simple and easy to make on game day, with little preparation required. And, you won’t have to burden the freezing cold like these fans below!
You don’t only need football party food for regular-season games. In fact, the super bowl is the most popular occasion for delicious snacks and parties with friends. You have until February this year, so try out every party food on this list and go with what you like best!
In this article, we’ll go over football party food ideas and party food recipes perfect for game day. These make for great food for the super bowl as well. You have countless options for party snacks; let’s start with the dips.
Cheese Dip
You can’t have a football party without a cheese dip. If you’re hosting a big party, you might have some guests bring a can of dip from the store. But you can do better than that. Homemade creamy cheese dip takes only three ingredients to make: corn starch, cheddar cheese (or any cheese of your choice), and half-and-half. Here’s an easy dip recipe.
If you want a lighter dip, you can use half milk and half cream.
This is the perfect dip to serve with tortilla chips and it also goes well with veggies and apples.
Bean Dip and Tortilla Chips
Bean dip is another classic super bowl party food. It takes a little more time to cook properly but is totally worth it if you have the time.
Most people just go to the store and buy bean dip or layered bean dip, which are quite good in my experience. It costs just a few dollars from the store and you can be home in no time.
If you’re more ambitious, try out this recipe from Taste of Home.
Ingredients
For 4.5 cups of dip:
- 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Picante sauce
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
You should be able to find these ingredients at your local grocery store. The dip takes a couple of hours to cook, but the great thing about it is that it can be made in a slow cooker, the oven, or your microwave. Make the dip in your slow cooker for the best results. Just be sure it’s ready before game time.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
My personal favorite food for football games is spinach and artichoke dip. This is a great football party food, but it honestly works for any occasion. You may have seen it served at restaurants as an appetizer. The good news is that you can make it too. Here’s a recipe I love:
Bake the dip in the oven at 350º for 25 minutes and you’re done.
Nachos
Celebrate the first touchdown of the game with a delicious plate of nachos. Nachos are one of the easiest appetizers to make on this list. Just throw some chips in an oven-safe dish, cover it with cheese, and bake it until the cheese melts. Then, add your refried beans, sour cream, chives, salsa, jalapenos, and whatever else you love to eat!
Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are one of the fan favorites when it comes to football party food. After all, what would a football party be without finger foods? Of course, you can order Buffalo Wild Wings if you’re in a pinch, but what’s better super bowl food than homemade chicken wings? One of the easiest ways to make wings is to bake them and then broil them to get a nice crispy outside.
Check out a popular recipe here. Bake the wings at 325º for 35 minutes and then broil them for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then toss them in your favorite sauce (bbq, honey mustard, ranch, hot and spicy, and more) and you’re all set.
Sliders
Sliders are one of the most traditional super bowl foods out there – and one of the easiest to make. They are a great food if you are tailgating or bringing something to a friend’s tailgate party. You can make your sliders with any meat, but one of my favorites is pulled pork. Dust off your slow cooker and let your pork cook for several hours. I like to throw some celery, carrots, and onions in there to help with the flavor. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder really add to the taste as well.
Veggie Tray
Veggie trays are a must at your super bowl party. You can find them at grocery stores everywhere, but I prefer to make my own using fresh vegetables. If you’re going to the store anyway, you may as well head to the produce section and buy your fresh vegetables: broccoli, celery, and carrots are the most common, but you can also go for green bell peppers, red bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, edamame, and more.
Ask your friends and family what they like and customize a platter that everyone will love!
Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is another easy party food that everyone will love! You don’t even need a recipe. Just head over to the fruits section of the grocery store and pick out some of your favorites. Then head home and dice them up in a delicious fruit salad. Pineapple, apples, pears, and melon are some of my favorites. I like to add some lemon juice when it’s all done to help the fruit stay fresh if it has to sit out for a few hours during the party.
Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella sticks take a little bit of work to deep fry, but they’re definitely worth it. First, you need to dip the cheese in an egg and milk mixture and breadcrumbs. Two eggs and one tablespoon of milk works great, then roll the cheese in bread crumbs and repeat once or twice more.
After you’ve dipped the cheese two or three times, place it in the freezer for an hour before frying. Put about one to two cups of vegetable oil in a frypan, depending on how many sticks you’re frying. Then cook the cheese until it’s golden brown. Use a spatula to flip it so the mozzarella cooks evenly.
Then drain the oil with paper towels and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Now enjoy your delicious pregame snack.
For a full recipe, click here.
Pizza Rolls
The fastest way to make homemade pizza rolls is to use store-bought dough. Roll out the dough on a table and dress it with marinara, mozzarella, and pepperoni. You can use whatever cheese or ingredients you like to make your pizza roll.
Then, roll the dough tightly and cut it into small pieces. This recipe suggests one-inch pieces and they look delicious.
Potato Skins
Potato skins are one of the best game day party foods out there. It takes a few steps baking in the oven to get the crispy consistency that everyone loves.
Bake the potatoes first in your oven for 1 hour at 400º. Then, cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the inside, and bake the skins for about 10 minutes on each side. Then, add your cheese and bacon and broil them for 2-3 minutes.
Sour cream and chives are delicious additions to potato skins but you can add whatever you like.
For full directions, check out this party food recipe.
Swedish Meatballs
If you want to deviate a bit from the traditional dishes, Swedish meatballs is the way to go. These aren’t as quick as your chips and dip or fruit salad, but if you have some time before the game, this is a party food your guests will love!
There are many Swedish meatball recipes out there, but I found this one to be the simplest.
If you’re new to making Swedish meatballs, it will take about a half-hour to prep – and an hour cook time.
Pull Apart Cinnamon Rolls
We’ll close with a sweet dessert: pull apart cinnamon rolls. Here’s a recipe with just six ingredients:
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cinnamon rolls (you can find these at your local grocery store)
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup (optional)
These cinnamon rolls have always been a hit at my house. Give them a try!
That’s it for our list of football party food recipes. We hope you enjoyed this list of delicious football foods and that you’ll enjoy every game day this season with friends and family.
Stay tuned for more football-related content!
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