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Football is great and all, but how about the snacks? During tough games, they give you something to bite other than your nails. During slow ones—or ESPN-filmed ones, which guarantee to last twice as long due to all the commercial breaks—they liven things up. The right appetizers are magical like that, whether they’re on a platter in your living room or crammed into your stadium bag.

And, long before I launched this blog, I ran a site called Collegiate Cook. While most people associate it with dorm food, it was really all about game day and tailgate food. (What can I say? I live for snacks. Especially those slathered in Buffalo sauce and cheese.) So, almost 20 years of watch party preppin’, what are the football game snacks I swear by? So glad you asked. These are my tried-and-true go-to’s, divided into four sections for my…

  • Meat Lovers
  • Buffalo Sauce Lovers (because honestly, that’s its own category of food on game day)
  • Vegetarians & Vegans
  • Sweets Fanatics

Ok, enough rambling—let’s get to the recipes! The game approach-eth!

doritos chicken sliders, an easy football party snack to make
Doritos-Crusted Chicken Sliders // Photo: Nathan Davison

9 Meat Lovers’ Football Party Snacks

  1. 4-Ingredient Chili Cheese Dip
  2. BBQ Pulled Pork Wontons
  3. Cap’n Crunch-Crusted Chicken Tenders
  4. Chipotle Bacon Deviled Eggs
  5. Doritos-Crusted Chicken Sliders
  6. Everything Bagel Dogs
  7. Greek-Inspired Stuffed Zucchini Boats
  8. Pretzel Dogs (tip: make ’em mini—they’re so much better than pigs in a blanket!)
  9. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders
Buffalo chicken brie bites, cooked and drizzled with ranch
Buffalo Chicken Brie Bites // Photo: Candace Braun Davison

3 Buffalo Sauce Lovers’ Appetizers

  1. Buffalo Chicken Tots
  2. Buffalo Chicken Brie Bites
  3. Buffalo Deviled Eggs
garlic-herb deviled eggs, an easy football party snack to make
Garlic-Herb Deviled Eggs // Photo: Candace Braun Davison

6 Vegetarian-Friendly Snacks

  1. Baked Sweet Potato Fries (honey glaze optional)
  2. Dos Caminos-Inspired Guacamole
  3. Garlic-Herb Deviled Eggs (if you’re ovo-lacto)
  4. Oven-Baked Fries with Pepperjack Cheese Dip
  5. Spinach Artichoke Dip
  6. Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
USF Fan Cookies: Green & Goldies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Green & Goldies Cookies // Photo: Nathan Davison

10 Sweet Snacks

  1. Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts
  2. Birthday Cake Monster Cookies
  3. Chocolate Chip-M&M Cookies (with a gooey center, a la Levain)
  4. Fruit Salsa with Homemade Cinnamon Chips
  5. Green & Goldies Cookies (for USF fans! But fine, you could swap out the M&M colors to suit your team)
  6. Mini Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting
  7. Oreo-Potato Chip Seven-Layer Bars
  8. Pastelitos, aka Guava-Cream Cheese Pastries
  9. Puffy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies
  10. Sunbutter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
oreo seven layer bars cut into squares
Oreo-Potato Chip Seven-Layer Bars // Photo: Candace Davison

Author: candacebd

Candace Braun Davison is a writer, editor and recipe developer who divides her time between New York and Florida. She's written articles that have appeared in PureWow, Delish, House Beautiful, Cosmo, Elle, Esquire, Elle Decor, Veranda, Good Housekeeping and more. She's also published and contributed to multiple cookbooks, including a tailgate cookbook specifically designed for USF students. A portion of the proceeds benefitted student scholarships at the university.