Whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or simply looking for an excuse to eat good food, we can all agree that tailgating is hard to beat. Here, 50 tailgating food ideas and recipes that’ll make you wish football season would never end. We’ll bring the bacon guac; you bring the buffalo cauliflower.
50 Tailgating Food Ideas That Are Total Winners
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Published Aug 9, 2023
1. Pizza Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Who says pizza has to be served in a pie shape? (Certainly not us.) These bites start with store-bought pizza dough, so they’re super easy to throw together.
2. Brussels Sprouts Sliders
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, low carb, 30 minutes
Think outside the bun with this low-carb appetizer.
3. Bacon Guacamole
- Time Commitment: 22 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Just when you thought guac couldn’t get any better, this snack appears. It’s not traditional, but it’s bound to be a hit at your tailgate.
4. Buffalo Cauliflower Nuggets
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
They’re crispy, spicy and destined to be dipped into blue cheese dressing. Trust us, you won’t even miss the meat.
5. Italian Deli Pinwheel Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, make ahead
Perfectly portable, perfectly shareable. (Make ’em ahead and stash the batch in the fridge before you head out for the game.)
6. Cuban Sliders for a Crowd
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Probably the easiest party recipe of all time. Come on, you don’t even have to slice the bread.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
7. Salami, Artichoke and Ricotta Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
Who said pasta salad was just for summer? With salami, artichokes and creamy cheese, this portable dish is decidedly fall-friendly.
8. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Fact: You can never have too many of these spicy bites on hand.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
9. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
You didn't think we’d skip dessert, did you? You don’t even have to turn on the oven to make these bars, which are salty, sweet, crunchy and smooth in all the right ways.
10. The Ultimate Party Sub
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The easiest way to feed a hungry crowd. We use some of our favorite toppings here (like salami and provolone), but you can remix it all to suit your tastes.
11. Chocolate Coconut Almond Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Basically a homemade Almond Joy. Like the original, these treats won’t last long.
12. One-Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
It’s just not tailgating without a big pot of chili. Bonus points if you bring along a batch of cornbread.
13. Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories
Make extra—you’ll be surprised at how fast these go.
14. 15-Minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Psst: No one needs to know you used store-bought rotisserie chicken.
15. Mini Apple Tarts
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
A fall dessert favorite, but bite-size. We use mason jar lids in place of mini tart pans, so you don’t have to buy any special equipment.
16. Cauliflower ‘Tater’ Tots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, low sugar
No potatoes, no problem. These are just as crispy and satisfying as the original.
17. BLT Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead
Macaroni salad with a twist, because a little bit of bacon never hurt anything.
18. Oven-Baked S’mores Bars
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
No fire pit is necessary for these sweet bars. (Oh, and even better, they call for just six ingredients.)
19. Brie-Stuffed Pretzel Bites
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
Better act fast to get a taste—these cheesy bites are bound to disappear in the blink of an eye.
20. Beef Empanadas
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser
FYI: These guys can be frozen for up to three months.
21. 7-Layer Zip
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
Let’s get this fiesta started (but don’t forget the chips).
22. Spicy Glazed Popcorn Chicken
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Extra napkins are advised for these sticky-sweet poppers. We like serving them with garlic aioli, but you can use any dipping sauce you like.
23. Baby Blooming Onions
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, vegetarian
This is how you bring the steakhouse to the tailgate.
24. Chicken Parmesan Bites
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
They’re fancy, homemade chicken nuggets. Need we say more? Kids and adults will all go wild.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
25. Homemade Cheese Crackers
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Well, aren’t you fancy! These will disappear by the handful.
26. French Onion Cups
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
It may be soup season, but that’s not exactly tailgate food. This is the perfect compromise. If you want to make them vegetarian, we suggest swapping in vegetable broth for the beef.
27. Italian Pinwheels
- Time Commitment: 23 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
They’re like portable, bite-size charcuterie boards. We’ll never get tired of frozen puff pastry apps.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
28. Katsu Bites with Chipotle-Gochujang Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Aside from being highly dippable, these adult chicken nuggets happen to go great with beer.
29. Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Be still our grade-school heart. These are chewy and gooey in all the right ways.
30. Easy Pretzel Buns
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, vegetarian, make ahead
For turning into sandwiches, obvi. Pack a spread of cold cuts and let everyone make their own.
31. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
This make-ahead chicken salad is proof that forks are optional on game day.
Jerrelle Guy/Rodney Scott's World of BBQ
32. Pimento Cheese
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, no cook
This Southern specialty is equally tasty on celery sticks, crackers or even pork rinds.
33. Everything Chicken Wings
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, <10 ingredients
Make a batch and give buffalo sauce a run for its money.
34. Spicy Pineapple Prosciutto Tarts
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
They’re like a Hawaiian pizza, but a touch fancier and way more crowd-pleasing.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
35. Spicy Avocado Hummus
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, no cook, make ahead
If hummus and guacamole had a (very delicious) baby. Pack pita and tortilla chips to win the tailgate.
36. ‘Swicy’ Caramel Corn
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Just us, or are “swicy” flavors (that’s short for “sweet and spicy”) simply irresistible? That hint of cayenne keeps us coming back for more.
37. Pizza Trail Mix
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
Take a hike? Sure, if if this savory, nutty snack mix is involved.
38. Maple Candied Bacon
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Use it as a garnish for your favorite bloody Mary recipe, crumble pieces of it over a salad or add it to a sandwich. Or do as we do and just enjoy it all on its own.
39. Dill Pickle Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
Since we consider pickle-flavored potato chips among the best, we couldn’t resist putting a dilly spin on another beloved treat. Your tailgaters won’t know what’s coming.
40. Crispy Peanut Butter Cups
- Time Commitment: 43 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
Imagine if Reese’s peanut butter cups and Krackel chocolate bars got married and had a baby. Delicious, right?
41. French Onion Dip
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
It’s your favorite party snack, just a little more elevated since we swapped the usual soup mix for actual caramelized onions.
42. Baked Chicken Wings with Chipotle Hot Honey
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
No fryer is required for these wings, which get their crispy skins from a secret ingredient: baking powder.
43. Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
It wouldn’t be a proper tailgate without this crowd-pleasing dip in attendance. The blue cheese is optional, but the celery, carrot sticks and potato chips are a must (in our humble opinion).
44. S’mores Rice Cereal Treats
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
In our experience, the trick is to not pack the mixture down into the pan—just gently nudge it in, and you’ll wind up with light and fluffy treats.
45. Fall Charcuterie Board with Black Pepper–Honey Brie, Figs and Rosemary
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, no cook, make ahead
If you’ve never brought a full charcuterie board to a tailgate before, prepare to totally bowl over the crowd.
46. Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
They’re everything you love about the classic, but in an irresistible bite-size package.
47. Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket with Cheater’s Aioli
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
We thought the beloved finger food couldn’t be improved on, until we added everything bagel seasoning. We say make a double batch.
48. Ina Garten’s Chipotle Cheddar Crackers
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Does Ina Garten go to tailgates? The jury’s out on that question, but she can attend in spirit if you make a batch of her crowd-pleasing cheese crackers.
49. 7-Layer Bars
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
With coconut, chocolate, butterscotch and condensed milk, each layer is better than the last. There’s no scooping or portioning dough, and the whole batch comes together in about 35 minutes.
50. Midwestern-Style Beer Boiled Brats
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It:
Snappy pork sausages cooked in beer and topped with mustard. What can we say? Midwesterners know how to throw a party.
