19 Of The Best Recipes To Make For Football Watch Parties

When I think of game day, my mind immediately goes to some sort of buffalo chicken recipe. While wings are always a safe bet, this buffalo chicken dip will actually blow your mind. It’s got cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, and tons of cheese. Pair it with tortilla chips, pretzels, or crackers, and you’re good to go.

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Nachos are the perfect appetizer for a football watch party because, well, who doesn’t love chips smothered in cheese, beef, and other goodies? These ones are done in just 15 minutes, so you won’t have to worry about missing a big part of the game if you’re hosting.

Recipe: Loaded Beef Skillet Nachos

If you’ve ever had a pulled pork slider (and I hope you have), you’ll know they’re addicting with a capital A. I could probably eat 10 of these in one sitting because they’re just that good. Imagine: tender pulled pork and coleslaw on a soft, warm Hawaiian roll. If you do decide to make these, just know there won’t be any leftover.

Recipe: Easy Pulled Pork Sliders

Spinach Artichoke Dip needs no introduction — it’s cheesy, creamy, and best of all, you can trick yourself into thinking it’s somewhat healthy. Although you could pick up a store-bought version if you’re in a pinch, I’m here to tell you this recipe will yield results that are just about 1000x better. Thank me later.

Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip

Chicken wings are an essential part of any game day — the question is what kind. These are different from most wings you’ll see at football parties, so you won’t have to worry about someone else showing up with the same dish. They’re both sweet and savory, with a sauce made out of flavorful ingredients like Gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili powder. Just make sure to make a big batch, because your guests will be obsessed with them.

Recipe: Spicy Korean Chicken Wings

Perhaps you follow a vegetarian diet, or you just want to incorporate more veggies into your diet. Either way, this buffalo cauliflower recipe comes out perfectly every time. And no, they don’t taste like chicken wings, but they’re delicious in their own way.

Recipe: Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

If you’re craving something fried but don’t have the time to actually get your deep fryer out, these baked cream cheese jalapeno poppers will be your new favorite recipe. They’re topped with breadcrumbs so they’ll still taste breaded, only they’re way easier to make. 

Recipe: Baked Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Every party needs some kind of sweet treat, and you can’t really go wrong with classic chocolate chip cookies. This recipe is super easy to make, yet you’ll end up with perfect cookies every time. They’re crispy, chewy, and not too sweet, so your guests will inevitably be coming back for seconds (or thirds!).

Recipe: The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever

If you haven’t heard, potato wedges might just be the new potato fries, and these garlic parmesan-flavored ones are a true crowd-pleaser. Pair them with ketchup, ranch, blue cheese dressing, or honey mustard for a combo that can’t be beat.

Recipe: Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges

What’s a party without some homemade chili? This white chicken variety is super creamy and cozy, perfect for when the weather gets chillier (no pun intended). I also love it because it’s a little lighter than classic beef chili, so you won’t feel super weighed down after eating a bowl or two.

Recipe: White Chicken Chili

These pepperoni pizza pinwheels are as tasty as they are fun to make. You’ll just need some pizza dough (store-bought is fine), mozzarella, pepperoni, and pizza sauce. Layer on all the ingredients, roll the entire thing into a log, and then slice before putting them in the oven!

Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

These might take a little bit of extra work to make, but boy, are they worth it. They’re every savory food lover’s dream, and maybe even that is an understatement. The not-so-secret ingredient here, of course, is bacon, which gives the entire dish a subtle smokiness amid the cheesy flavor.

Recipe: Crispy Fried Mac n’ Cheese Bites

If you’ve never had a bacon-wrapped date with goat cheese before, allow me to introduce you to the greatest appetizer ever invented. They are the perfect combination of sweet and salty, which is part of what makes them so good. I’ve made these for practically any party I’ve ever been to, and I’m always asked for the recipe.

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Dates With Goat Cheese

This creamy, spicy corn dip is so easy to make that it’s almost too good to be true. Just mix sour cream, mayo, cheese, chiles, jalapenos, corn — and you’re done!

Recipe: Spicy Corn Dip

This refreshing mango salsa is the best thing to have at a gameday feast, because you’ll likely need something to cleanse the palate in between all the greasy food. While mango is obviously the star of the show, this salsa also has ingredients like red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime, making it an ideal appetizer to include in your party lineup.

Recipe: Fresh Mango Salsa

Lemon Bars are always a great dessert for any occasion, but they’re especially great for game day. Despite how they might look, they’re relatively simple to make. The main ingredients are just lemons, sugar, flour, butter, and eggs, which you may already have in your pantry!

Recipe: Lemon Bars

You can never go wrong with too many wings for game day, and these crispy curry wings put a fun twist on the classic recipe. The seasonings include curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and for those who want it spicy, cayenne pepper. While they’re fantastic on their own, you could also whip up a mint yogurt sauce if you feel so inclined.

Recipe: Crispy Curry Chicken Wings

Puppy chow is apparently a big thing in the Midwest, but not so much in other parts of the US. I grew up eating these because my high school cafeteria sold the packaged kind from the Chex brand, but it was recently brought to my attention that you can make it at home. If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically plain Chex mixed with melted peanut butter and chocolate, which is then covered in powdered sugar. Something about it is just so good, and I think it’d be a perfect snack to make for a football watch party.

Recipe: Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies)