53 Super Bowl Appetizers to Tackle This Year
We can’t all play in the big game. (Leave that to Mr. Taylor Swift and friends.) We can all make excellent Super Bowl appetizers—if we turn to this list of chicken wings, dip recipes, meatballs, and other easy appetizers. Some are crispy, some are cheesy, some are meaty, but they all taste great with beer. And, to throw in a handful more for good game day luck, here’s a smart way to level up store-bought tater tots, a foolproof method for caramel corn (light brown sugar, molasses, butter, and corn syrup are all key), and slow-cooker pulled pork if you want to go beyond snacks.
Does anyone really want to go beyond snacks, though? Nah. Super Bowl Sunday is the day during which neither adults nor children have to justify eating a meal’s worth of snacks—and this is true whether you’re a football fan or not. Let the games begin.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling Emilie Fosnocht1/53Extra-Saucy Baked Chicken Wings
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Kat Boytsova. Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca2/53Harissa-Honey Popcorn Chicken
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams3/53Creamy Giardiniera Dip
Three forms of dairy—cream cheese, Parmesan, and sour cream—plus chopped giardiniera and salt. That’s all you need for this one. Oh, and crackers.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua4/53Classic Cheese Ball
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart5/53Classic Pigs in a Blanket
Photographs by Emma Fishman6/53Creamy French Onion Dip
If you love French Onion Dip, that love burns like fire. There are no mild feelings when it comes to this iconic appetizer. And if you like your dip and potato chips in one, we’ve got a recipe for that too: Onion-Dip Potato Chips.
Photograph by Laura Murray. Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova8/53Ranch Fun Dip
This is not a creamy dip. The mixture of ground pistachios, nutritional yeast, and dried spices has the texture of coarse sand, clinging to veggies like Fun Dip candy clings to those sugar sticks.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua10/53Extra-Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Skip the heavy pan full of hot oil and make these spiced chicken wings in your air fryer. A combination of cornstarch and baking powder ensures a crisped exterior.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman11/53Spinach Artichoke Dip
What is Super Bowl Sunday without spinach and artichoke dip, the base of which is made of the other holy trinity: cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise?
Photography by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen12/53Beefy Cheesy Sweet Potatoes With Kimchi
Not nachos, but not...not nachos? Replace the tortilla chips with thick wedges of tender, browned sweet potatoes and you have not only a Super Bowl appetizer idea, but also a satisfying vegetarian dinner.
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi13/53Simple Does It Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs have range: They’re as at home at a tailgate party as they are at Christmas dinner. In this recipe, a coarsely mashed filling—crunchy with celery, scallions, and pickle relish—is the key.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi14/53Warm 7-Layer Skillet Dip
Queso tends to firm up as it sits, but this one stays scoopable for a good while. In other words, feel free to spend your time screaming at the television instead of racing to eat the dip.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon15/53Spice-Roasted Potato Wedges
Roasted potato wedges provide the best of what potato skins have to offer—every piece gets some crispy skin on it—but the bonus is that they’re dippable.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams16/53Hurricane Chips
17/53Crispy Sheet-Pan Meatballs With Salsa Verde
If the word meatballs makes you think of a long, elaborate Sunday cooking project, this recipe is here to change your mind.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie18/53Kimchi Quesadillas
A key feature of the best Super Bowl party foods is that they’re portable. You can hold them in your hand and take them with you from the kitchen to the couch to standing in front of the flat screen (because sometimes it’s impossibly hard to sit still). Make like a New Yorker holding a pizza slice, fold these quesadillas with one hand, and go.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food styling by Yekaterina Boystova19/53Pretzel Focaccia
Not required: a mixer, a sourdough starter, a spreadsheet full of complicated percentages. The only nonnegotiable is making the dough the night before you plan to bake, which helps develop ferment-y flavor.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li23/53Salty-Sweet Party Mix
Whether you prefer the buttery richness of classic party mix or you’re on the sugar-coated puppy chow team, this recipe has you covered.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Jennifer Ophir25/53Basically Buffalo Wings
Crispy, spicy Buffalo chicken wings are an all-American thing, just like football. If you prefer the scoopable version, this Buffalo chicken dip might just blow your mind.
Photo by Chelsie Craig27/53Easy Vegetarian Calzones
You can think of calzones—which were created in Naples in the 18th century—as savory, oven-baked Italian turnovers. These ones are filled with three cheeses (mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan) and plenty of broccoli, because health.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini29/53Crispy Cheese Twists
Store-bought puff pastry + shredded cheese = the easiest, flakiest Super Bowl snack. But they’re not just for game day: One of our staffers makes them as an appetizer on Christmas Eve every year. (Just an idea.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley31/53Tangy Grilled Chicken Wings With Quick Giardiniera
You can never have too many wing recipes. This one starts with a spicy tomatoey marinade; while the wings do their thing, you’ll quickly pickle a fresh trifecta of carrot, celery, and cauliflower for an easy giardiniera.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Beatrice Chastka33/53Mala Fried Peanuts
These mouth-numbing, sweet, salty, and crunchy peanuts are an ideal drinking snack. For best results, pair with a sweet-tart drink, like a Raspberry Radler.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio34/53Salsa Macha With Crudités
There are different variations on Mexican salsa macha, but what ties them all together is basically the mixture of dried peppers, nuts, and oil. It’s great on tacos, eggs, this fruit platter—anything, really.
Photo by Chelsie Craig37/53Pretzel Bites
We love these pretzels with our Spicy Cheddar Cheese Spread, but if you’ve never tried mustard in a tube, we recommend getting that too. Our favorite is this Düsseldorfer Löwensenf Extra Scharf.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski38/53Pimento Cheese Crackers
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Andy Baraghani, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski40/53Beef Sliders With Provolone and Balsamic Onions
Bite-size burgers made with ground beef, sharp provolone cheese, and quick-pickled red onions will fuel you and your guests through four long, emotional quarters of professional football.
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio42/53Burnt Masala Wings
Photo by Alex Lau43/53BA’s Best Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp cocktail, one of the most versatile appetizer recipes, does have some rules. First and foremost, it’s all about big, fat, perfectly cooked, gorgeous shrimp.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca44/53Crunchy Coconut-Sesame Shrimp With Spicy Lime Mayo
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Anna Billingskog45/53Crispy Peppercorn Chicken Wings
With three simple steps—season, bake, then broil—this is a wings recipe for the ages. Speaking of the seasoning, one reader says, “This rub is everything...mind you, on the wings it’s delicious, but I’ve now used the rub on ahi and pork.”
Photo by Chelsie Craig46/53Spicy Cheddar Cheese Spread
This cheddar cheesy dip is the ideal companion for our Pretzel Bites, but you can also serve it with store-bought pretzels, your favorite crackers, or a platter of crudités.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime48/53Scallion Pancakes With Chili-Ginger Dipping Sauce
These crunchy, scallion-packed pancakes are an ideal drinking snack. We think you know what to do from there.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski50/53Spicy Lightly Pickled Cucumbers
Let’s face it: Most of the Super Bowl appetizers on this list are potato- or bread-based. You need a cold, crunchy, salty pickle or two for balance.
52/53Classic Hummus
Ten minutes of prep time makes this the best hummus recipe to keep in your back pocket for last-minute appetizer emergencies. So easy you’ll never buy hummus again.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski53/53Lemon-Pepper Salami Bites