18 Football Party Food Ideas Your Crowd Will Love

Whether you host a weekly viewing party, cheer on your favorite team during the playoffs, or gather with friends for the big game, the snacks and drinks are just as important as the gridiron showdown. Load up your spread with these football party food ideas that will have everyone going back for seconds.

18 Best Football Party Food Ideas

From game day appetizers and finger foods to tasty desserts, this list has something for everyone. These football party food ideas are sure to score points with your guests while you cheer on your favorite team.

1. Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

This game day snack is easy to prepare and makes a wonderful party appetizer. You only need a handful of ingredients to make bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers — the stars of the show are peppers, bacon, and cream cheese.

2. Cheeseburger Sliders

Cheeseburger sliders take a classic entree and turn it into a convenient finger food. They’re delicious and can be made in advance. Just reheat them right before the game starts. Stick with the recipe as is, or go gourmet by offering a topping and dipping sauce bar with artisan pickles, remoulade, aioli, BBQ sauce, and chipotle mayo.

3. Buffalo Chicken Dip

You can’t go wrong with buffalo chicken dip. It combines juicy shredded chicken, ranch dressing, hot sauce, and cream cheese to create a dip that’s cheesy and hot. Serve with crackers, pretzels, tortilla chips, and celery for dipping.

4. Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

For this game day recipe, try a fresh take on traditional potato skins by using sweet potatoes instead. These loaded sweet potato skins are perfect for your next football party and so easy to make.

5. Pretzel Sausage Bites

For a spin on pigs in blankets, try these sausage pretzel bites! Cook up some smokies or mini sausages, wrap them in pretzel dough, and bake in the oven until they’re golden and delicious. Perfect for a game day snack.

6. Crispy Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are a football game day classic. Don’t want to get the fryer out? These oven-baked crispy chicken wings are just as flavorful. You don’t need tons of ingredients to make the wings, sauce, and blue cheese dip, and you can pop them in the oven so they’re ready before your watch party starts.

7. 5-Layer Dip

When you want to add some color to your game day potluck, this Mexican five-layer dip is a fantastic choice. It’s a simple recipe featuring refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese, and it’s easy to whip up in just a few minutes.

8. Homemade Pizza

Pizza is always a winner when it comes to game day food, and it’s even better if you can make it at home. Either follow this New York-style pizza recipe to bake your own dough, or buy ready-made from the store and add your toppings. Load it up with pepperoni, veggies, chicken, or any of your favorites.

9. Hot Dogs

Hot dogs aren’t just for baseball games. For a fun twist for your football party, take inspiration from these regional hot dog styles? Pick the ones that match the teams who are playing, or lay out a variety of regional toppings and encourage your friends to DIY their own.

10. Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies

So many football party snacks are savory, but what about when you want something sweet? Add these incredible brown sugar cookies to your game day spread. They’re soft, fudgy, and rich in flavor, and it’s easy to change up the ingredients to suit different dietary needs.

11. Loaded Brownies

If you want to serve up brownies that are even more impressive than usual, try this loaded candy bar brownie recipe. It’s a delicious brownie mix that you can stylize with your favorite candy — or use up whatever you already have at home, especially if you still have Halloween or Christmas candy sitting around.

12. Crockpot BBQ Meatballs

For hosts with a crockpot or slow cooker handy, you’ll love this super-easy crockpot BBQ meatball recipe. It’s made with only three ingredients, and you can prep in advance. You can keep them warm in your crockpot throughout the game.

13. Mini Tacos

Swap the traditional tacos for these adorable mini taco cups — perfect for your tailgate party. These mini tacos are ideal as an appetizer because they’re easier to serve and enjoy than traditional tacos while you’re in party mode. Alternatively, bake up a pan of deluxe nachos.

14. Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

These air fryer chicken nuggets are a real crowd-pleaser. They’re made with chicken breast, seasoning, and panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch. Plus, they take less than 30 minutes to prep and cook.

15. Homemade Fried Chicken

If you want to serve fried chicken at your football party, why not have a go at making it at home? Try this southern fried chicken recipe that uses buttermilk for flavor and even has hints on which seasonings to use to give it that fast-food taste.

16. Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled pork is a great dish to make in the slow cooker or crockpot, and it makes a perfect sandwich filling for your tailgate party. Follow this BBQ pulled pork sandwich recipe to shortcut your way to a successful appetizer.

17. Beer Cheese Dip

What happens when you combine your favorite beer and plenty of cheese? This is an incredible football party food idea! This beer cheese dip recipe is simple and easy to follow, and you can customize the ingredients to suit your personal tastes.

18. Chili

Game day chili is a hearty option for your football party. Serve it alongside corn chips, sour cream, jalapeño slices, or shredded cheese. You can also turn it into a chili cookoff. Have guests bring crockpots of their favorite chili. Everyone can enjoy flights of chili and vote on their favorite.

How to Level up Your Next Football Party

The game and delicious football party food might be the star attractions, but how you organize and style your gathering can make it feel even more lively. 

If you want to give your celebration a little something extra this year, here are some of our favorite Super Bowl party ideas that can work for any week of the football season.

Add Themed Decor

Celebrate by adding some themed decor to your home. Hang banners or bunting in your team’s colors, and look for party decor that features footballs, helmets, or jerseys. Pay attention to the details, such as themed straws, napkins, paper plates, or cupcake toppers.

Play Football Party Games

Bring even more fun to the day with some bonus activities — like these Super Bowl party games — for guests who don’t care to watch the game or want something to do during commercial breaks. Whether you play football ring toss, ask trivia questions, or hold a flag football competition during half-time, adding some themed games are the ideal way to add a little extra entertainment.

Send Game Day Party Invitations

Design: Sierra Lee Studio

Get your guests excited in advance with football or Super Bowl party invitations. We love this football-shaped invite for its modern, fresh look, but there are plenty of other choices to suit any style of celebration. Once you’ve found your favorite digital invitation, it’s easy to customize the layout, colors, and wording to make it uniquely yours.

Host the Best Football Party Yet

Watching the game together is a great reason to have a party, and the food you serve can make a big impact on your guests. Use these football party food ideas to plan the menu for your next get-together. 

Choose one of our football party invitations to send out all the details. There’s a design for any style, whether you want something bold and colorful or more subtle and contemporary.