Grab a Bite for Game Day

It’s game day and you’ve been called up to play the most important position: the host. When the countdown to festivities begins, you don’t want to be that person who says they’re serving snacks, only to chuck a half-eaten bag of chips on the table and call it a day. Be a hero—the kind of host who brings their guests cheer, even if they’re cheering for a losing team on TV.

To help, we’ve put together five game-day menus for just about any scenario, including comforting classics to take your mind off of a probable loss, supersize snacks for when it’s going to be an all-day nail-biter, and celebratory bites for you when you’re feeling smug about a win. We also have portable options for tailgating and potlucks, as well as ambitious cooking projects for when you’d rather just stay in the kitchen and distract yourself by assembling jalapeño poppers and pizza bagel bites entirely from scratch.

The road to snack victory is right in front of you—all you have to do is take it.

Take your mind off your team being a fully lost cause with fully loaded nachos and other comfort foods that are perfect for watching sports with your hands over your eyes. This collection of recipes includes fan favorites like Buffalo wings, hot spinach and artichoke dip, and guacamole. Get a sampling below, then click through for the full menu.

When the odds are even, tame your guests’ game-day stress with these filling, large-format dishes like party-size chicken parm subs and fully-loaded poutine. Click through to our custom menu for a full array of sustaining snacks that will give you the energy for multiple overtimes and shouting at the ref through the TV.

Feeling confident? This menu is for you. We’ve got shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped figs, and more fancy-pants snacks for when you’re certain you’ll be celebrating your team’s success. These are the dishes to reach for when there’s zero chance you’ll be photographed morosely spooning caviar onto a paper plate while your “untouchable” quarterback is sacked for the fifth time this game.

Oh, you have tickets? Aren’t you fancy! But not knows-how-to-create-an-elaborate-sports-themed-tablescape fancy? We’ve got you with these recipes for pickle dip, snack mix, kettle corn, deviled eggs and more easy-to-transport dishes to take to your next tailgate. They’re also great to take along to win the sports-viewing potluck at somebody else’s house (somebody who doesn’t mind people throwing kettle corn at their TV).

Your field is the kitchen, and you’re happy to spend your time twisting pretzels and making funnel cakes from scratch while everyone else is watching the game. That’s right—this one’s for you, nerds! And we’re right there with you. Because no one is going to be looking at the screen when you bring in these highly impressive snacks.