25 of Our Best Tailgating Recipes

Spicy Queso Tater Skins

A crispy starch base loaded with customizable toppings and served in a finger-friendly form, potato skins are an all-time classic party app. This Mexican take on the taters is sure to satisfy any crowd with its fries-nachos mashup of flavors.

Recipe: Try our Spicy Tater Skins

Pepperoni Pizza Baked Wings

Baked wings get doused in a tomatoey, cheesy sauce dotted with mini pepperoni for a food medley that's just the right amount of messy—and plenty delicious.

Recipe: Try our Pepperoni Pizza Baked Wings

Corn & Salsa Tortilla Soup

Chock-full of ingredients like tomatoes, corn, tortillas, and chiles, this bowl of soup is sure to warm up tailgaters during those colder game days.

Recipe: Try our Corn & Salsa Tortilla Soup

Popper Sliders

If you can't take the heat, stay in the kitchen and add more of the herby cream cheese sauce to your slider. It balances out the slight heat from the chile peppers and gives the sliders a delicious savory quality. 

Recipe: Try our Popper Sliders

Grapefruit Shandy

Fancying up your game-day beer is easier than you think. Just combine a wheat Hefeweizen beer with grapefruit soda, and you've got a fruity drink to take you through the day. 

Recipe: Try our Grapefruit Shandy

Rachael's BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos

One of the best things about these flavor-packed tacos is that, after a little prep, you can just set 'em and let 'em while you bask in the game-day fun. Circle back to your oven after a couple hours, and your meat will be tender and ready to spoon onto tortillas.

Recipe: Try Rachael's BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos 

Cool Ranch Popcorn

This super-simple snack will go super fast in a crowd, so be sure to make extra. Once your guests taste that herb-butter drizzle, they won't be able to stop their hands from reaching back in. 

Recipe: Try our Cool Ranch Popcorn

Ham & Cheese Pretzel Panini

Why just eat regular old soft pretzels when you can turn them into a meaty, cheesy panini? That's a rhetorical question. You must make these paninis.

Recipe: Try our Ham & Cheese Pretzel Panini

California Cobb Guacamole

A salad mixed with a big, creamy bowl of guacamole makes this a healthy-ish (and mega-flavorful) game-day dish. 

Recipe: Try out California Cobb Guacamole

Pimiento Cheese Football Sandwiches

These don't just look adorable and spirited; they tasted absolutely divine. Whip up an easy pimiento mix, cut rye bread into football shapes, and slather a generous helping of cheese between two pieces. Touchdown.

Recipe: Try our Pimiento Cheese Football Sandwiches

Beefy Stout Chili Frito Pies

Chili is never wrong, especially not on game days. Cooked with beer and served in a bag of Fritos for a salty, easily transportable meal, it couldn't be more right. 

Recipe: Try our Beefy Stout Chili Frito Pies

BBQ Chicken Meatball Skewers

Stuff on sticks is as tailgate-y as it gets. Give these chicken meatballs cooked in BBQ sauce a try, and serve with creamy Ranch for dunking. 

Recipe: Try our BBQ Chicken Meatball Skewers

Detroit Coney Dog Dip

There's something that sounds so very fun and satisfying about dipping a little pig in a blanket into a warm bowl of chili cheese dip. And now you can!

Recipe: Try our Detroit Coney Dog Dip

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Get that beloved combo of hot sauce, chicken, blue cheese, and celery in an easier-to-eat (and easier-to-walk-around-with) form. 

Recipe: Try our Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Florida Key Lime Pie Dip

For your fellow tailgaters with a sweet tooth, whip up this sugary and zesty dessert dip—along with plenty of options for dipping. It's sure to satisfy after a day full of cheese and carbs. 

Recipe: Try our Florida Key Lime Pie Dip

Cola Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This pork takes only three ingredients and a couple minutes of prep, but be warned: It needs 8 hours to cook. Plan ahead, and you (and your guests) will be glad you did. 

Recipe: Try our Cola Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Green & White Nachos

These sheet pan nachos have a perfect balance of savory and spicy. Better yet, they can be tossed together and on the tailgate table in 15 minutes. 

Recipe: Try our Green & White Nachos

Beer & Pretzels Baked Wings

A truly perfect game-day snack perfectly combines the sweet and the savory, the tender and the crunchy, the meat and the beer. These wings do all three things, and they get your fingers just a little bit messy, too, which is a tailgating rite of passage. 

Recipe: Try our Beer & Pretzels Baked Wings 

Rum & Coke Slushies

Turn the classic rum and coke into an icy cold drink that will quench your thirst on a warm football day. For a picture-perfect drink, add some game-day decor to the straw. 

Recipe: Try our Rum & Coke Slushies

Grilled Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Give potato apps a sweet and savory twist. These call for rosemary, maple syrup, mozzarella, and Parmesan, so you get a a well-balanced and completely addictive dish. 

Recipe: Try our Grilled Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Sloppy Joe Chili Corn Muffins

Another dish that scores points for its easily transportable format, these apps turn corn muffins into a bowl for your game-day chili. No spoons required!

Recipe: Try our Sloppy Joe Chili Corn Muffins

7-Layer Sliders

Seven-layer dip who? We only have eyes for these little burgers stacked high with beans, lettuce, guac, salsa, sour cream, and olives. (Just kidding. We'd definitely eat them with a side of 7-layer dip.) 

Recipe: Try our 7-Layer Sliders

New & Improved England Clam Chowder

Not everything about game day has to be traditional. When the weather gets really cold, serve up this rich, creamy clam chowder. The chunks of potatoes make it feel extra indulgent, and baked garlic chips on top add even more delicious flavor and crunch. 

Recipe: Try our New & Improved England Clam Chowder

Buffalo Potato Wedges with Warm Blue Cheese Dip

Thick potato wedges roasted in a butter-hot sauce mix and dipped into creamy blue cheese sauce are what tailgate dreams are made of. It doesn't hurt that they're super easy to make (and eat!)

Recipe: Try our Buffalo Potato Wedges with Warm Blue Cheese Dip

Rach's Beef 'n' Bean Skillet Macho Nachos

A massive skillet of extra-loaded nachos is the Vince Lombardi Trophy of game-day foods. These are sure to please any crowd, no matter the score of the game. 

Recipe: Try Rachael Ray's Beef 'n' Bean Skillet Macho Nachos