Whether you’re a die-hard football fan or simply looking for an excuse to “scoop and score” a boatload of tortilla chips and salsa, we can all agree that the snacks are as important as the game itself. Here, 25 make-ahead tailgate foods that will make you the star of the parking lot (or your backyard or, fine, your living room)—from slow cooker buffalo chicken dip to dill pickle snack mix, they’re all easy to prep in advance so you can enjoy a chilly one before you cheer on your team.
25 Make-Ahead Tailgate Foods to Serve Before the Game
Make your tailgate tail…great
•
Published Aug 20, 2024
Digital Art by Katherine Gillen
1. Italian Deli Pinwheel Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, make ahead
- Serves: 6
Perfectly portable, perfectly shareable. Make ’em ahead and stash the batch in the fridge or your cooler before you head out for the game. Want to switch it up? You could try spinach in place of the kale, and any combination of deli meats and cheese.
2. 7-Layer Dip
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
- Serves: 10
Let’s get this fiesta started (but don’t forget the chips). You can make this tailgate food favorite up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerate it until ready to serve.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 6
Watermelon in a salsa? It’s refreshingly tart-sweet and utterly crowd-pleasing, plus it’s *technically* still summer for the first few weeks of football season. Feel free to adjust the heat to taste, using more or less jalapeño—or even omitting the cayenne entirely.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
This creamy dip is all dressed up and ready for fall, from the orange color to the slightly sweet flavor. Try dipping pita chips, tortilla chips or crackers—I like something whole wheat.
- Time Commitment: 43 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 12
Balancing the salty snacks with something sweet is essential, even for a tailgate. Imagine if Reese’s peanut butter cups and Krackel chocolate bars got married and had a baby. Delicious, right?
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
- Serves: 8
It’s your favorite snack, just a little more elevated since it swaps the usual soup mix for actual caramelized onions. Pack it in your cooler or stash it in the fridge until you’re ready to dig in.
8. Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 16
It wouldn’t be a proper tailgate without this crowd-pleasing party dip in attendance. The blue cheese is optional, but the celery, carrot sticks and potato chips are a must (in my humble opinion).
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
- Serves: 12
Since I consider pickle-flavored potato chips among the best, I couldn’t resist putting a dilly spin on another beloved treat. Your tailgaters won’t know what’s coming.
- Time Commitment: 23 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 12
They’re like portable, bite-size charcuterie boards. I’ll never get tired of frozen puff pastry apps, since they’re both easy to make and pack for the road.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, make ahead
- Serves: Makes about 60 crackers
Sure, you could crack open a store-bought box and call it a day…but this tailgate deserves something special. (Besides, the homemade version requires just seven ingredients and 35 minutes to make.)
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 4 to 6
The easiest way to feed a hungry crowd. As written, the recipe features some crowd-pleasing toppings (like salami and provolone), but you can remix it all to suit your tastes.
13. Buffalo Chicken Wraps with Blue Cheese and Celery
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead
- Serves: 4
FYI, these wraps (which start with leftover rotisserie chicken) are just as tasty when served cold as they are warm. Use mini tortillas if you prefer to make them finger food–size.
14. Spicy Slow Cooker Green Chicken Chili
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6 to 8
Slow cookers are great for making big batches of food ahead of time, and they have the added benefit of keeping it warm while your guests arrive. This hearty, spicy soup requires just 15 minutes of prep time, and can even be frozen if you want to really make it ahead.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
- Serves: 6 to 8
Fact: You can never have too many of these spicy bites on hand. To keep them warm while people fill up their plates, place the entire batch in your slow cooker on low heat.
16. 15-Minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 8
Once again, rotisserie chicken saves the day. How else would you get a whole batch of sliders on the table in just 15 minutes? If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, try my favorite swap: ranch dressing.
17. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 16
No tailgate is complete without a little dessert, especially if it’s portable and crowd-pleasing. You don’t even have to turn on the oven to make these bars, which are salty, sweet, crunchy and smooth in all the right ways.
- Time Commitment: 48 hours (includes chilling time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Pickling is a great way to preserve your produce and transform it into a new easy snack. These Kirby cucumbers turn mouth-puckering after two days in a vinegary brine. They'll also keep for up to two weeks. Pickleback shots, anyone?
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
- Serves: 12
You know that nuts are a healthy, easy snack, but they can also be admittedly kind of boring. Dress them up with flaky salt, dry seasonings and fresh herbs to take them out of womp-womp territory.
20. Pimento Cheese
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, no cook
- Serves: 8 to 10
This Southern specialty is equally tasty on celery sticks, crackers, potato chips or even pork rinds. It’s tempting to shortcut, but try to avoid pre-shredded cheese here, since it contains anti-clumping additives that will affect the creamy texture you’re after.
21. Lunch Kebabs with Mortadella, Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Like a sandwich on a stick. Layer your favorite deli meats and veggies (like mortadella and artichoke hearts for lots of flavor) between mini slices of bread. Next, watch your tailgate guests gobble them up.
22. Bacon Guacamole
- Time Commitment: 22 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 4
Bacon guacamole: The concept sounds simple enough (and maybe even sacrilegious), but don’t underestimate its salty, savory and downright obsession-worthy flavor. You might want to make a double batch. (Psst: Place plastic wrap on the surface to keep it from browning in the fridge.
23. Rainbow Collard Wraps with Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, make ahead
- Serves: 4
Hosting hack: Assemble these up to two days in advance and keep them in the fridge until game day. Use tamari instead of soy sauce in the dip to make the whole thing gluten free.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <15 minutes, no cook
- Serves: 8
This simple, make-ahead dip combines the best parts of guacamole and hummus into one creamy concoction. You can make it up to three hours ahead of the party, just store it tightly covered in the fridge or cooler to prevent browning.
25. Easy Homemade Potato Chips
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 4 to 6
Consider this the answer to the question, “what will I serve with all these dips?” Sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning, the store-bought kind don’t stand a chance.
