Need some gameday hosting inspiration and help? We’ve got you covered with an easy and delicious menu, complete with savory dishes, sweet treats and drinks to serve to a crowd. Mix and match recipes depending on your personal tastes and those of your guests for a good time!
Host a gameday party like a pro!
Entertaining can be stressful, but there’s something so fulfilling about it.
You can also host parties and gatherings like a pro with a few quick tips and tricks, like…
Set the time and date for your gameday gathering, and invite your friends.
Once you have a guest list and a decent idea of who’s going to attend, make your menu. Focus on serving foods that are easily made in advance so that you don’t have a ton of cooking that needs doing while your guests are arriving or at your house.
To help you out, I’ve compiled a fabulous gameday menu especially for you below.
Depending on your number of guests, you can mix and match these recipes to your tastes. Just be sure to have a variety (and also be aware of guests’ food sensitivities and allergies) to keep guests fed and happy throughout the game.
What do you normally keep on your menu for a gameday like this? Is it similar to mine?
Savory Gameday Dishes
Every sports-related party needs some SAVORY finger foods, as well as a dish that's a little heartier to feed to guests. Below are some of my favorite gameday appetizers, as well as gameday dinner options, too.
1
Caramelized Onion Guacamole
Get the party started with some GUACAMOLE! It's hard to beat this classic party dip, and we love this rendition because of the unique onions added to it. Whenever we hosts friends, this appetizer is the first to be gobbled up. Every time.
Homemade queso is where it's at for gameday! This recipe can be made in a skillet and is loaded, meaning it incorporates ground beef, avocado AND sour cream! Keep it warm in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot, and let guests scoop as little or as much as they'd like onto their plates.
This twist on a classic bruschetta is a cross between appetizer and main dish. Containing all the ingredients of the classic BLT sandwich, including a sauce, this hand-held recipe is utterly delicious and perfect for a gameday gathering.
Another appetizer-turned-main dish, these Pepperoni Pizza Rolls feed a crowd and are the perfect football-viewing food! Easily hand held and dipped, there's not much NOT to love about these beauties. They're easy to make, too, with store-bought pizza dough and very few ingredients.
Let TEXAS CHILI be the star of the show at your gameday party! Spicy and chock full of meat, this authentic beanless chili serves a crowd and can be dressed up however your guests like theirs. I recommend making this a day in advance so you don't have to fret about cooking it the day of, and just warm it up on the stovetop before guests arrive.
Wings are FABULOUS for gameday because they can be a main dish or an appetizer, just depending on what else you're serving and what your people enjoy eating! These classic wings, flavored with LEMON PEPPER, are scrumptious and won't last long at your gathering.
Every gameday gathering needs dessert, too! Below are some of our favorite bar desserts (because they're easy to make in advance) and other sweet treats that guests will have a hard time turning down! The thing to keep in mind about gameday desserts is that they need to be handheld without being too messy. And all of these recipes fit the bill!
7
Bourbon Pecan Brownies
Bourbon and pecan ANYTHING makes me so happy, and when paired with chocolate, these flavors just sing. These brownies are well-loved by friends and family, so much that I've been told by family members that these are the only thing I ever need to bring to their house for any gathering.
Another perennial classic at our house, these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are the classic cookie made into bar form! They never last long, and guests are always going back for seconds and thirds because the flavors are spot on. And who can resist Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars? I mean… really?
These Brazilian Fudge Balls are a fun, bite-sized treat for guests to enjoy at a gameday gathering! Coat the fudge balls in classic chocolate sprinkles or add colored sprinkles for your favorite team to add some flair/
Not a fan of chocolate? These decadent Bacon Pretzel Peanut Butter Bars (with BOURBON!) marry sweet, salty and savory flavors. We made these for last year's gathering, and they were gone pretty quick since peanut butter, pretzels, bacon and bourbon together are an awesome combo.
A cross between a cheesecake and a brownie, Ooey Gooey Bars are delightful and decadent! With just a few ingredients and the ability to make them in advance, these desserts are to-die-for delicious. A friend of mine once nicknamed these "Crack Brownies" because they're hard to stop eating… and they always make a splash at a gathering.
These classic Oatmeal, Chocolate and Caramel Bars marry three different flavors beautifully and are oh-so-decadently delicious! What's not to love about this combination? You can make 'em in advance, too, and cut them as large or small as you'd like…
Because every gameday gathering needs a drink or two for guests to sip as their teams play!
13
Meyer Lemon Shandies
We love a good beer for a football game! If you're into cocktails, this BEER COCKTAIL is the direction to go! Calling for seasonal ingredients and a more fruit-forward beer, it's delicious for sipping all game long.
If you're in the market for a pitcher drink, look no farther than this wintery sangria recipe! Make it the night before for optimal infusion time, and enjoy watching guests sip throughout the event!
Another pitcher drink, this Rosé Sangria brings some different flavors than the Cranberry Sangria. Make it the night before for the flavors to infuse, and double the batch if you're hosting a crowd! This is the type of drink you don't want to run out of.
Looking for a soothing, warm drink to serve to guests? Mix up a batch of Vanilla Hot Chocolate! Perfect for both kids and adults, it's hard not to love a homemade Hot Chocolate, especially since this one has a vanilla-y twist.
This non-alcoholic Wassail is another warm, comforting drink everyone can enjoy! While it's traditionally served during the holidays, I don't see anything wrong with it being a centerpiece at a gameday party. How could it not be loved with these ingredients?
This menu for an easy Football Gameday Menu was originally published on February 1, 2013. The text and menu were updated on January 22, 2020.
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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8 Comments
That guacamole looks amazing! And those ooey gooey bars…yum!
I’m making buffalo chicken dip for a friend’s Super Bowl party!
We are hosting our annual Super Bowl party and we always have a food theme – this year its cooking/baking with alcohol/beer! I can’t wait to see all the food/recipes. And I may add your Bloody Beer to the list!
I LOVE that y’all have a food theme for your Super Bowl party. LOVE. I cannot wait to hear how it goes… and if you try the Bloody Beer, let me know. It has become one of my favorite tailgating drinks because it’s super easy and tasty.
Um I’ll have one of everything. Normally when I’m invited to a Superbowl party I make my Game Day Chicken Quesadilla’s. Buttermilk and beer marinated chicken, onions, peppers, olives, jalepenos, cumin, cinnamon, cilantro, cheese… Health food.
That guacamole looks amazing! And those ooey gooey bars…yum!
I’m making buffalo chicken dip for a friend’s Super Bowl party!
Thanks, Holly! They’re both pretty delicious… but I might be a bit biased.
And your buffalo chicken dip sounds good! How do you make it?
We are hosting our annual Super Bowl party and we always have a food theme – this year its cooking/baking with alcohol/beer! I can’t wait to see all the food/recipes. And I may add your Bloody Beer to the list!
I LOVE that y’all have a food theme for your Super Bowl party. LOVE. I cannot wait to hear how it goes… and if you try the Bloody Beer, let me know. It has become one of my favorite tailgating drinks because it’s super easy and tasty.
Um I’ll have one of everything. Normally when I’m invited to a Superbowl party I make my Game Day Chicken Quesadilla’s. Buttermilk and beer marinated chicken, onions, peppers, olives, jalepenos, cumin, cinnamon, cilantro, cheese… Health food.
Haha, that can totally be arranged. And your health food sounds EXACTLY LIKE my kind of health food. 😉
Will you be making your Game Day Chicken Quesadillas on Sunday?
Now that’s an interesting take on GUAC! Must try it out. I wanted to make some fun eats for Super Bowl but instead went out for sushi heh 🙂
I definitely recommend checking it out. I absolutely LOVE the onions in it! What kind of sushi did y’all have last night? That sounds delightful, too!