Whether you are a fanatical sports fan who loves enjoying games with your friends while making some moves at the main betting sites, or if you begrudgingly got up early to arrive hours before a game, you both probably enjoy tailgating for the delicious food you get to eat.
We have 10 of our favorite tailgating snacks and party ideas below, but first, we wanted to point out some considerations for what makes a food great for tailgating.
For example, chicken parmesan is an incredible dish, but serving it hot and in bulk to people who may be standing outside at 10:00 AM on a 40-degree day may not work out so well.
This is why we like foods that are very portable and easy to transfer from your house or a store to the game venue. We like items that do not take much preparation and can be easily served quickly to a large group of people where the temperature of the food is flexible (not too hot, not too cold).
Finally, let’s not try to make a big mess, so finger foods and things people can eat with their hands are ideal. But always be sure to bring napkins, cups, and plasticware.
Let’s start thinking about food.
Chips and Dip
A classic appetizer for tailgating or any type of party, you can always fill bowls with great potato chips, tortilla chips, or even hard pretzels. But chips alone can be a bit salty and dry, so the real value comes in the options you present for dipping them.
Some great dip choices include:
- Cheese
- French onion
- Ranch
- Salsa
- Jalapeno cheddar
- Guacamole
- Spanish artichoke dip
- Hummus
- Sour cream and onion
- Pico de Gallo (for the tortilla chips)
Tortilla chips sold as scoops are ideal for eating with dip.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
We wanted to highlight a popular dip that you can eat with chips or even scoop into a tortilla shell for a tasty meal. Buffalo chicken dip is best when you make it at home ahead of time, and it does take more prep work than if you just buy a jar of queso or a container of dip from the store. But it is worth it if you want one of the best-tasting dips around.
There are many recipes available online, but here are the general ingredients you will use to make Buffalo Chicken Dip in an oven or crock pot:
- Shredded chicken
- Buffalo sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
Not everyone enjoys Buffalo sauce, but if you do, this is a must-try dip. With the shredded chicken cooked into it, it does make for a good homemade taco/burrito in addition to being good for dipping chips.
Grilled Meats
For more of a main course, it is common to find someone who will bring a grill to the tailgate party. If you know a great grill master, coax them into preparing their best meats while keeping in mind that finger foods work best for tailgating.
Some of the best meats to grill at a game include:
- Hot dogs
- Hamburgers
- Brats
- Sausages
- Kielbasa
- Chicken kebabs
Be sure to bring the buns and some condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.).
Bucket of Chicken Wings
Who doesn’t love chicken wings? A bit on the messier side, depending on how much sauce they’re covered in, you can easily fill your plate with the bones of the wings you ate out of a big bucket. Order them in bulk and it can be a very economical way to feed a lot of people.
There should be plenty of local pizza shops or wing-based restaurants that you can order from, and they always have a wide range of flavors for the wings. Some of my favorites are honey mustard, garlic parmesan, and Buffalo wings. Golden honey mustard is also a great choice as a mixture between BBQ sauce and regular honey mustard or Dijon.
The Sides That Bind Us
If you are having appetizers and meat-filled main courses, you have to have some sides as well, right? The types of sides we eat at holiday gatherings and cookouts work best for tailgates too:
- Macaroni and cheese
- Potato salad (or macaroni salad or egg salad)
- Coleslaw
You can also grill vegetables (bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini) for those looking for a well-rounded meal.
Pigs in a Blanket
This has oddly caught on in America as an appetizer served at tailgating parties. Pigs in a blanket is when you take a small hot dog and place it inside a croissant and bake it. You can also use smoked sausages (smokies) or cocktail weenies. Anything small enough to fit in the croissant. This is obviously prepared hours in advance of the tailgate, but it has become a popular snack food that we tend to associate with attending sports-watching parties.
Who Wants Pizza?
Pizza is not a traditional tailgating food, but for many decades now, it has been the go-to purchase of someone looking to economically feed a ton of people at the same time.
Who doesn’t enjoy pizza? Hand someone a napkin or plate and a slice and they’re good. They can get more if they want later. The nice thing about pizza is the variety, as it would be hard to find someone who doesn’t like any type of pizza.
You can get pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, extra cheese, plain, and many places will sell interesting specialty pizzas. You can get one made with pierogies baked into the cheese, for example.
It’s pizza. Just eat it.
Taco Tuesday, Taco Everyday
About 30 years ago, it felt like if you went to Taco Bell, your taco choices were a hard or soft shell, chicken or beef, and that was it. Today, the taco choices are mind-blowing, and you have people eating shrimp tacos, fish tacos, Korean BBQ tacos, pork carnitas tacos, etc.
If you buy the ingredients for a taco bar, you can let your friends make the taco they want. Choose the type of tortilla shell, the protein, and the toppings (cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.).
Tacos have come a long way from back in the day.
Get Your Beer Here (And Other Drinks)
Like Jules in Pulp Fiction, we are going to be looking for a tasty beverage to wash all this down. You better bring drinks, and someone better bring a cooler to keep them cool for the long day ahead of you.
Beer is obviously the most popular choice for the alcohol-drinking members of a tailgate party. Leave the hard liquor at home – it will be there for you later after your team or parlay loses. Remember to drink responsibly and don’t get wasted before the game even starts.
But for the non-alcoholic crowd, you’ll want to have a good variety of water, sodas, and maybe even energy drinks. You could also prepare a punch bowl before the game and serve that to your friends.
If it’s wintertime, maybe a thermostat for coffee or hot chocolate would work well too. Remember to stay hydrated.
Homemade Rice Krispie Treats
Finally, we need our dessert. Someone could always pick up cookies or cupcakes from a store or make their own at home. But if you are going to go the extra mile and make a dessert for your party, then there is one classic item that tastes great any time of day and goes well with just about any food group.
The homemade Rice Krispie Treats are a great dessert that usually blows away the ones you can get in a box at the store. There’s just an odd, artificial flavor in the boxed ones. But done right at home, a Rice Krispie Treat is a brilliant mix of sugary, marshmallowy goodness. The gooier the better too.
If you’re not hungry yet, then tailgating may not be for you. Enjoy the salad.
