Tips for making a killer Super Bowl food spread

What do you need to serve and prepare food for a Super Bowl party?

Super Bowl Sunday is an exciting day. It brings fans across the country together as they cheer on America’s top two football teams. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, hosting a Super Bowl party is a great opportunity to enjoy the big game with friends and family.

The foundation of every successful Super Bowl party is the refreshments. Sure, you’ll likely have plenty of beer on hand, but in the end, it’s all about the food. As you sit down to plan out your own Super Bowl food offerings, it can help to have a few basics in mind. Thankfully, you don’t need to be a skilled chef to pull off a great party.

Shop this article: GoWise 7-Quart Electric Air Fryer, Breville Smart Oven Toaster Oven and Aichoof Colorful Taco Holder Stands Set of 6

Super Bowl party food ideas

• Beef sliders. Mini hamburgers are great for snacking on. If you want to take things up a notch, consider offering a variety of options, such as mushroom and bacon cheeseburgers.

• DIY taco bar. Some assembly required on this option. Cook up a generous batch of seasoned steak, chicken and pork, along with some tofu for your vegetarian friends. Guests just choose their shells, filling and toppings and enjoy! You’ll want to get some taco holders for serving.

• Dips. Dips are a huge part of any Super Bowl watch party. You can buy premixed dips at the grocery store, as well as jarred queso and salsas. If you get a slow cooker, you can even make these dips yourself.

• Pizzas. For this, you’ll need a toaster oven or pizza oven. If you’re lucky enough to have one, this is a great way to make delicious snacks. They’re more affordable than you think,too.

• Chicken wings. Chicken wings are a staple of Super Bowl parties everywhere. Take it up a notch with gourmet sriracha or honey barbecue wings, garnished with chives. Using an air fryer will get them nice and crispy while cutting down on cooking time.

• Chocolate-dipped fruit. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and fruit, whether you buy it pre-dipped or purchase separate dipping sauces. For extra fun, consider investing in a chocolate fountain. Everyone will have a blast, and preparation is simply a matter of melting chocolate and setting out some fruit.

• Deli and veggie trays. Grocery stores often have prepared deli trays you can order for large groups. It will likely even include dip.

• Cocktail shrimp. Cocktail shrimp is all in the sauce. You can make your own or buy it premade. Just add some cooked shrimp, preferably deveined without shells, set up and serve.
• Fries. Consider serving regular french fries with ketchup and mayo, sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo or both.
• Jalapeno poppers. These babies go well with ranch dressing, which tones down the spice.
• Fried pickles.  Another fan-favorite bar/party food — ranch dressing and blue cheese pair well with fried pickles.
• Meatballs. Who doesn’t love a good meatball? Barbecue and Swedish meatballs are good options that you can make in a slow cooker.
• Buffalo cauliflower bites. These appetizers are both delicious and healthy. Use a food processor if you don’t feel like cutting up all the cauliflower.

Preparing the spread

Once you have all your food lined up, it’s time to think about your Super Bowl party decorations for game day. Little touches like tablecloths and banners can go a long way toward setting the mood. Rather than buying individual decorations, you can also go with party supply sets.

A large part of the experience will be the food presentation. Set up your table to be attractive and festive, but also keep it as easy as possible for party guests to load up their plates and rush to the TV. If you plan to be glued to the TV as soon as kickoff happens, have a way to keep your food warm and accessible for those guests who want to go back for seconds.

Your Super Bowl shopping list

The exact items will depend on the types of foods you’re making, but here are a few essentials you’ll likely need, no matter what you’re serving.

• Themed tableware. In addition to a tablecloth, pick up paper plates, napkins and cups with a football theme.

• Serving bowls. Take inventory of your kitchen and make sure you have serving bowls and utensils so you can purchase what you need in advance, if need be. 

• Condiments. No matter what you’re serving, you’ll need condiments. In addition to basics like ketchup and mustard, include ranch and blue cheese dressings for dips, if you plan to use them.

• Drinks and ice. Your guests will forgive plenty, as long as they have cold beverages to drink. Make sure you have ample beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and ice to keep them cool.

Best Super Bowl food essentials

For cooking

GoWise 7-Quart Electric Air Fryer

This large air fryer cooks crispy chicken wings, fries, jalapeno poppers, fried pickles and other Super Bowl foods for a crowd. The versatile device offers eight functions, including air fry, roast, broil, dehydrate, grill, bake, reheat and keep warm, all controlled on a sleek digital touchscreen. It has a spacious 7-quart capacity and three stackable racks for cooking multiple foods at once.

Breville Smart Oven Toaster Oven

This toaster oven is one of the best you can buy, with nine cooking functions: toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, reheat and warm. The 0.8-cubic-foot capacity accommodates a 13-inch pizza. It comes with a baking pan, a broiling rack and a nonstick pizza pan. This Breville oven is perfect for making football-themed cookies, bagel bites and Super Bowl foods.

Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven

The Ooni pizza oven is at the top of its class. This outdoor pizza oven accommodates wood pellets for an authentic smoky taste. It cooks pizza efficiently in 60 seconds, making it ideal for high-volume cooking. Plus, at 22 pounds, it’s easy to move around. 

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

The classic Crock-Pot never gets old — they just keep getting better. This 6-quart model serves seven or more people. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it appliance that can be programmed to cook between 30 minutes to 20 hours. Use this trusty device to make dips, chilli, shredded pork, gooey mac and cheese and more.

Cuisinart Food Processor 14-Cup Vegetable Chopper

This 14-cup food processor can mince, dice, shred and puree a variety of foods, in addition to kneading dough. The components are easy to clean and can be tossed in the dishwasher. Use it to make guacamole, salsa, cauliflower bites and more.

Nostalgia Four-Tier Electric Chocolate Fondue Fountain

This fondue fountain isn’t just for melted chocolate — it’s also great for cheese, queso, barbecue sauces and liqueur dips. It’s made of durable stainless steel that’s easy to clean.

For serving

Dowan Serving Bowls

These 2.8-quart bowls are perfect for serving chips, popcorn, chicken wings, fries and other party foods. The ceramic bowls are conveniently stackable, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. 

Plasticpro Square Serving Bowls

Use this cost-effective set of mini serving bowls for dips, queso, salsa and the like. They come in sets of four in five different sizes.

Plasticpro Sectional Round Plastic Serving Tray/Platter Set of 6

This affordable set of plastic serving trays contains six divided sections, including a round center container for storing dip, salsa, or shrimp cocktail sauce. 

Aichoof Colorful Taco Holder Stands Set of 6

This party set comes with six holders that accommodate three tacos each. They’re microwave- and dishwasher-safe and come in a variety of fun colors.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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