12 Game Day Appetizer Ideas For A Tasty Touchdown

Hosting friends or family for a football game to cheer on your favorite team is a great excuse for a casual gathering and some tasty snacks. In fact, for some of us, it's mostly about the snacks. This is the time to try out that new air-fryer recipe you've been eyeing or that dreamy, cheesy dip that looks completely crushable. There's no need to get fancy or create stress with a game day menu. We've put together an easy selection of options that are sure to be crowdpleasers.

Just mix and match three or four of these recipes, have friends bring their favorite drink, and enjoy watching your team crush their rival. We recommend mixing things up with a dip, something crunchy or crispy, and a little something sweet. Here you'll find recipes perfect for a last-minute invite or a watch party, that you can plan and prep a few days in advance. Whether you're in it for the sport or the snacks, make game day easy with these 12 appetizers.

This air-fried tofu is an excellent vegetarian option for a game-day snack. You get a crispy fried exterior with soft tofu on the inside, all coated in a tangy lemon pepper butter. By microwaving the tofu before air-frying, you cook out excess moisture without the need to plan ahead and press the tofu for an hour before cooking. This recipe is simple, quick, and doesn't leave you standing over a vat of fryer oil right before your guests arrive. 

Recipe: Lemon Pepper Tofu

For a satisfying spread, you'll need to mix textures as well as salty and sweet flavors. This Chex mix takes care of all that in one snack, which can even be made the day before the game. For this recipe, you'll make a sweet and spiced syrup to pour over cereal, pretzels, and nuts, then bake. Once that mixture is cooled, you can tailor it to your taste or theme. Go sweeter by mixing in chocolate chips and raisins, or savory with cheese crackers and spicy nuts.

Recipe: Homemade Autumn Harvest Chex Mix

If you're watching football, you have to have dip. That's why there are several recipes in this list dedicated to dipping and dunking. This one requires very few ingredients, including cream cheese, cheddar cheese spread, beer, ranch seasoning, and grated cheddar. Because this dip is served cold, it can be made ahead of time and hang out in your fridge until kickoff. In fact, the longer it rests in the fridge, the more the ingredients will meld and create a deliciously flavored beer cheese. Try serving with soft pretzel bites and carrots for contrasting textures.

Recipe: Easy Double Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip

If you love a gooey queso but are looking for a fun new take, look no further than this bulgogi queso dip. It has the slightly sweet umami of Korean BBQ with a little heat from green chilis. Building that deep savory flavor is made easy by sauteing onion, garlic, and ground beef, then adding store-bought Korean BBQ sauce. Make sure to follow recipe writer Dennis Lee's tips to grate your own cheese. This will provide the melty queso consistency your guests will be looking for. You could even serve kimchi alongside for a fresh, tangy bite to balance all the cheese.

Recipe: K-Town Bulgogi Queso Dip

A sweet dip is a great way to balance all the savory snacks you have for game day. This sweet buckeye dip will have Ohio State fans going back for more with its smooth peanut butter layer similar to peanut butter pie, topped with chocolate and a garnish of sea salt. Serve with graham crackers and pretzels or go crazy and throw some strawberries and apples on the platter too. Think fondue, but without all the special equipment.

Recipe: Sweet Buckeye Dip

Buffalo chicken dip is a classic football party appetizer. Some may argue it is nonnegotiable when it comes to your game-day spread. This recipe makes use of store-bought rotisserie chicken to make the prep work easier, along with Boursin cheese for a rich herby topping that will surprise and delight your friends. Serve hot with tortilla chips and celery sticks, and it will likely be devoured before half-time. Have leftover rotisserie chicken? Use it to make BBQ chicken quesadillas.

Recipe: Rotisserie Buffalo Chicken Dip

Quesadillas are an easy way to use what's in your fridge. This recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, peppers, and onions. If you're planning a gathering and are short on ingredients, use the same method with whatever you have on hand. Deli meats can work in place of chicken, and jarred jalapeños or pickles can work for vegetables. The one thing you can't skip is the cheese. Use any melty cheese you have on hand. Be sure to serve the quesadillas with sauce; BBQ is great, but ranch or honey mustard work well too.

Recipes: BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

Here is a different take on nachos that are perfect for game-day hosting. First, you make a simple sloppy joe mixture with ground beef. Then you'll make an easy nacho cheese and pour both over tortilla chips. Garnish with chopped jalapeños and onions and you have an easy and satisfying appetizer. Both the meat and cheese sauce could be made ahead and reheated for game time, making entertaining that much easier.

Recipe: Sweet and Savory Sloppy Joe Nachos

Wings are the hit of any football party spread. If you'd like to avoid the mess of frying, try this air-fryer method for easy crispy wings that can be doused in your favorite sauce. To achieve that crispy skin, make sure the wings are completely dry before they go in the air-fryer. Then fry at a lower temperature for 24 minutes and kick the heat up to high for the last five minutes of cook time. This allows the fat to render and crisp the chicken skin. Toss in your favorite Buffalo sauce and serve with a homemade blue cheese dressing.

Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Taking a little extra time to make blue cheese dressing at home will impress your friends and kick your wing game up higher than a field goal. This dressing is perfect for dipping wings and vegetables or stirring into your Buffalo chicken dip. You may find your guests dipping just about anything in it. Make the dressing ahead and store it in the fridge to allow the flavors to develop.

Recipe: Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

This recipe utilizes three store-bought ingredients to create something that is more than the sum of its parts with little time and effort. Using premade crescent dough, encase a wheel of brie cheese topped with jam. When cooked, the brie will get nice and melty, and guests can cut off a piece of buttery pastry with gooey cheese and a touch of sweetness from the jam. If you prefer something more savory, try using pepper jelly instead of apricot jam.

Recipe: Brie En Croute with Apricot Jam

For a final sweet bite, make these chocolate covered dates that taste like a Snickers bar. This no-bake dessert involves filling Medjool dates with marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and chopped peanuts, then coating them with chocolate for a single delicious bite. These couldn't be easier, and they offer a nice foil to all that cheesy goodness you have in the rest of your appetizers. Here's hoping the game ends on a sweet note as well.

Recipe: Snickers Style Chocolate Covered Dates