The 11 Most Memorable Super Bowl Food Commercials Of The Past Decade

Ah, the Super Bowl. It's the one night each year that even non-football fans flock to catch the game, or at least gather to watch what happens in between whistles. We're talking about the iconic Super Bowl commercials, those mega-zillion-dollar brand ads that garner nearly as much attention as the game itself. Over the years, Super Bowl food commercials, in particular, have served up a proverbial smorgasbord. Brands have shown both brilliance, and ... well, blah. Some commercials straight-up slayed, hitting their punchlines right on cue, and keeping us laughing well after the 30-second spot ended. But we've also seen some ads that completely fumbled, ending not with laughter, but with awkward silence, and cricket chirps.

We each have our own favorites — ones that just nailed it in such a way that we kept talking about them the next day at the office. Some may still have us chuckling, or at least grinning, when we remember them today. But what is it, exactly, that makes a Super Bowl food commercial come in clutch? It's hard to capture the marketing magic in a one-sentence description, but we all know it when we see it, and feel it instantly: that moment when a commercial connects.

Those are the ads that we're celebrating today. From absolutely unhinged snack humor to plugs for popcorn that were criminally good, these are the Super Bowl food commercials from the last 10 years that still live rent-free in our heads.

Most remember it well: that famous scene from the film "The Seven Year Itch," where Marilyn Monroe — smiling, and giggling coyly — is standing over a subway grate, her white dress billowing wildly, all while camera bulbs flash frantically, and a crowd gawks in awe. When we tuned in to Snickers' 2016 Super Bowl commercial, we got that scene straight away. It was so obvious. It had all the ingredients, but ... something was off. 

We soon realized, like a jarring record scratch, that instead of Marilyn Monroe, it was Willem Dafoe dressed to the nines in the film's classic costume: heels, white dress, even the platinum wig. This Marilyn was decidedly not smiling, nor was there a giggle to be heard. Dafoe's version of Marilyn was tired, and grouchy; everything was annoying. The wind machine was too much, and the pose was uncomfortable. Willem was big mad. 

Once the shock wore off after our initial illusion was shattered (this was no Marilyn Monroe), we recognized the telltale Snickers segue: Willem Defoe was hangry. Enter Snickers to save the day, a crew of workers scrambling to place a miracle candy bar into Dafoe's hungry hand. One mere bite later, angry Dafoe disappeared, replaced by the real Marilyn, smiling coyly as ever. In the commercial, the shoot continues like nothing was ever amiss, and thanks to Snickers, all is right with the world. And, as we all laughed, it really was.

This commercial opens with a problem we all relate to: You're eating your beloved Cheetos, and (of course) your fingers have turned that radioactive, neon orange thanks to the magically delicious cheese dust. That's standard, fam, and it's usually fine. But an issue arises when, suddenly, people around you expect you to do things with your hands.

Office paperwork, helping a friend move, holding babies — these are things that the commercial's protagonist may not want to do, but (presumably) usually does when asked. But now, he's eating Cheetos Popcorn. As the guy in the ad goes through his day, fielding the absolute landmines of babies, and moving parcels, every time someone asks him for help, he simply raises a neon-dusted paw for a self-explanatory hall pass out of whatever fresh hell is presenting itself. This would be hilarious enough, but then MC Hammer joins the mix, delivering his "U Can't Touch This" line — from everywhere. He's popping out of the most random places just to reiterate that, really, this guy cannot "touch this." 

Absolutely 0% of this bizarre commercial was explained, and yet, when it aired, it translated instantly with its audience. The joke landed in every sense, as the ad evoked a universal experience — we've all been there, annoyed that our fingers were turning atomic orange while we enjoyed our snacky snack, forcing us to carefully avoid touching anything — and turned a common reason to not eat Cheetos into a cheeky bonus.

The 2021 Super Bowl commercial for M&M's took a painfully familiar human experience, and made it downright hilarious. It also cemented itself in our brains, becoming part of M&M's history. We brought it to work the next day as we laughed with colleagues about how funny, and ridiculously over-the-top, it was. Then again, it starred Dan Levy, comical genius, so feigned surprise seems silly.

The common human experience in question, of course, was stepping in it; making a social faux pas that sucks us in like quicksand, pulling us down, no matter how hard we try to be cool. When it happens, all we can do is apologize in absolute mortification. The ad leaned into this angst, showing that the brand gets it, and feels our collective pain. It depicted a coworker caught mansplaining, an individual inadvertently Karen-ing an actual Karen, and more, with the offenders not knowing what else to do but — you guessed it — awkwardly apologize with a pack of M&M's.

The ad aired, and was already landing, making us laugh, when that laughter acted as the ideal cue for Dan Levy to appear, casually seated at an outdoor cafe with some M&M's characters. Levy was seen with a reassuring smile on his face, promising not to eat any more M&M's, only to have the camera pan to reveal a few held captive in his car. In short: We all mess up. It'll probably happen again. At least we have good snacks.

Even if you've never seen a single episode of the hit series, "Breaking Bad," the PopCorners 2023 Super Bowl commercial could still work. But for those who did watch the show (hey, fellow superfans), it is even more of a touchdown. 

The commercial opens with the show's iconic RV in the dusty, deserted setting that we all will instantly recognize. Inside the RV are a pair of very serious-looking men, fully decked out in hazmat gear. They're both in awe at the absolutely incredible product they've just made. So, what's the big deal? It feels like we've seen five seasons of that, right? Well, the difference is that these products aren't drugs, but snacks — PopCorners, to be exact. 

It's ridiculous humor crank-ed up to 11, with Bryan Cranston, and Aaron Paul, reprising their roles as if they didn't miss a day in the studio. It has the same clipped dialogue, wacky caricatures, and ... chemistry. The brand even managed to work Tuco (played by Raymond Cruz) into the spot, pushing the ad over the top with his enthusiastic two thumbs up of approval of the ... product. And they nailed it. For those who never watched the show, the commercial took a super serious crime drama setting, and turned it into a funny parody starring pop chips, of all things. And for those of us who did watch the series, the inside jokes, and familiar asides, were "tight, tight, tight!"

Ben Affleck, known Dunkin' lover, and probably a member of the cult of Dunkin', opens this commercial with a lightbulb idea: Dunkin' is so bomb, it deserves its own boy band, and it should be called The DunKings. The moment this "boy band" (using the term very loosely) busts through the doors, we're transported back to the height of the pop culture frenzy, complete with neon tracksuits, cheesy choreography, and a pop song that ... doesn't quite pop. To add to the schtick, Affleck wrangles Matt Damon, and Tom Brady, to join the fray ... ahem, band. The trio crashes a recording studio sesh with J Lo herself, and what ensues is a painfully hilarious death spiral of wickedly horrid (yet enthusiastic) antics as the three "singers" try their best to wow her.

Needless to say, J Lo is not impressed, and the audience that watched it all unfold felt the cringe. What made this ad really land was how these Hollywood stars left their egos at the door, and just ran with it. They were in on the joke, and laughed along. There's something awesome about megastars being able to not take themselves so seriously. Affleck, especially, threw himself into it, poking fun at his highly documented ardor for Dunkin' (remember his "sad" coffee runs?) The ad was priceless, but the most impressive part came when the brand capitalized on its success, dropping an actual Dunkin' DunKings menu, and merch that sold out in a snap.

There are a few movie moments that forever live in our minds, and hearts. They are the ones that made us cry until our tears ran dry, or laugh until our sides hurt. One iconic moment from "When Harry Met Sally" did the latter, and Hellman's 2025 Super Bowl ad recreated the scene — homing in, having fun, and whipping up a condiment commercial with hilarious results.

Hellman's recruited Meg Ryan (who played Sally) and Billy Crystal (Harry) to recreate their iconic "O" scene from the original movie (you know the one), and even took the time to go to the actual deli (Katz's Delicatessen, NYC) where it was filmed to shoot this spot. Everything in the commercial is nearly the same as it is in the movie: Sally is sat across from Harry, not impressed with her lackluster turkey sandwich. But cue the Hellman's, and ... wait for it ... Sally tries her sandwich again, this time finding it orgasmic. Talk about excellent may-O.

The ad was so over-the-top, cringe, and uncomfortable to watch. But as we squirmed, we couldn't help but giggle — just like we did when we saw the original film, and Sally's sensual impression made cinematic history. What really made this commercial version work was how much the brand trusted the audience to get it. There was no fear that the reference might miss us. We caught it, it landed, and (oh!) how we laughed.

Pringles took ridiculousness, and raised the bar for its 2025 Super Bowl commercial featuring actor Adam Brody. The ad opens with Brody just chilling at a Super Bowl party, only to suddenly realize that (gasp) they've run out of Pringles. We can all agree, this is unacceptable. But when most people would simply jump into the car, and head to the nearest supermarket to snag a fresh can to remedy the sitch, Brody takes a decidedly different approach. 

Convinced by the persuasive Pringle's mascot, Brody sends out a distress signal, blowing into the can like its some deserted island conch shell (not kidding). The sound echoes throughout the world, creating a bizarre domino affect as the upper lip muffs of iconically mustached men (Nick Offerman, Andy Reid, James Harden) are seen peeling themselves off those faces, and flying with cans of Pringles to save the day, leaving the men bare-lipped, and incredibly befuddled.

While all this mayhem is happening, an underlying soundtrack of the "Batman" theme song — but replacing that word with "mustache" — only adds to the insanity. The spot was so wild, it may have taken some of us a moment after it was over to realize how much we lowkey loved it. By leaning into its most iconic symbol, Mr. P's trademark 'stache, the brand somehow expertly, and hilariously, caught our collective attention. It made us laugh, and keep us replaying the Pringles spot again, and again, in our heads.

When the fictional DunKings boy band rocked our world in '24, our expectations were set high. The brand, and Ben Affleck, returned with a new Super Bowl ad in 2025 that had the Dunkin'-lovin' movie star back for a boy band battle. This time, he brought the same amount of enthusiasm, but also some new recruits to help him sell the schtick. The campaign's newest installment added Ben's brother Casey to the mix, as well as Jeremy Strong, who played a tongue-in-cheek, super-exaggerated version of himself. (The actor is already known for the intensity he brings IRL to set.) 

Cue the scene, wherein the Afflecks stumble upon Strong fully engrossed in what he calls "The Bean Method" (a nod to both Method acting, and Dunkin'). Strong proceeds to prove his all-in commitment to the latter by dunking his entire body into a barrel of coffee grounds, and it's ... a lot. Ben and Casey are aghast at the over-the-top, off-the-rails lengths that Strong goes to. All the bros really wanted was a rocking bandmate, man.

The funniest part is that Strong completely refuses to break character. He's so committed that not one smile is cracked. The Afflecks banging on in their thick Townie brogue is the icing on the Boston Creme. Suffice it to say, Dunkin' is a genius when it comes to recruiting top-tier Hollywood talent willing to poke fun at themselves with reckless abandon, and even (dare we say it?) undercover glee.

We have all heard the adage, "looks can be deceiving." It definitely tracks with the 2025 Super Bowl commercial for Totino's Pizza Rolls. When the ad first starts to play, it seems almost sentimental, lowkey giving Family Channel vibes. A shot of a group of friends is gathered to say their goodbyes to Chazmo, a lovable, "ET"-like alien who has apparently been living among them. As Chazmo enters the portal that will presumably take him away, and back to his home planet, he clutches a bag of Totino's Pizza Rolls like a good luck chalice, clinging to it as a metaphorical taste of home.

Sounds sweet, right? Not so fast. Out of nowhere, just as Chazmo is turning to wave a final goodbye while boarding the spaceship, the doors shut violently, crushing him like a bug. The kids, naturally, are beside themselves, screaming, and panicking. The adults, though, are comedians Tim Robinson, and Sam Richardson — and they just stand there, unfazed, nonchalantly snacking on their Pizza Rolls. They halfheartedly attempt to justify their subdued reaction while the younger members of the group continue to freak out, and then the screen cuts to a brand image.

Whatever the heck this ad was, it was bizarre, and jarring enough to really catch our attention. We laughed at the dark humor displayed, and definitely kept discussing what we saw during that timeout for days afterward. We are talking about it still, and Chazmo? They're still Chaz-no-mo.

Little Caesars used its 2020 Super Bowl ad spot to take the descriptor, "the best thing since slice bread," and turn it into a wildly unhinged, hilarious promotion. Actor Rainn Wilson helmed the strange ship of this pizza sales pitch, depicted in the ad as the CEO of The Sliced Bread Company. (Sliced loaves are their bread and butter, capisce?)

Understandably, when Wilson's character hears that the old phrase is now being used to describe pizza delivery, thus threatening to take market share away from his business, he simply cannot stand for it. What ensues from this point forward is absolute anarchy. Emergency meetings are convened, desperate attempts for rebrands are unleashed, and exotic animals are sent carousing willy-nilly throughout the premises as a final low point. Wilson, true to the iconic Dwight from "The Office" energy we know and love him for, serves to elevate the chaos with his own chicken-with-its-head-cut-off antics.

This spot was fun to watch, but it was also really smart marketing, as Little Caesars cleverly announced the launch of its new delivery service in a way far more compelling than a boring, old, run-of-the-mill press release. Instead, the brand simply let Wilson do his thing. And in all his unhinged glory, going to town on how Little Caesars' delivery was swooping in to shake things up, it made the pizza chain forever synonymous in our brains with the phrase, "the best thing since sliced bread."

As soon as we heard that Matthew McConaughey would be in Doritos 3D's 2021 Super Bowl commercial, we knew it would be marketing magic. The Hollywood favorite is known for being full of Texas twang, and joie de vivre, so when he showed up in the spot's first frame as flat — literally, as though he were a cardboard cutout — the joke was already up and running.

In the commercial, the notoriously lively McConaughey is anything but as he goes about his day as "Flat Matthew." Clearly, this version of the actor completely lacking in curves is not living his best life. From not being seen at coffee shops, to getting stuck in a vending machine because he is so easily unnoticed, Flat Matthew is decidedly not "alright, alright, alright." The irony is pretty funny in itself. (In what world could Matthew McConaughey ever go incognito in a public place?) But when celebrity cameos by the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, and Mindy Kaling, are added to the mix, it keeps building. 

The point was made clear to audiences: When you're flat, the world treats you like an object, not a star. But right before we start to feel sorry for Flat Matthew, 3D Doritos sweeps in to deliver the actor with a snack sure to fix all. One bite of the puffy, '90s-style snack, and boom — he pops back into full character, and all is right once more. The bottom line: Flat is bad; 3D is good.