Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 51 Tasty Tailgate Recipes To Make For Game Day Consider this your ultimate tailgate menu. By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on October 22, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham During football season in the South, every good match has an even better tailgate spread that fans look forward to on game day. Over the years, menus have evolved to include wow-worthy recipes that are perfect for serving on any given Saturday. Our impressive roster of crowd-pleasing favorites contains a wide variety of dishes that are guaranteed to be the talk of the tailgate. It's never too early to get to planning so you're sure to score come football season. We've included easy make-ahead recipes, such as our Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls and Muddy Buddy Mix, as well as ready-to-serve dips, including our most popular renditions of spinach dip and gooey Rotel cheese dip. Classic tailgating recipes like deviled eggs and pimiento cheese team up with new players like Bacon-Wrapped Party Poppers and Buffalo Chicken Dip to give your tailgating spread the crowd appeal needed to satisfy a hungry group from one Saturday to the next. Consider this your ultimate tailgate menu. 01 of 51 Ham-And-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin When you need something more substantial than dip to feed your hungry crowd, you can't go wrong here. Southerners will instantly recognize this handheld staple, made with ham, cheese, and Hawaiian rolls. This recipe elevates the basic ham-and-cheese with an amazing homemade béchamel sauce and Gruyère cheese. 02 of 51 Jalapeño Popper Dip Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke This recipe is as good as stuffed jalapeños but packed into a shareable party dip. Though delicious as is, for even more color and texture you can fold in chopped red and yellow bell peppers. If you're busy the day of the tailgate this dip is a great option that can be made ahead of time. 03 of 51 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Game day isn't truly complete without a scrumptious meatball dish on the table. These saucy meatballs slow cook in grape jelly, adding sweetness to the heat and spice of chili sauce and barbecue sauce. Set a container of toothpicks next to the slow cooker and let your guests do the work. 04 of 51 Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen This is hands-down the most crowd-pleasing dip recipe for when you're feeding a group of hungry Southerners. It's melty, creamy, cheesy, chicken-filled, and packed with a kick of Buffalo flavor. Flat pretzel chips or crusty bread make excellent scoops. 05 of 51 Hasselback Sausage Bites Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Southern-favorite Conecuh sausage is turned into bite-sized pieces that are sliced up and fanned out to create extra bites of crispy, juice meat. The tangy dipping sauce puts this special tailgate appetizer over the top. These will be the first to go at the party. 06 of 51 Buffalo Chicken Bites Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke These practically mess-free chicken bites are boneless, letting guests indulge with a fork. If you'll be transporting these chicken bites after cooking, we recommend keeping the chicken and sauce separate until right before serving. For variety, offer a bowl of both ranch and blue cheese dressings on the side. 07 of 51 Baked BLT Dip Skyler Burt Creamy, cheesy, bacony, and oh-so bubbly, this dip will have the whole tailgate doing victory dances. This dip packs an entire pound of bacon, plus cream cheese, Cheddar, sour cream, and mayo. Top with lettuce and cherry tomatoes to make it look just like the sandwich. 08 of 51 Pulled Pork Nachos Antonis Achilleos It's not game day without a huge plate of nachos. Pick up some pulled pork from your favorite barbecue joint to help these nachos come together in just 15 minutes. All you need to do is layer your favorite toppings, bake, and then add any cold ingredients you'd like. 09 of 51 Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner Imagine all the best flavors of Buffalo chicken dip rolled into a delicious and flaky pastry. To make these, you'll need thawed sheets of frozen puff pastry, on which you'll spread the Buffalo chicken filling before rolling them up jelly-roll style. The pinwheels are topped with blue cheese dressing and chopped fresh celery leaves or parsley. 10 of 51 Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls Photography: Caitlin Bensel Food Styling: Ali Ramee Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Did someone say sausage balls? We can hear the people running from other tailgates already. This recipe spices it up a notch with hot pork sausage and pepper Jack cheese, but also makes life easier with Bisquick. 11 of 51 Pizza Pepper Poppers Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christina Daley These bite-sized poppers check off all the boxes: colorful, adorable, and tasty. Use baby bell peppers as the base for cheese and pepperoni to deliver the flavor of pizza in popper form. Garnish with bright green basil. 12 of 51 Buffalo Chicken Sliders Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Prop Styling: Christine Keely You can never go wrong serving up a slider on a Hawaiian sweet roll. This recipe pairs Buffalo chicken filling with fresh, crunchy toppings like lettuce, tomato, red onion, and dill pickles. Stuff them before serving or let your guests choose their toppings. 13 of 51 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Who doesn't love a two-ingredient recipe that's destined to be the hit of the party? As is, this recipe makes 24 crackers, so we recommend doubling (or tripling!) this recipe. The crackers need to bake on low heat for 90 minutes to achieve a nice and crisp bowtie shape. 14 of 51 Spinach-Artichoke Dip Caitlin Bensel Serve this tasty dip with pita chips, radishes, or fresh broccoli for a surefire crowd-pleaser. This recipe is heavier on the artichokes than many, so we used frozen for the best flavor. The leftovers are great on a baked potato or chicken, too. 15 of 51 Sloppy Cola Joe Dogs Melina Hammer Spicy, fruity cola gives the ground beef in this recipe a lively boost of flavor. After cooking, stir in chopped pepperoncini peppers for a spicy crunch. Serve on hoagie rolls with homemade or store-bought cole slaw. 16 of 51 Classic Deviled Eggs Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Simplicity is key in this tasty make-ahead recipe. It comes together with just five ingredients in less than 20 minutes. You'll love the classic flavor, and you can spice things up with a jar of hot sauce. 17 of 51 Brownie Cookies Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Hard choices aren't to be made on game day, so get the best of both worlds with this recipe that combines the sweet outer crunch of a cookie with the rich decadence of a brownie. Oh, and did we mention it all starts with a box of brownie mix? Chill the dough before baking so the cookies stay in cookie form. 18 of 51 Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings Jennifer Causey Cooked low and slow, these tender wings are sure to be a hit at your next tailgate feast. The fragrant, orange-hued rub is predominantly due to paprika, enhanced with a few other spices. It comes from pitmaster Wade Reich of Butts To Go in Alabama, so you know it's good. 19 of 51 Greek Stuffed Peppers Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Regardless of where game day takes you, this delicious dish is easy to grab, go, and serve. These peppers are stuffed with the Mediterranean flavors of onion, tomato, and garlic, then topped with fresh feta and oregano. Feel free to swap ground turkey for beef, or try adding black olives. 20 of 51 Bacon-Pimiento Guacamole Hector Manuel Sanchez In our opinion, the only thing that can make guacamole even better is the addition of pimientos and bacon—but that's just us. Set off this dip's brilliant color by serving it with blue corn tortilla chips. 21 of 51 Sweet-And-Salty Autumn Snack Mix Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs This munch mix is filled with cereal, bite-size pretzels, candy-coated peanut-butter candies, mini marshmallows, and a yummy butter mixture with brown sugar and honey. What can go wrong? Keep it in an airtight container and serve it in waffle cones during the game. 22 of 51 Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs Hector Manuel Sanchez We first debuted this recipe in the '90s, and we're still fans today. Classic deviled eggs get a festive spin from cilantro, serrano peppers, diced green onions, and cheese. Sprinkle on chili powder to taste. 23 of 51 Pepper-Pepper Cheese Dip Coastal Living This delightfully named dip refers to sweet pepper jelly and jalapeño peppers, in case you were wondering. The creamy dip is topped with bacon for a winning combination. You'll find it equally good at room temperature or bubbling hot. 24 of 51 Warm Cheese-And-Spicy Pecan Dip Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox We'll never turn down cheese dip, especially when it comes filled with three types of cheese and topped with spiced nuts. After you make the pecans, the dip comes together quickly and bakes in 15 minutes. Plus, the leftover Spicy Pecans can be put in a bowl for snacking. 25 of 51 Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus Hector Manuel Sanchez Smoked paprika gives all the flavor to this hummus recipe made with black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas. Top with extra olive oil, lemon zest, and paprika for an extra zing and pop of color. Serve with pita chips. 26 of 51 Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Alison Miksch This easy snack is always a crowd-pleaser at a Southern tailgate. Make the nuts in a slow cooker and haul it over to the tailgate to keep the boiled peanuts warm all day. They go down especially well with an ice-cold beer. 27 of 51 Our Favorite Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Need we say more? It's not a Southern daytime party without at least one batch of pimiento cheese. Hot tip: Serve with crackers and a jar of Wickles on the side. 28 of 51 Muddy Buddy Mix Similar to its sweet sibling, puppy chow mix, this recipe gives chocolate and peanut butter lovers the ultimate game-day snack option. Just a handful of ingredients and about 10 minutes, and you're there. We doubled up on the chocolate with an extra dusting of cocoa. 29 of 51 Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip With Country Ham Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Every party needs a spinach dip on the lineup, and this one goes fully Southern with the addition of sweet onions and country ham. Can you say yum? Make it ahead of time and reheat it in a skillet. 30 of 51 Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Southern Living This reader-favorite won in a bake-off between the wives of presidential candidates. Filled with all the most delicious ingredients like chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans, this cookie recipe makes a big enough batch to feed your crowd all day long. 31 of 51 Rotel Sausage Dip Caitlin Bensel We know that you know this dip because it might be the most popular game-day dip of all time. This recipe gives you the perfect ratio of cheese, meat, chiles, and tomatoes, which are all cooked and served warm in your slow cooker. Tortilla scoops will come in handy for this one. 32 of 51 Party Poppers Hector Manuel Sanchez Stuffed with a cream cheese mixture and wrapped in thick-cut bacon, these jalapeño poppers are guaranteed to get the party going. Just make sure to remove the seeds and membranes before you fill your poppers—unless you're looking to heat things up. 33 of 51 Broccoli, Grape, And Pasta Salad Jennifer Davick Say hello to the most popular, swoon-worthy pasta salad around. Everyone loves the simple combination of broccoli, grapes, pecans, and bacon. The result is a perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and crunch. 34 of 51 Pecan-Praline Dip Alison Miksch Who said dips should be exclusively savory? This sweet dip is made with butter, brown sugar, and toasted pecans—plus, vanilla wafers for dipping. You can serve it with green apples as well. 35 of 51 Sweet Heat Hot Dogs Photo: Jennifer Davick It doesn't get any more classic than having a hot dog on game day, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with classic toppings. This recipe gets its signature sweet heat from sweet-hot pickles, a crunchy slaw, and a creamy mayo-chile topping. 36 of 51 Pecan Pie Bars Photo: Helen Norman Serve up fall's favorite pie without any fuss. These chewy, bite-size bars are baked in a casserole dish and require just 20 minutes of prep time. The easy crust is simply patted into place. 37 of 51 Beer-Cheese Fondue Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall We upped the ante on this popular dip by using dry mustard, Gruyère, Cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, and a lager beer. Keep your fondue pot over a Sterno to keep the dip from clumping. Serve with sliced cooked bratwurst for extra fun. 38 of 51 Potato Salad With Sweet Pickles Southern Living Sometimes your sliders need a little something on the side. Much like everyone's beloved old-fashioned potato salad, this recipe gets extra personality for the tailgate from sweet pickles. Only six more ingredients and you're there. 39 of 51 Mini Muffulettas Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Amy Burke You can easily make these mini muffuletta sliders the day before the party. Just assemble, place in zip-top plastic freezer bags, and refrigerate overnight. Store-bought craft paper and simple twine create clever sandwich wrappers. 40 of 51 Smoked-Tomato Salsa Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch What's a party without salsa? If you have a smoker, make yours one to remember. Pair it with our homemade guacamole and warm chips and you're set. 41 of 51 Salted Caramel Popcorn Southern Living Popcorn is an easy snack to bulk up the tailgate table, and this recipe makes it even more exciting with the addition of a sweet coating of salted caramel. Store any extra in an airtight container and save it for movie night. 42 of 51 Baked Goat Cheese Spread With Pepper Jelly Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall There's nothing more Southern than literally anything topped with red pepper jelly—but we can't help but be partial to a melty goat cheese dip. Prepare the goat cheese mixture ahead of time, then pull it from the fridge and bake just before the big game. 43 of 51 Fried Chicken Sliders With Pimiento Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Store-bought chicken fingers and buns make a tasty duo when spread with our quick pimiento cheese recipe. It makes a hearty option for any tailgate. For a special touch, top the sliders with pickled okra. 44 of 51 Corn And Jalapeño Dip Hector Manuel Sanchez Let your slow cooker be the star of the tailgate by filling it with this creamy corn dip. Simply stir together seven ingredients and cook, then top with crumbled bacon and scallions. Tortilla chips will do, but extra-salty corn chips are even better. 45 of 51 Texas Caviar Southern Living Texas caviar has been a hit at dinner parties since the 1950s. Something like tangy salsa, the veggies are dressed with a bottle of Italian dressing. We like adding green tomatoes for their bright, citrusy flavor. 46 of 51 Bacon Wrapped Smokies Micah A. Leal No tailgate is complete without smokies on the menu. But these are not your average mini hot dogs, since the bacon gets coated in a mixture of brown sugar, honey, and garlic powder. This caramelized, salty snack can be popped into your mouth plain or dipped in sauce. 47 of 51 Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer If you thought this was another Buffalo chicken wing recipe, you'd be wrong. These Southern-style wings are coated in a sticky sweet glaze thanks to pepper jelly. Pop these wings in the oven and get all the flavor with way less hassle. 48 of 51 Philly Cheesesteak Dip Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Enjoy everything you love about the classic sandwich, without the bun. This cheesy, meaty party dip is started on the stove and finished in the oven. There's no such thing as too much cheese, so we've doubled up with melted provolone slices over top. 49 of 51 Skillet Beer-Cheese Dip With Pretzel Bites Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Does this look like a game-day dip or what? Baked pretzel bites nestle in beer cheese made with sharp Cheddar and creamy Havarti. Serve extra pretzels on the side. 50 of 51 Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This no-fuss dessert has a crust of graham cracker crumbs and crushed pretzels. That's topped with layers of cheesecake batter, apples tossed in cinnamon and sugar, and a crunchy oat mixture. The bars become downright decadent when you drizzle caramel sauce over top. 51 of 51 Slow-Cooker Beef Sliders With Pickled Peppers Hector Sanchez Slow-cooked chuck roast and horseradish are a match made in heaven. You can turn that slow cooker on the night before game day to make sure these pickled pepper-topped puppies are ready to be toted over to the tailgate. Keep the beef warm in your slow cooker for the duration of the party. Frequently Asked Questions How do you pack food for a tailgate party? Depending on your tailgate set-up, bring warming trays or coolers to keep foods are the correct temperature. Prepare most food items before arriving at your tailgating location, and do not leave food exposed for more than a few hours to avoid contamination and disease. What additional items should you bring to a tailgate? To complete the tailgating experience, remember to bring or assign someone to get things like plates, cups, drinks, ice, and towels. Using food-safe gloves for handling raw meat is a good idea when serving meat products. Also, consider bringing tables and chairs. Best Portable Tailgate Grills That Cook For A Crowd Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit