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Super Bowl Sunday means Super Bowl snacks. And yes, they do require a special label, because these aren’t regular snacks. They’re the kinds of snacks you should have on offer for the big game: properly indulgent party foods that are generally crunchy and salty, maybe beefy or cheesy or sweet and chocolaty, and require only your fingers to consume.
Below, you’ll find our best Super Bowl snacks, so you can score—wait, never mind, we’re not gonna make some corny touchdown joke. Just serve a handful of these easy snacks, and you’ll have the best Super Bowl spread in town—maybe even on Instagram.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Liberty Fennell, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Hot Pickle and Cheese Cracker Dip
There will be many dip recipes on this list of Super Bowl snacks, of course, but we begin with one that takes less than 30 minutes to make and is topped with crushed Cheez-It crackers. In other words, we think its number one spot is justified.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness
Beef Picadillo Puffy Tacos
The puffy taco occupies an ideal middle ground between the hard-shell taco and the soft taco. The outside is delicate and crispy, dotted with hot bubbles of air that form in the fryer; the inside is juicy and dense.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Emma Ringness
Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Pancakes)
This classic anju, or Korean drinking snack, is often enjoyed with makgeolli (rice beer). Its popularity is thanks to two very good reasons: golden, crispy edges and the scallion dipping sauce.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Creamy Giardiniera Dip
Your food processor does all the work and the ingredient list is wildly short: just cream cheese, sour cream, giardiniera, and Parmesan. Serve with Triscuits and celery sticks, then wait for everyone to ask for the recipe before they leave. (You’ll see.)
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon
Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
The batter for this large-format dreamboat of a cookie (crunchy on the edges, chewy in the middle) is made in one bowl with no special equipment and can be baked in either a cast-iron or large skillet.
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Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Adriana Paschen, prop styling by Ceci Garcia
Radishes With Sesame Yogurt
One of our favorite finger foods is a plate of plain old radishes, halved, and a semi-homemade sauce that contains six ingredients: Greek yogurt, toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil, chopped dill, and salt and pepper.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Spam and Brie Bites
This one goes out to the sophisticated Super Bowl party folks. You know, the kind who offer martinis instead of beer and serve their snacks skewered on cocktail picks.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness
Cornmeal-Crusted Sweet Potato Wedges
Thanks to a clever coating of nutritional yeast, cornmeal, and spices, these baked sweet potato wedges are actually crunchy. Serve them with a mixture of mayonnaise and malt or sherry vinegar.
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Photograph by Clay Williams, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon
Seeni Sambol Grilled Cheese Rolls
Sweet, fluffy Hawaiian rolls layered with melted cheese and spicy-sweet seeni sambol, which is a Sri Lankan condiment of caramelized onions, make for a crowd-pleasing snack.
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Photograph by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Marc Williams, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
Actually-Crispy Zucchini Fries With Herby Yogurt Dip
These Parmesan-crusted wedges skip the deep fryer without compromising crunch thanks to a cup and a half of panko. Be prepared: They’ll all be gone well before halftime.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua
Classic Cheese Ball
Making a cheese ball could not be easier. At the very least it requires a combination of firm and soft cheeses—in this case, cheddar and cream cheese—seasoning, and something to coat and garnish it with after it has been formed.
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Photograph by Scott Semler, food styling by Mieko Takahashi, prop styling by Emma Ringness
Sprite-Grilled Chicken Skewers
Sprite—yes, the lemon-lime soda—tenderizes chicken along with fish sauce, garlic, and Thai chili sauce. Once marinated, the chunks of meat get skewered and grilled. Finally, they’re drizzled with a sauce of lime juice, cilantro, and more Thai chile and fish sauce. That’s a lot of flavor!
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling Micah Marie Morton
Falafel
Falafel are an ideal vegetarian meatball alternative. All you need are toothpicks and some spiced green tahini sauce for dunking.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart
Classic Pigs in a Blanket
You need four ingredients for this Super Bowl food: a can of refrigerated crescent rolls, a package of smoked cocktail sausages or franks, one egg for brushing the dough, and Dijon mustard for serving. Want to up the ante? Go Chicago-style.
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Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D’mytrek Brown
Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza
Characterized by its rectangular shape with crunchy caramelized-cheese-coated edge, Detroit-style pizza is built with a focaccia-esque crust that’s usually lined first with “toppings,” then cheese, followed by streaks of sauce.
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Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
Hot-and-Sour Fruit Salad
If you have access to warm-weather produce this time of year, a savory fruit salad is nice to have on the table. It balances some of the fattier dishes we imagine your guests will be expecting, and you can say you made your own hot sauce for it (because you did).
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Pork Adobo Pull-Apart Sliders
This one’s a slow cooker—you’ll need about two hours for the braising step alone—so plan accordingly. If you prefer beef to pork, try these Juicy Lucy Sliders.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro
Marinated Mozzarella and Peppadew Peppers
You can make these marinated mozzarella balls at the last minute or up to two days in advance. It’s the perfect party appetizer to pair with an antipasto platter or charcuterie board.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Christina Allen
Gluten-Free Focaccia With Rosemary and Onion
…and if you’re going to have antipasto and charcuterie and the like, you’ll need some bread, no? This gluten-free focaccia rivals our wildly popular recipe for no-knead focaccia.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Bright and Spicy Smoked Salmon Dip
Mashed with punchy mix-ins like cornichons, lemon zest and juice, and sambal oelek, oil-packed smoked salmon becomes a superb party dip (or an excellent schmear for bagels in the morning).
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Photograph by Clay Williams, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon
Curried Sweet Chili Ribs
This Super Bowl snack recipe will teach you a foolproof, hands-off rib-cooking technique that ensures remarkable tenderness and crowd-pleasing flavor (curry powder, garlic, ginger).
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Photograph Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano
Cheesy Spinach and Corn Piroshki
Why not make your Super Bowl party a piroshki party? The fillings are no-cook and the dough doesn’t require a second rise after shaping, so there’s really no excuse. Plus, there’s a spicy pizza version.
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Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’Mytrek Brown
Barbara’s Picnic Fried Chicken
It took poet Kwame Alexander 12 tries to recreate his late mother’s perfectly juicy fried chicken. Luckily, he wrote down the recipe for all of us.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Hurricane Chips
Lovers of the classic salty-sweet Hawaiian hurricane popcorn, these nori-seasoned potato chips are for you. True hurricane aficionados can mix arare, or Japanese rice crackers, in with the chips at the end for even more crunch.
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Alex Lau
BA’s Best Buffalo Wings
Two key steps ensure extra-crisp Buffalo chicken wings: letting them sit at room temperature before frying evens the cooking time, and a dredge in cornstarch to form the crunchy shell. If you prefer your Buffalo chicken in dip form, well, we’ve got a Buffalo chicken dip.
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Rosemary-Sizzled Salami, Dates, and Pecans
“I cannot believe how delicious this salami snack was and at two separate parties, it was the most popular addition to our hors d’oeuvres area,” writes Drew in the comments. “We made DOUBLE the amount the second time and still, it was gone before anything else.” We guess you’re going to need to triple it, Drew!
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Photo by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Haubert, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky
Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
If you’re eating a lunch-size version of this melty, garlicky grilled cheese sandwich, then follow the recipe as is. (It will serve two people.) For a Super Bowl party, though, we like to make a double batch and cut each sandwich into four pieces, so we’ve got 16 two-biters.
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Photography by Joe Lingeman, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco
Pistacharoos
This take on Midwestern scotcheroos swaps out peanut butter for pistachio cream, which can vary in color. Our favorite is the deeply saturated Peppertux Original Pistachio Butter.
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Photo by Alex Lau
BA’s Best Guacamole
This easy guac is best made in a Mexican mortar and pestle called a molcajete—but a bowl and a fork work fine too. (Here’s a little more about molcajetes, if you’re curious.)
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Photograph by Clay Williams, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon
Deviled Cashews
Crunchy fried cashews seasoned with fresh curry leaves, chile powder, black pepper, and caramelized onions make for a great party snack. If you prefer roasted peanuts, try this spicy, sour, salty, crunchy mix.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
Warm 7-Layer Skillet Dip
This layer dip combines two homemade game day icons—rich, creamy refried beans and unctuous cheese sauce—and tops them off with a handful of simple and fresh garnishes.
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Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
Salty-Sweet Party Mix
Sweet from honey, savory from miso and nutritional yeast, and a touch spicy from chili powder, this mash-up of party mix and puppy chow is the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
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Photo by Chelsie Craig
Pretzel Bites
Roll up your sleeves and grab the dough hook, because you’re going to make your own bite-size pretzels for this party snack. Serve them with a Spicy Cheddar Cheese Spread.
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Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s February. We have at least a few more winter weeks of pumpkin spice love left in us, don’t we? These chocolate chip cookies are laced with a DIY pumpkin spice blend: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
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Ted Cavanaugh
Smoky Eggplant Dip
Eat this dip with pita chips or as part of a meze platter at your Super Bowl party. If there’s any left over, grill some chicken thighs or lamb chops and serve the dip alongside the meat for dinner.
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Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
Simple Does It Deviled Eggs
A coarsely mashed filling, crunchy with celery, scallions, and pickle relish, is the key to the best deviled eggs. If you’re looking for a not-so-simple version, try this recipe with yuzu kosho.