Recipes Snacks Our 20 Best Snacks for Game Day By Food & Wine Editors Updated on October 5, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Quentin Bacon Even if you're just watching the game from your couch, these delicious snacks will kick the day off right. Of course we've included some of our most crowd-pleasing wing recipes here, as well as scoop-worthy dips, gooey fried cheese appetizers, meatballs, sliders, and more. With this crave-able collection of game day snacks, we're sure the home team will score big in the noshing department. 01 of 20 Taco Dip Abby Hocking / Food & Wine This dip from F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple is a fun riff on seven-layer dip. Chapple takes the dip to another level by starting with a layer of super–flavorful ground beef that's spiced with homemade taco seasoning. Get the Recipe 02 of 20 Fried Cheese Curds with Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis White cheddar cheese curds are battered and deep-fried until they're golden brown for an irresistible appetizer or snack perfect for game days. The batter includes white rice flour, which is the secret to extra-crispy frying. It's spiked with lager and gets a subtle zip from yellow mustard. Get the Recipe 03 of 20 Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Coconut shrimp are well suited to all sorts of dipping sauces, but we keep it simple here and use Thai sweet chili sauce spruced up with a little chopped fresh cilantro. Using an air fryer instead of frying in oil on the stovetop means crispy shrimp without any splatters to clean up afterwards. Get the Recipe 04 of 20 Chicken Wings with Angry Sauce © CON POULOS This Korean-inspired recipe is fiery and a little bit sweet. If you'd like, you can make the sauce one day ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight. (Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before you toss it with the wings.) Get the Recipe 05 of 20 Spicy Spinach Dip with Pine Nuts © Fredrika Stjärne Cayenne and chile powder give this yogurt-based dip an extra touch of spice. Serve it with toasted bread or your favorite veggies. Get the Recipe 06 of 20 Pigs in a Blanket with Black Pepper Pastry © Abby Hocking Une Femme Wines cofounder Jen Pelka loves serving Champagne with playful bite-size foods like pigs in a blanket. To take them up a notch, she brushes the puff pastry with a tasty mix of honey, mustard, and fresh black pepper before rolling up with the hot dogs and baking. Get the Recipe 07 of 20 Crispy Cheese Sticks © John Kernick Flattened white bread serves as the wrapper for these quick and simple crispy cheese sticks. Mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, parsley, and crushed red pepper come together to make the gooey filling. Get the Recipe 08 of 20 Chorizo-Filled Dates Wrapped in Bacon © Tina Rupp This timeless tapa from Spanish cookbook author Penelope Casas has everything going for it — it's sweet, smoky, and savory, all in one bite. Get the Recipe 09 of 20 Hill Country Smoked Chicken Wings with Texas Ranch Dressing © Peden + Munk Rubbing chicken wings with a variety of sweet and spicy seasonings before smoking gives them a double dose of delicious flavor. The ranch dressing goes equally well with these wings as does a nice smoky lager. Get the Recipe 10 of 20 Mayan Pumpkin Seed Dip © Con Poulos This super-easy, thick pumpkin seed spread from the Yucatan, called sikil pak, might just be the new guacamole — it seems to be on Mexican menus all over the U.S. Our orange zest-scented version comes from Top Chef finalist Mike Isabella. Get the Recipe 11 of 20 Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Dip Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Inspired by merguez, a North African lamb sausage, these meatballs are loaded with cumin, garlic, and paprika for the ideal one-bite nosh. Harissa gives them a fiery heat that's tempered by the herby dip. Not a fan of lamb? Try preparing these make-ahead meatballs with ground beef or a plant-based meat alternative, such as Impossible. Get the Recipe 12 of 20 Carnitas Sliders with Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce Photo by Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox Perfect for entertaining, these grab-and-go sliders star tender carnitas topped with a creamy tomatillo-avocado sauce sandwiched between pillowy homemade rolls. Get the Recipe 13 of 20 Fried Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman These Fried Boudin Balls boast pork, rice, liver, and seasonings that are shaped into balls and fried for a crispy exterior and a light, almost creamy interior. We use chicken livers instead of pork livers and panko breadcrumbs instead of crushed crackers, but swap in pork liver and crushed crackers if you prefer. Get the Recipe 14 of 20 Honey Chile Chicken Wings © Quentin Bacon Chef Tim Wood avoids the deep fryer and instead opts to broil or grill his chicken wings, which turns them super crispy. A soy and honey glaze makes them sweet, sticky, and salty. Get the Recipe 15 of 20 Buffalo Chicken Dip © Abby Hocking This crowd-pleasing dip has all the punchy flavors of buffalo chicken wings. It gets its creamy texture from a combination of cream cheese and sour cream. Serve it with tortilla chips and celery sticks. Get the Recipe 16 of 20 Tater Tot Nachos (Tatchos) with Kimchi Cheese Sauce © Kay Chun Tater tots on their own are good. Tater tots dipped in cheese sauce are even better. Tater tots turned into nachos are the best, especially on game day! Get the Recipe 17 of 20 Potato Chips with Whipped Beurre Blanc © Con Poulos Chef Dave Beran loves the combination of Champagne and potato chips. For this dip, he took inspiration from the classic French butter sauce beurre blanc, spiked with shallots, wine vinegar, and herbs. Get the Recipe 18 of 20 Stuffed Jalapeños Abby Hocking / Food & Wine Perfect served with cold beers, these stuffed jalapeños are a great snack for your next get-together. Halved jalapeños are packed with a cheddar and cream cheese filling flavored with garlic, cilantro, and scallions. Get the Recipe 19 of 20 Tandoori Chicken Wings with Yogurt Sauce © Peden + Munk These Indian-spiced chicken wings from chef Ben Ford are superb on their own with a squeeze of lemon, but they're even better dipped in the thick and tangy, minty yogurt sauce that's made with cream cheese. Get the Recipe 20 of 20 Rye Bread Dip Recipe Abby Hocking / Food & Wine For this dip, a rye bread boule is hollowed out and filled with a creamy, herb-packed dip. Cut the interior into chunks for dipping and serve the rye bread dip with your favorite crudités. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit