6 Game Day Dips That Taste Homemade

Americans love the “game day” vibe so much, it almost doesn’t matter the sport. Okay, no, that’s entirely incorrect. The sport itself does matter. But at least some of us can admit, we also just really dig the vibe: dressed-down, kinda jolly, a certain amount of shouting is permissible―oh, and there are snacks as far as the eye can see. 

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One of our very favorite snacks, almost sacrosanct in the canon of American game day munchies, is dip. Enter any American home on game day, say the words “I brought dip!,” and even if they’re total strangers, you’ve got a 75% chance of staying. We really love dip (because it’s delicious), but we don’t always have time to make it. And while there are about a billion store bought dips, they don’t all have the heft and coziness of homemade. So this season, keep an eye out as we seek out the best store-bought game day dips that taste (almost) homemade. 

Aldi: Park Street Deli Burnt Ends Dip ― $4.19

It might not taste 100% homemade because I’m not sure even the most innovative of home cooks has come up with this idea yet. It’s definitely one of those “so simple it seems obvious,” and yet it’s eluded us until now. A cream-cheese based dip with barbecue spices, chives, and actual hunks of burnt ends. And that’s where the homemade vibe comes in―all that good smoky low-and-slow, which you can now slather on, honestly, whatever (it’ll taste good). 

Costco: La Terra Fina Spinach Artichoke & Parmesan Dip ― $10.88

Everybody loves a good artichoke dip. And no, they’re not too hard to make, but there’s also not a ton of that extra culinary je ne sais quoi you can add at home (meaning store bought is likely to taste pretty darn near homemade). This version is actually a favorite at Costco, with the basic backbone of cream cheese, parmesan and mayo, plus some game day―appropriate kick from garlic, cayenne, and Monterrey Jack. Warm it up for more hominess. 

Wegman’s: Layered Pico Guacamole Dip ― $7.99

It’s funny, because guacamole easily has to be one of the more commonly homemade dips in existence, but we also have a ton of grocery store options (and, to be fair, a lot of them are pretty good). But if you want one that really looks and tastes a bit more homemade, this layered dip from Wegman’s does the job. It’s hard for something not to taste homemade when the ingredients list looks like your shopping list―seriously adjust the seasoning as you like, but this could easily double as a homemade guac.

Costco: Good Foods Buffalo Style Chicken Dip ― $11.34

One of the best (and expected) things about a homemade dip is what I like to call the “chunk factor.” More than anything store bought, we tend to hope for something more robust in a dip made at home and this cream cheesy, slightly spicy Buffalo Style Chicken Dip delivers. Another big bonus, you can heat this one up, adding so very much comfy/coziness to the homemade factor. 

Trader Joe’s: Caramelized Onion Dip ― $2.99

I’d buy this any day of the week just for cheaply and well-caramelized onions. Caramelizing onions is actually hard. It requires patience and the intuition of a (home) cook! So anyone selling some well-caramelized onions for three bucks gets a double thumbs up from me. It’s creamy dip, dominated by the rich savory-sweet onion factor of course. It’s also a mega fan favorite, which gets bonus points for “homemade” vibes, since caramelized and/or cooking onions are the basis for about 99% of all home cooked food. 

Target: Queso Mama White Questo with Diced Green Chilies ― $6.39

To be fair, most people are doing “homemade” queso in the first place, but we’d be remiss not to include at least one stellar queso on any game day dip list. What makes Queso Mama the best stand-alone dip (as opposed to a Gordo’s, which we’ll drizzle all over some nachos any day of the week) is the seasoning―green chilies and jalapeños, plus garlic and cumin make it more robust than your average dippable queso.