The Best Football Party Snacks to Buy

It’s that time of year again. It’s time for watch parties and touchdowns and time outs and that little yellow handkerchief they throw up in the air just to see where it falls (can you tell we’re connoisseurs?). You guessed it, the BIG GAME is just around the corner, and with the season finale kicking off this weekend we figured y’all needed a hearty list of football snacks to get you in the spirit whether you’re really there for the sports or just the halftime show (no judgment here). So here is our list of some of the best football snacks to buy at the grocery store.

Foster Farms Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings

You can’t watch football without wings and, unfortunately, chugging a Red Bull doesn’t make them automatically show up at your door (I tried). You have to buy the wings ahead of time and be prepared but don’t fret, these frozen wings from Foster Farms are not only easy to prep, they are really good (just don’t cook them in the microwave). They are nice and crispy, well coated with sauce, and the sauce itself uses “aged cayenne peppers and a bit of vinegar to achieve that classically spicy, zesty flavor.” Go put these on your list of football party snacks—your buddies will thank you. — Jessica Block

Related: Best Frozen Wings: 8 Best Frozen Chicken Wing Brands

Good & Gather Jalapeño and Tortilla Cheese Sticks

These Jalapeño and Tortilla Cheese Sticks are like if nachos, jalapeño poppers, and mozzarella sticks teamed up to give us the next football snack Rookie of the Year. These unique new bites have a spicy cheddar cheese jalapeño filling surrounded by breading made of teeny tiny tortilla chip bits. This is truly innovation that excites. Pop these in the air fryer (they won’t explode) and toss ‘em on the table with some salsa or ranch to spice up your selection of football game snacks. — Makenna Stark

Fresh Finds Cheese Puffs

I don’t know why, but I feel like football and cheese puffs have the same energy, making them perfect football snacks. It could be the yellow goalposts almost sort of looking like a cheese puff, or all the puffy football padding that kind of reminds me of a cheese puff, or it could be the way cheese puffs are always tackling each other and getting concussions. We may never know. But whether you feel the same way I do or not, you cannot deny that cheese puffs are a satisfying snack, whether or not it is NFL season. That being said, these cheese puffs from Big Lots were the best we could find. As one taste tester put it, the “salt, fat, and powerful cheesiness of the Fresh Finds Cheese Puff was too decadent to be beat.”  — Jessica Block 

Related: Best Cheese Puffs: Start Cheesin’ With the 9 Best Cheese Puffs

El Monterey Extra Crunchy Southwest Chicken Taquitos

Taquitos are excellent hot football game snacks. They’re salty, oily, cheesy, and they actually fill you up to some extent. These taquitos, however, are all of those things sure, but they are also life-changing. They made managing editor Gwynedd Stuart shout, “Holy sh*t!” when she took the first bite. Why? Because they contain not just meat, but chicken, cheese, peppers, and beans all in a crispy, bubbly, almost wonton-like, coating. These things are exploding with goodies and essential football snacks for your next game day party.  — Jessica Block

Related: Best Frozen Taquitos: Our Updated Ranking

Fritos Hot Bean Dip

What if I told you that the best bean dip isn’t the one that you have to assemble in seven layers, and that it’s really the one you’ve overlooked or maybe even scoffed at in the grocery store. Yes, that’s right, Fritos Hot Bean Dip is truly the best readily-available bean dip out there, and it’s going to be your new favorite among the pantheon of football snacks. It may not deliver on the “hot” promise in its name, but it is delightfully creamy, perfectly seasoned, and ready for its time in the football snack spotlight. Everyone loves an underdog—give this humble dean dip a try and it won’t disappoint. — Makenna Stark

Related: Best Bean Dip: Our Updated Ranking

Parmesan Pastry Pups

They are pups. They are pastry. They are parmesan. They are perfect football snacks for your partay. Plus, they are absolutely delicious. Trader Joe has outdone himself with these little guys. They may seem like just slightly different pigs in a blanket, but hear us out, they are better. They are “even more decadent than the pigs in a blanket you’re used to,” according to Gwynedd, who tried these bad boys and described how “juicy mini hot dogs and buttery puff pastry combine to create a delicious, greasy slurry, and the parm on top gives them even more savory flavor.” If these don’t sound like a win, I don’t know what does.  — Jessica Block

Related: Best Trader Joe’s Frozen Appetizers

Kirkland Peanut Butter Pretzels

Peanut butter pretzels are top tier football snacks, and these ones from Kirkland are the best you will find. They’re pretty much jumbo sized as far as PB pretzels go and they’re filled to the brim with creamy Valencia (aka fancy) peanut butter. Not to mention they pair perfectly with the ultimate football beverage: ice cold beer. Also, hear me out…they kinda look like mini footballs. Kind of. The point is they’re exemplary football game snacks for a plethora of reasons. — Makenna Stark

Related: What to Dip Pretzels In: The Best Dips for Pretzels



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