It’s the Big Game! Or it’s the playoffs for the Big Game. Or it’s a Little Game. (Or it’s the International Summer Games, if you’re reading this in summer 2024 and watching in awe as Simone Biles and Suni Lee defy gravity.) As long as it’s a game, it’s time for snacks. Fried snacks, snacks for dipping, crispy snacks, salty snacks—and drinks, of course. But don’t just grab the first bag of potato chips you see—and don’t try to make wings from scratch. Here’s the Sporked guide to game day eats, whether you’re watching football, hunkering down for a five-day cricket championship, or staring in disbelief at the swimmers diving into the yellow waters of the Seine, literally going for gold.
Ultimate Game Day Eats
The Best Canned Chili for Game Day
Yes, you could make chili for all your friends to prove you love them, OR you could buy very good canned chili and prove you love them by hanging out and watching football with them instead. Your choice!
The Only Queso You Need for Game Day
We have a whole entire ranking of great queso (see the Dips section below), but there’s really only one that’s perfectly suited to a Game Day crowd.
The Best Frozen Wings for a Game Day Party
Before you order wings from your favorite sports bar or pizza place, consider buying frozen Buffalo wings—these wings in particular.
Every game day needs chicken wings, but not every chicken wing needs bones. Here’s the best of the boneless variety.
The Best Wings from the Grocery Store Deli
If heating up frozen wings is too big an ask, don’t worry—we taste tested chicken wings from several grocery store delis and found the best.
Frozen Essentials
We tasted through the best frozen pizza brands and these were the best pies, no matter your favorite style.
If you’re watching the ball game on a budget, these are the best frozen pizza options for every category of pie.
Soft pretzels dunked in queso (see below for recommendations on that!) are game day snack royalty.
We tried everything from corn-wrapped chicken to flour-wrapped beef to find the best-tasting taquitos on the market.
Warm up some jarred marinara and throw the best frozen mozz sticks in the airfryer. You’re practically running your own gastropub.
Empanadas are perfect in every way, especially on game day.
Sometimes, the best snacks are even better in miniature form, especially when you have more important tasks at hand (like watching the game).
Wing Accompaniments
We tasted as many Buffalo sauces as we could get our hands on so all you have to decide is whether you want a drum or a flat.
Not a Buffalo fan? Here’s the best of every other type of wing sauce.
Spicy wings need cooling blue cheese dressing, and these are the best ones out there.
We ate big spoonfuls of salad dressing to find out which ranch is the ranchiest ranch on the market.
Dips
Spinach dip is a top-five appetizer. Here are the best spinach dips to buy.
Onion expert Jordan Myrick tried every French onion dip they could find at the grocery store to see which ones were chip worthy.
Every Game Day party needs a jar of queso and a big bowl of chips.
Don’t forget the bean dip! Whether you’re making a seven-layer dip or just filling out your spread, these bean dips are tried and verified.
Don’t hurt yourself making guacamole. You can buy great pre-made guac at the grocery store.
Sure, you could have just bean dip or just guac—but why not go nuts with both (plus five other ingredients).
Whether you like it spicy or mild, we have a salsa rec for you.
Jordan tried a whole slew of dips to see which truly set their mouth on fire.
These are the absolute best store-bought buffalo chicken dips.
Crunchy Snacks
Tortilla chips are the unsung heroes of the chip world—and they’re absolute staples in a Game Day spread.
We’ve tried a lot of potato chips for a variety of rankings, and these are the best potato chips to eat by the bagful.
If there’s beer at your party, then you also need to have pretzels. It’s the law.
Any on-screen entertainment can be instantly elevated with amazing popcorn. Whether you want it fresh and warm or pre-popped, we’ve got you covered with the best in every category.
Dietary Options & Vegan Dupes
We tried every single vegan Buffalo wing we could find, and these are the meatless Vuffalo wings you should be buying.
Vegans shouldn’t give up on their search for a delicious, cheesy-but-cheese-less queso. We found three we genuinely recommend.
Vegan frozen pizza has come a long way. Satisfy your plant-based guests with these picks.
Best Vegetarian Game Day Snacks
Crispy tater tots, artichoke and jalapeno dip, sweet chili doritos…if you think our curated list of vegetarian game day snacks is boring, think again!
Best Gluten-Free Game Day Snacks
We will not be sidelining our gluten-free guys, gals, and pals on game day, capiche?
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!