We love putting out a spread for the Big Game, but we want to be able to hang out with guests and watch some football instead of being tied up in the kitchen the whole time. That's why we're all about simple fare that you can prep ahead of time and leave out for guests. These are some great easy Super Bowl foods that'll allow you the time to mingle and cheer instead of prepping and cooking during the game.
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes just seem like football food, don't they? And when you make them in the slow cooker, it's all do-ahead work that's so easy to make. Just crumble, brown, and drain some ground beef and put it in your slow cooker. Dump in one 15-ounce can of store-bought sloppy Joe sauce for every pound of meat. Or, if you don't mind a little more effort, make your own like this sloppy Joe sauce by Five Heart Home and add it to the slow cooker with your ground beef. Cook on low for four to six hours, then switch your slow cooker to low to keep it warm.
Closeslaw is the perfect accompaniment to a sloppy Joe. Check out our coleslaw recipe in this compilation of Super Bowl potluck foods for a tasty and fast side.
Saucy Cocktail Wieners
If cocktail weiners in a smoky BBQ sauce are wrong, we don't want to be right!
Slow cookers were made to simmer tiny sausages in tasty barbecue sauce. Put a bunch of cocktail weiners in your slow cooker and dump in your favorite BBQ sauce. Cover and simmer on low for four to six hours, then turn the temperature knob to keep warm.
Want to jazz these up? Add a chopped apple and chopped red onion to the slow cooker, along with 2 tablespoons of bourbon, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and ¼ cup pure maple syrup, molasses, or dark brown sugar for a sweet & smoky treat. Want 'em hotter? Add a dash of cayenne to taste.
Slow Cooker BBQ
Your slow cooker is always the perfect trick for make-ahead, low-fuss foods. And pulled pork or pulled beef in the slow cooker is not only super classic, but it'll totally satisfy all the meat eaters at your party.
Thank goodness you don't have to spend hours smoking meat (although you can if you want to) to enjoy tasty barbecue on Super Bowl Sunday. Instead, put water in your slow cooker about an inch deep, then add a pork shoulder or beef chuck roast. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then cook for eight to 10 hours. If you have a six-quart slow cooker, you can cook up to a 4.5-pound roast. Drain the liquid, then shred the meat. Put it back in the slow cooker and stir in your favorite BBQ sauce. Turn the knob to keep warm once the sauce is hot.
Looking for a bit more flavor? Instead of water, add beer and a dash of liquid smoke. Create a rub with 1 teaspoon each of salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub it all over the outside of the pork or beef and add the meat to the beer in the slow cooker. Don't forget to drain the liquid before adding your BBQ sauce.
Spicy Popcorn
How do you get past those tense moments during the game? Snacking on something, of course! And popcorn is the perfect stress-busting snack.
Now, you could opt for plain, buttered popcorn because that's really tasty, but why not make it Super Bowl special instead of movie night mundane? All Recipes' Cajun-spiced popcorn has a nice hit of heat, or you can try Tarateaspoon's sweet chili popcorn recipe for something sweet, salty, and spicy.
Sweet and Salty Snack Mix
Snack mix is never out of place at a party, no matter what the occasion is. It's so easy to put together your own by dumping a mix of bite-sized snack foods like nuts, chocolate-coated candies, dried fruits, and pretzels in a bowl and giving it a good stir. Be as creative as you want to make an amazing snack mix that everyone will love.
Longing for a beachy vacay while you're mired in the depths of winter? Yeah — we get it. Make an easy sweet and salty tropical snack mix using roasted macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, banana chips, and dried pineapple chunks.
Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Rods
Speaking of sweet and salty, chocolate-covered pretzels are surprisingly easy to make. Follow Rhode's IGA Marketplace's simple recipe for chocolate-covered pretzel rods, and you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make this tasty treat that candy shops sell for a lot of money. You only need pretzels, chocolate chips, and a microwave oven. Seriously, that's it. You're welcome.
Get the kids involved: Lay out things to decorate the pretzels after they're freshly dipped in chocolate (sprinkles in your team's colors, chopped nuts, crushed hard candy, dried fruits, and so on). Your kiddos can gently (do kids do anything gently?) roll the freshly dipped chocolate end across a plate of goodies to coat it before setting the pretzels to harden).
Saucy Salsa Dip
For a creamy chip or veggie dip with a bit of kick, stir together equal parts of sour cream and your favorite type of salsa (store-bought or homemade). Just mix until well combined and chill for at least an hour before serving (longer is fine). If you want to cut the calorie count, use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Give your dip some freshness just before you serve it. Add a squeeze of lime juice and stir in freshly chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onions, and an ounce or two of shredded cheddar, Jack, or pepper Jack cheese.
Smooth Dill Dip
For a fresh-tasting dip that goes just as great with potato chips as it does with cut-up veggies, crackers, or pita, whip up a batch of dill dip. Mix together ¾ cup of Greek yogurt and ½ cup of sour cream or mayonnaise (or ¼ cup of each). Stir in 1 tablespoon of dried dill weed and a half teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder. Add salt to taste. Mix well and let chill in the fridge overnight.
Want it even easier? Just add one packet of ranch dressing mix and give it a stir. No measuring necessary.
Creamy Jalapeño Dip
Looking for an extremely easy dip with lots of zip? Make a batch of creamy jalapeño dip! Mix eight ounces of softened cream cheese and a cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt, then stir in ¼ cup (more or less to spice preference) of chopped pickled jalapenos. Season to taste with salt. Make it a day ahead and refrigerate until game time to allow the jalapeno flavor to fully develop.
Keep it low carb by serving with pork rinds for dipping.
Pigskin Pepper Jelly Spread
For the ultimate in easy football food, simply place a block of softened cream cheese on a plate. Spoon pepper jelly on top and spread to cover the full block of cheese. Place crackers next to the spicy jelly-covered cream cheese along with a spreader. Voila! A tasty appetizer with as close to zero effort as you can get.
If you're feeling artful, then use that cream cheese and pepper jelly on a beautiful butter board. They're easy to make and TikTok trendy.
Protein-Packed Hummus
Spread store-bought hummus on a plate, then lightly drizzle olive oil over the top. Drain a can of cooked chickpeas and generously sprinkle the beans across the top of the hummus. You can stop there, or add some chopped fresh herbs as a finishing touch. Parsley would taste great here, as would mint or oregano. Serve with pita bread or pita chips.
Related: Make Your Own Hummus and Try One of Our Tasty Variations
Multi-Layered Tex-Mex Dip
Spread canned refried beans in the bottom of a pie plate in a fairly even layer. Smooth a layer of sour cream over that. If desired, add a layer of salsa. From there, sprinkle on your favorite Tex-Mex toppings one at a time, in layers. Popular options include shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, diced red onions, chopped jalapeños, shredded lettuce, black olives, and chopped avocadoes or guacamole.
Related: Our Homemade Guacamole Recipe (+ Variations) Will Guac Your World
Microwave Queso
Just in queso you missed it — we really want this to be easy for you. And this microwave queso? So easy, and so good.
Dump a can of condensed nacho cheese soup into a microwave-safe bowl, then mix in an equal amount of your favorite store-bought salsa. Microwave on high for two minutes, stir, then microwave for another minute. Add more time if needed. Serve with tortilla chips.
Add freshness by stirring in some fresh pico di gallo and chopped fresh cilantro just before serving.
Hot Spinach Dip
There are a lot of different ways to make spinach dip. Crazy for Crust's recipe for oven-baked spinach dip is one of the easiest — and best-tasting — you'll find. Basically, you'll just need to mix cream cheese, frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained), sour cream, cheese, and dry vegetable soup mix.
Give your dip some beautiful color and flavor by adding jarred roasted red peppers. Drain a 12-ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers, chop them up, and stir them into the dip before baking.
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Beer Cheese Dip
It's only fitting to cook at least one recipe that includes beer for the Super Bowl to serve alongside the brews of your choice. This stovetop recipe for beer cheese dip from The Pioneer Woman is quite easy to make, though you'll want to put it together pretty close to the time you're going to serve it. You'll start by making a base of butter, onion, and flour, then whisk in beer, half-and-half, a few kinds of cheese, and some seasonings. The result? Maximum yum with minimal effort.
Keep your beer cheese dip warm throughout the game with almost no effort at all. Spoon the hot cooked dip into your slow cooker and set it on keep warm.
Pigskin Charcuterie
If there was a Super Bowl of simple snacks, charcuterie boards would win hands-down. We love that charctuerie boards are pretty much anything goes... cheeses, dried fruits, dips, finger foods, crackers — there's so much you can add for game day noshing. For Super Bowl Sunday, fill a tray with hearty selections suitable for a football crowd.
Deconstructed Nachos
For this extremely easy non-nacho but nacho-like dish, you'll need to cook a batch of taco meat. Then, simply spread a half-inch (or so) layer of sour cream on a plate, leaving room at the edges for chips. Spread cooked taco meat on top of the sour cream, then sprinkle cheese, diced tomatoes (fresh or canned), and olives on top. Place tortilla chips around the edges for easy scooping.
Take it to the next level by serving it alongside queso for a super cheesy nacho experience.
Fresh Fruit Tray
Fresh fruits make great palate cleansers and offer a light bite during the big game. We love that you can buy fruit trays already made at most grocery stores or just chop up your favorite fruits and stick them on a tray.
Take it to the next level with an easy fruit dip. Combine 2 cups of Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons of honey or pure maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of apricot jam, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix well.
Don't Forget Bread, Chips, and Crackers
You'll need to provide plenty of ways for your guests to enjoy the delicious dishes above, so don't forget to put out a variety of dippable delights they can dunk into dips, slather with sauce, or use to make sandwiches.
Low-Effort Snacks With Big Flavor
Snacks full of flavor that require almost no effort? We totally love that for you! And with these snacks, the Super Bowl champs won't be the only big winners on game day — you will be, too. Because — clever you — you've put together some of the tastiest Super Bowl snacks in the neighborhood, and you barely broke a sweat doing it.
