Our Ultimate Collection of Game Day Recipes

Get a head start on your Big 10 watch party preparations! For some, that means researching team stats for this year’s office bracket; for others, that means daydreaming about the winning lineup of delightful snacks you’ll field for every game. Here are a few personal favorites to get you started.

This article is a compendium and links to eight game-day snack recipes. When combined, they create the perfect spread, but you can also pick and choose to suit your tastes.

Sausage Stars

These crispy little handheld wonders have strong appetizer lore in my family. My cousin has been making them for years and every time we throw a party, this is the appetizer people are hoping shows up. I’ve watched more than one friend hover around the oven waiting to snag one hot and fresh before they even make it to the table. Before you know it, they are gone. This recipe is deceptively simple and so good that I recommend you plan ahead for a double batch.

Find the recipe here

Mexican Pimento Cheese Dip

As a born-and-bred Midwesterner, there’s nothing I like more than sitting down with a basket of tortilla chips and lava-hot queso dip at my local Mexican restaurant, but unfortunately that experience doesn’t always translate to the at-home game day experience. The queso gets cold before the first commercial, or you find yourself tethered to a tiny crockpot plugged into a wall with your chips, watching the game from the kitchen. This dip solves that problem by borrowing a tried-and-true recipe from our neighbors to the south: Pimento Cheese. This craveable dip takes the flavors of Mexican queso dip—think warm cumin, spicy green chiles—and combines them with shredded cheddar and cream cheese for a “queso” dip that frees you from the crockpot. 

Find the recipe here

Blue Cheese & Buffalo Crackers

I love a Buffalo wing—they are found on every “game day” menu on the internet—but sometimes I’m in it more for the blue cheese dressing and the spice than the chicken. Enter: These little Blue Cheese and Buffalo Crackers. Technically a savory shortbread, these crackers are chock full of blue cheese and then rolled in a Buffalo seasoned panko breadcrumb before baking. The result? An addictive little savory cracker that pairs perfectly with a cold beer and a commercial break.

Find the recipe here

Salted Peanut Butter Blondies

These blondies are a painstaking re-creation of the infamous “Peanut Butter Brownies” once served at my high school in Greenfield, Indiana. Rich and deeply peanut buttery, they are easy to make and—because they are so rich—cutting them into 1-inch squares means one pan goes a long way. They are the perfect treat to round out all the savory game-day snacks.

Find the recipe here

Brown Butter Marshmallow Popcorn Bars

We are popcorn lovers in my house, so when the idea of swapping Rice Krispies for salted popcorn in a marshmallow treat hit me, it felt like kismet. I love a sweet and savory treat, and browning the butter adds a little nuttiness that plays so well with popcorn. The best part? It’s a treat you can snag on your way from the kitchen to the couch.

Find the recipe here

The Ultimate Snack Mix

When the game is stressful and you’re perched on the edge of the couch, nothing takes the edge off quite like a handful of salty snack mix to shove in your mouth while yelling at the television. “Handfuls” as I like to call them, are a key category of any good game-day spread, and this one takes the best of the best, and puts them all in one bowl, showering them with parmesan cheese and herbs for an over-the-top savory snack so good, you’ll forgive the ref.

Find the recipe here