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30+ Game Day Recipes

by Lisa Longley

|

posted: 02/09/22

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

by Lisa Longley

|

updated: 10/11/22

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

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There isn’t a type of recipe that I love quite as much as I love Game Day Recipes. They are the best kind of party food and come in all different shapes and sizes. Here we have a great list of recipes including appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks. You can build the perfect menu from this list.

collage of game day recipes that says: "30 + game day recipes: APPETIZERS, SNACKS, MAIN DISHES, DRINKS, AND DESSERTS PERFECT FOR TAILGATING"

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

Game Day Appetizers

If you are like me, you could make an entire spread just out of appetizers. With dips and finger foods, there will be plenty for people to fill up on.

Finger Foods

Snacky finger food is one of my favorite kind of appetizers. These recipes are made with easy to find ingredients, and many of them have instructions for making the day before. Save time the day of your tailgate party by making appetizers in advance!

Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño Poppers are a fast delicious appetizer that everyone is sure to love. This quick snack is made with easy to find ingredients and is exactly what your party needs.

overhead of a basket full of baked jalapeno poppers next to ranch dressing

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups are a six ingredient appetizer that everyone loves! This easy party food is a recipe everyone will ask for on their way out the door.

close up of ham and cheese roll ups on a plate

Easy French Fries

French Fries are so easy to make homemade and are a little better for you when you make them in the oven. With my tips and tricks, they will come out perfectly crisp every time.

Overhead photo of Easy French Fries on a baking sheet with a dish of ketchup for dipping.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Air Fryer Chicken Wings are a great way to make your favorite game day food a little lighter.

overhead view of chicken wings in air fryer

Little Smokies Recipe (Easy Appetizer)

Crockpot Little Smokies are an easy appetizer that are always a crowd pleaser. Even better, these can be whipped up the day before and put out before a party.

a bowl of little smokies recipe

Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza makes a perfect party appetizer! It is easy to make, and has such a delicious flavor, your guests will all be asking for the recipe.

close up of a veggie pizza recipe in a baking sheet

The Best Deviled Eggs Recipe

Deviled Eggs make a great appetizer to bring to a party, and this recipe is the best! My easy instructions plus a secret ingredient make the best deviled eggs.

Close up of Deviled Eggs garnished with paprika and chopped chives

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels are an easy appetizer that combine the great taste of Buffalo sauce with chicken and cheese. These will be the first snack to go!

side view of a buffalo chicken pinwheels stacked on other pinwheels

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms are a great appetizer for parties. You will love how quick this recipe comes together – a winner for sure!

a close up of a stuffed mushroom

Dip Recipes

If you are like me, you can never get enough dip recipes.These dip recipes are perfect because they can be whipped up in advance and set out right as your guests arrive.

Cold BLT Dip

This BLT Dip Recipe comes together with just four ingredients! It is the perfect easy party dip that everyone will love.

side view of a bowl of blt dip recipe

Jalapeño Artichoke Dip

Jalapeño Artichoke Dip is the perfect party food. It comes together with a few easy ingredients and will be the first thing to go!

jalapeno artichoke dip in a small white bowl

Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Cowboy Caviar is one of my favorite appetizer recipes! It is easy to make, has the perfect balance of flavors, and is always a hit with guests!

overhead view of a wood bowl on a blue wood surface surrounded by tomatoes and chips and with cowboy caviar inside

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip is the answer to easy party food! This buffalo chicken dip is the perfect appetizer recipe.

Hot BLT Dip

BLT Dip is an easy to make crowd pleaser. Make this last minute dip any time you are entertaining and watch it disappear!

overhead view of blt dip in an oval ceramic baking dish on a wood board with round crackers around it

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip is the perfect appetizer. Made with simple ingredients, this great snack comes together quickly and is always a hit!

a bagel chip dipping into spinach and artichoke dip

Easy Guacamole Recipe

This Easy Guacamole Recipe is full of creamy avocados, bright tomatoes and spices. It comes together in minutes and is perfect for any gathering!

Photo of a bowl of Easy Guacamole Recipe garnished with lime wedges. Chips and tomatoes on the side.

Game Day Main Dishes

Slow Cooker Recipes

These crockpot ideas are perfect to throw in your slow cooker and let people feast on throughout the party. We have great dishes that include tacos, sandwiches, and chili.

Wisconsin Beer Brats Recipe

Beer Brats are a super easy recipe for a great dinner or a get together. Your family is going to love this simple three ingredient recipe.

Crock Pot Italian Beef

Our family loves these Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches. With only 10 minutes of hands on time, they are the perfect easy weeknight dinner!

Crockpot Chicken Wings

These delicious Crockpot Chicken Wings are so incredibly simple to make and can be done in any flavor you want!

crockpot chicken wings in wax paper and a wire basket

Crock Pot Ribs

Crock Pot Ribs come together with our five star BBQ Sauce and the best Pork Rub for a tender fall of the bone recipe you will absolutely love.

a row of slow cooker bbq ribs after being cooked, cut up on parchment paper with extra bbq sauce

Crockpot Chili

This Crockpot Chili recipe is a winner! Hearty and full of flavor, you will love coming home to this great dinner.

close up of a white bowl full of crockpot chili topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onion, fresh cilantro

BBQ Beef

The flavor of this BBQ Beef recipe is absolutely perfect. My mom’s recipe for Crockpot BBQ Beef will become a family favorite for you too.

close up of bbq beef on a sesame seed bun with two pickles on it

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas will be your new favorite weeknight meal! These pork carnitas are easy to throw together and has the best flavor.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken is an easy three ingredient slow cooker dinner.

Crock pot of Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken recipe

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Crockpot Chicken Tacos are a staple in our house. This recipe is only three ingredients and makes for a perfect easy dinner.

three tacos on a blue plate in front of a crockpot

Slider Recipes

I’m not sure there is a recipe better for a tailgate party than sliders. They are so easy to make and they can feed a hungry crowd. We have sliders in so many different flavors, you are sure to find a recipe you love.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Ham and Cheese Sliders are the best solution for an easy dinner. These make the perfect party food, and will win over any crowd.

a ham and cheese slider being pulled out of a pan

Easy Turkey Sliders

These Bacon Ranch Turkey sliders are the perfect combination of flavors and so easy to throw together! Good luck only eating one!

a turkey slider coming out of the pan with cheddar cheese stretching down

Irresistible Philly Cheesesteak Sliders

This Easy Philly Cheesesteak Sliders Recipe is so fast and tasty! Melty provalone cheese, peppers, onions, and roast beef, all on soft dinner rolls with melted butter.

Side view of person's hand lifting Philly Cheesesteak Slider out of pan of Philly Cheesesteak Sliders.

Cheeseburger Sliders

Cheeseburger Sliders are an easy dinner that you will fall in love with. The flavor of this simple slider recipe is over the top incredible.

Stack of Cheeseburger Sliders garnished with sesame seeds

Pizza Recipes

Homemade pizza is easy to make, and so much better than take out. These pizza recipes will be perfect for your party. They are different, delicious, and amazing party food.

Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza is such a great easy pizza recipe. The perfect thing to make when you are out of ideas and want something delicious!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This Buffalo Chicken Pizza is only SIX ingredients and makes a perfect easy dinner or a fun appetizer for game day!

overhead of a Buffalo chicken pizza with one slice cut into, garnished with green onions

French Bread Pizza

This French Bread Pizza makes such an easy weeknight dinner! Throw it together in 10 minutes with your favorite toppings.

Overhead view of French Bread Pizza served on wooden board with one French Bread Pizza cut into strips

BLT Pizza

This BLT Pizza is going to become the new family favorite. It is easy to make, and with my no fail pizza dough, it is absolutely delicious in every way.

overhead of a blt pizza with one piece cut into

Game Day Drink Recipes

A great party needs great drink recipes. These cocktails are all big batch recipes so they are sure to work for your whole crowd. Even better, they pair perfectly with the recipes that we have listed here.

The Best Margarita Recipe

This is hands down the best Margarita Recipe. With it’s easy to find ingredients and perfect flavor, you will leave all the other recipes behind.

Margarita garnished with lime wedge and salted rim

Frozen Moscow Mules

This Frozen Moscow Mule recipe is only three ingredients! It is the perfect drink for a party, Moscow Mules in large batch form!

Bloody Mary Mix

This is the BEST Bloody Mary Mix! It only has a few ingredients for the perfect level of spice!

Three Ingredient Pink Party Punch

This Three Ingredient Pink Party Punch comes together in less than five minutes and is so delicious!

frosted glass of three ingredient pink party punch recipe

Game Day Dessert Recipes

You can’t have a party without some good dessert recipes. I love these recipes because they come together fast, and they are easy to set out for a crowd.

M&M Cookie Bars

M&M Cookie Bars are the easy dessert you are looking for! This bar recipe is fast to put together and melt in your mouth delicious.

stack of five m&m cookie bars with the top one missing a bite

Fruit Pizza Recipe

Fruit Pizza is a great easy dessert that is always a crowd pleaser. Made with our simple sugar cookie recipe and favorite cream cheese frosting, this dessert recipe is bound to be a hit.

overhead view of a fruit pizza that is decorated with slices of fruit

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies are always a hit! These easy no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies only take 15 minutes to make, and everyone loves them.

close up of a no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookie on crinkled wax paper on a old baking sheet

Muddy Buddies Recipe

Call it Puppy Chow or call it Muddy Buddies, this is the addictive treat that everyone loves! Perfect for parties!

a blue detailed bowl against a dark surface overflowing with a puppy chow recipe

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars are a dessert that everyone will fall in love with. This recipe is so much better than from the bakery and are melt in your mouth delicious.

a close up of a lemon bar on parchment paper

Easy Fireball Fudge Recipe

An easy fudge recipe made with condensed milk and a few other ingredients that is perfect for the cinnamon whiskey lover in your life!

Baileys Brownies

These Baileys Brownies have a deep chocolate fudge flavor with the perfect amount of Baileys Irish Cream in the brownie and the decadent frosting.

Lisa is the founder of Simple Joy. Lisa, is a self taught cook and avid lover of all things food, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the last 10 years Lisa has been reading cookbooks, experimenting in the kitchen, and learning everything she possibly can about cooking. The result has been the ability to create recipes, both classics and new twists, that readers fall in love with and make with ease. Lisa loves not only providing delicious and easy recipes, but also giving the why behind what we are doing in the kitchen. She gets such great joy in sharing my love for food.

Lisa has been featured in many media outlets. These outlets include Country Living, Real Simple, Today, Parade, Good Housekeeping, Buzzfeed, Delish, Elle, and many others.

Prior to becoming a food creator, Lisa was a social worker. She received her master’s in social work from the University of Milwaukee and worked in child welfare.

Lisa is the mom to four amazing kids: Gavin, Elliot, Quinn, and Piper. Gavin, Quinn, and Piper are happy, amazing kids she loves spending time with.

Her husband, Nathan, is her partner in life and in business. He is her rock in more ways than one and supports all of her crazy dreams.

Lisa and Nathan lost their second child, Elliot, when he was 8 days old. If you want to know more about Elliot, you can read it here. If you want to read more of Lisa’s experience of grief, you can read this post.

LEAVE A COMMENT Cancel reply

Leigh Anne Wilkes @YourHomebasedMom says

POSTED ON 01/12/14 AT 10:09AM

What a yummy line up of game day recipes! Thanks so much for including my hot cheesy corn dip in the lineup!

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 06:39PM
  
  Of course Leigh Anne! Thanks for linking up at Wake Up Wednesdays!
  
  Reply
Meghan @ The Tasty Fork says

POSTED ON 01/12/14 AT 12:34PM

I could live off of this recipe round up! I LOVE game day food!! Thanks for including my cheesy bacon bites!

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 06:39PM
  
  Me too! OMG. Some day you have to come up to my house and we will spend all morning cooking game day food and all afternoon eating it!!
  
  Reply
Heather @ French Press says

POSTED ON 01/12/14 AT 01:58PM

we are a football family for sure – and LOVE football food :) thanks for including me

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 06:40PM
  
  Of course Heather! I love anything that is snacky. It means you can eat lots of it :)
  
  Reply
Trish - Mom On Timeout says

POSTED ON 01/12/14 AT 09:09PM

Wow! I LOVE all of these Lisa! What a great roundup :) Thanks so much for including me girl – pinned!

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 06:40PM
  
  Thanks for pinning it Trish!! And thanks for linking up at Wake Up Wednesdays!
  
  Reply
Beverly says

POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 02:51AM

Thank you so much for these recipes!!! I am excited to try them out next week for the playoffs.
Beverly

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 06:41PM
  
  Let me know which ones you like best Beverly!
  
  Reply
Arlene @FlourOnMyFace says

POSTED ON 01/13/14 AT 09:33PM

What a great Game Day recipe roundup. Thanks for including my Cheesy Pinwheel recipe!

Reply
Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says

POSTED ON 01/15/14 AT 09:26PM

YUM Lisa!! Now if only I could get someone to make all of them for me….. :)

Reply
- Lisa Longley says
  
  POSTED ON 01/16/14 AT 04:38PM
  
  That’s always the trick, huh Cath? :)
  
  Reply

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