Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 60 Tasty Tailgate Recipes To Make For Game Day Consider this your ultimate tailgate menu. By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 14, 2024 Close Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey During football season in the South, every good match has an even better tailgate spread that fans look forward to on game day. Over the years, menus have evolved to include wow-worthy recipes that are perfect for serving on any given Saturday. Our impressive roster of crowd-pleasing favorites contains a wide variety of dishes that are guaranteed to be the talk of the tailgate. It's never too early to get to planning so you're sure to score come football season. Champions of the Tailgate: How the South Tackles the Tradition Better Than Anywhere Else 01 of 60 Baby Back Ribs With Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox It’s not gameday without barbecue! Coffee and bourbon make for an ultra-rich barbecue sauce that’s sweet and tangy. Get The Recipe 02 of 60 Texas Breakfast Tacos Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey Early kickoff? Breakfast tacos are the easiest, most portable way to get everyone geared up for the day. Get The Recipe 03 of 60 Grove-Worthy Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey The Grove at Ole Miss is the ultimate tailgate locale, and these grab-and-go sandwiches are the ultimate tailgate dish. Get The Recipe 04 of 60 Football Brownies Frederick Hardy II; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke These adorable treats are a surefire way to impress a tailgate full of fans. If you’re short on time, swap for boxed brownie mix but keep the homemade frosting. Get The Recipe 05 of 60 Homemade Corn Dogs CAITLIN BENSEL; FOOD STYLIST: TORIE COX Corn dogs are the ideal grab-and-go food for mingling tailgaters. Don’t forget the ketchup and mustard! Get The Recipe 06 of 60 Florida State Fried Chicken Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey A drizzle of honey is the secret that makes this chicken recipe irresistible. Get The Recipe 07 of 60 Million Dollar Dip Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley You can make this dip and put it in the fridge up to three days in advance, but top it with freshly chopped scallions just before serving. Get The Recipe 08 of 60 Soft Pretzels Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Everyone at the tailgate will be blown away that you made your own pretzels from scratch. It’s a labor of love to make them, but they can be served at room temp, which is great for tailgates. Get The Recipe 09 of 60 West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey You don’t have to be from the Mountain State to appreciate this delicious dish. They’re surprisingly simple to make with just a few ingredients. Get The Recipe 10 of 60 Chocolate Chip Blondies Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel You can freeze the blondie batter before or after baking, making this dessert the perfect make-ahead option for tailgates on the go. Get The Recipe 11 of 60 Pigs In A Blanket Will Dickey If you’re looking for a no-fail snack, here you go! These Pigs In A Blanket also freeze beautifully for make-ahead purposes. Get The Recipe 12 of 60 Slow-Cooker Chipotle Brisket Sliders Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis “Absolutely fabulous!” wrote a reviewer who left five stars. “I even purchased the spicy pickles which I had never had before and that was the cherry on the top! Thank you for such a great dinner!” Get The Recipe 13 of 60 Beef Sliders With Bacon Jam Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Instead of standing at the tailgate and flipping burgers all afternoon, make a big batch of these tasty sliders ahead of time. Homemade bacon jam sets them apart from your usual burger recipe. Get The Recipe 14 of 60 Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Minis Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Rebecca Cummins Those 11 a.m. kickoffs aren’t exciting for everyone, but your tailgate crew will be thrilled to see a platter of these homemade chicken minis on the spread. Get The Recipe 15 of 60 Toomer's Lemonade Sheet Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey Inspired by the famous Toomer’s Drugs lemonade in Auburn, Alabama, this sheet cake was made for serving a crowd. Get The Recipe 16 of 60 South Carolina Bird Dogs Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey A Gamecocks favorite, these chicken dogs will be a hit at any tailgate. Wrap them in foil to make them easily portable to the tailgate, and let visitors add their own toppings. Get The Recipe 17 of 60 Ham-And-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin When you need something more substantial than dip to feed your hungry crowd, you can't go wrong here. Southerners will instantly recognize this handheld staple, made with ham, cheese, and Hawaiian rolls. This recipe elevates the basic ham-and-cheese with an amazing homemade béchamel sauce and Gruyère cheese. Get The Recipe 18 of 60 Jalapeño Popper Dip Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke This recipe is as good as stuffed jalapeños but packed into a shareable party dip. Though delicious as is, for even more color and texture you can fold in chopped red and yellow bell peppers. If you're busy the day of the tailgate, this dip is a great option that can be made ahead of time. Get The Recipe 19 of 60 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Game day isn't truly complete without a scrumptious meatball dish on the table. These saucy meatballs slow cook in grape jelly, adding sweetness to the heat and spice of chili sauce and barbecue sauce. Set a container of toothpicks next to the slow cooker and let your guests do the work. Get The Recipe 20 of 60 Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip Monica Farber This is hands-down the most crowd-pleasing dip recipe for when you're feeding a group of hungry Southerners. It's melty, creamy, cheesy, chicken-filled, and packed with a kick of Buffalo flavor. Flat pretzel chips or crusty bread make excellent scoops. Get The Recipe 21 of 60 Hasselback Sausage Bites Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Southern-favorite Conecuh sausage is turned into bite-sized pieces that are sliced up and fanned out to create extra bites of crispy, juice meat. The tangy dipping sauce puts this special tailgate appetizer over the top. These will be the first to go at the party. Get The Recipe 22 of 60 Buffalo Chicken Bites Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke These practically mess-free chicken bites are boneless, letting guests indulge with a fork. If you'll be transporting these chicken bites after cooking, we recommend keeping the chicken and sauce separate until right before serving. For variety, offer a bowl of both ranch and blue cheese dressings on the side. Get The Recipe 23 of 60 Baked BLT Dip Skyler Burt Creamy, cheesy, bacony, and oh-so bubbly, this dip will have the whole tailgate doing victory dances. This dip packs an entire pound of bacon, plus cream cheese, Cheddar, sour cream, and mayo. Top with lettuce and cherry tomatoes to make it look just like the sandwich. Get The Recipe 24 of 60 Pulled Pork Nachos Antonis Achilleos It's not game day without a huge plate of nachos. Pick up some pulled pork from your favorite barbecue joint to help these nachos come together in just 15 minutes. All you need to do is layer your favorite toppings, bake, and then add any cold ingredients you'd like. Get The Recipe 25 of 60 Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner Imagine all the best flavors of Buffalo chicken dip rolled into a delicious and flaky pastry. To make these, you'll need thawed sheets of frozen puff pastry, on which you'll spread the Buffalo chicken filling before rolling them up jelly-roll style. The pinwheels are topped with blue cheese dressing and chopped fresh celery leaves or parsley. Get The Recipe 26 of 60 Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls Photography: Caitlin Bensel Food Styling: Ali Ramee Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Did someone say sausage balls? We can hear the people running from other tailgates already. This recipe spices it up a notch with hot pork sausage and pepper Jack cheese, but also makes life easier with Bisquick. Get The Recipe 27 of 60 Pizza Pepper Poppers Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christina Daley These bite-sized poppers check off all the boxes: colorful, adorable, and tasty. Use baby bell peppers as the base for cheese and pepperoni to deliver the flavor of pizza in popper form. Garnish with bright green basil. Get The Recipe 28 of 60 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Who doesn't love a two-ingredient recipe that's destined to be the hit of the party? As is, this recipe makes 24 crackers, so we recommend doubling (or tripling!) this recipe. The crackers need to bake on low heat for 90 minutes to achieve a nice and crisp bowtie shape. Get The Recipe 29 of 60 Spinach-Artichoke Dip Caitlin Bensel Serve this tasty dip with pita chips, radishes, or fresh broccoli for a surefire crowd-pleaser. This recipe is heavier on the artichokes than many, so we used frozen for the best flavor. The leftovers are great on a baked potato or chicken, too. Get The Recipe 30 of 60 Classic Deviled Eggs Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Simplicity is key in this tasty make-ahead recipe. It comes together with just five ingredients in less than 20 minutes. You'll love the classic flavor, and you can spice things up with a jar of hot sauce. Get The Recipe 31 of 60 Brownie Cookies Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist Shell Royster Hard choices aren't to be made on game day, so get the best of both worlds with this recipe that combines the sweet outer crunch of a cookie with the rich decadence of a brownie. Oh, and did we mention it all starts with a box of brownie mix? Chill the dough before baking so the cookies stay in cookie form. Get The Recipe 32 of 60 Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings Jennifer Causey Cooked low and slow, these tender wings are sure to be a hit at your next tailgate feast. The fragrant, orange-hued rub is predominantly due to paprika, enhanced with a few other spices. It comes from pitmaster Wade Reich of Butts To Go in Alabama, so you know it's good. Get The Recipe 33 of 60 Sweet-And-Salty Autumn Snack Mix Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs This munch mix is filled with cereal, bite-size pretzels, candy-coated peanut-butter candies, mini marshmallows, and a yummy butter mixture with brown sugar and honey. What can go wrong? Keep it in an airtight container and serve it in waffle cones during the game. Get The Recipe 34 of 60 Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Matthew Gleason We first debuted this recipe in the '90s, and we're still fans today. Classic deviled eggs get a festive spin from cilantro, serrano peppers, diced green onions, and cheese. Sprinkle on chili powder to taste. Get The Recipe 35 of 60 Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus Hector Manuel Sanchez Smoked paprika gives all the flavor to this hummus recipe made with black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas. Top with extra olive oil, lemon zest, and paprika for an extra zing and pop of color. Serve with pita chips. Get The Recipe 36 of 60 Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Alison Miksch This easy snack is always a crowd-pleaser at a Southern tailgate. Make the nuts in a slow cooker and haul it over to the tailgate to keep the boiled peanuts warm all day. They go down especially well with an ice-cold beer. Get The Recipe 37 of 60 Our Favorite Pimiento Cheese Hector Manuel Sanchez Need we say more? It's not a Southern daytime party without at least one batch of pimiento cheese. Hot tip: Serve with crackers and a jar of Wickles on the side. Get The Recipe 38 of 60 Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This reader-favorite won in a bake-off between the wives of presidential candidates. Filled with all the most delicious ingredients like chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans, this cookie recipe makes a big enough batch to feed your crowd all day long. Get The Recipe 39 of 60 Rotel Sausage Dip Caitlin Bensel We know that you know this dip because it might be the most popular game-day dip of all time. This recipe gives you the perfect ratio of cheese, meat, chiles, and tomatoes, which are all cooked and served warm in your slow cooker. Tortilla scoops will come in handy for this one. Get The Recipe 40 of 60 Party Poppers Hector Manuel Sanchez Stuffed with a cream cheese mixture and wrapped in thick-cut bacon, these jalapeño poppers are guaranteed to get the party going. Just make sure to remove the seeds and membranes before you fill your poppers—unless you're looking to heat things up. Get The Recipe 41 of 60 Broccoli, Grape, And Pasta Salad Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Say hello to the most popular, swoon-worthy pasta salad around. Everyone loves the simple combination of broccoli, grapes, pecans, and bacon. The result is a perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and crunch. Get The Recipe 42 of 60 Pecan Pie Bars Hannah Zimmerman Serve up fall's favorite pie without any fuss. These chewy, bite-size bars are baked in a casserole dish and require just 20 minutes of prep time. The easy crust is simply patted into place. Get The Recipe 43 of 60 Beer-Cheese Fondue Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall We upped the ante on this popular dip by using dry mustard, Gruyère, Cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, and a lager beer. Keep your fondue pot over a Sterno to keep the dip from clumping. Serve with sliced cooked bratwurst for extra fun. Get The Recipe 44 of 60 Mini Muffulettas Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Amy Burke You can easily make these mini muffuletta sliders the day before the party. Just assemble, place in zip-top plastic freezer bags, and refrigerate overnight. Store-bought craft paper and simple twine create clever sandwich wrappers. Get The Recipe 45 of 60 Smoked-Tomato Salsa Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch What's a party without salsa? If you have a smoker, make yours one to remember. Pair it with our homemade guacamole and warm chips and you're set. Get The Recipe 46 of 60 Corn And Jalapeño Dip Hector Manuel Sanchez Let your slow cooker be the star of the tailgate by filling it with this creamy corn dip. Simply stir together seven ingredients and cook, then top with crumbled bacon and scallions. Tortilla chips will do, but extra-salty corn chips are even better. Get The Recipe 47 of 60 Texas Caviar Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Texas caviar has been a hit at dinner parties since the 1950s. Something like tangy salsa, the veggies are dressed with a bottle of Italian dressing. We like adding green tomatoes for their bright, citrusy flavor. Get The Recipe 48 of 60 Philly Cheesesteak Dip Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Enjoy everything you love about the classic sandwich, without the bun. This cheesy, meaty party dip is started on the stove and finished in the oven. There's no such thing as too much cheese, so we've doubled up with melted provolone slices over top. Get The Recipe 49 of 60 Skillet Beer-Cheese Dip With Pretzel Bites Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Does this look like a game-day dip or what? Baked pretzel bites nestle in beer cheese made with sharp Cheddar and creamy Havarti. Serve extra pretzels on the side. Get The Recipe 50 of 60 Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This no-fuss dessert has a crust of graham cracker crumbs and crushed pretzels. That's topped with layers of cheesecake batter, apples tossed in cinnamon and sugar, and a crunchy oat mixture. The bars become downright decadent when you drizzle caramel sauce over top. Get The Recipe 51 of 60 Garlic Bread Pizzas Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Ready in 25 minutes, these pizzas are not only faster than delivery, they taste delicious. They're crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfect for topping as guests please. get the recipe 52 of 60 Bacon-Wrapped Smokies Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bacon makes everything better. Everyone loves a grab and go recipe and this one is perfect for feeding a crowd. get the recipe 53 of 60 Bacon Snack Mix Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Tailgates always need those snack mixes that are easy to munch on between plays. This mix adds in cereal squares, almonds, and bacon. get the recipe 54 of 60 Tailgate Margaritas Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen House drink at the tailgate tent? Of course. Mix up a margarita that everyone will enjoy sipping. get the recipe 55 of 60 All-You-Can-Eat BLTs Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Sandwiches are always a great idea because you won't worry about keeping them warm. Give your go-to BLT a facelift on this toasty bread. get the recipe 56 of 60 Knock-You-Naked Brownies Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Why not offer to bring the dessert that not only tastes great but has an adorable name. These will be the talk of the crowd. get the recipe 57 of 60 Quick Turkey Chili Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Chili is always a great game day idea. This recipe features turkey and comes together in no time. get the recipe 58 of 60 Bacon Pimiento Cheese Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Bring the dip that everyone will devour. This recipe gives a flavorful twist to the basic pimento recipe with bacon in the starring role. get the recipe 59 of 60 Magnificent Muffin Recipes Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis One of the easiest recipes to pack and bring to the tailgate: homemade muffins bursting with flavors. get the recipe 60 of 60 Chocolate Sheet Cake Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel Don't forget about dessert. There will always be someone at the tailgate looking for something sweet and this chocolate sheet cake will do the trick. get the recipe Frequently Asked Questions How do you pack food for a tailgate party? Depending on your tailgate set-up, bring warming trays or coolers to keep foods at the correct temperature. Prepare most food items before arriving at your tailgating location, and do not leave food exposed for more than a few hours to avoid contamination and disease. What additional items should you bring to a tailgate? To complete the tailgating experience, remember to bring or assign someone to get things like plates, cups, drinks, ice, and towels. Using food-safe gloves for handling raw meat is a good idea when serving meat products. Also, consider bringing tables and chairs. Best Portable Tailgate Grills That Cook For A Crowd Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit