My Ultimate Tailgate Menu for Football Season.
It’s here! My favorite time of year! And I’m bringing you killer tailgating recipes.
And should I say, it’s one of my favorite days of the year too.
For the last few years, I’ve shared massive lists of my favorite recipes for football season. Things that work for parties, tailgating, the super bowl – everything! I have them from years back, but you can find last year’s, 2016, 2015 and 2014 at those links.
So much good food!
This year I wanted to do something different. I know that I constantly have SO many FAVORITES, it can be hard to choose what to make. These ten recipes are exactly what I make over and over again – and also what YOU make over again. They are some of the most popular recipes on the site and ones that are perfect to make and take. Or make at home! The best ten tailgating recipes that you need in your life, right now.
First up, apple cider sangria!
This is by far the most popular cocktail here on the blog and one I look forward to all year. You can make a huge batch ahead of time and it’s so, so good.
Next, snacky things. We have chipotle caramel chex mix, because it’s completely addictive. And can also be made ahead of time!
Of course we also have buffalo chicken dip, because… hello football season. I hadn’t actually had this in years because I sort of burned myself out on it. We ate it after shooting and it was SO GOOD. Always a huge hit.
I also suggest making this pub cheese. It’s dreamy with sourdough pretzels or veggie sticks. Super easy and flavorful and easy to make ahead. Great with beer too.
And these easy puff pastry cheese straws are another necessity. They are best served ASAP, but they do hold up for a few hours after making. They make a perfect dipper.
For a main dish, I love to switch it up between this slow cooker BBQ beer chicken or saucy pulled pork. Buns, BBQ sauce and maybe some garnish are all you need!
A great salad that holds up well is my harvest honeycrisp salad! The kale is hearty and actually gets better as it sits. Just in case, you can take the apple and slice it there if you wish, however it will be okay in the salad too. This salad is INCREDIBLE.
The best treats I can recommend are these insane brownies that everyone goes crazy over, as well as these giant rainbow cookies. Both are awesome, just depends on your mood.
All of these recipes together create a fantastic menu, but the pieces work separately too. I can’t even explain how much I adore alllll of these recipes.
For fun, you can find these twinkle fall leaf lights here and the soft yeti cooler (which is incredible and keeps stuff cold/frozen forever!) here. These Pendleton blankets are so ridiculously warm (and are a great gift!) – they are wool and make perfect seat covers or can really warm you up too.
I found this jar drink dispenser at homegoods a few years ago and we just used a small folding card table to set up the snacks!
I’d looove to hear down below about your go-to game day recipes.
48 Comments on “My Ultimate Tailgate Menu for Football Season.”
I love apple cider sangria but sweetening sangria with brandy gives me an instant headache (and it lasts forever!). Any suggestions on a sweeter wine or something that will have the flavor of cider without the brandy?
i think you can probably leave it out entirely since apple cider can be sweet – or you can try spiced rum or even a plain simple syrup if you still want something sweet? I love this honeycrisp syrup in this recipe (i made it all the time in the fall!) and you could try that: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2016/09/honeycrisp-old-fashioned/
This is absolutely incredible Jessica!! The prettiest tailgating setup ever! This is giving me all the fall feels and all I can think about is buffalo chicken dip. SO excited about fall food!
thank you so much ashlyn! xo
Wow, everything looks delicious… thanks for sharing this withus.
thanks!
This setup and pictures are amazing! Love!! I’ve made that Apple cider sangria a few times and people always love it!
thanks so much amanda!
Guac, salsa, hummus, chips and veggies for dippage, cookies, brownies, blondies, and just lots of bowls of candy, nuts and other goodies. Clearly we like to graze and snack all day!
YESSS we totally do too!
Such a cute post! These recipes look so great for tailgating!!
thanks jenna!
When I click on the buffalo chicken dip, it goes to a post about it but doesn’t include the recipe. Am I missing it?!
ahh so sorry kara! i fixed i. :)
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Prettiest tailgate setup! :) Will be trying this for some Pitt games! Thanks for the ideas and great recipes!
Fantastic menu for football season!
yes exactly
This is awesome post very nice dishes thank you for sharing.
this is the ULTIMATE! so cute!!!
This is incredible! Next level tailgating!
Do you make this in the oven and transfer it to the crockpot, or can it be made entirely in the crockpot?
Ranch ranch ranch!! I always make a double batch of this recipe for chips and veggies, and invariably someone who didn’t have time to cook brings wings with sub-par ranch so having extra is always a good thing! It has no mayo in it which I love for the tang.
http://funnyloveblog.com/2018/01/29/easy-homemade-ranch/
Cheers to that apple cider sangria!!!
I really appreciate the kind of topics you post here.Thanks for sharing us a great information that is actually helpful. Good day!
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The tailgating setup and roundup of recipes is the ULTIMATE! Love it all!
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This is the best tailgating set up I’ve ever seen! I made the pulled pork sandwiches but need to try all of the other recipes now. Thanks for sharing!
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Love your football food recipes! This tailgate photo shoot is stunning!! So elaborate and impressive.
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My friends have always wanted to do a tailgating party, and while we don’t have an exact date yet it’s always good to plan ahead. Being the culinary guy in the group, I wanted to have as much fun preparing a menu for us, and so it helped a lot when your article gave the recipe to the Honeycrisp salad and what someone could do to improve it, as some of my friends would prefer to have a healthier option amidst all the other meaty snacks involved. In addition to following your menu and trying out your recipes, it would probably be a good idea for us to get a trailer where we can bring all the food and party stuff to when the time comes. Thank you so much for your help!
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Pingback: The 10 Best Tailgating Recipes – The Ultimate Tailgating Menu – My Blog
This is absolutely incredible Jessica!! The prettiest tailgating setup ever! This is giving me all the fall feels and all I can think about is buffalo chicken dip. SO excited about fall food!
Thanks for sharing out the information and the recipe …hope to see more like this by you…
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Looks pretty good and delicious honestly.
Thanks for the honest review. I’ll try this out.
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Everything looks super perfect to me.
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Yep, it does looks amazing and delicious.
i love these real life recipes
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