27 Tailgating Recipes That Score (2024)

Fall weekends belong to football and the great outdoor eating experience of tailgating. Try these twists on traditional tailgate recipes, including soups, stews, salads, dips and snack mixes.

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Blistered Shish*tos with Sriracha Mayo

For your next tailgate, say goodbye to boring carrots and dip, and hello to these addictive pan-fried peppers. Salted and lime-juiced, they're delicious even without the sriracha mayo.

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Make-Ahead Mini Cheese Balls

The customization opportunities for these easy mini cheese balls are endless. Plus, they can freeze for up to three months!

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Mini Italian Beef Sandwiches with Pepperoncini Slaw

These little beef sandwiches make a great appetizer for a football party. And you can put them together in just 20 minutes.

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Sunny Broccoli Salad

A Cleveland reader makes this classic potluck salad the day ahead and refrigerates the dressing and vegetables separately. When it's time to serve it, she tosses everything together. Bacon, sunflower kernels and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish.

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Sweet Chile Snack Mix

Salty and sweet, crisp and kicky—loaded with soy, hoisin, wasabi, this flavorful snack mix checks all the boxes.

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Brownie Bombs

These sinful brownies feature a cheesecake layer sandwiched between two ultra-rich chocolate layers. They'll be a hit at any tailgating party!

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Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili

This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas.

Jumbo Chocolate-Cherry-Oat Cookies

Sometimes it's fun to have cookies the size of your face—these are 5 inches in diameter! For smaller cookies that are still impressive, use a 1/3-cup measure to portion the dough for 15 or 16 cookies. These sturdy cookies will travel well if you're packing for the game.

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Cheesy Rosemary and Pecan Snack Mix

On game day, plan to find us parked by this bowl of maybe the best snack mix we've ever published.

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Light and Layered Taco Dip

Ground turkey, reduced-sodium and light ingredients, and a confetti of crisp, colorful veggies make this potluck staple more nutritious than a typical layered dip-but every bit as tasty.

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Ripe Olive Cheese Ball

Perfect for parties and tailgating! Make these cheese balls up to three months ahead of time then freeze. Thaw frozen cheese balls overnight in fridge before serving.

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Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

Carrot and celery sticks add crisp crunch to the platter of Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing. Our wings recipe includes blue cheese, garlic powder, vinegar, and spicy cayenne pepper sauce for kick.

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Calico Bean Bake

This recipe blurs the line between baked beans and chili. It's great for feeding a crowd.

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Edamame-Avocado Dip

Combine edamame and avocado with basil pesto, lemon juice and chopped tomato for this easy potluck dip.

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Pepperoni Pizza Pull

Just five ingredients go into this incredibly delicious, gooey appetizer or snack.

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Crimson Slaw

Dried cranberries plump up when tossed with vinaigrette in this tangy coleslaw. The recipe was a winner at the Wisconsin State Fair.

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Pizza Burgers

Bring along extra toppers inspired by pizza-parlor classics: thinly sliced sweet peppers and onion, spinach, sautéed mushrooms, jarred banana peppers or sliced olives.

Take Your Burger to the Next Level

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Blue-Ribbon Ranger Cookies

Ranger cookies are made with rolled oats and cereal. Judy Kiburz Harrison won best-in-class at the Iowa State Fair for her version, which adds Beer Nuts for a peanutty twist.

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Beer-Braised Brats

Steep your grilled brats in this onion-and-herb beer mixture for an easy way to keep them warm while tailgating. Beer-Braised Brats get a liberal dose of cranberry-pickle relish for extra color and tang.

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Jack Cheese and Smoky Chipotle Fondue

Lots of Monterey Jack cheese goes into this creamy fondue, along with sour cream, chipotle peppers and bacon. Scoop up with bread or tortilla chips.

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Colossal Chili

Long, slow simmering melds flavors in this recipe from the Spice House in Evanston, Illinois.

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Breakfast Burritos

Combine hash browns, sausage, bacon, eggs, cheese and chopped veggies for a hearty breakfast tortilla. Top the colorful mixture with cool sour cream and spicy salsa.

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Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus

Hummus is easier than you might think: Just throw the ingredients in the food processor. Find canned smoky chipotle peppers in the Mexican aisle of large supermarkets.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate meet for a sweet treat in this recipe from a Cedarburg, Wisconsin, reader who likes to make these bar cookies for tailgates and other gatherings.

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Meat and Potato Pizza

This recipe is sure to be a hit at your next tailgate. The pizza is topped with a totally mouth-watering combo of thin-sliced potatoes, bacon, sausage and a delectable garlic-rosemary butter. The recipe comes from Hidemi Walsh of Plainfield, Indiana.

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Chili Verde with Corn Bread Croutons

Bulgur wheat lends meaty texture, fiber and protein to soups and stews, where it can cook in the broth. In our sweet and savory chili, we match the grain with salsa verde, peppers and edamame.

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Greens, Eggs and Ham Potato Salad

Loaded with protein and fresh greens, this is a simple yet flavorful potato salad.

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