Somewhere between a cookout, a picnic, and a watch party, tailgating calls for the best game day foods in their most portable, easy-to-serve forms. This recipe roundup hits all the right notes, helping you build a travel-friendly menu to fuel the festivities. Fire up Buffalo chicken burgers or wings on the grill, scoop up beer cheese or creamed corn dip, or serve barbecued pulled pork or white chicken chili straight from the slow cooker. And don’t forget sweet handheld treats — we especially love PB&J blondies for passing and sharing. Read on for these and more tailgate favorites your crew will love.
Ham, Soppressata, and Two-Cheese Stromboli
Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addy Evans
Pizza dough gets stuffed with two meats, two cheeses, and two kinds of peppers for this make-ahead snack that can be served warm or cold.
Texas Caviar
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Also known as cowboy caviar, this cult-favorite Texas dish features a mix of black-eyed peas, tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, jalapeño, and onion tossed in a bright Italian-style dressing. Serve it with chips for a terrific snack or side.
Grilled Italian Sausage with Apple Mustard and Giardiniera
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Chef Tyler Florence grills hot or sweet pork sausages, topping them with a homemade grilled apple and onion mustard and tangy, chunky giardiniera. The result is sweet, savory, juicy, crunchy, and sure to be a tailgate hit.
Bacon and Cheese Pigs in a Blanket
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Sally McKay / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong
These next-level, bite-sized pigs in a blanket are wrapped in bacon with American cheese and tucked inside store-bought crescent roll dough for a quick appetizer.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Joseph Wanek
This creamy chicken and white bean chili builds flavor with canned green chiles, jalapeños, and spices like coriander and cumin. Don’t forget the avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, cheddar, and sour cream for serving.
Outrageous Brownies
Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel
What makes these brownies from Ina Garten so outrageous, you might ask? Instant coffee, chopped walnuts, and an extra-fudgy texture. The batter bakes up in a half-sheet pan to yield 20 big brownies, plenty for the whole crew.
Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Topped with a blue cheese–celery slaw, these spicy grilled chicken burgers combine all the flavors of Buffalo wings and blue cheese dressing.
Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Christina Daley / Prop Styling by Torie Cox
With salami, pepperoni, provolone, and peperoncini, this zesty, easy-to-share pasta salad is a satisfying mix of textures and flavors, just like the sandwich on which it’s based. Toss together a few hours before serving, then add the croutons at the very last minute to keep them crunchy.
Beer Cheese
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
A blend of sharp cheddar and cream cheese is spiked with a generous amount of pale ale for a tangy, spicy spread that’s terrific with pretzels and raw veggies.
Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Wings
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
F&W editor in chief Hunter Lewis grills chicken wings over charcoal briquettes for a slightly smoky flavor and to slowly render the fat for ultra-crispy skin. Enjoy them as they are or toss in your favorite wing sauce.
Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork
Julia Hartbeck
This tasty, tender pulled pork makes excellent use of your slow cooker. Richly flavored and saucy, it’s great on hamburger buns with coleslaw, thinly sliced onion, and dill pickles.
Tomatillo Salsa Cruda
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva
2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Núñez employs a full cup of pungent cilantro leaves and stems along with tart tomatillos, mixed chiles, and tender scallions for a raw salsa that goes well with just about everything. (Try it on tacos, eggs, or tortilla chips.)
Ham and Cheese Sliders
Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser
Pile ham, Swiss cheese, and spicy Dijon mustard onto Hawaiian rolls for this 30-minute treat to score points with any crowd.
Green Goddess Potato Salad
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Prissy Montiel
Vibrant, herbaceous, and creamy, this green goddess riff on classic potato salad is ideal for accompanying all kinds of tailgate-friendly mains. Made especially hearty with a topping of hard-boiled eggs, it can be served cold or at room temperature.
Grilled Burgers Stuffed with Pimiento Cheese
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
For these outside-in cheeseburgers, we stuff pimiento cheese into hefty patties of ground chuck and sirloin, topping them with pickles and slaw to add some crunch to the melty mix. You’ll want to cook these to order, but you can shape the patties several hours ahead.
PB&J Blondies with Raspberry Swirl
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
These nostalgic treats from chef and cookbook author April McGreger upgrade a chewy, caramel-y blondie base with creamy peanut butter and tangy raspberry jam.
Crudités with Miso-Sesame Dip
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This umami-packed dip from 2024 F&W Best New Chef Leina Horii combines earthy toasted sesame seeds, nutty white miso, and rice vinegar for a mild sweetness and acidity.
Ground Beef Bulgogi Sloppy Joes with Fiery Napa Slaw
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Messy? Yes. However, when it comes to whipping up crowd-pleasing sandwiches, these sloppy joes packed with Korean barbecue flavor and a hint of gochujang are a must — just keep the napkins or wet wipes handy.
Creamed Corn Dip
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Inspired by creamed corn, this dip boasts the sweet and buttery flavors of the classic side dish with the hearty texture of a cream cheese–based dip. Feel free to use frozen sweet yellow corn when fresh corn is not in season.
Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Christina Daley / Prop Styling by Torie Cox
Your fellow fans won’t be able to resist these oversized chocolate chip cookies. The recipe employs the pan-banging method to create dramatic ripples with crisp, lacy edges and soft, gooey centers.
Steak, Potato, and Chorizo Kebabs with Red Pepper Mayo
Skirt steak, baby potatoes, and Spanish chorizo share skewers with olives and onions for a smoky, flavor-packed, grill-friendly dish.
Barbecue-Spiced Potato Chips
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Pre-soak potatoes in vinegar before frying, then toss the hot chips in a spicy mixture of chipotle powder, sugar, salt, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and garlic powder. (Make them up to four days in advance of your tailgate.)
Italian Grinder Pinwheels
Food & Wine / Photo by Sara Haas
Roll all the usual grinder suspects — provolone, deli meats, tomatoes, vinaigrette-dressed lettuce, and peperoncinis — into a tight log with lavash, then slice and serve.
Carnitas Sliders with Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce
Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Fragrant carnitas with a bright yet creamy avocado-tomatillo sauce are a bite-sized taste of Mexico City, where chef Pati Jinich sourced her recipe’s extra-special ingredient: sweetened condensed milk.
Classic Deviled Eggs
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali
Bring deviled eggs to your tailgate and watch them disappear fast. This quintessential version has a rich, extra-silky filling thanks to a heavy dose of mayonnaise; a hint of sharp Dijon mustard brings just enough acidity.
Kogi Dogs
Greg DuPree
These smoky Kogi dogs from chef Roy Choi, piled high with cabbage, kimchi, and cheddar, are so good they made it on our 2018 list of Food & Wine’s 40 best-ever recipes list. A drizzle of sriracha finishes them off.
Best-Ever Cold Fried Chicken
Forget the logistics of trying to keep fried chicken hot for your tailgate: This recipe from F&W’s Justin Chapple is designed to be tasty and crunchy straight from the fridge.
