Some people go for the game. Others, the commercials. At times the dispute between the two groups can be even more heated than the one between the two teams actually playing the game. (Or maybe that’s just around here, where our team hasn’t made it past the playoffs in about a billion years…)

But the one thing we can all agree on? THE FOOD!

Yep, the Superbowl is just around the corner. And that means it’s time to start planning a menu. (After all, with the Velveeta shortage going on, you can’t very well rely on the same old Ro-Tel dip!) Whether you’re taking it easy at home this year, hosting a big party or taking a favorite dish or two to a friend’s house, this is the perfect time to try out a new recipe.

Lucky for you, I’ve rounded up more than 70 of the tastiest recipes that are guaranteed to make you – and your delicious dishes – a hit at any party!

Scroll on down through this massive list of recipes as you plan your party menu. Pick and choose – or go ahead and PIN ALL THE THINGS! I’ve tried to make it a bit easier for you to navigate this treasure trove of snacks and apps by dividing them into categories: Dips, Meat, Pinwheels & Sandwiches, Pizza, Snack Mixes, Sweets and Veggies.

[Side note: It should be noted that some party foods – actually, LOTS of party foods – can be categorized more than one way. I mean, what’s a blogger to do with FRUIT SALSA? Or a VEGGIE-BASED DIP? And does bacon go under the meat category…or should it be a category of its own??? So, just keep that in mind when you judge my categories, mmmkay?]

Dips

Dips definitely win the battle for most popular type of party snack! I know they’re mine. It doesn’t matter if I’m dipping with chips or crackers or veggies or pretzels, I LOVE DIPS. {Okay, that’s not quite true. I love dips, true – but given the choice, I will pick chips or crackers as my dip vehicle Every. Single. Time.}

Most of these dips are baked – or, a few, microwaved. But a few, like this Cheesy Bean Dip from Recipes That Crock, make party prep even easier by being cooked in the Crock Pot. Ruth from Living Well Spending Less has three great party dips, just in case you have one of those handy triple slow cookers!

I’m no gluten expert, so it’s possible lots of these recipes qualify in that category. But I know for sure that Jo-Lynne’s Buffalo Chicken Dip and Jessie’s {famous and reportedly “magically delicious”} Mexican Corn Dip are officially gluten-free.

I haven’t tried this Irresistible Beer Cheese Dip from Whatcha Makin’ Now…but I want to. Scooping it up with pretzels might just even make me like pretzels a little more! Jen has a yummy-looking beer cheese dip at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, too.

Speaking of variations on a dip theme, I found a couple different spin dip recipes for you to choose from as well! Mandy shared a Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip at Sugar Bee Crafts, and Alecia posted an Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip at Detours in Life. It’s your choice – easy or cheesy!

Don’t worry! There’s plenty of variety to be found in the World o’ Dips. Check out these option:

• Loaded Baked Potato Chip Dip – The Love Nerds
• Easy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus – Homegrown & Healthy
• Baked Creamy Crab Dip – Jasey’s Crazy Daisy
• Bacon Cheddar Horseradish Dip – Jasey’s Crazy Daisy
• Baked Reuben Dip – Jasey’s Crazy Daisy
• BLT Dip – Giving Up on Perfect
• Perky Pimento Cheese – A Spicy Perspective

And then there are some of my favorite kind of dips – the Mexican or southwestern variety. Mmmm…spicy…and cheesy…and spicy…

How cute and clever are these individual cups of seven-layer dip?! Love what Marcie calls Mini Taco Dip Cups over at Simply Real Moms! It might seem like the Taco Dip at Random Crafty Georgia Girl would be the same type of dip, but this one has lettuce on top…like a taco. I guess if you had to, you could just make them both and see which version you like better. What a hardship THAT would be, right?

Tacos aren’t the only Mexican dip game in town, of course. We’ve got cheesy dips (3-Ingredient Chip Dip from Coffee with Us 3, Chili Bean Cheese Queso from Dine & Dish and don’t miss Summer’s Super Manly Cheese Dip at Dirty Floor Diaries). We’ve got salsas (Guacamole Salsa from Sublime Reflection and Restaurant-Style Salsa from yours truly here at Giving Up on Perfect). And we’ve got variations on jalapeno poppers – my personal favorite (Fritos Jalapeno Poppers from Stay at Work Housewife and my super famous [well, kind of] Jalapeno Popper Dip)!

Meat {featuring bacon}

As I mentioned earlier with so many party snacks featuring bacon in one way or another, I wasn’t sure if it should be its own category. In the end I included them with the other meat dishes for simplicity’s sake. (But then, you know, decided to over-explain to keep things interesting. Or complicated. Whatever.)

Mix things up a bit with a seafood dish. Try Bevin’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail from Who Needs a Cape – and instantly class up your shindig! Another couple of great dishes to add to your repetoire? Bacon-Wrapped Water Chesnuts from Whatcha Makin’ Now and Marinated Cheese from Joyful Scribblings (no, not technically a meat, but one delicious-looking protein!).

Then again, if your party is a little more laidback (like all my parties are!), you might want to try Stefanie’s Bacon & Brown Sugar Little Smokies, Becky’s Ham & Pickle Roll-Ups or Deviled Eggs from One TIPsy Chick. And don’t forget the slow cooker recipes! Christie has a great recipe for meatballs at Saving Said Simply, and Cris shares one for Buffalo Chicken Wings at Recipes That Crock. (And if buffalo sauce is your thing, don’t miss Becky’s Boneless Baked Buffalo Bites from Love to be in the Kitchen!)

If you really are looking for all bacon, all the time (like my husband is…all the time), I must suggest this Beer-Candied Bacon I made for last year’s Superbowl party. Next up on my list of Bacon Recipes to Try? (You doubt that I have such a list? Psh.) Bacon Jam from Coordinately Yours – yum!

And loosely related to the bacon-fest apps are Mini Sausage Balls from Hoosier Homemade (hello? it’s pork!) and these Baked Chicken Taquitos from right here at Giving Up on Perfect (there’s bacon in with that chicken!).

Pinwheels & Sandwiches

If you want something a little more substantial – but still appetizer-sized – then pinwheels and sliders are what you need! I love making Mexican Pinwheels, similar to these from Who Needs a Cape. But wait, there’s more! Check out these dishes that pack a punch:

• Bacon & Cream Cheese Pinwheels – A Mouse in My Kitchen
• Spinach Pinwheels – My Life Well Loved
• Mini Meatball Sliders – A New Dawnn
• Turkey, Pesto, Onion & Cheese Sliders and Ham, Pesto, Onion & Cheese Sliders from Reluctant Entertainer 

Pizza

And then there are all the many amazing-looking pizza-themed appetizers. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE makes me hungry! (And Dana’s Pizza Snowballs – not to be confused with those fun Waffle Iron Pizza Pockets up above – inspired my own Pizza Poppers. They are SO GOOD, and I will be forever grateful for that!) A few other pizza party snacks:

• Mini Socca Pizzas (Gluten-free) – In Johnna’s Kitchen
• Easy Pizza Rollers – It’s a Mother Thing
• Pizza Monkey Bread – What’s Gaby Cooking

Snack Mixes

No party is complete without a big bowl of snack mix, right? And Connie has a quadrupled recipe of Chex Mix at Smockity Frocks – gluten-free, to boot and it will feed any crowd! Try one (or all! I won’t judge!) of these other recipes for a few other snacky options:

• Cinnamon & Sugar Roasted Almonds – Homegrown & Healthy
• Southwest Snack Mix – Our Family World
• Grown-Up Goldfish – Giving Up on Perfect
• Peanut Butter Puppy Chow – Giving Up on Perfect

Sweet

See what I mean? How am I supposed to categorize a sweet dip? Actually, this Chocolate Chip Dip from Amy’s Finer Things looks so good, I kind of want to put it in its own category called, I Must Eat This NOW.

And then there are the fruit salsas: Strawberry & Mango Salsa from Little Family Adventure and Grilled Peach & Chipotle Salsa from A Spicy Perspective. So confusing. And so delicious! (And healthy! These recipes are SO win-win!)

Luckily, Julie’s Easy Apple Crisp at Coordinately Yours is a slam dunk sweet treat, and so are the three recipes I’m sharing from my blog:

• Granny’s Sour Cream Pound Cake
• S’mores Rice Krispy Treats
• Mini Fruit Pizzas

Veggies

I have to admit I was surprised to realize that, after dips, the category with the most recipes was veggies. Now, sure, some of them might be covered and smothered with some sort of less-than-healthy goodness, but still! Veggies! We’re so healthy, you guys!

For BLT lovers, Robin Dance’s Bacon Tomato Cups look delicious – and Jessie has a non-baked option with her BLT Bites over at Vanderbilt Wife. And for more pop-in-your-mouth veggie snacks, try these:

• Spinach Balls – Musings of a Housewife
• Savory Olive & Sun-Dried Tomato Puffs – The Vegan Crew
• Zesty Chipotle Black Bean Cakes – Homegrown & Healthy
• Deep Fried Cauliflower with Buffalo Sauce – Living Well Spending Less
• Buttermilk Fried Pickles – Mooshu Jenne

Now, we can debate the health value or vegetable qualifications of potatoes all day long. But you just take a look at these ah-maze-ing recipes and tell me you don’t want to count them as your veggie intake for the day? #ilovepotatoes

• Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries – What’s Gaby Cooking
• Loaded Baked Potato Wheels – Kansas City Mamas
• Twice Baked Potatoes – Three Chickens and a Boat

But, okay, fine. FINE! If you need something more straight-up vegetable on your buffet table, you’ll want to make some delicious Caprese Skewers from A Lovely Life and a big bowl of Cowboy Caviar from Down South Saving. And, you know what? While you’re at it? Whip up a batch of Cumin & Charred Corn Guacamole from What’s Gaby Cooking. Avocados have the good kind of fat, right?!

So what’ll it be? A table full of dips? Healthy fruit and veggie dishes? ONE OF EVERYTHING?! (Now that’s my kind of party!) Whatever you choose, it’s bound to be delicious. Enjoy!

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