Our 15+ Best Bite-Sized Snacks For Your Tailgate Buffet

Everyone at your tailgate is sure to love Chef John's Mini Philly Cheesesteaks. They are made with skirt steak and peppers and topped with a provolone cheese sauce — and even though they're miniature, they don't skimp on the flavor. Reviewers recommend cooking the steak first and letting it cool before adding anything else. "Great food for football games," says home cook Amanda.

These mini ham and cheese sandwiches are perfected with a mustard, minced onion, butter, and poppyseed mixture drizzled on top. This recipe uses dinner rolls, but these sandwiches are great on any other bread — like potato rolls, Hawaiian rolls, and bakery buns. You can also switch up the deli meat for different options to please your fellow tailgaters.

Serve this five-ingredient chicken spread hot or cold on saltine crackers or toasted bread. The ingredients may seem like a strange combination, but reviewers say it's worth a try. If don't want to use canned chicken breast, you can use rotisserie chicken instead. "This unusual concoction is a hit while entertaining friends during games or even parties," says Allrecipes Allstar bd.weld.

Bite-sized fried cheese curds are the perfect party snack served with ranch dressing or marinara sauce. Reviewers recommend adding extra seasonings to the batter, like cayenne pepper, garlic powder, or paprika. And you don't have to be a Green Bay fan to enjoy these!

These tiny tot sliders are just as delicious as they are adorable. Skewer potato rounds and ground beef patties onto a toothpick with your favorite hamburger toppings. Pro tip: bring the toppings on the side and let everyone build their own burgers.

These three-ingredient stuffed jalapeños are perfect for outdoor tailgate parties since they're made on the grill. The jalapeños are easy to prep ahead of time and frozen to grill later. "Great, easy, fun recipe for the grill and great for tailgating. I froze mine the night before and they go great with a few beers," says home cook kawelch.

Prepare this three-ingredient buffalo ranch chicken ahead of time in the slow cooker, then bring the whole pot and some Hawaiian buns to your tailgate. Reviewers like to serve these sliders with blue cheese and pickles and slaw.

Sweeten up the snack table with these Mini Vanilla Cupcakes. These cupcakes are filled with vanilla, from the batter to the frosting. And Allrecipes Allstar Yoly says you must use pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. You could go the extra yard and tint the frosting in team colors.

There is no grill needed for these mini burger sliders, just five simple ingredients. "Excellent little burgers great taste and quick and easy to make with ingredients I usually have on hand. Husband loved them. Great for a football afternoon," says reviewer Brenda.

These jalapeño popper cups are the perfect appetizer for spicy-food fans at your next tailgate. With just six ingredients and 30 minutes, you'll have savory, spicy jalapeño tarts. If you don't want to use ready-made phyllo tarts, reviewers like to use Tostitos Scoops chips instead. "Great recipe. I took it to a Super Bowl party and everyone loved it. Much easier, faster, and so much less of a mess than making regular poppers," says home cook Elizabeth Wood.

These mini brownies look elegant and taste just as good thanks to the chocolate ganache and fresh raspberry topping. Or, to get in the football spirit, you can top your brownies with sprinkles that sport your favorite team's color.

Chef John created this recipe with the tailgating buffet in mind, so it doesn't matter who wins the game, you'll win the best appetizer. You can use homemade or pre-made meatballs to make these cheesy garlic bread sliders. "Two Super Bowl parties later and this is now a staple app," says reviewer Pauls Holiday Balls.

These corn muffins are a simple way to make grab-and-go corndogs without the frying, and can be made ahead of time so no one has to man the grill all day. Serve alongside the recipe's dipping sauce, or with your favorite hot dog condiments. "This is absolutely very easy to make and my daughter loves it!!! This is also good for serving at a football party for all the older and bigger kids," says home cook Venus.

These homemade meatballs are slathered in barbeque sauce to add a special kick to your tailgate spread. "The unexpected star of our NFL Playoffs 'show.' I'm convinced a good barbeque sauce and some finely chopped green pepper had everything to do with that. Make life easier and bake them at 400 degrees about 12 minutes instead of frying them, then finish the recipe as directed," says reviewer naples34102.

Chocolate chip cookies just got even easier with these cookie bites made in the air fryer. Flavored with chocolate chips and toasted pecans, these cookies are extra crispy on the outside. Even better, you can make them ahead of time and freeze them for your next tailgate.  

The real game day winner is this deviled egg filling. The eggs are filled with a mixture of mayo, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish juice, onion powder, and bacon bits and topped with paprika. "Great recipe. Made them for a football tailgate and they were all gone by the end of the game," says home cook biscutsngravy.

Delicious cheesecake ready in 45 minutes? Sign us up! These mini cheesecakes only require six ingredients, and you can change up the filling flavors to please everyone at your tailgate. "Delicious! Topped some with blueberry filling, some with cherry pie filling, and some with melted semi-sweet chocolate that I swirled on top. I brought them to a Super Bowl party and they were well received. Per other reviews make sure cream cheese is room temp and when mixing be sure to add each ingredient one at a time whipping well in between," says Allrecipes Allstar Lindsay.

Having a game day party right after Thanksgiving? Try these leftover turkey nachos that are individually served in Tostitos Scoops chips. The nachos are filled with everything you would have on hand right after Thanksgiving, but they're just as easy to make any other time of year. "Repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers into a great football snack," says recipe creator Amy Alden.