Need Super Bowl Party Food ideas that are budget-friendly but also made with real food? We compiled the perfect list of frugal party snacks for you.
Are you planning a super bowl party? Or are you going to one soon and you want to bring a dish that’s made with real food, is budget-friendly, or is allergy-friendly?
There are 2 kinds of people who attend Super Bowl parties: the ones who care about the game, and the ones who are there for the food and commercials.
You know which you are. If you’re the food type, you don’t even know which teams are playing until just after you arrive to the party. More likely, you looked it up real quick in the driveway, because you don’t want to look like a poser.
However, you have some tells that will give you away throughout the night. For example, during the actual game, you wander over to the snack table, only to rush back when someone shouts “Commercials!” (a Super Bowl tradition that’s a courtesy to everyone else who is also there for the food.)
You don’t need me to tell you that you’re only attending the Super Bowl party for the food. You know that about yourself. I know that about myself.
While the real football fans are obsessing over stats, we’re planning the menu and looking up recipes. And that’s okay. We all have our roles and contributions. The football fans make sure we have a party. You make sure the party is awesome – especially for everyone else who only cares about the food.
Real Food Super Bowl Party Snacks
Maybe this year is a little different. Maybe this year you’re trying to eat a little cleaner or keep the snacks more frugal. Or maybe you or someone attending has food allergies. I have some great ideas for that.
Whichever one you are, if you need party food that helps you stick to your budget and uses clean, real food ingredients, we have the perfect list for you!
Here’s the thing though. We’re not trying to win an award for the healthiest Super Bowl party. That would be a lame party. And a Super Bowl without sausage balls is not one I’m interested in attending.
Instead, these snacks are made with real food – simple, whole ingredients. We cut out the overly-processed ingredients we want to avoid, but we can still enjoy our nachos and sausage balls.
Budget-Friendly Super Bowl Party Food
Some of these snack ideas are really cheap and simple (chips and salsa anyone?), and some are a little heartier (Buffalo Chicken Dip or Eggless Brownies). Depending on how quickly you tell your hosts what you’re providing, you might be stuck with a more main dish type recipe, and I wanted to make sure you have budget-friendly, real food options for that.
Super Bowl Party Snack Rules:
I have a few rules for this list:
- Nothing cutesy – This isn’t the Pinterest Mom blog. I’m not going to share football-shaped calzones or a veggie tray that looks like a stadium
- Simple Ingredients – no weird, hard-to-find-health-food-store ingredients. Just simple, real food.
- Frugal – These recipes generally use the least expensive whole food items available
- Allergy-friendly ideas!
- Easy – No gourmet cooking skills required
You can make it as expensive and healthy as you like. Use organic celery or conventional. Use fresh homemade salsa or salsa from Aldi – whatever works for your budget. Remember, you are the boss of your kitchen and your food!
Budget-Friendly Real Food Super Bowl Party Snack List:
- Tortilla Chips & Salsa – Aldi and Costco have great prices on organic or non-GMO tortilla chips
- Veggie Tray & Hummus or Real Food Ranch Dip
- Try the cheapest hummus recipe ever!
- Mediterranean Platter
- Sausage Balls made with 4-Ingredient Sausage – Cleaner ingredients, and you can use turkey to make it even more lean and frugal
- Slow Cooker Taco Dip– With ameat-free option!
- (and variations)
- Mostly Meatless Nacho Dip – Easy dish to make all vegetarian and vegan if you need
- Apple Crisp Bars
- Brownies – Egg-less and Dairy-free versions!
- Cheese & Crackers – Crackers can be a hard to find “real food” without spending a lot of money, and I’m not the type to tell you to make them yourself (even though they’re delicious). Costco and Aldi have some gluten-free varieties that are reasonably priced!
- Homemade Cheese Crackers – Then again, if you want to try it, here are some that are actually pretty simple!
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Budget-Friendly Real Food Pizza
- Simple Real Food Nachos
- Rolls – Made with Easiest Bread Ever
- Real Food Fried Chicken Nuggets
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Dessert Hummus
- 2-Ingredient Creamy Salsa Dip
- Fruit Skewers – thread fruit on toothpicks or just toss them in a bowl for fruit salad. Choose budget-friendly, seasonal fruits like: apple slices (tossed with lemon juice to prevent browning) pineapple, oranges, grapes
- Real Food Buffalo Chicken Dip
Many of these recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, or egg-free, so if you or someone attending has allergies, you can serve something at the party that is delicious and safe.
(In the next few days, I’ll share an allergy-free Super Bowl party food post, then I’ll link it here!)
Vegan Super Bowl Party Snacks:
Many of us have a vegan friend or two, and Super Bowl parties can be especially difficult to navigate. All of these recipes from the snack list are vegan or have vegan variations!
You might like our other budget-friendly vegan recipes as well!
- Tortilla Chips & Salsa– Aldi and Costco have great prices on organic or non-GMO tortilla chips
- Veggie Tray & Hummus
- Try thecheapest hummus recipe ever!
- Mediterranean Platter
- Slow Cooker Taco Dip
- Mostly Meatless Nacho Dip– Easy dish to make all vegetarian and vegan if you need
- Apple Crisp Bars
- Brownies– Egg-less and Dairy-free versions!
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Rolls– Make them withEasiest Bread Ever
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Dessert Hummus
- Fruit Skewers– thread fruit on toothpicks or just toss them in a bowl for fruit salad. Choose budget-friendly, seasonal fruits like: apple slices (tossed with lemon juice to prevent browning) pineapple, oranges,
Whether you’re the person who only cares about the food, or you’re the rare, fun unicorn who loves both the food and the game, these ideas will help you stick to your budget and your clean-eating goals.
What You Can Do Now:
Are you hosting a Super Bowl party?
- Choose 3-5 snacks from the list above to use at your party.
- Check the ingredients lists and write down what you’ll need to have on hand to make them.
That’s it! You’re all set until the week before the party.
Are you bringing a dish to a party?
- Choose one of these ideas, and write down the ingredients you’ll need.
- TIP: I keep my grocery list as a note on my phone so I’m less likely to leave the list at home.
