25 Super Bowl Dips to Make for the Big Game, Whether You’re Craving Something Savory or Sweet

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 people

Save a can of your favorite pilsner or wheat brew to make this seemingly fancy appetizer. All that’s missing then is cheese, heavy cream and plenty of crunchy dippers. (I'm partial to crusty bread, crudités and sliced green apples.)

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 8 people

You only need one pan and 20 minutes to pull off this plant-based delight. Greek yogurt offers tang and creaminess to every bite, while pickled jalapeños add a punch of spice and acidity. Scoop it up with tortilla chips, pita chips or crackers.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, high protein, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 16 people

“This recipe for slow cooker buffalo chicken dip is both make-ahead friendly and almost entirely hands off (even more so if you use rotisserie chicken), plus it frees up that precious real estate for the important things,” writes PureWow’s former Senior Food Editor Katherine Gillen. Place this on the coffee table and watch it vanish before you’re halfway through the first quarter. Your guests will be so busy gobbling up the mix of three cheeses (cream cheese, cheddar and blue), hot sauce, ranch and scallions that they won’t notice you used store-bought rotisserie chicken in the filling.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8 people

I never tire of this soup-inspired appetizer, but you can do better than a packet of soup mix and sour cream. Here, yellow onions are cooked until deeply caramelized, then combined with creamy ingredients and fresh chives for a significant upgrade. Oh, and don’t be intimidated by the julienned vegetables, because the technique is very easy to master: “When you julienne an onion, you make cuts from pole to pole (aka the root and stem ends), slicing parallel to the fibers of the onion. When you slice an onion, you make cuts perpendicular to the fibers, or orbitally through the middle of the root and stem,” explains Katherine Gillen. Easy peasy. Now, pass the potato chips, please.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8 people

Fact: There’s no such thing as too many cheese appetizers. So go ahead, serve this unique Super Bowl dip alongside mozz sticks, quesadillas and whatever other ooey-gooey goodies you’ve got on the menu. (It pairs beautifully with a crusty baguette.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8 people

Is dairy off the table for some of your guests? No worries—this cashew-almond “cheese” will satisfy everyone’s hankering and accommodate their dietary needs. Potato offers silky starchiness to the dip, while your choice of vegan chorizo makes every drop spicy and savory.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6 people

All the flavor of an elote, minus the corn silk in your teeth. This Super Bowl dip (which has built-in nachos, by the way) boasts all the essential fixings: corn, cotija, sour cream, cilantro and fresh lime. Add pickled jalapeños or red onions for acidity.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 people

You probably already had guacamole on your Super Bowl grocery list, so why not add crispy, fatty bacon to the mix? It’s game day, after all. Serve it as an appetizer with dippers or as an accompaniment for mini tacos or baking sheet quesadillas.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead, no cook
• Serves: 10 people

This just might be the easiest Super Bowl dip of all time, considering all the components are store-bought. Better yet, you can assemble the appetizer up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerate it until your guests arrive. You’re welcome.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 2 people

Salty, slightly sweet, creamy and crunchy, this starter checks all our boxes. Buttery Ritz crackers are our go-to, but you can substitute whatever bread or cracker you’d prefer. As for the cheese spread, it’s truly foolproof. You can totally use a hand or stand mixer to whip the ricotta, but since I’m usually eating this snack when everyone else in my house is asleep, I often opt for the quietest method: whisking it by hand. If you’re feeling ambitious, candy the bacon in maple syrup and brown sugar.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 8 people

No one likes pulling a naked tortilla chip from a pile of nachos. With this alternative, your guests can dip the chips into the good stuff, so they’ll get the optimal chip-to-topping ratio every time. Touchdown.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6 people

Here, a recipe from Michael Korkosz’s new cookbook, Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland. “It may not be the prettiest spread ever—it’s a bit muddy in hue—but Queen Nigella Lawson once stated that sometimes brown food just tastes the finest,” writes Korkosz. He adds: “you can never have too many mushrooms, so I top this spread with mushrooms that are pan fried until golden.” As a mushroom lover, I second that notion. Whether you scoop it with fried pita, crinkle-cut chips or sweet potato fries, this umami-rich dip is sure to impress. Take your pick of button, oyster, porcini or milk cap mushrooms, and finish it with a flurry of fresh dill.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
• Serves: 8 people

Tired of standard guac? This supremely nutty substitute from Susan Spungen’s new cookbook, Open Kitchen will hit the spot *and* keep things exciting. “We almost always include raw vegetables in our nibbles spreads (which my husband is mostly in charge of setting out),” Spungen writes, “and this creamy dip makes crudités a little more exciting and indulgent.” Make the dip up to three hours ahead of the game; just be sure to store it with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to keep the avocado from browning before your guests arrive.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6 people

From the smoky infused oil to the trio of fresh herbs to the chopped pistachios, this dip is elegant from top to bottom. That said, it’ll still satisfy a hungry crowd on game day when served with pita points, crackers and raw veggies. Pro tip, courtesy of Gillen: “for a thicker yogurt dip with the most pronounced swirl of oil, choose a naturally thick Greek yogurt—such as Fage—or swap in sour cream or labneh.” Roger that.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 2 people

Cali-Baja Cuisine author Michael Gardiner is an unabashed cheese lover (honestly, same) and this Mexican dish is inspired by his love of fondue: “Here, I use Valle de Guadalupe white wine along with one of Mexico’s best cheeses, Real del Castillo cheese from the Ramonetti Cheese factory at La Cava de Marcelo in Ojos Negros, east of Ensenada,” writes Gardiner. If you can’t find the Real del Castillo cheese, raclette, Oaxaca and Monterey Jack are all solid substitutes. As for the soy chorizo, use Mexican-style pork chorizo instead if you aren’t vegetarian. Then, just plate it aside soft flour tortillas or freshly fried tortilla chips and let your guests go to town.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 8 people

Steer away from a football-shaped cake this year. All you need for this nutty treat is an electric mixer and ten minutes. Pretzels, breadsticks, fruit (like bananas, apples and strawberries) and Oreos are all stellar pairings for getting your dip on.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 6 to 8 people

The picky eaters at the party will be overjoyed at first bite. Serve it with graham crackers (they pair seamlessly with tangy cream cheese) or double down on the theme by opting for chocolate chip cookies instead. “On its own, this dip tastes a bit like a cookie dough cheesecake, which I love,” says Candace Davison, PureWow VP of editorial content. “But if you want more of a cookie dough texture and flavor, I recommend finely crumbling a few graham crackers and stirring them in. It offsets the tanginess nicely.”

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8 people

Super Bowl Sunday will feel like your birthday with this dip on the menu. To make the raw flour in the cake mix safe to eat, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F throughout.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 8 people

Buttery, decadent and delightfully sticky, this simple caramel dip brings everything from Granny Smith apples and strawberries to pretzels and marshmallows to life. Crown the dip with a flourish of flaky salt.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 8 people

Since the strawberry swirl is nothing but store-bought preserves, this cheesecake-inspired gem comes together in ten minutes flat. Graham crackers for dipping are a no-brainer, but chocolate wafers and fresh fruit work, too.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8 people

Yes, cheese can totally count as dessert—especially when it’s mixed with a heaping dose of honey. Finish the baked masterpiece with cinnamon, brown sugar and a bonus drizzle of honey to drive the sweetness home.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 2 people

Caramel is a crowd-pleaser, but not everyone consumes dairy. That’s where this vegan Super Bowl dip comes in, which uses canned coconut cream for decadence in place of heavy cream and butter. If you’re not on a plant-based diet, you can totally use heavy cream instead of coconut cream. Either way, the miso promises an irresistibly funky, salty quality that will keep you coming back for more.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, kid-friendly
• Serves: 10 people

Yes, chopped Snickers serve as a garnish. But all its key components—chocolate, caramel and salted peanuts—are in the dip as well. Serve it with thin, crispy chocolate wafer cookies or graham crackers.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus draining time)
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12 to 16 people

Pizzelle, cannoli chips, vanilla wafers, strawberries—there’s no limit to what can be dipped into this mascarpone-based treat. Best of all, the food blogger of Carlsbad Cravings fame writes that “this downright swoon worthy version [is] SO much easier to make than traditional cannoli and every bit as delicious.” Just be sure to use whole milk ricotta cheese in the dip to keep it from turning out runny and drain all its excess moisture before combining it with the other ingredients.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 10 people

When in doubt, serve this iconic trio in your trusty cast iron skillet—none of your guests will turn it down. Cookies, graham crackers and fresh fruit are all tasty options for dipping (but I wouldn’t blame you for digging in with a spoon).