25 Game Day Snacks That Are So Good They Might Not Even Last Until Halftime

October 01, 2019
Football season has become so synonymous with wings and buffalo dip that it's hard to leave a viewing party without feeling stuffed. So we’ve developed lighter but no less delicious twists on classic party foods—including dips, nachos, wings and more. Here are 25 of our favorite game day snacks that are just as healthy as they are delicious. 
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Butternut Squash Queso Fundido

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This cheesy dip recipe is lightened up by subbing mashed butternut squash for some of the melted cheese. We also loaded it with chili-spiced caramelized onions. Serve this healthy makeover with tortilla chips or sliced jicama for dipping.

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Chili-Cheese Nachos

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Make nachos a healthy dinner when you top them with an easy 30-minute chili. Serve this healthy recipe with sliced scallions, avocado, fresh tomatoes and sour cream, if desired.

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Tomato & Avocado Salsa

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You'll love this quick and delicious salsa so much, you'll want to make it for every Taco Night.

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Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

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This healthy copycat recipe for classic Buffalo dip cooks in your slow cooker for an easy, hands-off appetizer you can keep warm for the whole game, party or any casual gathering. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks and tortilla chips for dipping.

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Sriracha-Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

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This recipe for spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites is a great vegetarian alternative to Buffalo wings. Roasted cauliflower stands in for chicken and provides more fiber and fewer calories. Serve this easy appetizer with carrot sticks, celery and your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing.

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Sweet Potato Skins with Guacamole

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Top crispy sweet potato skins with guacamole for a healthy take on classic potato skins in this easy crowd-pleasing recipe

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Bacon-Wrapped Zucchini Fries

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These delicious, low-carb "fries" are wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven until they achieve a nice crispy coating. To keep the coating crisp, serve them on a large plate or platter (not piled in a dish) alongside BBQ sauce, ranch dressing or your favorite sauce for dipping. Thinly sliced bacon works best in this recipe for easy wrapping.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Chickpeas

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Roasting canned chickpeas until crispy makes a simple and healthy snack. In this riff on candied nuts, chickpeas are coated with cinnamon sugar to make them irresistible! This snack is best enjoyed the day it is made.

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Jason Mraz’s Guacamole

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In this easy guacamole recipe, musician Mraz prefers California Hass or Reed avocados because they are the creamiest. Adjust the heat, tang or other flavorings to suit your tastes.

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Air-Fryer Buffalo Wings

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A sports bar favorite comes home with these deliciously crispy chicken wings, which require just 10 minutes of active prep time, thanks to the air fryer. In fact, one of EatingWell's recipe testers declared this air-fryer Buffalo wing recipe "a reason to buy an air fryer." Add a spicy sauce, carrot sticks, celery sticks and ranch dressing for dipping and you have a healthy take on wings that's sure to score.

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Everything Bagel Cheese Ball

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This is not your grandma's cheese ball. It has all the flavor of an everything bagel without all the carbs and with just 3 ingredients! Want to emphasize the bagel taste? Serve it with bagel chips and some raw veggies for dipping to keep things healthy.

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Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip

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This creamy, crowd-pleasing dip comes together with ease in your crock pot. Leave it in the slow cooker all party long to keep it warm for serving with perfect, melty cheese in every bite. Whole-wheat bread and raw veggie dippers allow you to dig in without the guilt.

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Hasselback Pizza Bread

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The Hasselback technique—making crosswise cuts in a vegetable, fruit or in this case, a baguette, to create space for adding in additional flavors like cheese—turns whole-grain bread into a fast and easy pizza in this fun recipe. We like classic pepperoni and basil, but feel free to squeeze in your favorite toppings.

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Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Chips

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Thinly sliced sweet potatoes fry to a crispy crunch in the air fryer. These homemade chips also use much less oil, which cuts down on calories and fat. They're a naturally sweet side for sandwiches, burgers, wraps and more.

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Double-Tahini Hummus

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You'll look like an expert with this easy hummus recipe that produces the lightest, silkiest hummus you've ever had. Chilling the cooked chickpeas ensures that when they're blended with the oil and cold tahini hummus will come out creamy rather than oily. In a pinch, you can use the quick-soak technique (see Step 1), reduce the chilling time and still get great hummus.

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Sweet Potato Tater Tot Nachos (“Totchos”)

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Make a crowd favorite even better with this nachos upgrade that uses sweet potato tots instead of classic tortilla chips for nachos that are a little sweet, a little crisp and pack in tons of flavor.

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Skillet Pull-Apart Bread with Spinach Artichoke Dip

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Make this creamy, cheesy dip with bread for dipping all in one pan for a simple, crowd-pleasing party appetizer. We use whole-wheat pizza dough for the easy pull-apart bread edge.

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Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas

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Soaking chickpeas in vinegary hot sauce gives them a mouthwatering tang before they crisp up in the oven. The result? An addictively crunchy snack that's actually good for you.

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Cauliflower Nachos

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Indulge your nacho cravings with this healthy vegetarian nacho recipe that's loaded with vegetables (thanks in part to roasted cauliflower standing in for chips) and protein-packed beans, and has a lot more fiber than traditional nachos. These baked cauliflower nachos, piled with guacamole, melty cheese, fresh pico de gallo and avocado, are great as an appetizer or could be eaten as a light dinner.

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Air-Fryer Popcorn Shrimp

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These air-fried popcorn shrimp get crispy and crunchy with very little oil. The unique flavors are inspired by Mexican fare, with a smoky, spicy dipping sauce and full-flavored shrimp coating. Look for the smallest shrimp you can find so they will cook evenly.

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Almost Chipotle’s Guacamole

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Make guacamole at home that tastes just like it came from Chipotle—but don't worry, our version won't be extra! This deliciously fresh guac is perfect for topping burrito bowls or tacos, or serve as an appetizer or healthy snack with tortilla chips and veggies.

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Oven-Fried Pickles

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These oven-fried pickles get their crispy exterior from a dredge in flour, egg and whole-wheat breadcrumbs. Serve with a creamy herbed sour cream to take this easy app to the next level.

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Air-Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

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The perfect football-party food, classic jalapeño poppers get a crispy upgrade in an air fryer. Cream cheese tempers the just-right hint of heat from the peppers and Buffalo sauce. To save time, you can stuff the peppers ahead of the party and fry them just before serving.

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Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

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Sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic add flavor and help keep calories in check and portions hearty in this easy Buffalo chicken meatball recipe. Serve these meatballs as an appetizer with carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch-style dressing for dipping, or make them into a Buffalo chicken sandwich.

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Parmesan Cauliflower Tater Tots

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Cauliflower stands in for potato in this taterless cauliflower tot recipe. Cauliflower is mashed, then mixed with cheese and given a crispy breadcrumb coating before being baked. These healthy cauliflower tater tots make a delicious side dish, appetizer or movie-night snack. Dip them in regular ketchup or make a spicy dipping sauce: Combine ⅓ cup ketchup with 2 tablespoons sriracha chile sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

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