When the weather gets cold, sports fans are going to crave hot food to pair with that chilly weather. You don’t want to spend a lot of time making food, but you definitely want to deliver a snacking experience that everyone will love. Let’s check out some cold appetizers finger food that will be perfect for gameday, whether that’s at the stadium or in the living room.
When things get really chilly out, in the neighborhood or at the stadium, the true fans pull our their team sweatshirts to bundle out while still repping their team.
Interested in more gameday traditions? Check out our post on cool college football gameday rituals.
Gameday Finger Foods
There are plenty of cold appetizers finger food that will satisfy a hungry crowd on gameday.
When the weather gets cold, you don’t want cold appetizers finger food, you want hot food. Here’s a few excellent options:
Wings
You can use fresh wings, or just buy the frozen ones. The secret to a good frozen wing is to always, always pop the wings into the oven and get them a little bit overcooked. Buy the plain wings and pair with a separate homemade wing sauce. You don’t have to make everything from scratch, because even giving minimal effort on some of these gameday finger foods will produce amazing results!
Sliders
What is the biggest issue that people face on gameday? Well, usually it has something to do with the surplus of food that is at their disposal. By the time you’ve tried the meatballs and tasted the cheese plate, you don’t have enough room in your stomach for people to hand you a half-pound burger. Gameday is about snacking to your content, not filling up on a huge meal! But sliders set a happy medium, allowing you to snag a meal without breaking your calorie count and filling up before dessert.
Tacos
Small street tacos made with chicken or carne asada make a perfect gameday finger food, because just like the sliders, they can fill you up without making you uninterested in the chips and dip for the rest of the game! You’ll still have plenty of room for gameday dips and appetizers even after two or three tacos. Plus, there are tons of creative ways to build authentic street tacos.
Small Artisan Pizza by the Slice
Want to give everyone a great gameday snack that has endless options? Make small artisan pizzas with small slices. When you make a bunch of little pizzas, you can experiment with different ideas and toppings to make sure everyone gets a slice. Sure, you can make a little with mozzarella and pepperoni, but there could also be some alfredo, goat cheese, and veggie pizzas as well. Missing out on sandwiches? Try making a pastrami deli pizza to delight everyone!
Cold Appetizers Finger Food
So you’ve got your goofy tailgate outfit on, and you just need to provide some food to match. Cold appetizers on a stick can make delicious finger food for a game. While cold-weather games don’t normally call for cold appetizers, here are some things that you won’t be able to resist.
Stuffed Mini-Peppers
You’ve definitely seen the little bags of red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers in stores. They can be split into halves and stuffed with hummus, garbanzo beans, or even black beans and cheese. Serve cold and with a little bit of heat.
Veggie Dip Cups
Most veggie dips come on a platter, and the dried out vegetables are unappetizing. If you want to encourage rampant snacking, you’ll need to get a little more creative with the veggie delivery system. Additionally, most people don’t take a whole veggie in one bite, but certainly don’t want to double-dip the veggies! Solve both problems at the same time by offering individual cups with ranch at the bottom and veggies already popped into them, like a bouquet of veggies. These cute dippers are hard to resist!
Gameday Dips And Appetizers
If things get a little bit chilly, you need hearty dips to match people’s hearty tailgating outfits.
Dips are a great app because you just need to crack open a few bags of tortilla chips and set out the dip. This super easy finger food that’s guaranteed to make everyone happy.
Salsa and Cream Cheese
One of the easiest dips that you can make on gameday is the salsa and cream cheese combination. Simply take a block of cream cheese and let it sit out for a few minutes to soften up. Place it on a plate and shape it a little bit. You can also just leave it like the circle or rectangle that it came in! Then take out a good, chunky red salsa and pour it over the top of the cream cheese. Want to get even more creative? Deviate from the plain cream cheese and try out a more inventive version. If you’re a New York sports fan, you can even get plenty of these wild cream cheeses from local bagel shops.
Better Veggie Platter
Veggie platters are terrible. The vegetables are always dried out and they are usually paired with a thick, creamy dressing. Instead of going with a veggie platter, make your own! Pair it with a little bit of hummus or peanut butter to give your veggie-loving friends a good snack option. Simply purchase fresh carrots, celery, maybe some broccoli, and even leaves of kale. Arrange and pair with a simple hummus. For an additional twist, match the colors of your veggie platter to the famous colors of your favorite sports team!
Angry Guac
Guacamole has a distinct taste and a wonderful, creamy dipping texture. One way to put a fresh spin on the tortilla chip companion is to fire it up with some jalapenos and a little bit of chilli powder. A good rule of thumb is to use the seeds from half a jalapeno and a teaspoon of chili powder for each avocado that you put into the dip.
Cold Appetizers On A Stick
Cold appetizers on a stick can make for a delicious finger food for a game. Plus, skewers are undeniably cute and a wonderful treat for people to hold onto, without getting any on your gloves or clothing!
Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)
Great for any cold day (or warm day), Mexican street corn has a sweet and spicy kick that will leave sports fans delighted. Follow this great recipe and cut the corn into thirds or fourths to make crowd-pleasing amounts.
Tortellini on a Stick
Putting food in contexts where people don’t expect them is second in cute-factor only to producing tiny versions of popular foods. And putting tortellini on a stick ramps up the out of context stats to a different kind of level. Simply cook tortellini like you normally would, and then spear 5 or 6 individual tortellini on a skewer. If you want to make it a little more interesting, you can combine with bite-sized pieces of meat. Shrimp also works great for this!
