29 Super Bowl Dips That Are Actually the Main Event

Choose the cheese spread, seafood dip, guacamole, or hummus that your game day gathering needs homemade.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on February 5, 2024

Nacho Snack Dinner with Sweet Potato Queso — Photo: Antonis Achilleos

We get that the Super Bowl, for some people, is about sports. But for the rest of us, it's about the excellent snacking opportunities, and a core category is Super Bowl dips. There's nothing wrong with opening a jar and digging in, but once you realize the vast array of dips you can make yourself, including a classic Buffalo Chicken Dip and many (many!) intriguing versions of queso, you'll see why we love a good homemade dip. We've got bubbly warm cheese dips, classic spinach dips, smoked seafood options, and even a vegan pimiento cheese. Open a bag of chips, warm up tortillas, or even make your own crackers, and scroll down to determine your ideal party dip.

01 of 29

French Onion Dip

French Onion Dip — Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser

Caramelized onions, Worcestershire sauce, and a beef bouillon cube mixed with sour cream and cream cheese make the perfect creamy, tangy dip for game days and parties.

02 of 29

Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip

Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip Recipe — Justin Walker

Filled with four kinds of cheese and plenty of tender artichoke hearts, this dip is creamy with a crisp, golden top. Be sure to drain the thawed frozen spinach well to avoid excess water, which can break the cheese sauce.

03 of 29

Queso Flameado

Queso Flameado — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

In this irresistible snack, charred poblano pepper and pureed cilantro and serrano chiles serve as a built-in salsa, layering spicy, garlicky flavors into the rich, melted cheese. Flaming it with tequila makes the whole thing a little extra. The pickled carrots on top add acidity and brightness; feel free to substitute pickled jalapeno slices if you have some on-hand.

04 of 29

Achari Pimiento Cheese Spread

Achari Pimiento Cheese Spread — Victor Protasio

Farham Momim gave pimiento cheese a kick by adding Indian pickling spices to the shredded cheese, mayo, and roasted red peppers. Serve this with some crackers, between two slices of white bread, or toasted naan.

05 of 29

Caramelized Five-Onion Dip

Caramelized Five-Onion Dip

A mix of five different alliums — shallots, scallions, and sweet, yellow, and red onions — upgrades classic caramelized onion dip with layers of flavor. Taking the time to cook the onions low and slow concentrates their flavor, while adding scallions halfway through cooking keeps them just fresh enough to serve with chips, toasted bread, or vegetables like endive, steamed fingerling potatoes, and roasted Broccolini.

06 of 29

Fancy Clam Dip

Fancy Clam Dip Recipe — Justin Walker

Using canned clams makes this dip easy to source, no matter where you live. Cream cheese and crème fraîche make this dip creamy, while the dill and hot sauce brighten everything up. This dip is best served along thick, crispy, barely salted kettle chips. Just saying.

07 of 29

Vegan Pimiento Cheese

Vegan pimento cheese, served with fried saltine crackers and pickles green tomatoes — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Pimiento cheese is an iconic snack in the South, and beloved all over. For this vegan version, sweet pimientos stud a creamy and savory base made with extra-firm tofu. The pickle brine and apple cider vinegar lend an acidic brightness to the mixture, while nutritional yeast and miso provide deep umami notes that keep you coming back for more.

08 of 29

Warm Crab Dip with Fresh Herbs

Warm Crab Dip with Fresh Herbs — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kay Clarke

A base of caramelized shallots, cream cheese, mustard, and chives is topped with a golden breadcrumb crust. Bake the dip in a gratin dish to serve family style with toasted baguette slices or pita wedges.

09 of 29

Smoked Fish Dip

Smoked fish dip — Greg DuPree

We rely on fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, horseradish, Old Bay, Worcestershire, and a touch of hot sauce for our version's incredible flavor. A combination of mayonnaise and whipped cream cheese provides a luscious texture.

10 of 29

Instant Pot Baba Ganoush

baba ganoush — Caitlin Bensel

If the Instant Pot you got for Christmas has been sitting sadly in the corner, now is your chance to put it into action. The pressure cooking function allows you to get the texture of a great Baba Ganoush without fussing over a grill. Plus, you can make it a couple days ahead of time, if you'd rather relax on Super Bowl Sunday than spend time in the kitchen.

11 of 29

Cheddar Rillettes

Cheddar Rillettes — Greg DuPree

Unlike traditional rillettes — such as pork or duck — which rely on fat to preserve and flavor the meat, this pimento cheese–inspired version made with cheddar incorporates rendered bacon fat to create the perfect texture and lend a pleasant, smoky flavor. Sprinkle the crisp bacon on top for crunchy contrast.

12 of 29

Sweet Potato Queso

Nacho Snack Dinner with Sweet Potato Queso — Antonis Achilleos

Smooth, creamy pureed sweet potato helps thicken this queso, while the subtle sweetness adds more dimension to the flavor.

13 of 29

Spinach Maria

Spinach Maria with toasted baguette — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This classic dish originated at Calhoun's, an East Tennessee barbecue joint. It's made with lots of spinach, Monterey Jack cheese, and crushed red pepper, and great served as a dip with toasted pita wedges or tortilla chips.

14 of 29

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo Salsa — Matt Taylor-Gross

Pico de Gallo, also known as salsa fresca, is a traditional Mexican dish with an emphasis on using the freshest ingredients. What sets it apart from other salsas is that the ingredients, in addition to being fresh, are raw and not pureed or pounded together. This dish is widely used as topping for tacos and burritos, and is commonly paired with grilled fish or chicken, or as a dip for tortilla chips.

15 of 29

Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip

Crudites and Fermented Soy Bean Dip — Greg DuPree

This thick, tangy soy dip is the perfect way to show off whatever fresh vegetables you can get your hands on.

16 of 29

Bacon Guacamole

Bacon Guacamole — © Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Guacamole does just fine without bacon, but, well, if you're going to add some meat to it, bacon is definitely the way to go. This recipe adds just that little extra smokiness and saltiness, care of just three strips of bacon.

17 of 29

Smoked Bluefish Spread

Smoked Bluefish Spread — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Smoky, rich, and creamy, this delicious spread brings together luscious smoked bluefish with light and fluffy whipped cream cheese, tangy whole-milk yogurt, and a dash of acidic hot sauce and horseradish. Don't skip on chilling the dip for at least an hour; time in the fridge allows the flavors and textures to meld.

18 of 29

Smoked Salmon Dip

Smoked salmon dip with crostini and white wine — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

This creamy, smokey dip features flaky smoked salmon two ways: half is finely chopped to add a pleasant texture to the dip alongside briny pops of capers, and the rest is pureed with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese, lending its beautiful color and deepening the flavor. Fresh dill and chives keep the dip light while lemon juice adds brightness while also keeping the dip perfectly scoopable — no broken chips here.

19 of 29

French 75 Dip

French 75 Dip with Crudite — Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

This vegan dip offered at the Nashville bar White Limozeen was inspired by its namesake effervescent gin cocktail born out of Paris in the early 1900s. The sauce mimics the delicate flavors of the botanical cocktail by adding juniper berry and lemon to a base of aquafaba, the vegan, multi-use liquid used for canned chickpeas.

20 of 29

Dill-Tahini Dip

Dill-Tahini Dip — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall

This quick, simple dip from chef Stephanie Izard is light and perfect for summer entertaining. The tahini, soy sauce, and harissa add complexity, and yogurt makes it nice and creamy. Serve the lightly seasoned dip as a snack with vegetables or with kabobs; as a marinade for grilled meats; or as a spread for wraps and sandwiches.

21 of 29

Frijoles Negros de la Olla con Nopalitos (Black Beans with Cactus Paddles)

Frijoles Negros de la Olla con Nopalito — Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva

Creamy black beans are cooked with tender cactus and epazote. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco, and serve with warm tortillas.

22 of 29

Taco Dip

Taco Dip — Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

Justin Chapple's fun riff on seven-layer dip starts with a layer of super–flavorful ground beef that’s spiced with homemade taco seasoning.

23 of 29

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip — © Abby Hocking

This crowd-pleasing dip from F&W’s Justin Chapple has all the punchy flavors of buffalo chicken wings. It gets its creamy texture from a combination of cream cheese and sour cream. Serve it with tortilla chips and celery sticks.

24 of 29

Philly Cheesesteak Queso

Philly Cheesesteak Queso — Abby Hocking

F&W’s Justin Chapple combines two favorites—Tex-Mex queso and Philly Cheesesteak—to make his crowd-pleasing dip. He combines provolone and white American cheeses to form a gooey base for sautéed peppers, onions and thinly sliced rib-eye steak. Justin recommends serving this dip with toasted slices of hoagie rolls but tortilla chips are just as delicious.

25 of 29

Avocado-Hummus Dip

Avocado-Hummus Dip — © Christina Holmes

Try this delicious mash-up of hummus and guacamole. It's great with crudités, crackers, and corn chips.

26 of 29

Roasted Tomato-Basil Hummus

Roasted Tomato Basil Hummus — © Sarah Bolla

With familiar flavors of a classic pizza sauce, roasting peak-season tomatoes make all the difference in this hummus. Serve alongside warm pita.

27 of 29

Queso Fundido

Bayless's Queso Fundido al Tequila — © Frances Janisch

This quick dip of melted cheese flavored with tomatoes, chiles, onions, and a hint of tequila is just the thing to satisfy a craving for something warm and gooey. The Monterey Jack cheese used in this recipe melts to a perfectly gooey texture and the chopped chiles, onion, and tomatoes give the dip texture and build on the flavor of the cheese — think of it as an amped up version of pepper Jack cheese.

28 of 29

Creamy Spinach and Shrimp Dip

Creamy Spinach and Shrimp Dip — © Fredrika Stjärne

Vegetables just taste better when you get to dip chips in them, and particularly when they're enhanced with shrimp, like in this spinach dip. It's also one that you can make without touching the stove, a bonus if you're already juggling too many appetizers.

29 of 29

Blue Cheese and Walnut Dip

Blue-Cheese-and-Walnut Dip with Waldorf Crudités — David Malosh

Waldorf salad has many things to recommend it, but unfortunately, it's difficult to eat with chips. Luckily, that problem is solved with this dip, which you can accompany with the traditional trappings of a Waldorf, like apple slices and grapes.

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