14 Super Easy Dips That Are Perfect For Super Bowl Sunday

You're bravely hosting a Super Bowl party for your friends and family, and let's face it, your guests aren't showing up to eat a bowl of store-bought hummus. They want simple indulgence. They're looking for the good stuff... party food. Cheesiness and meatiness. Calories topped with an extra-gooey serving of even tastier calories. They're making the trip to your house because they want a good excuse to catch a buzz and eat way too much on a work night. So save the salad for Monday, and make these perfect-for-game-day dips that will give your friends the decadence they crave. Set a few family-sized bags of chips, and maybe even a veggie tray for those guests that try to hold on to some semblance of healthy eating, even on Super Bowl Sunday — these dips can go with anything. (And yes, you can always use the reduced-fat sour cream if you must. Spoilsport.)

Buffalo chicken dip

Is Buffalo chicken dip the official dip of the Super Bowl? It should be! This iconic dip is much easier than you might think.

Layer a baking dish with one 8-ounce container of cream cheese, 1 cup of chopped chicken breast, ½ cup of jarred Buffalo sauce, and ½ cup of ranch or blue cheese salad dressing. Sprinkle generously with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with corn chips and celery sticks.

If this recipe sounds a tad too heavy for you, there's a lighter version over at Gimme Some Oven.

Seven-layer dip

No big surprises in this classic game day recipe. The beauty of it? A seven-layer dip can be whipped up surprisingly easily from items you can pick up at the store (though I beg you to make your guacamole yourself).

The layers are, in order: warmed refried beans, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, shredded pepper jack cheese, sliced black olives, and pico de gallo. A seven-layer dip looks gorgeous in a trifle dish, or even on a flat serving platter, which allows adequate room for dipping.

For a Greek seven-layer dip featuring feta cheese and hummus, check out the Cookie Rookie.

Spinach dip

Delicious dip and an extra dose of your daily veggies? What's not to love? As an added bonus, the store-bought soup mix is your secret ingredient for an easy-peasy dip.

Thaw and drain a box of chopped, frozen spinach, and mix it with one small chopped yellow onion, a 16-ounce container of sour cream, 1 cup of mayo, and an envelope of dried vegetable soup mix. Stir very well and let chill at least 4 hours before serving. Serve in a hollowed-out sourdough or pumpernickel bread boule. Variations on the recipe include adding chopped water chestnuts and Worcestershire sauce. If you want to really get into the football theme, you could hollow out a longer loaf that's closer to a football shape, but the dip will stand up for itself either way.

Hot spinach-artichoke dip

Not to be confused with a spinach dip, a spinach-artichoke dip is traditionally served hot, and filled with mounds of ooey gooey cheese. I like a spicier version of Paula Deen's recipe, and I often double it. Combine a thawed and drained box of frozen chopped spinach with 2 cans of well-drained artichoke heart quarters. Mix in ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, and a few large shakes of your favorite hot sauce. Transfer to a greased casserole dish, sprinkle with additional pepper jack cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or longer if you doubled the recipe. The dip should be bubbling, and the top will be lightly browned. Serve with crusty bread slices or tortilla chips. It isn't lighter fare by any means, but that's not why you're at a Super Bowl party.

Bacon and jalapeno corn dip

You want easy? What could possibly be easier than throwing all your ingredients in a slow cooker and forgetting about it until kickoff? This jalapeno corn dip with crumbled bacon will be your Super Bowl ticket to paradise.

In your slow cooker, add 3 cans of drained corn kernels, 2 seeded and diced jalapenos, ½ cup sour cream, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, one 8-ounce package of cream cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir well, and cook on low heat for 2 hours. Garnish with crumbled bacon and chives. The recipe in the video above has some slight differences but looks equally delicious. A warning: don't start this dip too early. If it's ready before your guests arrive, you'll probably eat most of it yourself.

Baked pizza dip

With just four ingredients and very little prep work, this baked pizza dip might be even easier than calling the pizza delivery guy. Add chunks of pepperoni if that's your thing.

Combine one 8-ounce package of cream cheese with 6 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and one jar of marinara sauce. Transfer to a baking dish, top with an additional 2 ounces of shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and serve with Italian-style breadsticks and pesto chips.

Oh Sweet Basil keeps the Italian theme rolling with a cheesy and meaty lasagna dip served with garlic bread dippers. Once you go down the cheesy tomato route, there are endless options to choose from.

French onion dip

Yes, you could go and buy French onion dip in a jar or can. You could even whip up an easy version using sour cream and onion soup mix. Those are both fine. But you could go the extra mile and make a homemade French onion dip from scratch that will have your guests saying "ooh la la!"

Saute 3 cups of chopped yellow onions in butter and olive oil on low heat until softened. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and seasoning, and cook an additional 20 minutes until the onions begin to brown. Set the onions aside to cool. In the food processor or blender, mix 4 ounces of cream cheese, ½ cup of sour cream, and ½ cup of mayonnaise. Stir in the cooled onions. Serve with warmed, thick-cut potato chips. It'll taste better than the store-bought stuff. Trust me.

Queso fundido

What could possibly be better than hot, melted cheese dip? Adding spicy chorizo sausage to it, of course. Step aside, Velveeta. We're turning to the authentic Mexican recipe for queso fundido this Super Bowl Sunday.

Cook 5 ounces of Mexican chorizo, casings removed, on the stovetop over medium heat until cooked through. Drain any excess fat, then transfer the chorizo to a small, oven-proof dish. Cover with 2 ½ cups of grated Monterey Jack cheese, and cook in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is oozy and bubbling. Stir in some salsa and serve hot with soft tortillas.

For a classic queso with a double chili kick, check out this recipe at the Food Network.

Buttermilk-blue cheese dip

I don't know about you, but to me, the idea of a buttermilk and blue cheese dip just seems to have game day written all over it. I can't imagine a better dunker for carrot sticks and Buffalo wings.

For the easy version, mix 6 ounces of good-quality blue cheese with 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and 2 sliced scallions. Season, chill, and serve. For a slightly more advanced take, you can try Bon Appetit's recipe that involves quickly pickling a red onion to stir into the dip.

Hot crab dip

Sometimes called Maryland crab dip, a hot crab dip is a surprisingly rich and decadent treat. I've always been partial to this super-simple recipe straight from Old Bay, the seasoning blend used to deliver that unmistakable crab dip flavor.

In a bowl, gently stir together one 8-ounce package of cream cheese, 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 pound of lump crabmeat, ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon mustard, and 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning. Transfer to a greased baking dish, and cook at 350F for 30 minutes, or until the crab dip is bubbly and fragrant.

S'mores dip

Even if your guests have filled up on potato skins and Buffalo wings, they're sure to find a little room for this hot and oozy s'mores dessert dip. Made with a super-short list of ingredients, you'll have no problem whipping up this recipe at halftime.

Using a cast-iron skillet to retain the heat, heat up the pan in a 450 degree oven, and then carefully swirl ½ tablespoon of butter until it melts. Add 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and top with a layer of halved jumbo marshmallows. Bake a further 5-7 minutes until the tops of the marshmallows are toasted, and serve with graham cracker dippers. For a beautiful tutorial, check out Five Heart Home.

Philly cheesesteak dip

It's the Super Bowl. It's Philly cheesesteak. It's a dip. What more do you need to know?

Making a Philly cheesesteak dip is almost as easy as eating it. Simply sear up some thin-cut steaks, chop them up, and add them to a mixture of cream cheese, mayo, shredded provolone, and sauteed onions and peppers. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven until the dip is browned and bubbly. Serve with crusty bread. Touchdown!

Variations include a chicken cheesesteak dip and a Philly pot roast dip. Drool. Of course, if you're a real Philly native like my husband, you may want a more authentic, down and dirty variation that includes (shudder) Cheez Whiz. At South Your Mouth, Mandy makes her Philly cheese steak dip (whiz wit!) using her crockpot, Cheez Whiz, and Steak-umm brand sliced frozen steaks.

Baked pretzel ring beer cheese dip

Pretzels. Beer. Cheese. They go great together, and they go even better when you pair them with a Super Bowl party. For a showstopping dip that's not only clever but delicious, the gang at Delish made this awesome baked pretzel ring beer cheese dip that I can't wait to try.

Using store-bought biscuit dough, "pretzel" balls of dough by dunking them in boiling water, and then arrange them in a cast-iron pan surrounding a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, dijon, seasoning, and (of course) beer. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. The biscuits will be golden and perfect for dragging through the cheesy and oozy dip.

Loaded 'baked potato' dip

Of course, if you really want to be the MVP of your Super Bowl party, you need to bring food that's mouth-watering and shaped like a football. The always-funny Chef John hysterically and deliciously makes us this loaded "baked potato" dip that will score you props at the buffet table. Just be careful when making this. If you don't invite enough people over, you'll be eating it for a week.

Using 3 pounds of sour cream and 3 pounds of bacon, Chef John creates a dip that also includes sharp cheddar cheese and green onion, and cleverly constructs it into a football, with a mountain of extra green onions used to stand in for the field. The dip is served with good, thick potato chips that can stand up to the hearty dip/football. How's that for a win?