Holidays & Occasions Tailgating 20 Easy, Portable Recipes for a Tailgate on the Road By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa is the Deputy Editor at Southern Living and joined the team in 2015. She works with the Southern Living Test Kitchen to create recipes for the site and print magazine, edits the magazine's food section, and writes digital food stories as well. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Although it doesn't hurt, you don't need a fancy rig to pull off a great tailgate on the road. All it takes is a little advance planning, careful packing, and recipes that travel well or that can be cooked on-site. When transporting food to a game, always keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Transport cold dishes like coleslaw or potato salad in an ice-packed cooler serve them by nesting the serving bowls inside larger bowls of ice. Keep hot foods likes baked beans or chicken wings hot by transporting them in a slow cooker (if you have access to an outlet). Also be sure to round out your menu with a few non-perishable snacks that don't require refrigeration like pretzels, chips, snack mixes, and nuts. No matter how well your team plays, your tailgate spread is sure to score. 01 of 20 Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings Jennifer Causey Recipe: Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings Bringing your smoker to the party? Try these incredible dry-rubbed chicken wings from our barbecue cookbook, South's Best Butts. The recipe, from Butts To Go in Pell City, Alabama are coated with a Memphis-style dry rub and cooked low and slow for the most tender, finger-licking results. 02 of 20 Smoky Snack Mix Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Smoky Snack Mix This recipe can be doubled or tripled easily, which we highly recommend. Don't skip the white Cheddar cheese crackers—their buttery richness makes them the MVP of this hard-to-resist mix. Use paper cones to make this snack mix easier to grab and enjoy. 03 of 20 Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Recipe: Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Great for outdoor tailgates, this creamy dip can be prepared in advance and reheated in a skillet on the grill. To keep the edges from burning, place the pan over indirect heat. 04 of 20 Mini Muffulettas Jennifer Davick Recipe: Mini Muffulettas These sandwiches are small but they're stuffed with layers of cheese, cold cut, and pickled vegetables. Prepare the muffulettas the day before the game, store in zip-top plastic freezer bags, and refrigerate overnight. 05 of 20 Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Make these crispy wings in your oven and bring them to your tailgate in a covered container so they stay warm. The wings will still taste great at room temperature as they cool—but they likely won't last that long. 06 of 20 Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Sturdy bar cookies like brownies are perfect for tailgating, and you can't go wrong with these. Make these dark chocolate brownies plain and simple, or jazz them up with swirls of peanut butter, chopped pretzels, or toasted coconut and cashews. 07 of 20 Texas Caviar Southern Living Recipe: Texas Caviar We love this party staple because it can be served cold or at room temperature and as a side dish or a dip with tortilla chips. 08 of 20 Big Batch Bloody Marys Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Big-Batch Bloody Marys Set up a Bloody Mary bar at your tailgate with celery stalks, pickled okra, and lime wedges. 09 of 20 Whiskey-Apple Cider Punch Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Whiskey-Apple Cider Punch Bring a drink dispenser to your tailgate for easy distribution of this tasty punch. 10 of 20 Buffalo Chicken Bites Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Bites You just might replace your usual chicken wing recipe with these easy-to-eat boneless chicken bites that are sure to disappear long before the big game. 11 of 20 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers You might want to double this recipe, because these easy-to-take-along bow tie crackers won't last long at any tailgate. 12 of 20 Muddy Buddy Mix Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Muddy Buddy Mix Chocolate and peanut butter lovers will love this sweet mix that's a cinch to make, take, and snack on, no matter your tailgate location. Just a handful of ingredients and about ten minutes, and you're there. 13 of 20 Basic Deviled Eggs Southern Living Recipe Basic Deviled Eggs There's no occasion that doesn't get tastier when a tray of deviled eggs is involved. This classic take will wow your tailgate crowd. 14 of 20 Sweet-and-Salty Snack Mix Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs Recipe: Sweet-and-Salty Snack Mix Whether your tailgate starts at the crack of dawn or lingers into late afternoon, this snack mix will satisfy everyone's craving. 15 of 20 Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Alison Miksch Recipe: Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Nothing tastes better with a cooler of cold beer than a classic boiled peanut. Make them in a slow cooker and haul it over to the tailgate to keep the boiled peanuts warm all day. 16 of 20 Stove-Top Bacon Popcorn Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Stove-Top Bacon Popcorn Get creative with your popcorn game. Bacon? And popcorn? It doesn't get much better than that. Wrap your popcorn in snackable-sized paper. Extra points if it's coordinated with your team's colors. 17 of 20 Ham-and-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Sliders You know a tailgate dish is going to be a hit when Hawaiian rolls are involved. 18 of 20 All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Round out your spread with a chocolate chip cookie that's earned the right to be called the best of the best. 19 of 20 Smoked-Tomato Salsa Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Smoked-Tomato Salsa With this flavorful dip, your tailgate buddies will want to know what brand of salsa they're snacking on. Get ready for their reactions when you say it's homemade. 20 of 20 Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Recipe: Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars Easy to execute and big on flavor, these popcorn bars combining salty and sweet to satisfy all of your pre-game cravings in one fell swoop. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit