You can enjoy yourself and celebrate with friends while making good-for-you picks.
By
Jessica Migala
by
Kayli Anderson, RDNofAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine
When it comes to game day snacks, cowboy caviar beats traditional nachos.
Some people watch the Super Bowl to cheer on their team, others are all about the halftime show, and some just love any excuse for a good party. And what’s a party without great food? Appetizers are the real star players on Sunday, but if you’ve been trying to eat a more nutritious diet, you may wonder whether the usual game day spread cuts the mustard.
“Super Bowl food is all about comfort. The appetizers lead with taste and convenience, which usually means food that’s higher in calories, fat, and sodium,” says Bianca Tamburello, a registered dietitian-nutritionist with Fresh Communications in New York City. That means classics like chips and dip, mozzarella sticks, pizza, and the like. These foods also skimp on filling fiber and protein, which may be one reason why people tend to overeat on this day.
Still, you should enjoy yourself, says Tamburello. “I’m a fan of the 80/20 rule, which means eating nutrient-packed wholesome foods 80 percent of the time and saving 20 percent for more indulgent treats,” she says. That’s exactly how you can think about building your plate at a Super Bowl party. Fill up most of your plate with good-for-you fare, but leave room for your perennial favorites.
To help you do that, here are Tamburello’s top five picks for the healthiest appetizers you’re likely to find at a Super Bowl party, and five choices she says are the least healthy. Use it as a guide to create a winning plate.
Best Super Bowl Appetizers
1. Veggies and Guac or Tzatziki
Yes, we said “veggies,” but hear us out: They’re cold and crunchy and fresh, so they can balance out some of the richer-tasting appetizers. What’s more, their fiber and water will fill you up, says Tamburello, helping to keep your portions of the other stuff in bounds. Research shows that bumping up your intake of vegetables promotes weight loss, possibly because nonstarchy veggies are so filling. Dip those carrot sticks, pepper strips, or mini cukes in a spread like tzatziki (made with a yogurt base) or guacamole (packed with healthy fats), or “yogamole” (a dip made with a combination of guac and Greek yogurt).
2. Cowboy Caviar
Put your culinary TikTok skills to use and make the hearty dip that went viral in 2022. Cowboy caviar is made with chopped tomatoes, onion, beans, corn, and bell pepper, and tossed with a tangy dressing. (You can buy it premade or jarred in the salsa section at the grocery store.) “Beans provide really good fiber and protein,” Tamburello says. A ½ cup of black beans, for instance, offers 7 grams (g) of protein and 8 g of fiber, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Sure, you can scoop it up with some chips, but it’s also great on its own.
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3. Air-Fried or Baked Buffalo Wings
Traditionally, wings are deep-fried and smothered in a sticky sauce, then dipped in bleu cheese or ranch dressing, which spikes the saturated fat content. (Depending on the sauce, they may also be high in sugar.) But if you cook wings in an air fryer or bake them in the oven, it's “a great way to save on calories compared to traditional frying,” says Tamburello. Toss them in a lower-sugar sauce and you'll have all the big, tangy, spicy taste you love. Another option, she says: Make air-fried or baked buffalo cauliflower bitesfor that buffalo sauce flavor — which may be what you’re really after — and sneak in extra veggies.
4. Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) or dry-roasted edamame are great to crunch on, have fewer calories per serving than chips, and are a good source of plant-based protein. They make a nice savory addition to a charcuterie board, says Tamburello. Plus, they’re pretty easy to make yourself.
5. Whole-Wheat Pita Chips and Hummus
Buy a bag of whole-wheat pita chips from the store or DIY by cutting whole-wheat pitas into triangle shapes and toasting in the oven until crisp, suggests Tamburello. Serve alongside hummus, which is not only lower in calories than a lot of dips, but is made from chickpeas, a legume that research shows supports a healthy body weight. Plus, there are tons of hummus flavors now, including dessert hummus.
Worst Super Bowl Appetizers
1. Loaded Nachos
On top of fried tortilla chips go all the high-calorie toppings you can dream up, says Tamburello: lots of cheese, sour cream, and ground beef. You can make nachos healthier by turning them into sweet potato nachos, which replaces the chips with slivers of baked sweet potatoes, she says. Top that with black or pinto beans, green onions, cheese, and dollops of guac, or even some spicy sauerkraut, for a nutrient-packed team effort.
2. Spinach Artichoke Dip
Made with a base of cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and additional shredded cheese, this dip may have veggies in it, but it’s far from a veggie. An easy switch here, says Tamburello, is to make a Greek yogurt–based spinach artichoke dip, which lightens the calories and saturated fat and adds protein. (You can look for this type of dip near the produce section at the grocery store if you don't want to DIY.)
3. 7-Layer Dip
Given that dips are extremely popular for Super Bowl Sunday, it makes sense that they appear on this list several times. Instead of a seven-layer dip, which is usually made with refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and guac, Tamburello suggests a bowl of guacamole on its own. “Avocados are a healthier choice because they contain heart-healthy fats,” she says. The majority of these good-for-you fats are from monounsaturated fatty acids, which don’t raise blood cholesterol levels, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
4. Potato Chips
Nothing against spuds, really, but in the context of other higher-calorie appetizers, they may not be worth the space on your plate. If you munch on them mindlessly while watching the game, you may not have room for some of the other food you crave on this day. Still, no one wants to deny their guests a satisfying crunch, so offer up some air-popped popcorn instead (or serve popcorn alongside the chips), says Tamburello.
5. Mozzarella Sticks
No surprise that deep-fried pieces of cheese are high in calories and rich in saturated fat. If these are your favorite things, then don’t skip them completely, says Tamburello. “Add one or two to your plate and then fill the rest with the healthier appetizers on this list,” she says. “You don’t have to deprive yourself of food that you enjoy and savor.” It’s called the Super Bowl for a reason.
