Vegan Super Bowl Recipes

The Super Bowl spread has a pretty iconic lineup, and almost every item on it veganizes stupidly well. Wings might be crispy cauliflower wings tossed in the hyper-creamy vegan buffalo sauce or Korean BBQ sauce. My seitan chili is a big crowd-pleasing pot (uh, or hat) loaded with beans, peppers, tomatoes, and smoky spices.

Nachos get piled high with vegan cotija, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and pickled jalapeños. Seven-layer dip stays almost completely intact with one swap of vegan sour cream and vegan refried beans. Sliders, buffalo dip, potato skins: all of it comes together with a few easy swaps and nary a compromise on flavor.

The thing about game day food is that it was never really about the meat. It's about unapologetically intense flavors, finger food, and stuff that's fun to eat while screaming at a television. Vegan Super Bowl food leans hard into spice, crunch, and big sauces, which means it fits the vibe of the day absurdly well. Lead with flavor, skip the labels, and just put out the most ridiculously good spread you can manage!

Honestly, the snack aisle has your back more than you'd think. A ton of classic grocery store staples are accidentally vegan: Fritos original corn chips, Lay's Classic and Dill Pickle potato chips, Wheat Thins in most flavors, and Kettle Brand chips in flavors like Sea Salt, Jalapeño, and Sea Salt & Vinegar are all fair game.

For something more substantial, Gardein's Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Tenders are a solid call serve them with vegan buffalo sauce and nobody's asking questions.

Round it all out with a good store-bought salsa, some guacamole, and a bag of Siete grain-free tortilla chips, and you've got a snack table that can hold its own against anything at the party. Just always flip the bag and check ingredients: manufacturers change formulas without warning, and the last thing you want is to discover mid-party that your "accidentally vegan" chips are decidedly not.

Heck, nearly everything on a vegan Super Bowl spread is actually better when made ahead, which is one of the many reasons it's the superior way to host!

Vegan chili is the ultimate make-ahead dish, and you can even rock it out weeks ahead of time and freeze it if you want.

Same goes for dips like buffalo chickpea dip, spinach artichoke dip, and seven-layer dip, which can all be assembled the night before and either served cold or warmed up right before kickoff.

Salsas can be made a few days ahead. -A few of my faves to do this with are habanero salsa, salsa macha, and chile de àrbol salsa. Salsas with uncooked ingredients like mango salsa and salsa fresca don't hold up as well and should be made the day of.

Trays of vegan enchiladas can be made the day before, then popped in the oven or air fryer right before guests arrive so they come out super-crispy.

The one thing you actually don't want to make too far ahead is anything fried or breaded. Those are best served fresh out of the oil. Everything else? Make it the day before, park it in the fridge, and actually enjoy your own party.