Game day is all about food, friends, and football. When hosting a game day party, you want easy appetizers and snacks that can be made quickly and keep your guests fueled up during the big game. One of the best game day cooking tools is an electric griddle, which allows you to cook up tasty bites in large batches. Here’s a look at some of the top game day foods to cook up on your griddle.
Burgers
A good burger is a game day staple. An electric griddle makes it easy to cook burgers for a crowd. Simply shape your burger patties ahead of time, seasoning them as desired. When ready to cook, lightly oil the griddle surface and place the patties down. Let them cook for several minutes on each side until cooked through. Serve the hot griddle burgers on buns with all the classic toppings like cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and condiments.
Why are burgers a good game day food?
- Burgers are hearty, filling, and satisfy big appetites, especially with all the tasty toppings.
- They can be customized by each guest with their favorite ingredients.
- Burgers cook up quickly in batches on the griddle.
- You can prepare the patties ahead of time and just cook them when needed.
- Everyone loves a good burger!
Sausages and Hot Dogs
Sausages and hot dogs are another game day go-to. You can cook up links, patties, or dogs on the griddle to feed the whole gang. Use a pair of tongs to move them around and cook evenly. Serve in buns with traditional toppings like sauteed peppers and onions, relish, chili, cheese sauce, spicy mustard, and more. Slice up any leftover sausages to make appetizer bites.
Why cook sausages and hot dogs on the griddle?
- It’s fast and easy for cooking large batches.
- The griddle creates nice sear marks and color.
- Fat and juices drain away for less greasy results.
- You can keep links, patties, and dogs warm on the griddle until serving.
- Easy toppers like chili and cheese sauce can also be heated on the griddle.
Quesadillas
A cheesy quesadilla straight off the griddle is hard to beat. Layer tortillas with shredded cheese, meat or other fillings, and sandwich together. In just a few minutes per side you’ll have the perfect crispy, melty game day snack. Quesadillas are easily cut into wedges for sharing. Serve with typical Mexican toppings like guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
Why make quesadillas for game day?
- They come together quickly with just tortillas and cheese.
- You can fill them with almost anything – meat, veggies, beans, etc.
- Easy to customize for different guests’ preferences.
- Griddle quesadillas get nice and crispy on the outside.
- An easy handheld food for walking around during the game.
Wings
Crispy wings with your favorite sauce are a surefire game day pleaser. The griddle makes it easy to cook them up fresh and hot. Toss dry wings in oil or butter and cook turning occasionally until browned and cooked through. Then toss with your desired sauce. Serve wings with ranch or blue cheese dressing. The griddle gives you that sought-after crispy skin without deep frying.
Why the griddle is great for cooking wings:
- Allows you to cook a lot of wings at once.
- Creates crispy skin without having to deep fry.
- Lets you easily sauce or season wings to preference.
- Keeps cooked wings warm until serving time.
- Allows excess fat to drain away for healthier results.
Nachos
Crisp tortilla chips topped with melted cheese, meat, beans, salsa, and all the fixings – nachos are always a crowd-pleaser. Use your griddle to cook meat, melt cheese, and even crisp the tortilla chips. Layer everything up together for easy individual servings, or pile onto a platter for a shareable snack. Customize with favorite add-ons like guacamole, cilantro, pickled jalapeños, and more.
Reasons nachos are great for game day:
- Allows layers of ingredients to be heated through.
- Melts cheese perfectly.
- Chips can be crisped right on the griddle.
- Easy to customize with lots of fun toppings.
- Serves well for a group for sharing and snacking.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches are convenient handheld snacks that are easy to make on the griddle. Cook meats like hamburger patties, sausage, bacon, hot dogs. Grill up veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms. Melt cheese on sandwiches as they cook. The possibilities are endless for delicious griddled sandwiches like burgers, club sandwiches, paninis, grilled cheese, and more. Serve with chips, potato salad or other sides.
Reasons sandwiches work well for game day:
- Allows you to cook meats, cheeses, and veggies to make tasty fillings.
- Can customize sandwiches with guests’ choice of ingredients.
- Grilling gives great flavor.
- Melts cheese perfectly.
- Easy to grab food while watching the game.
Breakfast foods
For a morning game, fire up the griddle for all your breakfast favorites. Cook eggs any style – scrambled, fried, omelets. Fry up bacon, hashbrowns, and pancakes or french toast. Make breakfast sandwiches and melts. The griddle allows you to cook all parts of a hearty breakfast to keep your crew fueled up. Add sides like fresh fruit and yogurt for a complete meal.
Why the griddle excels for breakfast:
- Allows for easy eggs cooked to order the way each person likes.
- Can cook meats like bacon and sausage in batches.
- Makes fluffy pancakes and perfect french toast.
- Grills sandwiches to melt cheese and crisp bread.
- Keeps everything warm until you’re ready to eat.
Veggie options
For guests who want lighter game fare, the griddle makes it easy to grill up tasty veggies as well. Try marinated portobello mushrooms, squash, zucchini, eggplant, asparagus and so much more. Brush veggies with oil and cook turning occasionally until nicely browned. The griddle gives great char flavor. Serve veggie kabobs for a handheld option. Pair with hummus, baba ganoush or another spread.
Why the griddle is great for cooking veggies:
- Allows you to cook large batches of veggies at once.
- Gives nice char for extra flavor without added fat.
- Keeps cooked veggies warm until serving.
- Can cook a variety of vegetables quickly and easily.
- Gives healthy options without comprising on taste.
Fajitas
For a fun interactive option, set up a fajita bar with meats and veggies cooking on the griddle. Guests can build their own starting with tortillas, then loading up with their choice of steak, chicken, shrimp, peppers, onions and more. Have condiments like guacamole, salsa, cheese, sour cream for customizing. The griddle cooks the proteins and veggies perfectly for fajitas with a little char.
Reasons fajitas work well for game days:
- Arimatic meat and veggies right off the griddle.
- Easy for guests to build how they like with lots of options.
- Fun, interactive experience.
- Just cook in batches on the griddle as needed.
- Handheld and easy to eat while watching the game.
Pizza
Homemade pizza on the griddle is way better than delivery. Start with your own dough or use a pre-made crust. Top with classic sauce and mozzarella, or customize with meats, veggies, and other cheeses. The griddle crisps up the crust perfectly without drying it out. Cut into wedges for easy sharing. Have grated parmesan and red pepper flakes for finishing touches.
Why make pizza on a griddle?
- Achieves a crispy crust.
- Cooks pizza evenly without burning.
- Melts cheese fully.
- Allows you to easily make mini personal pizzas.
- Lets you continually bake pizzas throughout the game.
Kabobs
Skewered meats, veggies, and fruits take well to cooking on the griddle. The high heat quickly sears and chars everything for full flavor. Try chicken, steak or shrimp along with peppers, onions, pineapple, zucchini – whatever sounds good. Baste with a marinade or sauce as they cook. Kabobs mean no utensils needed making them perfect football food. Offer various dipping sauces on the side.
Reasons kabobs work for game day:
- Easy to pick up and eat by hand.
- Allows you to customize with favorite ingredients.
- Gets great char flavor from the griddle.
- Portions already skewered for individual servings.
- Can continually cook kabobs in batches as needed.
Conclusion
For your next game day party, be sure to take advantage of your electric griddle. It opens up so many possibilities for fun and delicious football fare to keep your crowd satisfied. Burgers, hot dogs, wings, nachos and more all cook up conveniently on the large griddle surface. With a little prep, you’ll have a spread ready to fuel the football festivities. Getting a variety of snacks cooking on the griddle frees you up to enjoy time with your guests. Now that you know the best game day foods to throw on the griddle, it’s time to start planning your perfect football party menu!