One of the best parts of the NFL and college football seasons are the watch parties with family and friends. Nothing beats hanging around the TV, cheering on your favorite team, and snacking throughout the game.
However, picking the right food and drinks to serve at a football party can be a bit tricky. To help you out, we’ve rounded up 7 winning recipes for everything from chicken wings to nachos to Virgin Mojitos. Each recipe features a PepsiCo beverage, so you can plan on cooking with it and drinking some too!
5 Snacks & Small Bites Featuring Your Favorite Sodas
Mountain Dew Wing Sauce: Make Your Wings the Life of the Party
Chicken wings are the ultimate party finger food, and if you’d like to take your cooking game to the next level, then try making the official Mountain Dew Wing Sauce. This recipe uses one 12 oz. can of Mountain Dew to create a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce that can coat one pound of chicken wings (or it can be used as a dipping sauce). The wing sauce includes lemon and lime juice/zest, jalapeno sauce, and neon green food coloring to really make it pop.
Full recipe available on MountainDew.com
Root Beer Marinated Shrimp Tacos: Impress Your Friends With Mouthwatering Grilled Shrimp
Planning a small football party this year? Use Mug Root Beer to create a savory marinade for shrimp tacos. Featured on the PepsiCo website, this recipe will guide you through making the marinade (root beer, lime juice, oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and chili flakes), grilling the shrimp, and preparing the taco fillings. Their recommended fillings include green onions, avocado, bean dip, and coleslaw.
The recipe serves 4 people, so it’s great for a family of football fans or a few friends. It’ll take about 10 minutes to prep and 5 minutes to cook, so make sure it’s ready before kickoff.
Full recipe available on PepsiCo.com
Slow Cooker Dr Pepper Nachos: Cook Up a Plate of Crave-Worthy Nachos
Nachos are a football party staple, but this year, consider going beyond just chips and melted cheese. Surprise your friends with a full plate of Slow Cooker Dr Pepper Nachos, which feature chicken breasts that are slow cooked with Dr Pepper, spices, apple cider vinegar, and other ingredients.
After cooking the chicken and baking the nachos, you can top them with cilantro, scallions, tomatoes, olives, and more. This is a hearty dish that can serve as one of your main snacks during the game.
Full recipe available on BuzzFeed.com
BBQ Cola Meatballs: Create a Rich BBQ Sauce for Your Slow Cooker Meatballs
If you’ve purchased a couple bottles of Pepsi for your football party, then you already have the first ingredient for BBQ Cola Meatballs. Featured on Food.com, this recipe involves making a homemade BBQ sauce with a slight tangy taste that will be slow cooked with the meatballs. You can serve them with toothpicks or on slider buns for snacking.
Full recipe available on Food.com
Mountain Dew Cake: End the Night with a Slice of Lemony Cake
Keep up the energy during the fourth quarter by serving slices of Mountain Dew Cake for dessert. This simple yet delicious cake is made with Mountain Dew, lemon cake mix, instant vanilla pudding mix, eggs, and a couple other ingredients. After baking the cake, you’ll mix up a pineapple-coconut topping that’ll complete your dish. Look forward to satisfying your sweet tooth with this lemony and moist cake.
Full recipe available on AllRecipes.com
2 Refreshing Mocktails to Sip During the Game
Virgin Mojito: Enjoy the Perfect Combination of Lemon-Lime Soda and Mint
A classic Mojito is made with white rum, but you can easily make a non-alcoholic version that every member of your party can enjoy. We found a Virgin Mojito recipe from Munaty Cooking that has the same mint and lime flavor of the original but without the rum. Instead, you’ll substitute in a soft drink like Sierra Mist or Mountain Dew that will add sweetness and a lemon-lime flavor. This Virgin Mojito includes traditional ingredients like fresh mint leaves, lime, sugar, and ice as well.
Full recipe available on MunatyCooking.com
Shirley Temple: Liven Up the Party With a Round of This Sweet Mocktail
Another fun and fizzy mocktail that you can make for your party is the Shirley Temple. The modern version of the Shirley Temple includes a white soda (such as Sierra Mist) or a ginger ale like Schweppes, grenadine, ice, and maraschino cherries as a garnish. Both kids and adults will love this sweet beverage, and you can mix up a few glasses in a couple of minutes.
Full recipe available on CulinaryHill.com
Now that you have some ideas in mind, it’s time to get moving on your football party planning! Head to a local grocery store for your PepsiCo sodas and any other ingredients needed for your recipe of choice.