Chefs suggest focusing on easy, crowd-pleasing, finger foods for Super Bowl 2026.
Dips and spreads are popular because they are both versatile and convenient, and give a boost to foods like chips, vegetables and crackers.
Keegan Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery, said dips and spreads require little to no preparation so they are easy to make for parties.
He says making a good dip or spread starts with bases like yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream.
“Simple dips are popular,” Rodgers said. “A cream cheese base. Cream cheese is amazing stuff. It’s so versatile and it has an amazing texture. Depending on what you add with it, it can be firm and used as a spread or made softer into a dip.”
Rodgers agreed to share his recipe for a dip he calls “The Super Bowl Snack Nobody Saw Coming.” The recipe makes about two cups and prep time is 10 minutes plus an hour to chill.
“There’s a reason pickles are having a moment — that tangy, briny crunch is irresistible,” Rodgers said. “This creamy dip takes everything you love about pickles and makes it scoopable.”
Rodgers uses cream cheese, sour cream and dill pickles and warns “people will ask for the recipe.”
The good news is any kind of pickle can be used so you can substitute dill pickles for crunchy Gherkins or tangy Bread and Butter. He recommends using quality pickles and to make the dip the day before.
“Don’t skip the brine,” he added. “It’s the secret to that punch of pickle flavor.
“The Super Bowl Snack Nobody Saw Coming”
Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sour cream until combined. Fold in the diced pickles, pickle brine, dill, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt — the pickles bring plenty). Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors meld. Serve with potato chips, pretzels, crackers or fresh vegetables.
Rodgers suggests for a Spicy Pickle Dip: Swap the dill pickles for hot or spicy pickles. Add a dash of cayenne or a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
If you’re making Bread and Butter Pickle Dip, use Bread and Butter pickles for a sweeter, tangier version. Skip the extra dill and add a pinch of celery seed.
For Bacon Pickle Dip, you can fold in ¼ cup of crumbled cooked bacon.
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb 3., Rodgers is doing a presentation on “Dips and Spreads for Your Super Bowl (or any) Party” at the Milan Public Library. The event is free but reservations are required. Call Milan Public Library at 734-439-1240 to reserve your spot.
Area chef Linda Paetz, a graduate of Monroe County Community College’s former culinary program, shared two of her favorite dips: her mom’s Chipped Beef Cheese Ball and her own recipe for Pico de Gallo, which she adds to avocados to make guacamole. Since 2021, Paetz has been making her Pico de Gallo with a special ingredient.
“I was running a summer camp kitchen in West Virginia in 2021. I made this every week. One day I was slammed and making this and didn’t have time to walk across the kitchen to get white vinegar. The red wine vinegar was under my station, so I said, ‘What the heck?’ I had several people tell me it was the best pico they ever had. I’ve been using red wine vinegar ever since. It’s a game-changer,” Paetz said. “I have made this pico/guac recipe hundreds of time. It was on our taco bar for our catering company. It’s fool-proof.”
Pico de Gallo Guacamole
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least two hours. Serve with tortilla chips, preferably cantina-style thins. To make guacamole, add ½ cup of pico de gallo to one avocado.
Chipped Beef Cheese Ball
Combine all ingredients completely and form into a ball. In a separate bowl, mix reserved beef and onions and roll the formed cheese ball and completely coat the cheese ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com. Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Kick off 2026 Super Bowl with bold flavor dips and spreads.
Reporting by Lisa Vidaurri Bowling and Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
