Super Bowl party food: how much for a game-day crowd
A game-day party is four hours of grazing, not a meal at a table — and the food has to survive a long kickoff-to-final-whistle stretch on the coffee table. Here is how much of each thing to plan, and how to keep it safe and hot through the fourth quarter.
The menu, by guest count
| For | Wings (6 each) | Large pizzas (2 slices each) | Sliders (2 each) | Drinks (5 each) | Ice (1½ lb each) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 guests | 60 pieces (6 lb) | 3 | 20 | 50 | 15 lb |
| 20 guests | 120 pieces (12 lb) | 5 | 40 | 100 | 30 lb |
| 30 guests | 180 pieces (18 lb) | 8 | 60 | 150 | 45 lb |
With wings, pizza and sliders all on the table, each one is smaller than it would be alone: six wings rather than ten, two slices of pizza rather than three. If wings are the only hot food, plan ten per person — see how many wings for 20 people, which also covers the oven batches.
Wings
Wings are counted by the piece and bought by the pound. The USDA Food Buying Guide puts an average whole wing at about 3.1 oz — about five to the pound, or ten party pieces once cut. How many wings in a pound explains why jumbo and small wings change that. Bake them on racks in batches, sauce them right before serving, and check the thickest drumettes reach 165 °F.
Pizza
A 14 in large pizza is usually cut into eight slices — Domino’s nutrition guide lists a hand-tossed large as 1/8 per slice. At two slices each with wings on the table, twenty guests need five large pizzas; as the main food at three slices each, eight. How many pizzas for 20 people compares large and extra-large by area, and how many slices in a large pizza covers the cut. Order for delivery at halftime or a few minutes before kickoff, not during the game when shops are busiest.
Sliders, dips and snacks
- Sliders: Iowa State Extension plans 1½ to 2 oz of meat per slider; two each with other food. See how many sliders for 50 people for the pan method.
- Pulled pork reheats well and holds in a slow cooker: a pound of cooked pork makes eight sliders, about two pounds of raw shoulder.
- Chips: the Clay County quantity table plans 1 oz per person — add up the net weight on the bags.
- Dips: a few tablespoons per guest per dip; keep dairy-based dips cold on ice.
- Vegetables: a tray of carrots, celery and peppers goes with the wings and gives guests something that is not fried.
A long sub is the no-cook alternative for a crowd: how many people does a 6 ft sub feed. If the party is in the backyard rather than the living room, the cookout math is in how much food for 20 people at a BBQ.
Drinks and ice
Plan about two drinks per guest in the first hour and one per hour after — five over a four-hour game — with water and soft drinks for everyone. How many cans of soda for 100 guests shows the split at a bigger scale. Reddy Ice recommends 1 to 2 lb of ice per guest. If you are serving beer, the keg and beer calculator counts it, and the usual rule applies: food and water out all game, and a ride home for anyone who needs one.
Keeping food safe for four hours
A football game runs longer than the 2-hour limit for perishable food at room temperature. Put out food in waves — one round at kickoff, a fresh round at halftime — and keep hot food at 140 °F or above in slow cookers or a low oven. Cold dips go in a bowl set in ice. Anything that has been out for 2 hours goes in the trash, not back in the fridge. The party food safety guide has the details.
Plates and napkins
Wings and ribs double the napkin count; put out paper towels and wet wipes as well. Two small plates per guest and a bowl for bones at each end of the couch. The party supplies calculator counts plates, cups and napkins with the messy-food option.
CalculatorChicken Wings Calculator →Wings by the piece and the pound for your guest count.Frequently asked questions
How many wings per person for a Super Bowl party?
About six with pizza and other food on the table, ten or more if wings are the main food. A pound of party wings is roughly ten pieces.
How many pizzas for a Super Bowl party of 20?
About five large pizzas at two slices each when there are wings and snacks too, or eight at three slices each if pizza is the meal.
Sources
- USDA FNS — Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, Section 1 (Meats/Meat Alternates) yield table (opens in a new tab) — Cooked lean meat per lb as purchased: Boston butt bone-in 0.52, boneless 0.60; brisket ¼ in trim 0.46, practically free of fat 0.69; ground beef ≤20% fat 0.74; spareribs 0.39; chicken thighs 0.52, drumsticks 0.49, breast halves 0.66, whole chicken 0.44; turkey breast 0.64; boneless fully cooked ham 0.90; chuck roast boneless 0.63; frankfurters 8 or 10 per lb.
- Iowa State University Extension (AnswerLine) — Graduation party tips (opens in a new tab) — Per person: sandwich meat 3–4 oz, sliders 1.5–2 oz, burgers 4–6 oz, sides 4–6 oz; 1 to 1.5 lb of food per guest; soda 2 cans and water 2 bottles per hour; punch 6 oz.
- Clay County, Minnesota — Amounts of food to serve fifty (cooking for large groups) (opens in a new tab) — Quantity table for 50 servings, built on a 3 oz cooked meat serving; sides, rolls, desserts, punch and lemonade.
- Domino’s — Nutrition guide (opens in a new tab) — Hand-tossed large (14 in) listed as 1/8 of a pizza per slice.
- Reddy Ice — How much ice you need for a party (opens in a new tab) — 1 to 2 lb of ice per person.