I’m breaking out my best Southern tailgate food roster, and these insanely delicious and hearty soul food tailgate recipes are perfect for the occasion!
From game-day food classics to new and adventurous ideas, this menu will spice up your tailgating experience. You’ll get everything from easy appetizers to hearty meat dishes, sweet desserts, and finger-licking dips.
Why is it called tailgate food?
In American football, the stadium parking lot is called the tailgate lot.
The concept of tailgating is to have a picnic before the game. People used this concept and started eating at the stadium before the game. Since the food is consumed in a tailgate lot, it’s called tailgate food.
Is tailgating an American thing?
Tailgating is a way of life for many people in the United States. It’s a way for people to socialize by dining outside in the stadium parking lot.
Thus, food culture in the United States has been influenced by tailgating at the stadiums.
What is an HBCU tailgate event?
HBCUs are historically Black colleges and universities founded with the mission of educating African American students.
Historically, HBCUs are also higher learning institutions for African Americans, embodying Black culture and Black excellence.
HBCU tailgating is an event (mainly in the fall and spring) that encourages students to come together for food, fun, music, and fellowship through the best classic soul food recipes and Southern grilled foods.
For most HBCUs, tailgates are usually sporting events, but others are centered around the arts and culture.
How do you have a good tailgate party?
The essentials include:
Food
Family & friends
Music
Team color attire or decorations
Countertop appliances or a grill
Pro tip: Serious tailgaters will also say you need an electric generator!
With the above essentials, there’s nothing like a collegiate HBCU cookout or Southern tailgate food party with people you know, things you love, and as much food as you can eat!
HBCU tailgates are traditions that are unique, dynamic, and varied. An event that promotes unity, bonding, and fellowship among students, alums, and friends of the HBCU.
Tailgate parties bring friends and family together to enjoy the festive atmosphere and share their passion for their favorite teams.
It’s a great way to do the traditional pre-game food and drink while having the most fun and fanfare together.
What is good football food?
Because game day food is the main attraction of pre-kickoff, you don’t have to set up tents on your front lawn to host or have a good time.
You can, however, include these Southern tailgate food recipes. A mix of classic Southern dishes with new takes like soul food seasoned air fryer BBQ chicken, Instant Pot Southern low country boil, grilled soul burgers, or a slow cooker easy gumbo recipe.
Can you grill on your tailgate?
Grilled foods and cookout recipes were traditionally at the heart of any Southern tailgate food party.
How do you tailgate without a grill?
Today, with innovative appliances that travel well to keep food warm, like Instant Pots and air fryers, tailgate food does not necessarily have to be prepared on the grill.
What food is good for tailgating?
Since tailgating is a type of game day party where people get together before the game with the food as the center point of the get-together, the food should be easy to eat and carry in an outdoor setting.
That’s why finger foods and foods you can easily scoop into a paper cup or bowl are often best for tailgating recipes.
What is considered a finger food?
Small, individual portions of food that are eaten out of hand and ideally do not create a mess and do not require utensils such as knives, plates, and forks.
Finger foods are optimal for tailgating because they’re easy to eat while standing up.
What are 5 finger foods?
Burgers and sandwiches
Hot dogs
Cracker mixes
Fruit
Pizza
What should you bring to a tailgate party?
Check out this list of the best Southern tailgate food ideas.
For starters, Southern sweet tea is a delicious blend of refreshingly sweet and tangy flavors. (Mostly sweet flavors when making Southern-style sweet tea the Black folks' way!) But sweet tea is more than just a thirst-quenching beverage. It symbolizes Southern hospitality and good company, enjoyed throughout the deep South.
What is the official drink of Juneteenth? Southern hibiscus sweet tea. It's a delicious red drink, and hibiscus flowers are native to West Africa. So, hibiscus tea has been part of Black culture since the beginning!
Juneteenth's red foods and drinks are not only delicious but also symbolic. Red is one of the primary colors used by African Americans to celebrate Juneteenth Black History, including this easy-to-make watermelon red soda recipe.
We remixed it with a touch of Black flair and transformed that bottle of wine into Black folks' Moscato sangria, complete with the addition of fruit, club soda, and grape juice. So good you can taste the vibe!
Join the kings and queens of Wakanda and enjoy African-flavor-packed meals of Wakanda Forever food, starting with the purple juice of the ancient Heart-Shaped Herb, known to strengthen the legacy of Black Panther kings. This is a Disney easy recipe for Vibranium Drink!
Copycat Starbucks white hot chocolate – easy to order & even easier to make at home in the Instant Pot! Why spend your hard-earned bucks on one little cup of deliciousness when you can make it at home for less?
What is fruit infused water? Fruit infused water, detox water, also called fruit flavored water is any combination of fruits, veggies or herbs immersed in drinking water.
Deviled eggs start as hard-boiled egg yolks mashed. Then they're seasoned to perfection and stuffed into the egg whites for a delicious and flavorful appetizer!
Soul food cornbread balances crispy edges, a moist interior, and flavorful sweetness. This Southern from-scratch recipe achieves this beautifully by using cornmeal for those ideal edges, heavy whipping cream for a rich and moist texture, and blending sugar, butter, and cream cheese to create the ultimate harmony of savory and sweet!
This Southern sweet cornbread starts with the classic mix of cornmeal, butter, and a touch of sugar, but gets a delicious upgrade with crushed pineapple and cream cheese. The result is a softer, sweeter, and more indulgent version of the traditional favorite. Perfect as a standout side dish or sweet-savory treat!
This isn't just another cornbread recipe. It's a reinvention of a classic Southern dish. With the unique additions of creamed corn, butter, and cream cheese, the humble cornbread transforms into a show-stopping masterpiece!
This savory and sweet pumpkin dip recipe is made with cowboy caviar (salsa, black beans, corn), cream cheese, shredded cheese & pumpkin puree. An Instant Pot easy appetizer perfect for a Southern Thanksgiving!
Charcuterie boards, by definition, have cold cuts or meats. Your boards don’t have to include meats; you can have holiday treats, breakfast food, desserts, candy, hot chocolates, dinner food or s’mores, to name a few creative charcuterie board ideas.
Steve Harvey shares his easy homemade BBQ sauce recipe, perfect for slathering your favorite Memorial Day meats. And bonus—you'll likely have enough leftover sauce to bottle and share or refrigerate for later!
You don't have to go to a restaurant when you crave Southern BBQ. With my easy soul food recipe for Southern baked BBQ chicken, you can enjoy the same delicious savory BBQ flavors right in your own home!
Southern pulled BBQ chicken is made by smothering the chicken in soulful seasonings and a rich, smoky, and sweet barbecue sauce, then slow cooking it until it’s fall-apart tender, before shredding it into juicy strands.
What makes a Southern soul food burger?A Southern soul food homemade burger is made with savory bell pepper & sweet onion for a thick, juicy, tender, well-seasoned ground beef patty.
Southern cheddar ranch burgers - Instant Pot burgers are effortless, like so many Instant Pot ground beef recipes.Put 'em in the pot, walk away, and return to serve up major deliciousness! Perfect today for a dining-out-like experience served comfortably at home.
Thanksgiving doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Black folks Instant Pot turkey legs are an easy alternative to a whole turkey. A welcome addition to your Southern soul food Thanksgiving menu!
My Afro-Caribbean curry chicken kabobs feature sweet mango, spicy sriracha, and smoky grilled flavors. Delicious and easy to make for a tropical twist on dinner!
Originating from the kitchens of skilled soul food cooks, an authentic Southern fried chicken recipe is characterized by seasoning both the chicken and the flour, incorporating more than just salt and pepper for flavor. This is what gives Black folks' fried chicken an exceptionally bold taste with every bite!
Traditionally, a low-country shrimp boil was an hours-long stovetop affair. But now? The Instant Pot brings that backyard boil flavor indoors, cutting down the time without cutting out any of the soul. What used to be an all-day cooking event has transformed into a quick and easy weeknight meal!
The secret to a great gumbo? It’s the roux! In this recipe, creamy coconut milk blends with spicy Thai red curry paste to create a rich, flavorful base, perfectly balanced by tender, salty crab meat for a soulful twist on a Southern classic. Where Cajun tradition meets Thai inspiration.
This Southern stuffed peppers recipe may seem like a fancy dish at first glance – but take another look… They're an old-fashioned Southern meal homemade with ingredients you can easily find in your pantry!
A Black folks' Southern potato salad recipe is flavorful! Bold, creamy, soulful, and packed with flavor in every forkful. It's not just a side dish, but a whole vibe. The kind of dish that makes people smile before they even take a bite, because they already know what time it is!
This recipe is a fresh take on a classic Southern dish with an added twist of soul food seasonings and flavors. After soaking and boiling the dry beans, the diced vegetables lay the groundwork. Then, the combination of brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, barbecue sauce, and soul food seasonings truly transforms the dish!
My family's Southern coleslaw recipe stands out due to the unique blend of creamy and vinegar-based ingredients in the dressing. Soulful seasonings like dill, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper honor the soul food tradition, transforming a simple cabbage salad into a flavorful expression of cultural cuisine!
Macaroni salad is an essential part of Black culinary traditions. The choice of ingredients respects tradition while a handful of soulful seasonings and spices enhance the flavor.
A Black folks’ mac and cheese recipe isn't any ol’ mac and cheese recipe. It's baked, never boxed, and always loaded with soulful seasonings. This is that creamy, cheesy, soul-hugging masterpiece that gets baked until it’s bubbling around the edges and golden on top!
African American grandmas and moms have been producing great pots of soul food Southern mac and cheese for years!It just might've gotten lost how impactful this recipe is to the Black community.
Collard greens are both nutritious and delicious, especially when prepared in the traditional Black folks' way, seasoned to perfection! They've long been a staple in soul food and Southern cuisine, representing more than just a side dish at family gatherings.
Are you in the mood for a delicious chicken salad recipe? A traditional Southern chicken salad made by Black folks is more than just mayo and chicken chunks. It's bursting with flavor and the perfect balance of savory, crunch, and sweet.
Southern tomato watermelon salad is a flavor dance of sweet and salty, tangy and cool, crisp and juicy! It's picnic-perfect. It’s porch-approved. And it tastes like summer dressed up for a Sunday dinner.
Experience the rich taste of soul food by way of a simple yet flavorful staple dish. Black folks' soul food red beans and rice. A dish that will make your mouth water when you smell the aroma of savory seasonings and spices as the red kidney beans soak in the rich flavors of this dish!
Soul food Southern black eyed peas are intensely flavored in a thick sauce with smokey & spicy seasonings. Warm, comforting, & flavorful good luck you can eat for prosperity in the New Year!
This Southern creamed corn casserole has a sweet corn flavor with onion and garlic for a rich, savory, soul food taste. Add sour cream for a creamy melt-in-your-mouth pudding and parmesan cheese for the cornbread crust.
The secret to my Black folks’ creamy mashed potatoes recipe is cooking them the soul food way—rich, creamy, and seasoned far beyond just butter, salt, and pepper. It’s all about layering flavor with creamy texture.
Candied yams are an old-fashioned Southern African-American recipe. A sweet potato soul food side dish cooked to perfection in a cinnamon-brown sugar glaze.
What makes this a soul food specialty? It’s gotta be the spices! Cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla combine with fresh apples to make Black folks baked apple slices.
Tender, savory Instant Pot green beans are soul food flavorful... fast! Steeped in Southern tradition, but ready in a fraction of the time. Cooked with chicken stock, onions, and bold seasoning, this recipe captures all the down-home goodness of Grandma’s stovetop pot, but without the long simmer.
The soul food cabbage difference is all in the legacy, the layers, and the love. Regular fried cabbage is just… cabbage. But Black folks’ cabbage? That’s comfort, culture, and collard greens’ close cousin all wrapped into one well-seasoned, soulful side dish!
This isn’t your average cream-style corn from a can! I’m sharing my family’s Southern creamed corn recipe made faster in the Instant Pot, but still full of that slow-cooked, buttery flavor you remember from Grandma’s table. It’s sweet, savory, and silky-smooth with a touch of soul.
What is a Southern soul food pig pickin cake? It's a homemade, moist yellow cake with whipped pineapple frosting, vanilla pudding, and sweet mandarin oranges baked in. Pig pickin is a cake as unique as its name and the official dessert of Southern pig roasts and pickings!
Southern banana pudding is a celebration of soul food heritage. The simplicity of a few high-quality ingredients transforms into a layered dessert masterpiece!
What happens when you take a beloved soul food classic and add a rich, chocolatey twist? You get Black folks' Southern chocolate banana pudding, a decadent spin on a traditional recipe that still tastes like home. Rooted in Southern tradition yet bold enough to break the mold, this chocolate banana pudding is love in a bowl, infused with a touch of soulful cocoa flair!
While a regular cobbler might taste one-note sweet, a Black folks’ peach cobbler sings in harmony: sweet, spiced, tangy, and buttery. The peaches are lush and syrupy, kissed with brown sugar and a soulful blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of ginger. And the crust? Lawd, that crust! Flaky, golden, and buttery, it soaks up the peachy syrup like a sponge, wrapping every bite in rich, Southern comfort.
Southern red velvet cake is a slice of pure indulgence! Smooth, rich, and unforgettable. Imagine sinking your fork into a soft, velvety crumb that’s moist and tender, with the slightest hint of cocoa teasing your taste buds.
What makes this apple pie a Southern soul food specialty?The flavor! This soul food apple pie recipe features fresh apples sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg. Seasoned to perfection, the apples are roasted and then baked in the pie to leave you reminiscing on the best Southern dinners!
My Black folks’ sweet potato pie recipe is the creamy, cinnamon-kissed, vanilla-scented slice of heritage that shows up at every holiday table and soul food Sunday. Made with love, seasoned with tradition, and baked to perfection, this pie tells a story in every bite!
Similar to my original Black Folks' Sweet Potato Pie™, this Southern sweet potato pie recipe uses fresh sweet potatoes and soul food spices and seasonings. But for this recipe, it's the Southern charm added to the pie after it bakes, a thin layer of homemade cream cheese frosting is spread on top to savor the sweet taste of Southern hospitality!
Ambrosia salad is a light and fluffy dessert that blends a variety of exotic fruits with sweet ingredients, making it a favorite at Southern gatherings. While the mythical ambrosia was said to grant immortality to those who consumed it, the human version simply provides a delightfully refreshing taste, especially after enjoying fried chicken and potato salad!
Lemon fruit dip is a simple, no-bake Southern specialty that combines zesty lemon flavors with creamy textures, creating an irresistible, refreshing, sweet, tangy twist!
One of the healthiest recipes known on Earth is fruit popsicles. You can prepare homemade fruit popsicles with as little as five essential ingredients you already have in your refrigerator, like blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
A Black folks' tea cake recipe is a delightful Southern dessert. These little round cakes are light and airy, sometimes compared to soda bread or pound cake. Like sweet little biscuits, tea cakes are highly valued in the South and are a traditional African American treat dating back to the 1600s.
TikTok dessert recipe for Booty Dip: An easy, no-bake chocolate chip marshmallow dip perfect for all holidays made by simply mixing cream cheese, brown sugar, whipped cream, marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips. AKA: Big Booty Dip!
Nobody eats because there are lukewarm hot dogs, hamburgers, and cold chicken wings!
Wondering how you heat food at a tailgate?
If you’re a tailgater, here are a few solutions to keep your food warm throughout the party.
Make sure you use disposable foil and trays to insulate your food through transport.
Use an Instant Pot, Crockpot, or air fryer appliance to keep food hot at home or your tailgate if you have electricity.
Coolers can also keep hot food hot by trapping and retaining heat.
What is American tailgate food?
American tailgating is about having fun with friends and family while enjoying delicious food and drinks.
There are plenty of American tailgate party foods to choose from, so you can easily find something to please everyone, especially among these flavorful soul food Southern tailgate food recipes!
We're breaking out our best game-day tailgate roster with these insanely delicious and hearty Southern soul food tailgate recipes!Starting with easy Southern BBQ chicken wings with savory soul food flavors for your next tailgate party.
Air fryer, Instant Pot Omni Plus oven/air fryer, or conventional oven
Ingredients
12chicken wings
2tablespoonsseasoning saltFamous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning or similar (Contains soulful flavors such as paprika, mustard seed, garlic powder, onion powder, bell pepper, and lemon zest all in one!)
2tablespoonsgarlic & herb seasoningWeber Seasoning Roasted Garlic & Herb, or similar
In a small bowl, mix the chicken seasoning and the garlic & herb seasoning.
Rub the seasoning mixture on the chicken pieces to coat them.
Then use a basting brush to coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce.
Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil, or if you have an air fryer tray or baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and then spray the paper.
Place the chicken wings in or on the air fryer basket or tray.
Air fry at 350 degrees F for a total of 30 minutes.
Halfway through, after about 15 minutes, flip the wings over in the air fryer and return to cooking.
Air fry at 350 degrees for the remaining 15 minutes.
Serve this Southern soul food BBQ chicken wings recipe right away, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
How do you make soft BBQ chicken?Optionally, you can use the below instructions and marinate the chicken in a buttermilk brine to tenderize it before adding the BBQ sauce.This additional step is easiest with an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.Instructions for a buttermilk marinade chicken brine
To make homemade buttermilk, use 3 cups of milk and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes.
Open the Instant Pot lid and add the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of salt to the stainless steel inner pot.
Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up, to the pot with the buttermilk. (No Instant Pot? No problem! – allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for 4 hours to overnight.)
Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes.
To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot (you can discard the buttermilk) and set the chicken pieces aside on a rimmed baking sheet to cool off to the touch.
You can make the buttermilk for this recipe yourself. Because let’s be real – it’s not a common pantry ingredient!Buttermilk for this recipe: ½ cup of buttermilk = ½ cup of milk + ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. What can you substitute for the poultry and herb seasonings?You can use your favorite all-purpose seasoning or a combination of these soul food seasonings to make 4 tablespoons. Homemade soul food chicken seasoning:
What is soul food? Soul food recipes are African-American recipes full of flavor! A legacy of Southern cooking the Black way. Check out this collection of the best soul food recipes!
I appreciate you sharing this blog post. Thanks Again. Cool.