How To Add A Taylor Swift Twist To Your Super Bowl Spread

For the third year in a row, the Super Bowl's already-sizeable television audience will likely be boosted by a legion of Swifties. While some of them may not ordinarily be football fans, they'll nevertheless tune in to see if they can spot their idol as she cheers on her boyfriend Travis Kelce. (None dare call it conspiracy, but would you really expect Taylor Swift to date anyone on a losing franchise?) If you'll be glued to your TV for a night of Swift-spotting, you can make it even more fun with some themed snacks appropriate for the occasion.

Sure, you could trot out typical Super Bowl fare such as hot wings with blue cheese dressing, the ever-classic Buffalo chicken dip, or nachos (try our sloppy joe-inspired sweet and savory version) and give them random names plucked out of the Swiftian songbook. Or you could simply refer to each course as the "appetizers era," "entree era," etc. With a little more research, however (which we've kindly undertaken on your behalf), your menu can be based on some of the foods Swift has expressed a fondness for over the years.

In a 2016 video interview with Vogue to promote her appearance on the magazine's cover, one of the questions Taylor Swift was asked was the name of her favorite food. With no hesitation, she answered "chicken tenders" (though she did precede it with the caveat, "if calories didn't count"). This item has since been enshrined in the pantheon of Swiftie foods, to the point where Highmark Stadium (home of the Buffalo Bills, last year's Super Bowl opponent) even added a Swift-themed, chicken tender-filled "Karma Quesadilla" to the stadium menu for the 2024 Super Bowl.

If you want to do things the quick and easy way, there are like a zillion brands of frozen chicken tenders on the market. (We taste-tested them for you. You're welcome.) You could also opt for tenders from KFC, Popeyes, or Chick-fil-A. If you want to go all-out, though, you can also make your own homemade chicken strips. Swift loves to cook, so she'd no doubt approve of the DIY option.

As for the dipping sauce, Swift doesn't seem to have stated a preference, but she was spotted at a 2023 Chiefs game eating chicken sauced with what an X fan account described as "ketchup and seemingly ranch." In honor of the occasion, Heinz announced on social media that it would be releasing a Swift-themed limited edition condiment humorously called "Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch." While this product never joined the brand's permanent lineup, you can easily make your own by blending ketchup with any sauce that looks reasonably ranch-like. (Mayonnaise would work, while blue cheese dressing might make for an unexpected flavor combo.)

In that same Vogue interview, Taylor Swift was also asked her favorite takeout order. (Celebs like fast food too but with a schedule and a fan base like hers, it's not like she'd be dining in.) Again, she was quick to reply that she likes a cheeseburger accompanied by fries and a shake. In fact, so fond is she of this combo that she dressed up as fries in the video for 2019's "You Need to Calm Down" with Katy Perry guesting in the same burger costume she'd worn to the Met Gala. Swift later posted to her Instagram a shot of the two in their fries and burger costumes hugging, captioning it "A happy meal."

If your favorite team didn't make it past the playoffs this year and you feel the need of some comfort food, Swift-style, you may want to place an order from In-N-Out. Swift confesses that after she lost the Album of the Year Grammy in 2014, she went home and cried over a burger from this chain. If you don't live in one of the eight states with In-N-Outs, however, or you'd rather cook the whole meal yourself (a very Swiftian thing to do), here's how to make the perfect crispy smash burger. We also have tips for making restaurant-worthy fries (it all starts with russet potatoes). As for the shake, you know what to do. Plop some ice cream in a blender, add a splash of milk, and shake it off up.

Taylor Swift also said that the one item she always stocks in her refrigerator is hummus, which just so happens to make a great party dip. Store-bought hummus comes in numerous varieties (even some dubious dessert ones), though it's not too difficult to make homemade hummus, either. Of course, you could always opt for the middle ground and use some well-chosen mix-ins to upgrade either grocery store hummus or hummus made from box of dry mix. Among the flavorings that'll make your hummus taste even better are a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of smoked paprika or cayenne, a drizzle of flavored oil, or a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt.

Of course, every dip needs a dipper, and hummus is no exception. (Okay, we sometimes eat it with a spoon straight from the carton. This won't do for a party, though, even if it's a solo celebration.) Cut-up pita triangles or pita chips are perfect, but other crackers or tortilla chips will also work. If we ask ourselves "What would Taylor do?", we feel she might opt for crudités. After all, she's said that she mostly tries to eat healthy in between burger binges and indulgent desserts. Raw vegetables seem like something she'd endorse since she's a big fan of salads for everyday fare.

Apparently, it's always autumn in Taylor Swift's kitchen. Then again, this season correlates with peak football, so her favorite fall-flavored baked goods would not be amiss at a Super Bowl watch party. One recipe she's been known to bake before Chiefs games is cinnamon rolls. Her prowess with this recipe dates back years before her relationship with Travis Kelce, however. She proudly posted a shot of homemade cinnamon rolls to her Instagram account back in May of 2020. (This, as you may recall, was the Joe Alwyn era.) If you'd like to try baking cinnamon rolls from scratch, our brown butter version takes all day to bake but the flavor is amazing. If you don't have that much time to spare, you can always upgrade canned cinnamon rolls by adding butter, brown sugar, extra cinnamon, and heavy cream.

Another Swiftian specialty is pumpkin bread, which Time magazine's Instagram confirms she brought to her 2023 Person of the Year photo shoot. We don't have her exact recipe, but we do have one for super-easy, two-ingredient pumpkin bread made with cake mix and canned pumpkin (though you may want to boost the flavor with an egg or two and some pumpkin pie spice). Alas, the recipe for the homemade pop tarts Swift shared with the Chiefs on several occasions also remains a mystery, but Swifties on Reddit have been passing around an image that appears to be in Swift's own handwriting which details how to make her oh-so-autumnal chai latte sugar cookies.

If you're a true Taylor Swift fan, you no doubt remember that 2021 was the year she began remixing some of her old songs and reissuing them as "Taylor's Version." When she released the album "Red (Taylor's Version)" in November of that year, Starbucks saw it as a great promo opportunity to tie into its holiday red cups. The same day the album dropped, the chain began offering a "Taylor's Version" drink complete with special sticker. The iced latte was actually just a renamed, repackaged version of something that was already on the menu, a grande caramel nonfat latte that was said to be among Swift's favorites. (She's also stated a preference for skinny vanilla lattes as well as the chain's famous PSLs.)

The closest thing on Starbucks' menu, heading into Super Bowl LIX, appears to be a caramel brulée latte, which yes, can be ordered in a grande size and made with nonfat milk. You could also order a regular grande nonfat latte and customize it with a few pumps of caramel syrup (four is the standard for a grande). Of course, you also have the option to DIY a similar drink by combining two shots of espresso with an equal amount of caramel syrup, then topping it with about a cup of skim milk that's been warmed and frothed. (No frother? No problem. Pour it into a lidded jar and — you know the drill — shake, shake, shake.)