Super Bowl Party Food Calculator
Enter guests and kickoff time. You get wings, sliders, drinks and ice, the cost and a game-day timeline with a halftime batch.
The Super Bowl is played on the second Sunday in February. Kickoff is usually about 6:30 pm Eastern.
| Party wings (flats and drums), about 90 pieces | 10 lb |
| Wing sauce | 2.5 cups |
| Ranch or blue cheese dip | 2.5 cups |
| Pork butt, raw (1 × 5 lb), makes 22 sliders | 5 lb |
| Slider rolls | 2 × 12 |
| Chips | 4 bags |
| Drinks (12-oz) | 68 |
| Ice | 3 × 10 lb |
Game day timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 9:15 am | Pork butt on the smoker at 250°F (1 × 5 lb, 5.5–8 h) |
| 5:00 pm | Drinks and ice into the cooler |
| 5:10 pm | First batch of wings on (6 lb) |
| 5:30 pm | Guests arrive |
| 5:45 pm | Pull the pork and set out sliders |
| 6:00 pm | Food out |
| 6:30 pm | Kickoff |
| 7:25 pm | Second batch of wings on (4 lb) |
| 8:00 pm | Two-hour mark: refrigerate or reheat what is still out (USDA) |
| 8:15 pm | Halftime: second batch of wings out |
| 10:15 pm | Final whistle (about) |
Pork can finish early: wrapped in foil and towels in a dry cooler it holds safely above 140°F for up to 4 hours.
Super Bowl food by party size
Wings plus pulled pork sliders, guests arriving an hour before kickoff, food out 30 minutes before kickoff, chips, drinks and ice.
| Party | Wings | Pork butt | Drinks | Ice | Est. total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 guests | 5 lb (~45) | 2.5 lb raw (11 sliders) | 34 | 2 bags | $84 |
| 15 guests | 7.5 lb (~68) | 4 lb raw (17 sliders) | 51 | 3 bags | $129 |
| 20 guests | 10 lb (~90) | 5 lb raw (22 sliders) | 68 | 3 bags | $166 |
| 30 guests | 15 lb (~135) | 7.5 lb raw (32 sliders) | 102 | 5 bags | $250 |
| 40 guests | 20 lb (~180) | 10 lb raw (44 sliders) | 135 | 6 bags | $330 |
| 50 guests | 25 lb (~225) | 12.5 lb raw (55 sliders) | 169 | 8 bags | $415 |
How many wings per person
We plan 1 lb of raw wings per guest when wings are the only main food, and split that across the menu when there is more on the table. Party wings run about 9 pieces per pound.
| Menu (30 guests) | Raw wings per guest | Pieces per guest | Total wings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wings are the main food | 1.00 lb | about 9 pieces | 30 lb |
| Wings + sliders | 0.50 lb | about 4 pieces | 15 lb |
| Wings + sliders + ribs | 0.33 lb | about 3 pieces | 10 lb |
Halftime, the second batch and food safety
- Cook wings in two batches. About 60% go out before kickoff and the rest go on 50 minutes before halftime, so the second plate is hot when the halftime show starts.
- Two-hour rule. Perishable food should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours (USDA). Swap platters instead of topping them up, and refrigerate what is left.
- Wings are done at 165°F (USDA safe minimum for poultry). Most cooks take them to 175–185°F for better texture; they stay juicy because of the skin and connective tissue.
- Hold hot food above 140°F. A slow cooker on warm or a 200°F oven keeps pulled pork and sauced wings safe through the game.
When to start smoking
For 20 guests with a 6:30 pm kickoff, put a 5 lb pork butt on at 250°F around 9:15 am: it takes 5.5–8 hours plus a 45-minute rest. Starting at the long end of the range is safer than starting late, because a finished butt holds for hours in a cooler. Exact times for your weight: pork butt smoke time.
How we calculate
- Mains: each chosen main gets guests ÷ number of mains portions, at the same per-person amounts as the rest of the site: 1 lb raw wings, 0.5 lb raw pork butt, 1 lb of ribs per portion.
- Sliders: raw pork × 0.55 cooked yield, 2 oz of meat per slider, rolls in packs of 12.
- Drinks: 1 per guest plus 0.5 per hour, over the pregame plus about 3.75 hours of game. Ice: 1.5 lb per guest.
- Smoke times come from our smoke time calculator at 250°F. Wings: two batches, each about 50 minutes at 400°F.
- Our estimates, not lab figures: about 9 wing pieces per pound, 0.25 cup of sauce per pound of wings, 2 tablespoons of dip per guest, halftime about 105 minutes after kickoff and a game of about 3.75 hours.
- Cost: average US grocery prices from rules.json; sauces and dips are not included.
Data as of Oct 2026. Full list of sources: How we calculate.
Plan the rest
FAQ
How many wings per person for a Super Bowl party?
About 1 lb of raw wings (around 9 pieces) per guest if wings are the main food, and about half that with sliders or another main. For 20 guests with sliders that is 10 lb, about 90 pieces.
How much pulled pork do I need for Super Bowl sliders?
With wings on the table, about 0.25 lb of raw pork butt per guest. For 20 guests buy 5 lb raw; it cooks down to about 2.8 lb, enough for 22 sliders.
How many drinks for a Super Bowl party?
About 1 drink per guest plus 0.5 per hour. With guests arriving an hour early and a 3.75-hour game, 20 guests need about 68 drinks.
What time should food be ready for the Super Bowl?
Have the first round out during the pregame show, about 30 minutes before kickoff, and plan a second hot batch for halftime. Put leftovers away within 2 hours of setting them out.
What time is the Super Bowl kickoff?
Recent Super Bowls kicked off at about 6:30 pm Eastern (3:30 pm Pacific). Enter your local kickoff time in the calculator to shift the whole timeline.