Key takeaways:
- Super Bowl week remains the single biggest sales moment for US snacks, with savory categories accounting for more than half of $1.3bn in total weekly snack sales.
- Brands are leaning into shareability, convenience and occasion-led packaging to capture hosting-driven demand ahead of the Big Game.
- Marketing activations and format tweaks are playing a growing role alongside new products as brands compete for attention during Super Bowl week.
The Super Bowl is once again shaping up to be the single most important week of the year for US snack sales, with new data offering a clear picture of just how high the stakes are. According to figures commissioned by SNAC International and powered by Circana, savory snack food sales surged to $742 million during Super Bowl week 2025, accounting for more than half of the $1.3 billion in total snack sales recorded across all categories.
In the week leading up to last year’s Big Game, Americans purchased an estimated 22 billion pounds of savory snacks, enough to fill 2,755 semi-trucks and stretch more than 36 miles of highway. The scale of those purchases underscores how Super Bowl Sunday has become as much about food as football, with hosting, sharing and grazing driving significant volume across the aisle.
Category performance data from 2025 shows where demand was strongest heading into kickoff. Ready-to-eat popcorn and caramel corn posted the fastest year-on-year growth, up 25.4% to $42.5 million on 4.9 million pounds sold. Pretzels followed with sales rising 22.5% to $52.2 million, while pork rinds climbed 13.6%. Even established categories continued to expand, with potato chips generating $195.6 million and tortilla chips reaching $184 million during the week.
“These results highlight not just the strength but the unstoppable momentum of the snack industry,” said Kelly Knowles, interim president and CEO of SNAC International. “From beloved salty staples like chips, pork rinds and pretzels, to surging favorites like cheese snacks, popcorn and meat snacks, consumers are fueling dynamic growth across the entire aisle.” As Super Bowl Sunday approaches once again, brands are applying those lessons with packaging refreshes, new formats and targeted activations designed to win a share of the industry’s biggest moment.
Velveeta goes all-in on queso
Velveeta is heading into Super Bowl week with momentum firmly on its side. During Super Bowl week 2025, more than 8 million pounds of Velveeta were sold, marking a 40% increase versus an average week and reinforcing the brand’s position as a game-day staple.
Online engagement rose sharply alongside sales. Web searches for Velveeta during Super Bowl week were up 190% compared with the previous 12 months, while searches specifically for Velveeta cheese dip jumped 500%. Searches during the week were reported to be 85% higher than the rest of the year and, notably, 94% higher than searches for the Kelce brothers, the high-profile NFL siblings whose fame now extends well beyond the field.
Building on that performance, Velveeta is leaning into celebrity-driven activation ahead of this year’s game, rolling out Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate recipes, including Tatchos and Brisket Burnt Ends Shells and Cheese. Both dishes will be featured at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate event in Santa Clara, California, on Super Bowl Sunday, February 8, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing association with indulgent, crowd-pleasing game-day food.
SuperPretzel heats up game day
Frozen bakery is also preparing for Super Bowl demand, with SuperPretzel positioning itself as an easy, stadium-inspired option for at-home viewers. The brand is spotlighting its Original Soft Pretzels and Pretzel Bites as warm, ready-in-minutes snacks designed to keep hosts out of the kitchen once the game starts.
Both products are available nationwide in the frozen aisle at Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix and other major grocery retailers, with messaging focused on convenience, shareability and recreating a live-game atmosphere at home. The approach taps into a broader shift toward freezer-to-table solutions that allow consumers to serve hot, indulgent snacks without sacrificing time with guests. As game-day spreads grow more casual and flexible, frozen formats like soft pretzels are increasingly positioned as center-of-table items rather than backup options.
Cedar’s refreshes the dip table
As consumers look to branch out beyond traditional queso and sour cream-based options, Cedar’s Foods is positioning its Mediterranean-inspired dips as lighter but still crowd-friendly choices for Super Bowl entertaining. The brand is spotlighting recipes built around its hummus, tzatziki and spinach dip lines, including Marinated Dippin’ Wings, Roasted Red Pepper Mediterranean Flatbread and a baked Cheesy Spinach Dip, highlighting the versatility and bold flavor profiles refrigerated dips can bring to the game-day table.
The strategy reflects growing interest in globally inspired flavors that feel familiar enough for sharing but differentiated enough to stand out in a crowded Super Bowl spread. It also underscores how dip brands are expanding usage occasions beyond chips, encouraging consumers to think about sauces, toppings and warm applications alongside traditional dipping.
Muddy Bites goes big at Target
Confectionery brands are also sharpening their Super Bowl playbooks, with Muddy Bites rolling out Game Day-inspired packaging nationwide at Target for its Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chocolate filled waffle cone snacks.
The launch also marks the debut of a new 4.25oz bag, offering more servings per package and positioning the product more clearly for sharing occasions. “This new launch with Target is a huge milestone for our brand,” said Stephanie Paras, CEO of Muddy Bites. The products are available at Target stores nationwide and online.
The Game Day packaging signals a push toward seasonal relevance, using football cues to increase visibility in crowded confectionery sets during peak snacking moments. The larger bag format also aligns with Super Bowl hosting behavior, where shareability and bowl-ready snacks tend to outperform single-serve options.
Goldbelly brings regional flavor home
Beyond traditional CPG, Goldbelly is once again leaning into the Super Bowl as a key activation moment. With nationwide delivery, the platform is highlighting city-specific tailgate kits tied to team fandom, including the Official New England Tailgate Kit from Taste of America, Pike Place Chowder’s Dungeness Crab Roll Kit, Duffeyroll’s Bacon Cheddar Roasted Tomato Duffeyrolls and Pink’s Hot Dogs’ LA Tailgate Kit.
While positioned at a higher price point than conventional snacks, the offerings reflect a growing appetite for experiential, regionally rooted Super Bowl spreads. The Super Bowl has become a high-impact window for Goldbelly, tapping into team loyalty and nostalgia to drive occasion-based purchases. Its city-specific approach shows how food has become an extension of fandom, allowing consumers to recreate regional game-day traditions wherever they’re watching.
Pancho’s rides queso demand
Refrigerated queso is again expected to play a central role on Super Bowl spreads. During Super Bowl week 2025, Pancho’s Cheese Dip reported a sales increase of more than 30%, making it one of the brand’s biggest moments of the year. The brand also cited Instacart data showing queso purchases up 196% around the Big Game.
Pancho’s White Queso Cheese Dip and Original Queso Cheese Dip are sold in 16oz tubs for $5.34 at Walmart and are available in more than 8,000 stores nationwide, including Publix and Kroger. The brand’s real-cheese formulation and refrigerated positioning continue to resonate as shoppers look to trade up from shelf-stable jars to restaurant-style textures for large gatherings.
Flipz plays with tradition
Sweet-and-salty snacking is also firmly in the Super Bowl spotlight, with Flipz launching year two of its Flipz Up Your Game Day campaign. Partnering with Kyle and Kristin Juszczyk, the brand is leaning into football culture by challenging the phrase ‘coin toss’ in favor of ‘coin flip’.
“Game day isn’t just about the game, it’s about the rituals around it, especially how and when fans snack,” said Ahad Afridi, CMO Americas at pladis. By anchoring its campaign in football traditions, Flipz is reinforcing usage across the entire game-day timeline rather than just kickoff or halftime, keeping the brand culturally present throughout Super Bowl conversations.
Chef Merito spices things up
Seasonings are also finding their place in Super Bowl planning. Chef Merito Seasonings is highlighting a range of game-day recipes, including Al Pastor Chicken Wings, chili, guacamole and black bean and corn salsa, positioning its spice blends as an easy way for hosts to elevate homemade spreads.
The push reflects how seasonings can play a supporting role in Super Bowl menus by upgrading familiar dishes rather than replacing them. It also speaks to continued interest in bold, globally inspired flavors as consumers look to personalize game-day food with minimal extra effort. For brands like Chef Merito, the Super Bowl presents a high-visibility moment to reinforce pantry staples as game-day essentials, not just background ingredients.
