Broccoli + shrimp + chips are your best bets for keeping food costs down for this year's Super Bowl party
If you’re hellbent on reining in your Super Bowl party food costs this year, be ready to mess with tradition, at your own risk.
Prices for some of the must-have game day menu items — chicken wings, avocados, carrots, cherry tomatoes and beer — are up versus the same time a year ago, according to a new Wells Fargo Super Bowl Food Spending Report Monday.
But, prices have dropped on several other popular snacking and drinks options for viewing day festivities. Hosts can try to keep a lid on the overall party budget if, for instance, they’re willing to sub out more wings for shrimp and avocados for plenty of broccoli.
While the overall cost of a Super Bowl party spread for 10 people is expected to be about $139, up only 0.1% from last year, there are some big price fluctuations in individual items that make up a traditional menu for the Big Game.
“While this seems very small, under the surface there are plenty of opportunities and pitfalls this year to managing the food costs,” said Dr. Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo, in an interview with Bagable.com.
According to the report, which analyzed retail food prices obtained by market research firm NielsenIQ, here are year-over-year price changes on popular Game Day food items:
Chicken wings: Arguably the most popular menu item, chicken wing prices unfortunately are up 7.2% versus last year because of the soaring overall popularity of the food item in homes and on restaurant menus. Last year, consumers devoured 1.45 billion chicken wings during the Super Bowl, according to industry trade group The National Chicken Council.
Avocado: Prices for fresh avocados are up 11.5% from last year but have increase a much lower 1.4% for prepared guacamole dip over the same period.
“Despite the increased cost of fresh avocados, consumers can still save money in the end by making guacamole from scratch,” the report said.
Elsewhere, shoppers will be paying about 11.9% more than they did last year at this time for cherry tomatoes, 7.4% more for red bell peppers and 3.4% more for prepared carrots.
Beer: Beer and wine prices on average are up 2% and 1.8%, respectively, compared to a year ago.
At the same time, other key groceries are cheaper heading into the Super Bowl.
Broccoli: Prices for the vegetable are down 7.2% from 2024, while celery prices are down a bigger 8.4% from a year ago.
Shrimp: It might not be a bad idea to ease up on chicken wings and load up on shrimp. Store prices for whole frozen shrimp are down 4% in 2025 compared to last year because of more supply in the US, while overall demand for the protein hasn’t seen big jumps. This has helped to bring down prices, the report said.
Chips: Tortilla and potato chips prices 1.4% and 5.1%, respectively versus the same period last year.
The final score: “The recommendation for the most budget-conscious party host is to plan an offensive strategy that involves paying the higher prices for one or two items to please your guests, with a defensive strategy that balances your costs with lower priced items,” the report said.