Frito-Lay recently released its Snack Index, which found that 90 percent of respondents think a Super Bowl spread isn't complete without snacks or dips.

Additional results from this year’s U.S. Snack Index focused on Super Bowl:

  • The majority of Americans say they will watch the Super Bowl LIV this year and most will watch regardless of who is playing. More than nine in 10 (91 percent) say they watch the Super Bowl no matter which teams hit the field.
  • Super Bowl party goers are there for the food and prefer savory snacks. Nine in 10 (90 percent) say a Super Bowl spread isn’t complete without snacks and dips and nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) prefer savory snacks like chips and pretzels to be available.
  • Potato chips and tortilla chips are still the most sought-after snacks: Super Bowl watchers are mostly expecting potato chips (70 percent vs. 66 percent in 2019) to be available at a Super Bowl event, followed by tortilla chips (54 percent vs. 52 percent in 2019).
  • Don’t drop the ball, guests expect chips to be available at the Super Bowl Party. In addition to potato and tortilla chips, Super Bowl viewers want to see cheesy snacks (40 percent vs. 37 percent in 2019), snack mixes (34 percent vs. 28 percent in 2019), and cookies (33 percent vs. 29 percent in 2019).
  • Most will watch Super Bowl LIV in homes. Nearly nine in 10 (87 percent) say they will host / attend a party or watch at home vs. the 9 percent heading to the bars.  
  • Waiting until halftime to snack may cause you to get the chip crumbs. While over two thirds say they snack throughout the game (74 percent), a little more than half snack the most before halftime (59 percent).
  • For the second year in a row, salsa was the favorite dip. The top five favorite dips to pair with Super Bowl snacks include: salsa (16 percent), cheese dips and spreads (13 percent), French onion dip (13 percent), guacamole (12 percent), and buffalo chicken dip (12 percent).
  • Favorite go-to snacks, ease of preparation and traditional Super Bowl snacks are the main drivers for snacking decision-making. Super Bowl watchers’ primary influence on their snacking choices for the Super Bowl are their favorite snack (55 percent), easy to prepare snacks (51 percent) and traditional Super Bowl snacks ( 41 percent). Nearly seven out of 10 (68 percent) will pick up snacks at the grocery store and 66 percent of those hosting a viewing party begin prepping at least a week in advance.
  • Spicy and out-of-the-box flavors are hot with younger consumers. While all generations are most likely to prefer the classic flavors (53 percent), Gen Z and Millennials favor flavors like hot and spicy or more elevated / amplified flavors (39 percent). This mirrors the 2019 U.S. Snack Index results focused on Super Bowl and echoes Frito-Lay’s prediction as one of the top snack trends of the year.
  • Snacking preferences across the American melting pot can be quite varied.
    • The two remaining teams for Super Bowl LIV have different go-to snacks, as Kansas City picked popcorn (32 percent) and San Francisco selected potato chips (48 percent).
    • Those who will watch Super Bowl LIV in Miami are most likely to snack in the second quarter (27 percent) while those in Kansas City (39 percent) and San Francisco (42 percent) are more likely to snack in the first quarter.