Recipe Roundup

73 Salty Snacks for Father's Day

What do you munch on with an ice-cold drink? This entire lineup of our favorite Father's Day snacks.

May 27, 2020

Our favorite salty Father's Day snacks include this pimento cheese dip

When it comes to salty Father's Day snacks, you don't want to wing it: Dad likes a savory treat as much as he like a terrible joke. And while he may not want to hear from the peanut gallery, you should be able to find something for him in this peanuts gallery (SORRY)—which also includes easy, super-flavorful recipes for favorites like nachos, popcorn, bean dip, jalapeño poppers, pimento cheese, chicharrónes, and, yep, chicken wings. If it tastes good with a cold drink out in the backyard, you'll find it below, in our roundup of the best Father's Day snacks.

Photo by Alex Lau
1/73
Smoked Salmon 7-Layer Dip
In terms of salty snacks, there's not a whole lot you could do to improve on seven-layer dip—except, maybe, this. This zesty modern spin on the old party classic matches hot-smoked salmon with beet horseradish, two kinds of soft cheese, and crunchy veg and herbs. Serve with bagel chips.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
2/73
Korean Fried Chicken
In this spicy recipe for Korean fried chicken, juicy, boneless chicken thighs are dipped in a light batter to form an extra-crispy crust, then lacquered with a gingery hot sauce. It's decidedly hard to stop eating these, so you may want to make a few batches.
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Photo by Shimon and Tammar
3/73
Masala Popcorn
The popular Indian snack chiwda (a sweet and savory mix often made with puffed rice, dried fruit, nuts, spices, and herbs) gets spun into popcorn in this recipe, boasting addictive flavor from fennel, coriander, cumin, and other spices, as well as Thai green chile and curry leaves. Pile up a big bowl full; there's no need to tell Dad how easy it is to make this Father's Day snack.
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Photo by Christina Holmes
4/73
Jalapeño Poppers With Smoked Gouda
The moderate heat of jalapeños is a perfect counterbalance to this rich filling, a combination of cream cheese and smoked Gouda. The results are nothing like the breaded, deep-fried apps you get in sports bars.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Sue Li
5/73
Lemon-Pepper Salami Bites
This recipe takes two appetizer-tray favorites—thinly sliced salami and Marcona almonds—and married them together with lemon zest, fresh-ground pepper, and a drizzle of oil. Serve with bread or crackers.
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Photo by Marcus Nilsson
6/73
Boiled Peanuts with Chile Salt
It takes a few hours to make this southern favorite, though that's not active time—the peanuts simmer undisturbed on the stove for two to four hours, depending on how fresh they are.
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7/73
Ultimate Nachos
Layered with pinto bean dip, sliced jalapeños, and cheese, these nachos blow any other versions out of the water.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime
8/73
Shrimp Toasts With Sesame Seeds and Scallions
These dim sum–style shrimp toasts make a surprisingly simple—and utterly addictive—at-home snack. With this method, you don’t even need a deep fryer to pull them off.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
9/73
Turf Mix
Ground seaweed, wasabi peas, coconut chips, lime zest? Old-fashioned snack mix could never. This bright-tasting salty snack takes advantage of the great bounty of the modern supermarket for an flavorful new spin on an old fave.
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Photo by Tara Donne, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell
10/73
Creamy Cauliflower Dip
Father's Day snacks aren't just wings and nachos: This creamy, tangy dip provides a lighter counterpoint to some of the heavier fare you might be cooking up today.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
11/73
Simple Spinach Dip
This recipe builds on the central argument for spinach dip—it's delicious and everyone loves it—by adding yet another point in favor: It takes only 20 minutes and can be made ahead.
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Photo by Alex Lau
12/73
Kombu Celery
The crunchy, salty, sesame-drenched celery sticks from Bar Goto in New York are one of our all-time favorite bar snacks. They're so good, you’ll forget they’re made from vegetables! Here's the recipe to make them at home for Dad.
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Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
13/73
Cheesy Sesame Phyllo Bites
Not feeling the squares in this phyllo bites recipe? Use a pizza cutter to cut crackers into any shape you like!
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
14/73
Figs-in-a-Blanket With Goat Cheese
This clever vegetarian take on the old classic also straddles the salty snack/sweet snack divide, with dried figs simmered in a spicy, vinegary honey glaze.
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