Last Updated on June 15, 2023
Bored of the same old BBQ side dishes you’ve eaten a thousand times already? Here are 25 tasty options that will take your cookout to the next level.
I mean sure, you could just pick up a few tubs of premade coleslaw and macaroni salad from the supermarket and call it a day.
But that’s boring and lazy. With just a little bit of effort you can prepare some simple side dishes that will have your guests thinking you hired a professional caterer for your barbecue.
Of course, they don’t need to know how easy it was for you to make these sides. That will be our little secret! 🙂
Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn, also known as Elote, is a delicious way to enjoy grilled corn all spring and summer long! The sweet corn is grilled in the husk and topped with a creamy homemade sauce, fresh cilantro, and feta cheese.
Dairy-free Mexican Street Corn
Strawberry And Spinach Salad With Feta
This super fresh strawberry and spinach salad is the perfect side dish for family dinner, a backyard barbecue, or a healthy lunch option. With just 4 ingredients (ripe strawberries, baby spinach, crumbly feta cheese and balsamic dressing) this healthy and refreshing salad comes together in no time.
Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese
Burrata Caprese
This burrata caprese is so easy to make in only about 15 minutes! Ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and creamy burrata cheese are drizzled with a flavorful balsamic dressing. A lovely summer side dish you can make with only 8 ingredients!
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Bacon and ranch lovers, I have a recipe for you! This bacon ranch pasta salad is a delicious update on a classic. A hit at barbecues, you can also make it for lunch at home!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is packed with fresh vegetables and herbs and tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette. This healthy salad is easy to make and works great for meal prepping!
Potato Salad With Bacon Egg And Cheese
No picnic is complete without a delicious potato salad and this one is a dream! Full of flavor from the egg, bacon, and savory dressing, this amazing potato salad with bacon egg and cheese is sure to be everyone’s favorite side dish at your next summer cookout.
Potato Salad with Bacon Egg and Cheese
Grilled BBQ Pineapple With Cinnamon Glaze
These Grilled BBQ Pineapple With Cinnamon Glaze are grilled to perfection with a spicy cinnamon glaze! They are an easy and super healthy summer cookout idea that everyone will LOVE! Best of all, you can serve them as an appetizer, a BBQ side dish OR as a dessert!
Grilled BBQ Pineapple With Cinnamon Glaze
Tomato And Avocado Salad With Grilled Corn
Welcome to this fresh and perfect for summertime tomato and avocado salad with grilled corn! It is a healthy and flavor-packed side dish to take along to an outdoor BBQ, or to simply enjoy any night of the week at home! A light herby dressing brings the whole dish together. Once the corn is grilled, it’s ready in minutes!
Tomato And Avocado Salad With Grilled Corn
Garlic Parmesan Fries
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love French fries. Frankly, I don’t want to know anyone who doesn’t love fries! Crispy and golden brown on the outside and light and fluffy inside, fries are pretty much the perfect BBQ side dish. These Garlic Parmesan Fries are easy to make at home in your oven or air fryer and they’re so good you’ll think you’re in a fancy steakhouse.
Southwest 3 Bean Salad
This vegan Southwest 3-bean salad is the perfect side dish to bring with you to any summer party. It’s easy to make and tasty to eat! Packed with healthy fiber-rich and protein-packed ingredients like black beans, white beans, kidney beans, corn, red onions, and peppers. Finish it with a zesty lime dressing to bring it all together!
Pesto Pasta Salad With Sundried Tomatoes
Pesto Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes starts with fusilli pasta, and is tossed with fresh basil, creamy pesto and juicy cherry tomatoes. Walnut pieces are added for crunch and the pasta salad is finished off with grated parmesan cheese. This easy pasta salad is an excellent side dish for your next cookout or family gathering!
Pesto Pasta Salad With Sundried Tomatoes
BLT Coleslaw
Take that cookout classic to the next level! This BLT Coleslaw is a creamy coleslaw recipe that has all the bacon, lettuce, and tomato you love from that staple sandwich and combines it into one unique and delicious summer side dish!
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad is the best BBQ side dish! This pasta salad recipe is made with a simple homemade Italian vinaigrette and filled with tender pasta, peppers, tomatoes, olives, and salami.
Dr Pepper Baked Beans
With a unique and amazing flavor and how easy it is to make, these sweet and savory dr. pepper baked beans are a delicious side dish for any BBQ or tailgating party.
Broccoli Crunch Salad With Bacon And Raisins
This salad is a summer potluck classic. Crunchy raw broccoli, crisp bacon, sweet raisins, sunflower seeds, and creamy dressing are the perfect combination for this fresh tasty salad.
Broccoli Crunch Salad With Bacon And Raisins
Grilled And Stuffed Avocado
Avocadoes are grilled and stuffed with a fresh, homemade pico de gallo in this grilled avocado recipe. The green color of the avocado becomes more vibrant after grilling, contrasting well with the grill marks and red filling. It’s such an easy, quick and fun way to offer up a new summer side for your guests!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican Street Corn Salad is going to be the new star at all of your cookouts and potlucks. When everyone else shows up with yet another pasta or potato salad, the crowd will gather around these amazing flavors that come from just a few simple ingredients. Give this easy salad a try and see why Mexican street corn is taking the world by storm.
Smoked Sweet Potatoes with Whipped Hot Honey Butter
This recipe for smoked sweet potatoes with hot honey butter has a good chance of outshining any protein you might be preparing. Seriously, this is one of those side dishes that goes fast, so make sure to prepare extra if you’re cooking for a crowd.
Smoked Sweet Potatoes with Whipped Hot Honey Butter
Peach Avocado Salsa
Celebrate summer produce with this fresh Peach Avocado Salsa. It’s crunchy, naturally sweet, and has a smooth, yet bright finish. For extra summer flavor, pick up your veggies at the local farmers market. From there, this recipe will be ready in under 10 minutes!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Salad is an old-fashioned treat everyone will enjoy! A perfect blend of salty and sweet. Featuring a buttery pretzel crust, followed by a light cream cheese layer, and mouthwatering strawberry Jell-O topping filled with more strawberries! This pretzel salad is a Southern, no-bake dessert that has been popular at potlucks, picnics, gatherings, and more!
Easy Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
Whip up a batch of this deviled egg macaroni salad for an easy side dish to serve up for dinner. This macaroni salad recipe is made with pasta, hardboiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish and more. Give this egg pasta salad a try this week.
Easy Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
Strawberry Watermelon Salad With Feta
Enjoy your favourite flavours of summer with this vibrant Strawberry Watermelon Salad recipe. Juicy watermelon and sweet ripe strawberries mingle with briny feta cheese and fresh mint to create the most refreshing summer salad!
Strawberry Watermelon Salad With Feta
Lemon Basil Orzo Salad
This Lemon Basil Orzo Salad is the perfect BBQ side dish or light lunch for summer! Fresh and flavorful, it’s so simple to make!
Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad
Call it a salad, or call it a meal, nobody can ever get enough of this Southern Bacon Cornbread Salad recipe! It’s a beautiful layered salad that’s served in a trifle dish and it’s hearty enough to be a meal itself or makes a stunning side dish. With layers of cornbread, cheese, salad dressing, tomato, beans & bacon – it’s a zesty flavor combination that only the South can come up with!
Pierogi Potato Salad
Sometimes I like to make summer food even when it’s not summer. I guess if I’m eating summer food, I can pretend it’s summer for a short time or at least feel optimistic that summer will actually be here again one day. This Award-Winning Pierogi Potato Salad is perfect for summer or any time of year and a simple and unique take on potato salad.