30 Classic BBQ Side Dish Recipes That Belong At Every Cookout

Burgers and hot dogs might be the main event of a summer cookout, but the choice of side dishes is arguably just as important. Complementing the grilled meats and seafood with something creamy, crunchy, refreshing, or spicy is the perfect way to bring balance to your spread, and help you and your guests build a colorful, well-rounded plate.

Cookout classics like salads, slaws, and grilled veggies are sure to go down a treat, and including some hearty carbs is always a good idea. From comforting casseroles and rustic breads to bright, tangy salsas, sides can take your BBQ menu to the next level of deliciousness. So, if you're planning a summer gathering, don't let these all-important extras become an afterthought.

This collection of recipes is packed with inspiration for every kind of summer cookout. Many are wonderfully quick and easy to prep, and ideal for making ahead in a large batch. Pick out a few that take your fancy, and you'll be well on your way to crafting a flavor-packed, crowd-pleasing feast.

Rich, creamy, and full of herbaceous flavor, this simple potato salad is a satisfying way to get your carb fix. The luscious dressing mayo-based dressing is enhanced with lemon, mustard, garlic, and a generous scattering of fresh dill, and this infuses the tender potatoes with heaps of bright, aromatic goodness. This salad can easily be prepped the night before, and left to chill overnight to allow all of those delicious savory flavors to meld.

Recipe: Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Slaw is a top pick for adding freshness to your plate, and this vibrant carrot and cabbage version keeps things light and crunchy. Ready in just 10 minutes, it's a lighter take on the traditional creamy coleslaw, and it's just as versatile. The finely grated veggies provide plenty of natural sweetness, which is balanced beautifully by the tangy lemon-Dijon dressing and tartness of red onion. Finished with a scattering of chopped green onion, it'll taste fantastic with succulent grilled meats, or piled into burgers.

Recipe: Carrot Slaw

For something a little cozier, add some smoky baked beans to your cookout spread. Made in the slow cooker, this recipe requires very little hands-on prep, and the resulting dish has an unmatched depth of flavor. Barbecue sauce and molasses add sweetness and tang, while a dash of gochujang brings warmth and complexity, and bacon gives the mixture a salty, umami-rich edge. The beans will fit in seamlessly alongside a whole host of BBQ classics, from grilled shrimp to spicy sausages.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Who doesn't love a gooey, crispy-topped mac and cheese? This comfort food classic feels just as appropriate for a chilly winter evening as it does at a sunny summer BBQ, and this version hits all the right notes. Made with three types of cheese for the ultimate melty finish, and topped with ultra-crunchy panko breadcrumbs before baking, it's a rich, satisfying side that's sure to disappear fast.

Recipe: Baked Mac And Cheese Casserole

Grilled corn is another BBQ staple that's easy to throw on the grates alongside other proteins and veggies. Here, we bring out the best of the sweet, sunny kernels by brushing the cobs with an aromatic garlic-herb butter, which helps them char beautifully on the grill. They'll cook up tender and juicy, making them a fitting accompaniment to everything from pulled pork buns and smoky ribs to bright salads and cheesy dips.

Recipe: Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob And Garlic Butter

This fluffy cornbread is infused with the earthy aroma of sage and sweetened with honey. Adding buttermilk to the batter keeps the crumb moist and tender, and baking everything in a skillet yields a pleasing round shape and golden crust. To inject even more richness, we brush the warm bread with melty honey butter before slicing it up, ready for serving with smoky meats, baked beans, and all of your favorite BBQ sides.

Recipe: Honey Sage Skillet Cornbread

This vibrant watermelon salad will certainly bring a touch of sophistication to your BBQ menu. There's creaminess, crunch, and tang in every bite, and despite the salad's elegant look, it's actually rather easy to put together. The fruit is grilled to bring out its natural sweetness, and combined with leafy greens, crumbled cotija, and fresh herbs. A sticky balsamic glaze ties everything together, creating a beautifully balanced dish that makes for an impressive centerpiece.

Recipe: Grilled Watermelon Salad

15 minutes and a handful of ingredients are all you need to whip up this crunchy cucumber salad. It gets its irresistible creaminess from a silky avocado-olive oil dressing, and an extra dose of tangy freshness from pickled pearl onions. Simple yet delightfully refreshing, it serves as a light and flavorful palate cleanser between heartier bites, and it'll complement a wide range of spicy, smoky, and savory BBQ classics.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Cucumber Salad

Bacon, lettuce, tomato are a popular combination for good reason, and this trio shines in a summery salad. Here, we toss those beloved core ingredients with cavatappi pasta and a zesty lemon dressing, and liven things up with a medley of fresh herbs. The result is a lighter take on traditional mayo-based pasta salads, that still delivers on the comfort factor, while bringing plenty of contrasting colors and textures to the table.

Recipe: Summer BLT Pasta Salad

One of the best ways to incorporate veggies into your BBQ line up is threading them onto skewers, and grilling them to charred perfection. This creates perfectly-portioned, grab-and-go bites that kids and adults alike will love. To jazz up the colorful medley of produce, we serve them with a creamy lemon, garlic, and herb yogurt, which amps up the richness no end. But, feel free to serve them with other dips and sauces of your choice, such as pesto, hummus, or whipped feta.

Recipe: Grilled Veggie Skewers With Herby Yogurt

Veggies take on a more wholesome, rustic format in this easy oven-baked dish. Beets, potatoes, and carrots offer subtle notes of earthiness and sweetness, which complement the aromatic garlic and herb coating brilliantly. Roasted until tender and caramelized, they're delicious served as they are, but also taste great finished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a drizzle of honey mustard, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Recipe: Herbed Roasted Root Vegetables

You can always count on pesto to pack bright and herby flavor into a dish, and this hearty salad is no exception. There's garlicky roasted veggies and chickpeas, fluffy quinoa, and crunchy pumpkin seeds, all topped with a generous drizzle of homemade basil pesto for a boost of aromatic richness. It's a side that feels like a complete meal in itself, while also being exceptionally versatile. Try serving it with citrusy grilled salmon or spicy marinated steaks.

Recipe: Roasted Veggie Pesto Quinoa Salad

Offering all the savory richness of the classic Caesar salad, this shareable side dish skips the chopping, and keeps the crisp lettuce spears whole for a striking presentation. The traditional croutons are also swapped for a cheesy sourdough breadcrumb topping, ensuring an even distribution of golden, crunchy deliciousness throughout. Serve it up with fresh lemon wedges and an extra grating of Parmesan, and your BBQ table will instantly feel more refined.

Recipe: Caesar Salad Lettuce Spears

This comforting Southern favorite is a deeply savory, nutrient-rich addition to any BBQ spread. Simmered low and slow, the collard greens are brimming with smoky complexity, thanks to the rich broth and tender shredded ham hock. Red pepper flakes add a touch of warmth, and garlic brings its irresistible aromatic depth, turning the tender greens into soul-warming side that works to amplify the umami-richness of other meat dishes.

Recipe: Southern Collard Greens

A classic Italian Caprese salad is the perfect example of fresh, simple ingredients coming together to create something totally delicious. This ten-minute recipe calls for juicy grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and mini mozzarella balls, which turn the balsamic-tossed medley into an easy-to-serve, shareable centerpiece. It'll taste fantastic spooned atop crusty bread, or served alongside succulent grilled chicken breasts and carb-forward sides like fluffy rice and creamy potato salad.

Recipe: Chopped Caprese Salad

Add sustenance and freshness to your BBQ plate with this creamy and crunchy chicken pasta salad. The tender fusilli pasta contrasts the crunchy salad veggies beautifully, and the lemon, honey, and mustard dressing coats every forkful with zesty sweetness. It's the kind of dish that'll taste even better after being left to meld for a while, so feel free to prep it the night before your summer gathering to really maximize the flavor.

Recipe: Chicken Pasta Salad

Pasta salad gets a sophisticated twist in this veggie-packed fusilli blend. It makes use of fresh, seasonal produce like zucchini and tomatoes, which are enhanced with lemon, garlic, and herbs for a bright, summery feel. A final sprinkle of pine nuts adds extra richness and crunch, and the finished salad serves as a hearty base for topping with grilled meats, seafood, or even charred halloumi slices.

Recipe: Summer Garden Pasta Salad

Macaroni salad of course deserves a feature on this list. This picnic, potluck, and BBQ favorite is loved for its irresistible blend of creaminess and crunch. It's a no-frills, crowd-pleasing side that's big on flavor, and ideal for prepping in a big batch. Here, we keep things classic with colorful veggies and chopped dill pickles, and amp up the richness of the sweet and tangy honey-mustard dressing by incorporating sour cream.

Recipe: Creamy Macaroni Salad

Potato salad doesn't have to be loaded with mayo to be delicious. Made the French way, this version swaps the creamy dressing for a lighter blend of olive oil and champagne vinegar, and it still provides all of the rich, savory flavor you'd expect. Fresh herbs and scallions add pops of green throughout, while garlic and mustard build complexity. Chilled to let the flavors deepen, the tender coated spuds are the ultimate warm weather side, whether you're enjoying them with burgers, salmon, or veggie skewers.

Recipe: French Potato Salad

This Mexican-inspired bean salad will brighten up your summer feast no end. Full of color, zestiness, and contrasting textures, the spicy bean and veggie blend can be used as a topping, a side, or even a dip for crunchy tortilla chips. Fresh jalapeño and a sprinkle of cumin add just the right amount of warmth, and lime lifts everything with its lively zing. Not only is this dish super easy to whip up, but it also provides an excellent source of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients.

Recipe: Jalapeño-Lime Three Bean Salad

Mexican street corn is a simple yet flavor-packed dish that fits right in alongside grilled meats and crisp salads. The toppings are what make this dish so special, providing, zestiness, creaminess, and warmth in equal measure. Slathered with a rich lime crema, and topped with cheese, herbs, and Tajín, the corn becomes infinitely more decadent, and it'll shine alongside other Mexican-inspired dishes like bean salad or cilantro lime rice. 

Recipe: Grilled Mexican Street Corn

Homemade baked beans typically lean sweet and smoky, but if you prefer yours with more of a kick, this recipe is a must-try. We build warmth with a combination of pureed ancho chile peppers and cayenne pepper, which spice things up significantly, without overpowering the flavors of the other sweet, tangy, and aromatic add-ins. Slow-cooked until thick and saucy, these beans deliver plenty of boldness and hearty, comfort-food appeal.

Recipe: Extra Spicy Baked Beans

With just three basic ingredients, you can create a rustic, restaurant-worthy salad that's bursting with seasonal flavor. Juicy, slow-roasted heirloom tomatoes meet crumbled feta and earthy basil in this vibrant side dish, and serving everything warm really brings out the best of those sweet, sharp, and salty elements. You can pair the salad with chicken, shrimp, steak, or mix it with carbs like pasta or rice. A hunk of crusty garlic bread also makes for an exceptional accompaniment, perfect for mopping up every last drop of the flavorful cooking juices.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Heirloom Tomato Salad

Shrimp is a popular pick for outdoor grilling, and if you're looking for a creative way to serve it up, give this crunchy salad a try. The shrimp gets a zesty upgrade from an overnight marinade with lemon and garlic — flavors that are echoed in the creamy mayo-based dressing for the crisp lettuce blend. Despite its elegant look, this one comes together in under 15 minutes, and you could even prep the base in advance, finishing things off with the shrimp once you've started your grilling session.

Recipe: Grilled Summer Shrimp Salad

Grilling might not be the first cooking method that comes to mind for tortellini, but it's surprisingly effective, giving the filled pasta a moreish golden crunch. These skewers feature a rainbow of veggies, that are grilled right alongside the pre-boiled cheese tortellini, creating a smoky, crispy-edged side dish that's as satisfying as it is nutritious. A final brushing of the accompanying maple-mustard vinaigrette elevates things even further, but the skewers will go great with other dips and drizzles too. Think garlic aioli, chimichurri, or a creamy tahini dressing.

Recipe: Grilled Tortellini Skewers

Many salsa recipes begin with a base of tomatoes, but this one leans into the sunny sweetness of pineapple, for a juicier, tropical-inspired finish. To balance the sweet profile of the fruit, we add warmth with jalapeño, sharpness with red onion, and tartness with lime, while cilantro adds a welcomed dose of herby freshness. The fruity salsa is the perfect tool for cutting through the richness of fatty meats and carb-heavy dishes. It'll pair particularly well with seafood or pork, but its just as delightful scooped up onto a crunchy tortilla chip.

Recipe: Pineapple Salsa

We love the robust, earthy crunch of raw broccoli, and a fantastic way to enjoy it is in the form of a bacon-studded, creamy-dressed salad. Turkey bacon is the meat of choice here, which cooks up just as crispy, salty, and smoky as the traditional version, ensuring the greens get loaded with savory flavor. Greek yogurt keeps the honey- and garlic-spiked dressing light yet thick enough to coat every morsel, and dried cranberries add pops of sweet-tart chewiness that balance the savory notes brilliantly.

Recipe: Best Broccoli Salad

These party-ready appetizers are guaranteed to stand out on your BBQ table, and they taste just as impressive as they look. The spicy tang of the jarred cherry peppers works fantastically alongside the rich, herb-infused cream cheese and ricotta filling, which serves as the ultimate cooling contrast, and ensures every pleasing bite-sized portion is perfectly in balance. The stuffed peppers are incredibly simple to prepare, and ideal for snacking on before you serve up grilled mains.

Recipe: Stuffed Cherry Peppers

Sweet and nutty cauliflower replaces the traditional fluffy potato base in this creamy, herb-flecked salad. It's a great one to try if you're watching your carb intake, but once you've tasted this version, you might never look back. After all, it's lighter, more flavorful, and just as easy to make. Herbs, citrus, and mustard take center stage in the dressing, which the tender florets soak up with ease, and chopped hard-boiled eggs give the mixture an extra protein boost.

Recipe: Cauliflower Potato Salad

Jazz up a batch of green beans with a few simple kitchen staples, and you'll have a fresh, flavorful side in minutes. A quick blanch helps to preserve color and bite, then you saute the beans with butter, garlic, lemon to enhance their natural earthy sweetness. This cooking method guarantees a tender-crisp texture that makes the beans a little more refreshing than baked or boiled versions, so they'll feel right at home on your summer BBQ table.

Recipe: Lemon Garlic Green Beans