35+ Best BBQ Side Dishes

5 from 4 votes
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From BBQ baked beans to pasta salad to fruit salad, dips, slaws, and MORE, we have all the side dishes you need for your summer picnics, potlucks, and backyard cookouts.

Collage of BBQ Side Dishes

Best BBQ Side Dishes

Summertime is all about being outside doing some cooking, eating and hanging out with family and friends. Be sure to also check out our Grill Recipes if you need more than sides.

If it hasn’t happened already, you’ll surely be invited to some kind of summer gathering this season and you’ll be asked to bring a side dish. Of course, you will say “yes” but in your mind you are thinking “Oh no! What am I going to bring?!” Well, you have a couple options here. You can bring a bag of chips. You know the drill… pop open the chips, slap the bag on the table and walk away slowly while looking around, hoping no one realized your lazy “side dish” attempt (don’t worry, we have all done it. I have done it more times than I would care to admit).

OR you can bring a side that will really impress the crowd… that is what this post is all about. All of these bbq side dish recipes are tried and true crowd pleasers. They are all super easy, full of flavor, and go perfectly alongside your burger and hot dogs. Next time someone asks you to bring a side, get excited knowing that you can come here to get the recipe that will be the perfect side dish for your party!

Types of BBQ Side Dishes

What is your favorite summer side dish to bring to BBQs? Do you like bringing warm side dishes that you can serve in a Crock Pot? Or cold barbecue sides that you can make ahead of time? Or perhaps an easy dip that you can serve with chips? We are going to make this really easy and break down all our favorite summer sides into categories so you can scroll down and find your favorite type and then choose from there. From corn salad to green beans to veggies, we’ve rounded up all the classics and some new recipes for you to try.

BBQ Dips

You can never go wrong with bringing a tasty sauce or dip to a BBQ, especially one of these dips! Make one or make them all. They are all super easy to make and can all be made ahead of time. Consider even making one of these dip recipes a day ahead (I think most dips taste better the next day anyway)!

Warm BBQ Side Dishes

If you aren’t into the cold side dishes, try one of these hot side dishes instead! All of these can be kept warm in a Crock Pot for your next backyard BBQ. It’s always nice to have at least one hot side dish to complement anything from the grill. We love all of these recipes but our favorite has to be the BBQ Baked Beans! I mean, come on, you can’t have a BBQ without BBQ Baked Beans!

BBQ Side Dish Salads

Traditional Salads

When you want to bring a healthy side dish to your next BBQ (well… healthiER) you can always try one of these veggie sides! A few of them include bacon or a little bit of chicken so they aren’t necessarily “vegetarian” but they are mostly vegetables so we are still going to count it. Fresh peas, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, avocados, corn on the cob, green pepper, cherry tomatoes and red onion add gorgeous flavor and texture to your barbecue plate. If you are looking for a more traditional green salad you can check out our salad category HERE.

Coleslaw

Pasta Salads

The nice thing about pasta salads at BBQs is they are generally very cheap to make. They are also easy to double or triple so you can feed a crowd. I also love how you can choose your add-ins to your liking. Don’t like peas? Leave them out. Want more pickles? Go ahead! So easy to adjust ingredients for picky eaters or for allergies!

Potato Salads (and Other Potato Side Dishes)

Since we are from Idaho, we decided that “potatoes” needed to have their own category. You can’t have a BBQ in Idaho without some kind of potato side dish! French fries dipped in ranch dressing, or oven baked sweet potato fries with melted cheddar cheese are a favorite. And our classic potato salad is a side dish that is NEVER absent at our family BBQs. It has been a favorite in our family for generations! Eggs, potatoes, creamy mayo, fresh herbs, how can you go wrong?

Fruit Salads (and Other Fruit Side Dishes)

No BBQ is complete without some kind of fruit salad. You’ve got to have something sweet to offset all those savory BBQ foods! Plus, summer is the perfect season to dive into summer peaches, lemons, watermelon, strawberries or cherries. You’ll also find some “borderline” fruit salads below that are really more like dessert than a salad. We will let you decide which category it falls into!

Dessert Salads

Bacon Gorgonzola Potato Salad in a white bowl.

BBQ Side Dishes – Bacon Gorgonzola Potato Salad

5 from 4 votes
This Bacon Gorgonzola Potato Salad with is my kind of potato salad. Bacon, gorgonzola, and dill give the average potato salad an extra boost of flavor!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Refrigeration 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Video

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 3 hard boiled eggs
  • 10 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled

For the Sauce:

Instructions

  • Scrub potatoes, but leave the skins on. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise (from end to end).
  • Cut the halves again lengthwise so you have 4 long quarters. Then slice those the opposite direction into lots of ¼ inch slices. It should give you thin triangle slices of potato.
  • Boil the potato slices until cooked but not soft or mushy. Keep testing it with a fork. Hard boil the eggs and cook and crumble the bacon.
  • Mix together the sauce ingredients then gently fold in the potatoes, eggs, and bacon.
  • Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. The longer you wait, the better the flavor will be!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 125mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 248IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Emily Walker

Emily lives in Meridian, Idaho, with her husband, Beau, a physician assistant, and her three incredible children: a son and two daughters. Travel is one of her favorite ways to experience new cultures and cuisines, and she has a love for all things Disney.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love this collection so much. I’ve already made the mac and cheese and it’s amazing! Thank you!

  2. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

  3. Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the pictures
    on this blog loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s
    the blog. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

  4. You guys seriously have the best recipes. All of these sides are totally speaking to me (especially that Pai Mai…)!