Instead of stressing about planning the perfect meal, make some dishes from the list of recipes below. You can’t go wrong with any of these dishes! Whether your family sticks to traditional classics or you’re looking to branch out to some more modern flavors, there is a dish for everyone on this list! Check out some spruced up classics or discover a new holiday favorite. With this many recipes, the possibilities are endless! Chefs of any level can whip up a five-star meal with the help of these Christmas side dishes!
30 Best Christmas Side Dish Recipes
1. Yorkshire Pudding
This traditional classic is the perfect addition to any meal, but especially a Christmas meal! This dish is full of nostalgia for grandma’s house and the simpler times shared there. Try making your own and with this recipe. It will be just as good as hers. This is a delicious side to your turkey dinner!
2. Brussels Sprouts With Balsamic and Cranberries
Sweeten up some Brussels sprouts with a balsamic reduction and cranberries in this festive dish. The sweet sauce is the perfect glaze for earthy Brussels. This combo is just irresistible. Cranberry is the flavor of the Christmas season, so this dish is brimming with holiday cheer. The colors compliment each other beautifully for a dish that is just as good to look at as it is to eat.
3. Candied Sweet Potato With Marshmallow
Who said dessert has to wait until after dinner? Serve it right alongside the main dish with this Christmas side! Sweet potatoes are sweetened with brown sugar and then topped with marshmallows. It’s sweet potato pie in disguise. This dressed-up Christmas classic is sure to please! I mean, who can say no to all that sugar?
4. Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Give rice pilaf some Christmas cheer by adding some cranberries to the mix! There is room on every plate for this filling side, and even picky eaters will enjoy this creamy rice dish. The tart berry bursts through the nutty pilaf flavor for a delicious holiday side dish. Why limit yourself to just Christmas? This side dish is good enough to be enjoyed all year round.
5. Roasted Fennel
Every table needs greens, and these roasted fennel leaves are the perfect addition to your Christmas traditions. Oven-roasted fennel leaves are delightfully crispy and salty, not to mention ridiculously easy to make. Pop a pan of these into the oven, and you’ll have a side dish that is both delicious and healthy. This fennel is so good, it will even be a hit at the kids’ table!
6. Stuffing
It wouldn’t be a list of Christmas sides if I forgot to mention stuffing! This is a traditional dish for holiday meals and a long-time favorite. It’s a savory blend of onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. What’s not to love with all of those spices? This sophisticated dish is the perfect blend of bread, spices, and a few seasonal vegetables. Mix them all and you’ll have a side dish that may be better than the entree.
7. Garlic and Bacon Green Beans
Green beans may sound boring, but not when you dress them up with minced garlic and smoky bacon. This tried-and-true combo will make green beans seem decadent. Who has heard of vegetables being the star of the show? With this dish, they will win.
8. Burgundy Mushrooms
If you have an aversion to mushrooms, it’s because you haven’t tried these yet! Fresh button mushrooms are sauteed in a delectable sauce. Their subtle flavor makes them the perfect vehicle for this zesty burgundy glaze. Refine your Christmas table with a bowl of elegant mushrooms. No one but you will know how easy they are to make!
9. Popovers
Ditch boring dinner rolls and upgrade to these fun and festive popovers! Light and fluffy popovers are as delicious as they are adorable. Their whimsical shape and airy texture make them the perfect Christmas side dish. Cook up the magic of the Christmas season with a pan of hot and fluffy Christmas popovers!
10. Christmas Mashed Potatoes
Any dish is a Christmas dish if you serve it the right way and on the right day! These mashed potatoes get a Christmas makeover with lots of extra cream and butter. Give your guests the gift of flavor with chopped chives and sour cream stirred right in. Don’t settle for boring instant potato flakes this Christmas. Make your own, and your guests will be pleasantly surprised at just how scrumptious mashed potatoes can be!
11. Root Vegetable Tarte Tatin
If mashed potatoes aren’t your thing, add some starch to your entree with this root vegetable tarte tatin. Try saying that three times fast! Elevate your dinner party to royal status with this elegant tarte tatin dish. Everyone loves surprises, and this tatin is just that. Step out of your Christmas comfort zone and discover something new this holiday season with this recipe.
12. Cranberry Sauce
Think cranberry sauce can only come in a can? Think again! This flavorful cranberry reduction is made the way cranberry sauce should be– from real cranberries! Never eat something that slithers out of a can again. Look forward to your cranberry sauce by making it from scratch. This concoction is as beautiful as it is flavorful. Keep the tradition alive with this cranberry sauce recipe.
13. Millionaire Cranberry Salad
If I can’t convince you to try homemade cranberry sauce, this millionaire cranberry salad is the next best thing. It pays homage to traditional cranberry sauce but is incorporated into a salad instead! You won’t be able to resist this cranberry dish. Canned cranberry sauce has given the traditional dish a bad rap. Reinvent cranberry’s reputation with this salad, packed with all of your Christmas favorites.
14. Honey-Thyme Butternut Squash
Honey, I’m home! Or honey is home in this honey-thyme butternut squash recipe. Earthy, starchy chunks of butternut squash are swimming in honey thyme flavored glaze. Is your mouth watering yet? This sweet twist on a savory gourd is modern and delicious. Serve it by the spoonful this holiday season and make sure there is enough for seconds!
15. Broccoli Cheese Bake
It’s a tale as old as time. Tender cooked broccoli crowns are smothered in rich cheese sauce, then baked to perfection. The oven adds a crispy top layer but leaves a soft center. Each bite is a little different, but all delicious! Weeknight steamed broccoli and shredded cheese get an upgrade in this casserole bake. Transform your greens into a pan of cheesy goodness, and you won’t have to ask anyone to eat their vegetables!
16. Apple Cranberry Coleslaw
Add a taste of the south to your Christmas table this holiday season with this apple cranberry coleslaw. Traditional coleslaw dresses up in its Christmas best with chunks of apple and bursts of juicy cranberry. It’s a savory-sweet combination that can’t be beat! The red of the fruits and green of the cabbage is a Christmas color combination that looks as festive as it tastes!
17. Bread Rolls
This classic is a must-have at any Christmas dinner. Simple and standard, the bread roll has defended its spot on the dinner table for centuries. Make your own this holiday season with this simple bread roll recipe. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise! Fill your home with the aroma of freshly baked bread for a holiday scent you can’t resist.
18. Spinach Salad With Pears, Pecans and Goats Cheese
This spinach salad is not diet approved. Spinach leaves are loaded with so many delicious goodies your tongue will thank you, but your waistline might not! Earthy goat cheese and sweet pear chunks combine with crunchy pecans to elevate this spinach salad to the next level! Vegetables are easy to love with this recipe! Enjoy your greens by making this spinach salad.
19. Sweet Potato Risotto
Sweet potato may not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of risotto, but after trying this recipe, it will be! The sweet potato adds a flavor fusion that compliments the risotto flavor so well. Rice and potato in one bite? What could be better than this sweet potato risotto?
20. Cranberry Cornbread Casserole
Yankee cornbread takes a back seat to this sweet treat! Spice up your sweet cornbread recipe with the berry of Christmas– cranberries! These gems are the perfect ornaments for our loaf of cornbread, adding beautiful color and delicious flavor. Even cornbread gets in the holiday spirit with this cranberry version!
21. Stouffer’s Spinach Soufflé
The Stouffer’s name is synonymous with delicious holiday recipes, and this spinach souffle is not an exception. Creamy spinach and cheese filling rests in a flaky souffle crust. Your family will be fighting over the last piece! This easy to follow recipe results in a beautiful souffle that tastes as good as it looks!
22. English Pea Casserole
There is nothing more comforting than a delicious casserole, and this English pea casserole raises the bar! Sweet peas are nestled in a hearty base with cream sauce for a dish just like mom used to make. You can do anything with noodles and a can of cream soup, and this casserole is one of those possibilities.
23. Corn Au Gratin
If you have never tried cheese and corn in the same bite, you are missing out! This dish replaces traditional potatoes with a corn au gratin that is just as sweet as it is savory. Lovers of the potato will still enjoy this twist on the traditional dish. It will be love at first spoonful.
24. Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Brown sugar is usually reserved for sweets and desserts, but not this Christmas. Top your cooked baby carrots with this sweet brown sugar glaze, and your kids will be begging for more vegetables. It’ll be a Christmas miracle. Tender carrots and sweet brown sugar glaze come together in a delicious, simple side dish.
25. Bacon Fried Cabbage
Cabbage is a universal vegetable that goes with any entree and any seasoning. Fill the crevices of your cabbage steak with bacon grease and fry it up in a pan for a crispy cabbage filled with bacon flavor. Everybody loves bacon. Add a little extra to your holiday fare with this bacon fried cabbage recipe.
26. Chestnut Soup
Soup is always the first course of a four-course meal, and no holiday is complete without a delicious one! This chestnut soup is the perfect starter for your holiday feast! Soup can be soft and textureless, but this chestnut recipe has a nutty crunch that breaks the bland and sets the stage for an incredible four-course meal.
27. Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
No plate is complete without a pair of these cheesy spinach stuffed mushrooms nestled into the mix. The juicy mushrooms burst in your mouth, releasing a delicious spinach and cheese filling that is sure to please even the pickiest of party-goers. Serve this as an appetizer or side for a party pleasing bite.
28. Roasted Beet Salad
No canned beets here! Turn this fresh root into a delicious roasted salad with this roasted beet salad recipe. The natural flavor of the beet is drawn out of the root through the roasting process and then elevated with so many delicious salad mix-ins. Never eat a boring salad again with this roasted beet salad recipe in your back pocket.
29. Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Three favorite ingredients in one exciting dish. This warm salad is a protein-packed vegan dish that everyone can enjoy this holiday season. Make space at your table for plant-based people with this quinoa chickpea salad.
30. Braised Red Cabbage
You’ll feel like Gordon Ramsay with this delicious dish. Braise colorful red cabbage for a slightly charred taste and beautiful presentation. Red is the color of the Christmas season, and this cabbage brings the festivities! Click on a star to rate it!
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