Kristin Maxwell
Published on
60 Best Christmas Side Dishes
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These best Christmas Side Dishes, including everything from vegetables to stuffing to potatoes and salads, will round out your holiday menu and bring your feast together.
Don’t let the Christmas Dinner sides play second fiddle this holiday season, these delicious, simple and festive recipes will most definitely be the star! Need Prime Rib sides? We’ve got you covered. Side dishes for Filet Mignon? We’ve got that too!
Whether you serve a traditional meal with a crispy-skinned roast turkey or a juicy holiday ham or a tender slow cooked pork roast, these Christmas side dishes will pair perfectly with your meal.
Christmas Side Dishes
Sometimes the best part of your holiday meal isn’t the main dish in the spotlight – it’s the sides! Christmas makes me think of more elegant, pretty side dishes, while the Thanksgiving sides are more about stick-to-your-ribs comfort food.
It’s fun to celebrate the holidays with some classier dishes, but still trying to keep it simple can be a challenge. The side dishes you’ll find in this collection are easy enough for the home cook, yet pretty enough to be the star of your Christmas dinner.
What Dishes are Served on Christmas?
We always have a simple meal on Christmas Eve with just our household which includes fish and German Potato Salad. It’s a 50 year old tradition that we haven’t broken yet!
Our meal on Christmas Day though, that’s the elegant, classy meal that you see in the movies where the star is a giant prime rib roast. It always includes Twice Baked Potatoes (because they’re fancier than regular baked potatoes!) and some delicious homemade cranberry sauce, both of which you’ll find below!
If you need help planning your meal or your entire Christmas season, be sure to check out our handy FREE PRINTABLE Christmas Planner.
How To Pair Christmas Dinner Side Dishes
Crucial to the success of your meal is pairing the right accompaniments. Whether you’re carving a whole turkey or an elegant prime rib roast, you need to choose the right sides to go with it. Here are a few basic tips for pairing the right side dishes with your Christmas dinner. It’s all about balance.
- Round out the nutrition. Having a plate full of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy might taste delicious, but it can also be pretty heavy. Lighter sides, like vegetables and salads, are a great place to bring in other nutritious elements that might not be part of the main dish recipe.
- Balance the flavors. Turkey, ham, and beef can all have wonderful flavor but they are usually pretty mild. You want to balance that with a few bold flavors like tart cranberry, bright lemon, or even something spicy or sweet.
- Textures and colors. When all the food on your plate is brown, or everything is a soft texture, the food can seem bland. When planning your Christmas side dishes, make sure to include a few different contrasting colors, and pair textures like crunchy and creamy.
What are the best dishes to eat with prime rib?
Prime Rib is a special occasion type of entree, so it deserves a special occasion type of side dish. Toss the can opener back in the drawer and keep these fancier prime rib side dishes at the ready.
Things like twice baked potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus, and rice pilaf will really help the prime rib roast to shine. Don’t forget the horseradish sauce!
Potato Side Dishes
You can’t have a holiday meal without potatoes. Crispy or creamy, buttered or fried, potatoes are the perfect side because they go with pretty much everything.
Boiled Baby Potatoes with Garlic and Herb Butter
These Boiled Baby Potatoes with Garlic and Herb Butter are creamy and tender and make a perfect, quick side dish to any meal.
Easy German Potato Salad
Authentic German Potato Salad is a cold salad made with an oil & vinegar dressing that is traditionally served in the Swabian region of Southern Germany.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect side dish! Par-boiled instead of baked raw, these cheesy potatoes will always be cooked to creamy perfection.
Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Easy, creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes make the perfect side dish for any occasion.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes are a classic recipe with Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, and bacon. They are a great side dish for any holiday or meal!
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Want to know the secret to the best mashed potatoes? Keep it simple, no fancy ingredients – just the right ratio of butter, cream and salt.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes are fluffy, creamy and loaded with 3 kinds of cheese. So versatile, you can serve right away or make ahead and freeze.
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
Crock pot mashed potatoes have diced potatoes simmered in the slow cooker and mashed with butter and cream for an easy holiday or weeknight side dish.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Loaded Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate comfy side dish with creamy potatoes loaded up with bacon, two kinds of cheese and green onions.
Crispy Fried Mashed Potato Balls
Crispy Potato Cheese Balls are filled with potatoes, cheese and bacon, coated with panko and fried to perfection for the perfect party snack!
Hasselback Potatoes
Quick and easy hasselback potatoes topped with bacon, cream cheese and herbs.
Roasted Purple Potatoes
Roasted Purple Potatoes are a delicious, simple to prepare and full of health benefits! Roasted in olive oil and seasonings and ready in about 30 minutes.
Roasted Red Potatoes
Roasted Red Potatoes are a simple side dish that's packed with flavor. Lightly seasoned and roasted in the oven to get those amazingly crisp edges.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole is an easy, cheesy recipe with frozen hashbrowns, cheese sauce and a crunchy corn flakes topping. Perfect for potlucks, brunch or as a simple side dish.
German Fried Potatoes
German Fried Potatoes, aka Bratkartoffeln, are tender on the inside with crispy edges. for an easy potato side dish is a family favorite!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes are creamy, buttery and loaded with bacon and warm brown sugar. They are the perfect side dish for your holiday meal.
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are the easiest way to make perfectly cooked sweet potatoes with little effort and in a fraction of the time.
Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes are coated in a cinnamon honey sauce and roasted until they are crispy and caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside.
Vegetables
You can’t have a meal without some hearty, healthy vegetables, right? Right! But there’s nothing that says they have to be bland or boiled, and these vegetable side dishes are anything but!
Winter Salad
This Winter Salad is hearty, delicious and full of rich, earthy texture and flavors. A tangy homemade vinaigrette adds a smooth, tart finish.
Raspberry & Pear Salad with Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette
This refreshing Raspberry & Pear Salad is full of fruits, nuts and goat cheese, and topped with a tangy Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette. It's an easy and delicious salad that is the perfect compliment to any holiday meal.
7 Layer Salad
7 Layer Salad is a classic potluck dish great for feeding a crowd. These layers of deliciousness can be made ahead of time for these easiest side dish ever!
Roasted Vegetables
Oven Roasted Vegetables are deliciously tender and roasted in a crave-worthy seasoning blend. Get tips for perfect roast veggies side dish every time!
Honey Butter Roasted Carrots
Honey Roasted Carrots are the perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish! Super tender baby carrots roasted with a sweet honey butter glaze.
Creamy Cornbread Casserole
This from-scratch Cornbread Casserole is made with a homemade Jiffy cornbread mix. It's perfect for holiday meals or any day of the week.
Sauteed Mushrooms
A quick and easy side dish made from mushrooms, garlic, butter, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.
Garlic Butter Green Beans
Garlic Green Beans are a simple, flavorful side dish that's fast and easy to make. Green beans cooked in garlic butter until tender with a squeeze of lemon.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon are slightly sweet, savory, and irresistibly crispy. They’re an easy side dish to serve with any dinner.
Baked Acorn Squash
Baked Acorn Squash is delicious in a soup, baked in a casserole, or simply roasted and drizzled with butter, maple syrup and warm spices.
Green Bean Casserole
Green Bean Casserole with Bacon is a salty, smoky update on the classic Thanksgiving side dish. Made with fresh green beans or canned.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad is a perfect side dish for your fall get-togethers and especially Thanksgiving! Serve it hot or cold – it's sure to please!
Southern Green Beans
Southern Green Beans are simmered low in chicken broth until they are nice and tender. Crispy bacon adds the perfect texture to the dish.
Garlic Butter Frozen Vegetables
Budget friendly frozen vegetables are transformed with a couple of simple, and tasty, tricks!
Candied Carrots
Perfectly tender and glazed in a brown sugar sauce, this Candied Carrots recipe an easy holiday side dish that takes 30 minutes to prepare.
Roasted Asparagus
Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus is a perfect side dish for any meal. It's simple, requires just a few ingredients, and is ready in about 20 minutes.
Slow Cooker Creamy Corn
Slow Cooker Cream Style Corn is a simple side dish, made with sweet corn in a creamy sauce. It's perfect for holidays and weeknight meals.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
This simple Bacon Wrapped Asparagus recipe is made with just 5 ingredients in less than 30 minutes, for an easy appetizer everyone will love!
Candied Yams
Candied Yams are a classic side dish that's perfect for Thanksgiving. Tender yams, or sweet potatoes, glazed in a buttery brown sugar sauce.
Starchy Sides
I don’t know about you, but there has got to be bread at my holiday table. Now I realize that rice isn’t bread, but it falls into the starch family so we’re just gonna roll with it. While we’re at it, we’ll add some pasta, too.
Homemade Stuffing Recipe
Homemade Stuffing has dried bread cubes tossed with celery, onions, fresh herbs and broth, then baked until it's moist and fluffy, and crispy on the outside.
Classic Sausage Stuffing
Sausage Stuffing has savory Italian sausage, bread, vegetables, herbs and spices. It's the perfect side dish for all of your holiday meals.
Easy Rice Pilaf
Upgrade everyday rice with this Easy Rice Pilaf with Vegetables. It's simple, uses fresh ingredients and adds incredible flavor to any plate.
Herb Seasoned Rice
Herb Seasoned Rice is fluffy and flavorful, and the perfect side dish for any meal. It's way better than a boxed mix and ready in 20 minutes!
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto is a rich and delicious recipe made with your pressure cooker for an easy vegetarian dinner or decadent side dish! Fresh thyme, Parmesan and white wine take the flavors in this dish to the next level!
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Tender pasta swimming in a silky, creamy, cheesy sauce. My Stovetop Mac and Cheese is so easy to make you’ll never go back to the blue box again!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
If you want an incredibly creamy and cheesy baked macaroni and cheese recipe than this will be the only recipe you ever need! A tangy sharp cheddar cheese sauce coats al dente pasta, and then topped with a surprise pretzel crust!
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese has macaroni in a rich and creamy cheese sauce with bold, spicy jalapeno peppers, bacon and a crispy topping.
One Hour Dinner Rolls
These one hour dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, and really do take only about an hour from start to finish, including rising time. They are the perfect compliment to any meal.
Parmesan Rosemary Dinner Rolls
These super easy and incredibly delicious Parmesan Rosemary Rolls look beautiful, and will be the hit of your celebrations, and no one will now just how easy they were to make!
Buttery Rhodes Rolls
Frozen Rhodes rolls are the easiest frozen dinner rolls! No kneading or mixing, just 3-4 hours of rise time for soft, and fluffy dinner rolls.
Parmesan Garlic Herb Quick Bread
This Parmesan Garlic Herb Quick Bread is a tender, flavorful bread that makes a great side dish to any meal.
Naan Bread
An Indian-style flatbread, this Naan bread recipe is as simple as it is delicious. Yogurt is the key ingredient to make this yummy bread soft and pillowy!
Garlic Cheese Biscuits
Garlic Cheese Biscuits are a copycat of Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They are cheesy, garlicky and salty yet still tender and flaky – you definitely won't want to share.
Garlic Rosemary Focaccia
Focaccia bread with roasted garlic and fresh rosemary is so fluffy and tender. It's easy to make and there is no kneading required.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread has a fluffy texture and a savory, slightly sweet flavor. A perfect copycat recipe to make at home anytime!
Cornbread Muffins
Sour Cream Cornbread Muffins are fluffy and moist. Smother with butter and honey and pair them with your favorite bowl of soup or chili.
Parker House Rolls
Parker House Rolls are a soft and buttery, melt-in-your-mouth dinner roll. They are brushed with butter before and after baking making them even more irresistible. Your family is going to love these amazing homemade rolls.
Sweet Side Dishes
Something sweet to go with all that savory food is a welcome treat. These sweet Christmas Side Dishes are the best!
Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce
Cranberry Orange Sauce is a delicious combination of sweet and tart, and the perfect accompaniment to all your holiday meals.
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Cranberry Fluff Salad is a creamy cranberry salad side dish or dessert with cranberry sauce, marshmallows, oranges, pineapple and Cool Whip.
Classic Pistachio Fluff Salad
This Classic Pistachio Fluff Salad is a family favorite, classic dessert recipe that will take you back to your childhood.
Sour Cream Salad
A creamy fruit salad with cool whip and sour cream, marshmallows and chunks of fruit.
Green Jello Salad
Jello Salad is a vintage recipe that's part side dish & part dessert. This Green Jello Salad is deliciously creamy and perfect for sharing with friends!
Mandarin Orange Salad
Mandarin Orange Salad is a fluffy, sweet treat that's light & refreshing. With just 5 ingredients, this Jello Salad takes 10 minutes to make!
More Recipes for Christmas
For even more Christmas Side Dishes and Appetizers that are perfect for the holidays, check out these other Christmas dinner round-ups:
Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a list!
I love your items you put up. I have made a few and have pined some also.
Thank you Veronica! Thanks for stopping by.
Lovely recipe, can’t wait to try it.
I was so late to discover this amazing list! Anyway, New Year is coming and I’m going to choose some nice dishes for the Countdown party xD
– Luna
Thank you!
On the ad for the 35 Christmas sides the top keftnpicture is a dish topped with pomegranates. I can’t find that recipe anywhere but you show the picture. Could I please get the name of that dish and recipe.
Hi Selina, All of the recipes are linked below the photos. I’m not sure which one you are referring to – is it this one: https://www.cookingclassy.com/pear-pomegranate-spinach-salad/
I’m looking for the same one Selina was asking about. I don’t see it in any of your links provided.
Unfortunately some of the links are broken so I had to remove them.
This all side-dishes looks fabulous!!Thanks for sharing!!! Merry Christmas!!!!
This looks delicious and I need to make this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing!
Love your blog. So glad I happened across it.
I’ve never heard anybody else call them “funeral potatoes”! That’s been our family “joke” for years! 🙂
These sides all look so good! Thanks for including my cranberry salad! 🙂