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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes » 60 Best Christmas Side Dishes

60 Best Christmas Side Dishes

Published on October 7, 2019, Updated November 27, 2020 by Kristin Maxwell | 15 Comments

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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!

Collage of images for christmas side dishes

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.

hasselback potatoes with sour cream, bacon and chives

What dishes are served on Christmas?

We have always had a simple meal on Christmas Eve with just our household, that included fish and German Potato Salad. That’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.

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.

Collage of potato recipes for the holidays

  1. Garlic & Herb Buttered Baby Potatoes
  2. Easy German Potato Salad
  3. French Onion Mashed Potatoes
  4. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  5. Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  6. Twice Baked Potatoes
  7. Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
  8. Hasselback Potatoes
  9. Roasted Purple Potatoes
  10. Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
  11. Roasted Red Potatoes
  12. Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
  13. Deep Fried Loaded Mashed Potato Bites
  14. Crispy Herbed Potatoes
  15. Rosemary Onion Skillet Potatoes
  16. Asiago Potato Stacks

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!

Collage of side dishes for the holidays

  1. Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Bacon
  2. Cranberry Pecan Roasted Vegetables
  3. Roasted Honey Butter Carrots
  4. Creamy Corn Casserole
  5. Raspberry & Pear Salad
  6. Easy Oven Roasted Vegetables
  7. 7 Layer Salad
  8. Garlic Green Beans
  9. Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
  10. Crispy Baked Brussels Sprouts
  11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
  12. Baked Artichoke Hearts
  13. Garlic Butter Frozen Vegetables
  14. Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
  15. Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus
  16. Cream Cheese Asparagus Bundles
  17. Pomegranate Quinoa Salad
  18. Pan Seared Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans
  19. Creamed Corn
  20. Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Side Dishes

Something sweet to go with all that savory food is a welcome treat. These sweet Christmas Side Dishes are the best!

  1. Cranberry Orange Sauce
  2. Cranberry Fluff Salad
  3. Pistachio Salad
  4. Sour Cream Salad
  5. Green Jello Salad
  6. Frog Eye Salad

Bread, Stuffing and Rice

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.

Christmas Side Dishes | Christmas Dinner | Breads and Rolls

  1. Homemade Stuffing
  2. One Hour Dinner Rolls
  3. Garlic & Rosemary Skillet Bread
  4. Parmesan Rosemary Dinner Rolls
  5. Classic Sausage Stuffing
  6. Parmesan Garlic Herb Quick Bread
  7. Easy Rice Pilaf
  8. Fluffy Homemade Naan Bread
  9. Garlic Cheese Biscuits
  10. Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
  11. Funeral Potatoes
  12. Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
  13. Amish Dinner Rolls
  14. Chicken Sausage & Herb Stuffing
  15. Slow Cooker Stuffing
  16. Wild Rice Stuffing
  17. Cranberry Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

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:

Festive Christmas Appetizers and Sides

50+ Festive Christmas Cookies

How to Host the Holidays Like a Pro

 

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About Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook. Read more about Kristin HERE.

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  1. I love Croatia says

    January 1, 2021 at 10:04 am

    Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a list!

    Reply
  2. Veronica Whitaker says

    December 2, 2020 at 8:18 am

    I love your items you put up. I have made a few and have pined some also.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 3, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      Thank you Veronica! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  3. Bbq Chicken says

    October 21, 2020 at 6:21 am

    Lovely recipe, can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  4. Healthy Eating 101 says

    December 25, 2018 at 11:14 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 26, 2018 at 1:52 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Selina Shue says

    November 15, 2018 at 5:26 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      November 16, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      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/

      Reply
      • Angie says

        December 18, 2018 at 5:15 pm

        I’m looking for the same one Selina was asking about. I don’t see it in any of your links provided.

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          December 20, 2018 at 4:42 pm

          Unfortunately some of the links are broken so I had to remove them.

          Reply
  6. Aria says

    December 17, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    This all side-dishes looks fabulous!!Thanks for sharing!!! Merry Christmas!!!!

    Reply
  7. Roshani says

    January 18, 2017 at 4:03 am

    This looks delicious and I need to make this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Carol says

    December 2, 2016 at 7:26 am

    Love your blog. So glad I happened across it.

    Reply
  9. Sarah says

    December 21, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    I’ve never heard anybody else call them “funeral potatoes”! That’s been our family “joke” for years! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Becky @ lovetobeinthekitchen says

    December 5, 2014 at 8:44 am

    These sides all look so good! Thanks for including my cranberry salad! 🙂

    Reply

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Hi, I’m KRISTIN!

I'm a busy wife and mom who loves to cook, bake and create. All of the recipes and tips you will find here are created with your busy family (and mine!) in mind.

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