26 Best Barbecue Side Dishes. Now grown to 36 year round tasty recipes! Cornbread, potato salads, baked beans & beyond to make your next backyard BBQ special.
26 Best Barbecue Side Dishes
Who doesn’t need more great recipes for barbecue side dishes? Whether it’s Pulled Pork, Smoked Brisket, Ribs, Chicken or Steak, you’ve got your main dishes sorted for the big summer barbecue. But what to serve with it?
As with most times of the year, when I post recipes for main dishes, I get the same question.Inevitably, the questions start coming in asking, “What do you serve with that?”
Summer barbecue season is no different. However, one of the things I love about anything grilled or slow smoked from the backyard BBQ, is that there are so many different options to serve as side dishes.
Barbecue side dishes make all the difference.
In fact, in my opinion, what distinguishes a great barbecue party form a mediocre one is the selection of delicious side dishes. The dishes that accompany the delicious grilled and smoked meats are so important too.
Well, I suppose there is one thing needed in order to leave a lasting impression. Naturally, a really fantastic dessert is essential too, like my .
So, since we are in the middle of barbecue season, I thought I’d put together a selection of the most popular sides from Rock Recipes. Also, I have added a few personal favourites to help elevate your next barbecue.
No doubt, it will be one your friends will talk about and ask for the recipes.
2023 Update:
This collection was originally published in 2015, and nearly eight years later it has grown to 36 recipes loved by fans all over. This recipe roundup is one many folks come back to time and time again to make their favourite dishes, or find something entirely new and delicious.
Originally published July 2015.
Like this barbecue side dishes recipe collection?
Find plenty more BBQ inspiration in our huge category of Barbecue and Grilling recipes.
26 Best Barbecue Side Dishes
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26 Best Barbecue Side Dishes
Old Fashioned Molasses and Bacon Baked Beans
Old Fashioned Molasses and Bacon Baked Beans. This easy recipe has all the flavour of grandma's baked beans. Once they are in the oven, all you need is plenty of patience to let these slow cook to perfection.
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette on Peach Cucumber Salad
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette on Peach Bacon Salad. A vinaigrette recipe that goes particularly well with salads containing summer fruits and berries like peaches and plums or strawberries & raspberries.
Alfredo Mac and Cheese
Alfredo Mac and Cheese. The rich creamy flavour of a pasta Alfredo in traditional baked mac and cheese form. Terrific as a side dish or with a simple salad for a complete meal.
Bacon and Brown Sugar Baked Beans
Bacon Brown Sugar Baked Beans. A family favourite comfort food, this decades old recipe is a perfect winter warm up meal or summer barbecue side dish.
Lemon Herb Roasted Potato Nuggets
Lemon Herb Roasted Potato Nuggets. A terrific side dish with many meals like any roast chicken or lamb dinner or to serve with Greek Souvlaki.
Easy Corn Bread
The Best Easy Corn Bread is uncomplicated, quick and easy to make and turns out golden and moist every time.
Bacon Potato Salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing
Bacon Potato Salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing. This satisfying bacon potato salad with a sweet and tangy mustard dressing borrows the best from a combination of a few favorite potato salad recipes.
Yogurt Flatbreads. A quick easy recipe with 2 basic ingredients.
Yogurt Flatbreads. A quick easy recipe for light, fluffy delicious flatbreads using 2 basic ingredients, that you can make in mere minutes.
Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Bacon Macaroni and Cheese. Three cheeses and plenty crisp bacon cooked right in, make this an ultimate comfort food side dish or complete meal.
BLT Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing and Garlic Herb Butter Croutons
BLT Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing and Garlic Herb Butter Croutons. This salad may have very few components but it very big on freshness and flavour. It has turned out to be an ongoing family favourite.
White Barbecue Sauce
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce. More of a condiment than a BBQ sauce, to serve with smoked or grilled chicken and ribs. The flavour complements both these meats very well.
Red Cabbage Coleslaw
Red Cabbage Coleslaw mixes a great combination of flavours from sweet veggies and golden raisins into a delicious, versatile side dish.
Refrigerator Pickles - made with Montreal Steak Spice!
Refrigerator Pickles. Made with Montreal Steak Spice! - the quickest, easiest, crunchiest and maybe the most delicious refrigerator pickles you may ever try.
Garlic Butter Biscuits
Garlic Butter Biscuits. Perfect with everything from roast turkey to hearty chili or fried chicken. Makes tasty breakfast sandwiches too!
Southwestern Chipotle Lime Pasta Salad
Southwestern Chipotle Lime Pasta Salad. Bursting with flavour, this makes a delicious side dish or add grilled shrimp or chicken for a complete meal.
Chickpea Tomato Cucumber Salad
Chickpea Tomato Cucumber Salad. This delicious version of tomato cucumber salad features the additional bright flavors of lime & mint plus the healthy addition of protein-rich chick peas.
Lemon Tzatziki Potato Salad
Lemon Tzatziki Potato Salad. A fantastic side dish potato salad that uses low fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise for a tasty Greek inspired flavour twist.
Barbecue Spice Roasted Potato Nuggets
Barbecue Spice Roasted Potato Nuggets. These delicious potato nuggets are made with a special BBQ dry rub seasoning. A perfect, mildly spiced side dish with roasted or grilled meats at any time of year.
Mango Sesame Coleslaw
Mango Sesame Coleslaw. A very fresh, summery alternative to coleslaw with a wonderful combination of sweet and sour flavours.
Copycat Kraft Macaroni Salad
Copycat Kraft Macaroni Salad. A recipe for those who miss the discontinued boxed macaroni salad mix from Kraft. This recipe replicates the garlic and herb flavours and adds a little fresh red pepper too.
Corn Flour Biscuits with Maple Butter
Corn Flour Biscuits with Maple Butter. Light and airy with crispy edges, served warm with melting maple butter. Great for breakfast sandwiches too.
Warm Grilled Potato Salad with Lemon and Oregano
Warm Grilled Potato Salad with Lemon and Oregano. A tasty, warm grilled potato salad with plenty of bright fresh flavours in the dressing and finished with some crumbled feta cheese.
Lemon Shrimp Pasta Salad
Lemon Shrimp Pasta Salad. With a low fat, yogurt based dressing this shrimp pasta salad makes a sensible addition to your summer BBQ table or as a side dish at any time of the year.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. A versatile healthy and very nutritious recipe that can be served hot as a side dish or cold as a terrific alternative to pasta salad.
Grilled Corn Salad with Apples, Lemon & Chives. A new summer staple side dish that's perfect for barbecues and picnics. Sweet corn will never be the same.
Crispy Baked Wedge Fries
Crispy Baked Wedge Fries. Learn the secret to getting all the flavour and crispiness of fried potatoes wedges from the oven using this simple straight forward method.
Creamy Parmesan Bacon Potatoes
Creamy Parmesan Bacon Potatoes. Inspired by an incredible steak house side dish, these potatoes are absolutely indulgent and irresistible. Hash brown potatoes get tossed with crisp cooked bacon and a creamy Parmesan sauce.
Lemon Waldorf Potato Salad
Lemon Waldorf Potato Salad. The great 70's throwback dish, Waldorf Salad, gets a reworking as an amazingly delicious side dish. Goes with all things barbecue!
Strawberry Spinach Goat Cheese Salad with Easy Honey Dijon Dressing
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese & Honey Dijon Dressing. Made with bacon & almonds, this is one of the most deliciously flavourful salads you will ever eat.
Radicchio Caesar Salad with Almonds
Radicchio Caesar Salad with Almonds. This amazing recipe ups the ante on traditional caesar salad with flavour elements that include the entire taste range from sweet to salty.
Deviled Egg Potato Salad
Deviled Egg Potato Salad. A simple combination of flavours in a very satisfying version of potato salad that you will use year round, from summer barbecues to winter pot luck dinners.
Red Onion Jam
Red Onion Jam. An intensely flavourful, sweet and tangy accompaniment to grilled chicken or pork, with steak or on burgers.
Lemon Mint Orzo Salad
Lemon Mint Orzo Salad. A super easy, super fresh summer pasta salad, that makes a delicious barbecue side dish!
Chickpea Salad with Quinoa Lemon and Ginger
Chickpea Salad with Quinoa Lemon and Ginger. A super healthy salad with bright fresh flavours that can be served warm as a side dish or cold as a vegetarian lunch.
Penne Pasta Salad with Shrimp Chili & Lime. A deliciously simple pasta salad that's terrific to serve with cold cuts, grilled, chicken or fish, or as an ideal BBQ side dish.
Quick and Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Quick and Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese. Forget powdered cheese in artificial neon colors, this easy mac and cheese is real food, comes together quickly, and the kids will love it.