17 Summer Side Dish Recipes To Try Right Now

Summer Side Dish Recipes are to summer what pumpkin is to fall. A trip to the farmers market can have us eating healthy summer side dishes all week long.

Summer Side Dishes are one of the best things about summer. Oh sure the main entrée is always good but it’s those side dishes made with farm fresh produce we love the most.

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Broccoli Bacon Salad Easy Recipe With Homemade Dressing

A time tested family favorite with only 5 ingredients. We tend to think of it during the summer months but it’s a great dish anytime of the year. We enjoy this salad so much, we sometimes serve it as our main course in the summer.

Hawaiian Pasta Salad Summer Side Dish

This Hawaiian Pasta Salad is an addicting delectable delight because of the sweet creamy dressing the pasta shells are bathed in. This summer side dish is a must have for your tropical party or Luau get-together. Don’t wait on a party to enjoy this dish though.

Southern Potato Salad Recipe Just Like Mom’s

Mom’s recipe uses red potatoes, sweet relish and a hand held potato masher. This old fashioned classic side dish is a must have for summer soirees and picnics. Serving homemade potato salad is one of the best ways to create summer food memories in your family.

Basil Grilled Tomatoes

A great way to enjoy fresh tomatoes is this super easy Basil Grilled Tomato side dish. dried Fresh basil and melted provolone on grilled juicy tomato slices.

These grilled tomatoes go with almost any meal you are serving in the summer. Grilling brings out the flavor in the tomato. It’s one of my personal favorite summer side dishes.

Old Fashioned Crunchy Pea Salad

Crunchy Pea Salad gets the ‘crunch’ part of it’s name from various ingredients depending on which recipe you are using. As we all know, peas are not crunchy! Hopefully they are not! My recipe for Pea Salad gets its crunch from the cauliflower, celery and cashews. 

Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad

Another choice for a summer crunchy salad is this one made with farmer’s market fresh vegetables. Pair fresh corn with red onions, grape tomatoes and fresh parsley for a summer treat. Serve this Corn Salad as a side dish with grilled chicken, pork or beef.

Broccoli Bow Tie Pasta Dish

This pretty and flavorful pasta salad can be served as a side dish or a main course. Fresh bell peppers add lots of color with orange, yellow and red peppers tossed in. The homemade creamy dressing hugs the pasta and broccoli for a flavor explosion in your mouth.

 Grilled Mexican Street Corn

Elote is a traditional street food in Mexico. In America, it is typically called Mexican street corn. It is corn on the cob charred on an open grill and smothered in cheese, a cream sauce, and chipotle seasoning and insanely delicious.

Homemade Creamy Cole Slaw

Our Homemade Creamy Cole Slaw recipe is super easy to make with only four ingredients. No cutting or slicing involved. Video included in the recipe post.

We make Cole Slaw as one of our bbq side dishes and serve it with hot dogs too.

Fresh Green Bean Salad With Feta

Green bean salad with fresh grape tomatoes and that salty bite of Feta is another must have summer vegetable salad. The colors set a pretty table. This summer vegetable side dish is a great way to use your backyard garden harvest. Use those fresh herbs from your herb garden too!

Watermelon Blueberry Salad

Watermelon is the pumpkin of summer. Making a juicy Watermelon Blueberry Salad with Feta is a must in the summer. Yes, it is a side dish but I could make a meal out of this combination of flavors. Fresh sweet fruits paired with salty feta cheese is simply delectable. Make this side dish for summer parties.

Barbeque Baked Beans

When I say this is the best ever recipe for BBQ Baked beans, I mean that to be true. You simply cannot have a summer BBQ without these baked beans. I have been in charge of making these baked beans several times every summer since, well, a long time.

Spicy Mango Salsa Summer Side Dish

Top your grilled meat or dip this fruity salsa with tortilla chips. This is one of the best summer side dish recipes you can enjoy. Crunchy veggies like bell peppers and red onions paired with fresh cut fruits make this summer fruit salad a great side dish.

Even though you are avoiding using the oven as much as possible, making a Squash Casserole with garden fresh summer squash just has to happen. We use fresh squash, buttery crackers, cheese and Vidalia onions in our easy recipe. Squash casserole is an ideal summer side dish for weeknight meals or Sunday dinner.

Classic Caesar Salad

Make a Classic Caesar Salad at home to go with your steak dinner. One thing we learned during the Covid Pandemic while staying home was to enjoy a restaurant quality meal at home. Once you learn to make the Caesar dressing, recipe included, you’ll love your own salad better than the steak house from now on.

Pecan Zucchini Bread

Does your backyard garden produce a whole lot of Zucchini? You will be glad to know you can freeze Zucchini bread for later. It makes a nice gift and folks at the office enjoy it with their coffee sometimes too.

Southern Deviled Eggs with smoked paprika

Do you use sweet or Dill relish in your Deviled eggs recipe? We use sweet and our Deviled eggs are quite popular with our family gatherings. Admittedly, making deviled eggs is somewhat labor intensive. Isn’t it great that you can make them a day ahead. That helps. If you are taking deviled eggs on a picnic, keep them in a cooler.

Best Summer Side Dishes

Our list of best summer side dishes includes pasta salads, fresh summer veggies, ripe tomatoes, fresh corn and sweet onions. Make your favorite side dish for your summer party to accompany your main dishes.

See our list of 30 Recipes That Don’t Require An Oven for more summer food ideas.