30 Summer Side Dishes to Try in 6 Categories (+Tips)
Diana Barkley
(Senior Editor)
Many foodies lose their appetite during summer, opting for ice cream and cold drinks instead. Well, what if we told you that you can enjoy the tastiest food while beating the excess heat? Read on to find the most delicious summer side dishes to try.
The best meals to have in the summer are small, fresh dishes. Ideally, they should only take minutes to make. After all, you don’t want to break a sweat to enjoy a tasty meal. So, keep reading this guide for the most appetizing summer side dishes.
Best Summer Side Dishes to Try
Best Summer Side Dishes to Try
While winter is all about big meals for the Holidays, summer is the time to enjoy various snacks and side dishes. Instead of going around town and trying the latest, trendy food, why not learn a couple of stable, timeless side dishes? So, here are our top summer side dishes for every occasion:
Summer Sides for Barbecue
Summer Sides for Barbecue
Whether you’re celebrating the Fourth of July or having all your friends over, barbecues are a crucial summer event. Here are some side dishes you must include at your next barbecue.
Grilled Peaches
Grilled Peaches
The grill isn’t just for meat and chicken skewers. Grilling peaches amplifies the natural sweetness of the fruit and adds a complex, smoky flavor.
You can serve grilled peaches as they are since they complement plenty of different meats. If the weather is particularly hot, you can top them with some vanilla ice cream to help cool you off.
Baked Potatoes
Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes are a barbecue staple. They’re pretty straightforward to make, as all you need to do is wrap your potatoes in foil and add them to the grill.
Then, once the potatoes are cooked, they’re the perfect barbecue side dish. You can stuff them with different sauces and meats, or simply enjoy them with salt and pepper.
Classic Pasta Salad
Classic Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are quintessential during the summer. Not only do they fill you up, but they’re also light and cooling.
The best part is that there are numerous types of pasta salads around, which means there’s no wrong way of making this tasty side dish. Just boil your pasta of choice, chop your favorite summer produce, and toss the salad with a simple vinaigrette or even ranch.
Chickpea Salad
Chickpea Salad
Chickpea salad is the best, mouthwatering addition to any barbecue. This side dish is full of flavors, thanks to the different herbs, spices, and tahini dressing.
Other than the grilled chickpeas, every ingredient can be substituted for something else. Typically, chickpea salad is made with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and cucumber. However, any fresh produce you have in your fridge will do.
Elotes
Elotes
Elotes is a Mexican side dish similar to corn on the cob. The main difference is that it’s spicy, zesty, and creamy. For this reason, it pairs perfectly with barbecues. The only problem is that you’ll need to make huge portions, as the delicious elotes will be gone in seconds.
To start, chuck your corn on the grill until it slightly chars, bringing out the nutty flavor of the corn. Then, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, cilantro, and chili powder in a bowl, and spread it over the corn. Enjoy with a squeeze of lime.
Easy and Fast Summer Side Dishes
Easy and Fast Summer Side Dishes
Nobody likes to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially during the summer. Accordingly, learning the following fast and easy summer side dishes is a must.
Cornbread
Cornbread
Cornbread goes with any meal, and it’s incredibly simple to make. So, even if you’re a beginner baker, once you learn how to make this dish, it’ll be your go-to side dish for every summer meal.
This hearty bread is fool-proof. All you need to do is combine all the ingredients, throw them in a baking dish, and bake until golden. Here’s the kicker: You can customize the cornbread to fit any meal. Just add some chilis, corn kernels, fresh herbs, garlic, or even hot dogs.
Whipped Feta Roasted Potatoes
Whipped Feta Roasted Potatoes
Who doesn’t like potatoes? There’s no wrong way to cook potatoes, and they end up being golden and delicious every single time. For this reason, whether you’re cutting your potatoes into wedges, cubes, or slices, toss them in a pan with some olive oil and fresh herbs for a delicious easy side dish.
To take this dish to the next level, blend feta cheese with garlic, lemon, honey, and black pepper. Serve the roasted potatoes over them for a side dish that’ll be the star of the dinner table.
Garlicky Wedge Salad
Garlicky Wedge Salad
A wedge salad is the easiest side dish you can attempt. The beauty of a wedge salad is in its simplicity. Yet, it doesn’t taste plain at all.
That’s because you can experiment with the toppings as much as you like, sprinkling some crunchy bacon and tomatoes one day, and chopping some cashews and honey the next.
The preparation includes cutting a lettuce wedge, drenching it in your favorite dressing (we recommend garlicky blue cheese), and adding any toppings you have in your fridge.
Caprese Salad
Caprese Salad
When it comes to simple, elegant salads, Caprese salad is the first thing that pops into our minds.
The key to a perfect Caprese salad is fresh ingredients and large slices.
The salad is simply sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. You can then drizzle olive oil, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar, along with some black peppers, and enjoy.
Baked Beans
Baked Beans
Baked beans don’t have the best reputation. Yet, they make a superb summer side dish, as they complement almost any meal, without requiring hours of preparation.
Traditionally, baked beans are made by baking boiled beans in an oven with spiced tomato sauce. This seems like too much effort, though.
Instead, toss canned baked beans in a pan, along with a bay leaf, some tomato paste, fresh basil, and black pepper for a side dish that your family won’t believe you whipped up in minutes.
Cold Side Dishes for Summer
Cold Side Dishes for Summer
Enjoying some fro-yo or iced tea might be the obvious choice for beating the summer heat. That said, you can fill up on tasty, unique food while still cooling off. Check the following cold side dishes for a hot summer day.
Watermelon Quinoa Salad
Watermelon Quinoa Salad
Fresh watermelon sounds like a dream in the summer. This appetizing fruit can be transformed into a mesmerizing salad that will surely impress all your guests and keep them cool.
Though the flavors are complex, and combining fruit and cooked quinoa seems intimidating, this side dish is actually one of the easiest things you can make. After cooking the quinoa, toss in some watermelon cubes, feta cheese, and cucumber. Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy.
Cold Potato Salad
Cold Potato Salad
Potatoes are as delicious when cold as they are hearty when hot. Cold potato salad works as both a side dish and a light lunch.
Cold potato salad is pretty straightforward. After cooking the cubed potatoes, allow them to cool for at least thirty minutes. Then, toss them with mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, garlic, celery, and red onion.
You can enjoy the tasty salad right away, but we recommend refrigerating it overnight for a cooling taste unlike any other.
Asian Cucumber Salad
Asian Cucumber Salad
Cucumber salad is everyone’s go-to cold salad for a reason. It’s refreshing, zesty, spicy, and garlicky. What more could we want in a dish?
The hardest part about making Asian cucumber salad would be waiting for the cucumber to release its liquid. Afterward, add all the ingredients to the cucumber, and enjoy your new stable side dish.
Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy caviar is basically a colorful salad containing everything you have in your pantry and fridge. You can have it as a salad, a dip, or a snack.
If it’s your first time making cowboy caviar, and you’re unsure what to use, we’ve got you covered. Our favorite ingredients are black beans, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, corn, cilantro, and avocado.
Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is an amazing side dish, snack, and appetizer. It’s suitable for cold winter nights and hot summers too. It’s one of the easiest dishes you can whip up in minutes.
The reason is that you only need to boil corn for about 10 minutes. Then, you can enjoy the tasty corn once it cools with lime, chili powder, or honey.
Cookout Summer Sides
Cookout Summer Sides
Summer is the best time to gather with family and friends and share your favorite recipes. So, here are some delicious and impressive cookout summer side dishes.
Couscous Salad
Couscous Salad
Couscous salad is a tasty and healthy side dish that everybody loves. It seems complicated to make. However, the secret to its complex taste is simply lemon zest.
To make this beautiful summer salad, you just need to cook the couscous, fluff it, and chop all the vegetables. Then, make a dressing with lemon zest, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Pigs in a Blanket
Pigs in a Blanket
Pigs in a blanket are the ideal sharing side dish. You can make large quantities of this crowd-pleaser in only minutes.
If you have puff pastry and some mini hot dogs, don’t hesitate to make this side dish. You can make extra, freeze them for up to a month, and reheat them whenever you’re craving the appetizing dish.
Roasted Tomatoes
Roasted Tomatoes
If you’re looking for a burst of flavor without hours of preparation, roasted tomatoes are the side dish for you.
This dish can be altered in so many ways. For example, you can add a block of feta cheese for an easy pasta sauce, or blend the roasted tomatoes for a hearty tomato soup. Yet, keeping the tomatoes whole makes for the ultimate sharing plate.
Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is probably a stable side dish for all your weeknight dinners. Even if you don’t know how to make the dish, it’s difficult to mess up, as the delicious cheese will cover any mistakes you might make.
Whether you want a side to complement all the different dishes at the cookout, or want a dish that both children and adults will want seconds of, mac and cheese is a no-brainer. This side dish will definitely be a hit at your next cookout.
Homemade Coleslaw
Homemade Coleslaw
Coleslaw is the king of all side dishes. The crispy lettuce and creamy dressing is a heavenly pairing. If you can’t get your homemade coleslaw to taste just like the one you have at restaurants, we have a few tricks for you.
Making a large batch of coleslaw ensures you use up all the tasty parts of the lettuce, which makes cookouts the perfect opportunity to make this side. Moreover, allow your coleslaw to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
Healthy Summer Sides
Healthy Summer Sides
Summer is typically the season where everyone tries to get in shape. Luckily, you don’t need to sacrifice your taste buds for the ideal beach body. These summer sides will supply you with all the nutrients, while still satisfying your cravings.
Zucchini Soup
Zucchini Soup
Soups might not be the most popular summer sides. However, once you try this silky zucchini soup, you’ll want to have it for each meal. The hearty side dish is light, healthy, and most importantly, mouth-watering good.
The puréed soup is simple to prepare, even if you’ve never set foot in a kitchen. Simmering chicken broth with the zucchini, onions, and spices, and then blending the mixture will do the trick.
Grilled Green Beans
Grilled Green Beans
Grilled green beans can be as simple or sophisticated as you like, depending on how you season and prepare the side. Traditionally, grilled green beans are made with simple butter, salt, and pepper.
If you want to take things up a notch, grilling some garlic to accompany the beans, adding various herbs, such as rosemary, and topping the dish with Gruyère cheese will create a dish that satisfies the most refined taste buds.
Wild Rice
Wild Rice
Are you looking for a healthy, delicious, and filling side dish? Well, wild rice fits all your needs and more. It complements almost every main dish and makes for an amazing side to various vegetables.
Wild rice is prepared exactly like white rice. Yet, this is one of our favorite side dishes because of its nutty, earthy flavor. Furthermore, it’s high in protein and antioxidants.
Caprese Zoodles
Caprese Zoodles
Zucchini is the star of the show when it comes to healthy side dishes. After all, summer is the perfect season for the vegetable, and you can fashion all sorts of interesting dishes from it.
Just like a Caprese salad, Caprese zoodles use fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. The twist is to add ribbons of zucchini that you’ve cooked for only a minute.
Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Salad
September can’t come along without you having tried this bright summer salad. Broccoli salad combines a creamy, tangy dressing, with crunchy broccoli florets and chewy dried cranberries. Even if you dislike salad, you must give this side dish a try.
Broccoli salad tastes superb if eaten fresh, but refrigerating it overnight allows the flavors to soak into the broccoli, softening it in the process. For this reason, this is the best salad to pack for lunch.
Summer Vegetable Side Dishes
Summer Vegetable Side Dishes
Vegetables are at their best during the summer. Naturally, you don’t want to miss the chance to enjoy a variety of delicious sides utilizing the freshest summer produce. These include the following dishes.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob requires no preparation or additional ingredients. Instead, the corn does all the work. For this reason, using fresh summer corn can make a world’s difference. The grilled corn will be juicy, sweet, and smoky.
Spicy Corn Salad
Spicy Corn Salad
Another excellent corn side dish is the spicy corn salad. This appetizer proves that vegetables don’t have to be boring. It’s sweet, sour, and spicy.
This flavor profile might seem complicated. However, the salad is simple to make. Start by chopping all the ingredients, including jalapeño peppers, cilantro, chives, and arugula. Then, toss them with the corn kernels, chili powder, and a creamy dressing of your choice.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes
There’s a reason fried green tomatoes have been a stable side dish for years. For starters, it’s the best way to make use of unripe tomatoes, which are still delicious in the summer as tomatoes are in season.
Furthermore, you can dip the tomatoes in almost any sauce you like. Alternatively, it’s a pleasant, tangy surprise when paired with fried steak or chicken.
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Fries are a classic side dish. To keep things interesting, why not make sweet potato fries? Not only do these fries taste incredibly unique, but they also have a nutritional edge.
While regular fries come in many shapes and sizes, we find that slicing the sweet potatoes into long, thin slices is best for frying. The sweet potato fries come out crispy, making an amazing pair with sour cream.
Grilled Ratatouille
Grilled Ratatouille
If you want to make use of all the fresh produce in the summer, there’s no better side dish than ratatouille. To keep cooking time minimal, grilled ratatouille is just as delicious.
Ratatouille contains all our favorite vegetables; zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. Accordingly, its health benefits are astronomical. You can also add yellow squash and bell peppers.
Tips for Serving Summer Sides
Tips for Serving Summer Sides
Summer side dishes are tasty, refreshing, and easy to make. Still, you might be making some mistakes that cause your dishes to not turn out right. Don’t worry. Simply follow these quick tips for the perfect side dishes.
Make Them Fresh
Make Them Fresh
Most summer side dishes are best made fresh. After all, you don’t want the side dish to warm up, the vegetables to wilt, or the creamy dressing to turn sour. So, make sure to serve your creation right after you’re finished. Alternatively, you can cover the dishes and store them in the fridge.
Use Summer Produce
Use Summer Produce
Summer is the time to make use of all the fresh produce. So, while a simple mac and cheese might be your go-to side dish, you might get a pleasant surprise when experimenting with all the different produce.
Use Herbs and Spices for Decorations
Use Herbs and Spices for Decorations
A common problem many chefs have with side dishes is that they don’t look appetizing. Well, your side dish can look and taste exceptional if you simply decorate it with fresh herbs and spices.
Serve With a Cold Summer Drink
Serve With a Cold Summer Drink
Many people lose their appetite in the summer due to the heat. Fortunately, this is your chance to have some more delicious treats by pairing one of our summer side dishes with a cold summer drink.
Summer Drinks That Fit for Summer Sides
Summer Drinks That Fit for Summer Sides
Now that you know all the different sides you can enjoy for the summer, you must also pair them with ice-cold drinks to help wash down the food. Here are some of our top picks.
Lime Juice
Lime Juice
Summer isn’t the same without fresh lime juice. This drink pairs perfectly with every summer side and main dish, and even as a refreshment on its own. The best part is that lime juice fits all tastes, as you can adjust the amount of sugar and lime to match each person’s preferences.
Pink Grapefruit Bunch
Pink Grapefruit Bunch
Bunch is the easiest cold drink to make. All it requires is mixing lemonade, lime juice, and grapefruit juice. Then, add a ton of ice to keep the drink cool. Ideally, you should garnish the drink with pomegranate and strawberries.
Watermelon Cooler
Watermelon Cooler
Watermelon coolers aren’t only invigorating, but they also have a ton of health benefits. That’s because watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C. To get all this goodness, blend some watermelon, lemon juice, and cucumber in a blender. Serve with ice and enjoy.
Mint Lemonade
Mint Lemonade
Are you looking for a low-sugar drink to quench your thirst in seconds? Look no further than mint lemonade. Like regular lemonade and lime juice, you can adjust the sugar to your liking. Yet, since the mint adds extra freshness and flavor, having this drink sugar-free is the way to go.
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