Burgers and ribs get all the glory on the grill — but ask anyone who’s actually been to a cookout, and they’ll tell you the sides are what people talk about on the drive home. I’ve spent years bringing these 25 recipes to backyard parties, potlucks, and Fourth of July gatherings, and they’re the ones that come back with an empty bowl every time.
From creamy pasta salads and smoky baked beans to fresh corn salads and homemade bread, there’s something here no matter what’s coming off your grill. Most can be made the day before, so you can spend more time enjoying the party and less time in the kitchen. Still planning the rest of your spread? My cookout menu has you covered.
Let’s get to the sides.
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Need easy side dishes for BBQ Chicken, ribs, burgers, or hot dogs? Start with the pairing guide below.
What BBQ Side Dishes Go With Burgers, Ribs, Chicken and Seafood
Not sure which BBQ sides to pair with what’s on the grill? Here’s a quick guide to help you plan the perfect plate. Need help planning the full meal? My cookout menu has you covered.
Burgers & Hot Dogs
Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad, Macaroni Salad with Dill Pickles, Asian Cucumber Salad, Smoky Deviled Eggs with Bacon, BBQ Baked Beans, Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
Grilled Chicken
Greek Tzatziki Potato Salad, Jalapeno Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad, Broccoli Salad with Grapes & Bacon, Cheesy Jalapeno Beer Bread, Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad, German Potato Salad, and Instant Pot Potato Salad
BBQ Ribs
BBQ Baked Beans, Caribbean Cornbread, Cheesy Jalapeno Beer Bread, Broccoli Salad with Grapes & Bacon, Macaroni Salad with Dill Pickles, Homemade Refried Beans, Easy Sauteed Garlic Green Beans
Grilled Pork Chops
BBQ Baked Beans, Caribbean Cornbread, Macaroni Salad with Dill Pickles, Easy Baked Mac and Cheese, Mexican Street Corn Salad, German Potato Salad, Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
Grilled Fish & Shrimp
Asian Cucumber Salad, Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad, Mexican Street Corn Salad, Greek Tzatziki Potato Salad, Jalapeno Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad, Summer Melon Salad with Feta, Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Beans
Salads & Pasta
The backbone of any great BBQ spread. Creamy pasta salads, crisp veggie salads, and a few unexpected flavor combinations — most can be made a day ahead, giving you more time to relax before guests arrive.
Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
My most-shared summer side dish on the site — and once you make it, you’ll understand why. Cheese tortellini tossed with salami, olives, pepperoncini, fresh veggies, and a zesty Italian dressing — it’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own but works perfectly as a BBQ side dish. It gets better the longer it sits, so make it the night before and thank yourself tomorrow.
Cookout favorite side dish • Hearty & bursting with flavor • Even better the second day!
Asian Cucumber Salad
Light, cool, tangy, and just a little spicy — this salad is the perfect palate cleanser in the middle of a rich, indulgent BBQ spread. Thinly sliced English cucumber tossed in a rice vinegar dressing with sesame oil, honey, chili garlic sauce, and green onions. It comes together in just 15 minutes, so it’s easy to whip up fresh right before serving. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and honestly addictive.
Quick 15-minute recipe • Amazing flavor • Gluten-free • Dairy-free
Broccoli Salad with Grapes & Bacon
Sweet, savory, crunchy, creamy — this salad has everything going on at once, and somehow it all works beautifully together. Fresh broccoli, sweet red grapes, crispy bacon, sunflower seeds, and a creamy dressing that ties it all together. One key step that makes all the difference: the broccoli is briefly blanched, which softens it just enough to absorb the dressing beautifully while keeping that satisfying crunch — no tough, raw florets here. It’s one of those dishes that people are skeptical about until they taste it, and then they go back for seconds (and thirds).
Sweet & savory • No wilting • Great for potlucks
Macaroni Salad with Dill Pickles
Not your grandmother’s macaroni salad (although, with respect to grandmothers everywhere, this one is better). The dill pickles are the game-changer here — they add a briny, tangy punch that cuts through the creamy dressing and makes every bite interesting. This is one of those cookout side recipes that quietly becomes the sleeper hit of the whole spread.
Classic comfort • Dill pickle lovers rejoice • Make-ahead friendly
Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
If you love the Italian version of this tortellini pasta salad, you need to try this one too. Same satisfying tortellini base, but with a Greek twist — Kalamata olives, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and a bright lemon-herb vinaigrette. It’s fresh, tangy, and absolutely irresistible. This one has become a reader favorite and I totally understand why.
Make-ahead friendly • Bright & fresh flavors
Summer Melon Salad with Feta
This is summertime in a bowl. Sweet cantaloupe and honeydew melon, cool crisp cucumber, salty crumbled feta, and a simple honey-lime dressing with a pinch of chili flakes — it’s sweet, savory, refreshing, and ready in 10 minutes. It’s the kind of unexpected side dish that has people going back for just one more scoop until the platter is empty.
Ready in 10 minutes • Light & refreshing • No cooking required
Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Beans
This one is a full meal disguised as a side dish — and that’s exactly why it works so well at cookouts. Large elbow pasta with green beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, red onion, and canned albacore tuna, all tossed in a creamy parsley-dill dressing with lemon and Dijon. It’s hearty, protein-packed, and completely make-ahead friendly. A great option for anyone looking for something a little more substantial than a standard pasta salad.
Make-ahead friendly • High protein • Fresh & creamy
Heirloom Tomato Cornbread Salad
When summer heirloom tomatoes are at their peak, this is how you celebrate them. Spicy baby arugula, gorgeous multicolored tomatoes, crispy cornbread croutons, shaved Parmesan, and a drizzle of white balsamic and olive oil — that’s it. No heavy dressing, no complicated technique. Just beautiful, peak-summer produce presented in the most satisfying way possible. Make this when tomatoes are at the farmers market and you’ll understand why it’s been on my site since 2016.
Seasonal showstopper • Simple & fresh
Corn & Beans
Sweet corn salads, smoky baked beans, and bold Mexican-inspired flavors — the side dishes pair with almost anything off the grill and disappear fast.
Jalapeño Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad
This one’s a longtime favorite — and once you try it, you’ll understand why. Fresh corn off the cob is tossed with red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a tangy red wine vinegar and honey dressing — no mayo, no cheese, just bright, sweet, and a little spicy. It’s basically a pickled corn salad, and it only gets better the longer it sits. I’ve made this for more cookouts than I can count and the bowl is always the first thing to empty.
Crowd favorite • No mayo • Gluten-free • Make-ahead friendly
BBQ Baked Beans
You cannot have a cookout without baked beans. It’s practically a rule. These are smoky, sweet, a little tangy, deeply savory — everything baked beans should be. They’re hearty enough to be satisfying alongside grilled meat, and they reheat beautifully if you’re making them ahead (which you absolutely should). This recipe has been shared over 42,000 times for a reason.
Cookout essential • Make-ahead & reheat perfectly • Crowd pleaser
Homemade Refried Beans
These are not the beige paste from a can. Canned pinto beans are sauteed with onion, garlic, and chicken stock, then mashed and stirred with evaporated milk and chunks of cheddar cheese that melt into warm, gooey ribbons throughout the beans. The evaporated milk is the secret ingredient (passed along by a friend with a Mexican family heritage) — it gives them a richness and creaminess you can’t achieve any other way. Serve warm with chips, as a side for anything grilled, or piled into tacos.
Cheesy & creamy • Semi-homemade • Easy & make-ahead friendly
Mexican Street Corn Salad
A creamy, slightly different take on the jalapeno corn salad above — think of this as the classic elote-style version with a rich, mayonnaise-based dressing, cotija, chili powder, and lime. If you’re feeding a big crowd, make both corn salads and watch people lose their minds choosing between them. (Or just put one at each end of the table.)
Creamy & rich • Classic elote flavors • Easy summer corn recipe
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
No giant pot of boiling water, no heating up the kitchen — just corn, a cup of water, and three minutes of pressure in the Instant Pot. The secret trick is adding a tablespoon or two of sugar to the water, which guarantees perfectly sweet corn every single time regardless of how fresh it is. Tender, juicy, and absolutely foolproof. This Instant Pot corn on the cob has become our go-to method and once you try it, you’ll never go back to boiling.
3-minute cook time • Instant Pot • Perfectly sweet every time
Grilled Veggies Corn Salad
Everything is better with a little char on it — and this salad is the proof. Grilled corn, zucchini, and peppers are tossed together into a smoky, satisfying salad that’s hearty enough to stand on its own but plays beautifully alongside anything coming off the grill. The char adds depth that you simply can’t get from raw or steamed vegetables. A perfect use for whatever vegetables are in season at the farmers market.
Grilled veggies • Naturally gluten-free • Smoky & satisfying
Smoky Poblano Corn Dip
This dip is why people crowd around the appetizer table. Fresh corn is charred on the grill alongside poblano peppers, then folded together with cream cheese, sour cream, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, and smoked paprika, and baked in a 10 inch cast iron skillet until hot and bubbling. It’s smoky, creamy, a little spicy, and absolutely irresistible with corn chips. Fair warning: you may want to double the batch.
Crowd stopper • Great appetizer or side • Fresh summer corn recipe
Potato Salads & Sides
Five takes on potato salad — a creamy traditional mustard & mayo version made right in the Instant Pot, a cool Greek-inspired version with cucumber and yogurt, a warm bacon-and-vinegar potato salad, crispy smashed potatoes loaded with sour cream and onion, and a smoky, no-mayo version with serious tang.
Instant Pot Potato Salad
This one’s a genuine time-saver: the potatoes and eggs cook together in the Instant Pot in just 3 minutes of pressure time, so there’s no juggling two pots. Everything gets folded into a creamy, tangy dressing of Greek yogurt, mayo, and Dijon mustard with crunchy celery, onion, dill, and pickles. It’s rich, hearty, and a little mustard-forward in the best way — and since it tastes even better after chilling, you can make it the day before and forget about it until party time.
Traditional Mustard & Mayo • Hearty with eggs • Make-ahead friendly • Gluten-free
Greek Tzatziki Potato Salad
Forget the heavy mayo-drenched potato salads of your past. This one is dressed in a cool, herby tzatziki sauce — cucumber, dill, garlic, lemon, Greek yogurt — and it is absolutely refreshing. It’s lighter than a traditional potato salad but still completely satisfying. Great for anyone trying to avoid a heavy mayo-based dish, and it travels well in a cooler.
Greek-inspired • Light & fresh • Crowd friendly • No mayo
Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
Baby Yukon gold potatoes are boiled until tender, gently smashed flat, then roasted at 450 degrees until the edges are shatteringly crispy and golden while the inside stays fluffy and soft. Top them with a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onions, and a little parsley — and they’re absolutely irresistible. These are a wonderful change of pace from potato salad and hold up beautifully alongside anything on the grill.
Crispy & golden • Naturally gluten-free • Fun presentation • Easy to customize
German Potato Salad
This warm tangy Instant Pot German potato salad is so addictive. Tender red baby potatoes are tossed in a warm, tangy dressing made with apple cider vinegar, stone-ground Dijon, a touch of maple syrup, and crispy bacon cooked right in the Instant Pot (or on the stovetop). The potatoes soak up every bit of that dressing while warm, giving you something deeply savory, tangy, and just slightly sweet. Serve warm or at room temperature — either way, it disappears fast.
No mayo • Warm or room temperature • Instant Pot or stovetop • Gluten-free
Smoky Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad
If you’ve ever eaten an entire bag of salt and vinegar chips in one sitting (no judgment), this potato salad was made for you. Tender potatoes are dressed in a punchy vinegar-forward dressing with smoked paprika and fresh herbs — all the bold, addictive flavor of your favorite chip, but in a hearty, satisfying salad. It’s different from every other potato salad on this list, which is exactly why it earns its spot. Make it ahead and let those flavors deepen in the fridge.
Bold & tangy • No mayo • Make-ahead friendly • Fun twist on a classic
Comfort Classics & Bites
A comfort-food mix with something for everyone — smoky deviled eggs, creamy mac and cheese, garlicky green beans.
Smoky Deviled Eggs with Bacon
The dish that disappears before you even finish setting everything else out. These creamy deviled eggs are spiked with smoked paprika and Dijon, then topped with crispy bacon and green onions. They’re low-carb, gluten-free, and take about 40 minutes start to finish. I like to call them Angel Eggs — because they’re heavenly and let’s be honest, deviled doesn’t do them justice. A deviled egg carrier makes transporting them to a potluck completely stress-free.
Make-ahead friendly • Gone in minutes • Low-carb • Gluten-free
Easy Baked Mac and Cheese
The ultimate comfort food done right. The secret? American cheese from the deli counter (not the individually wrapped slices) — it’s the key to that velvety, perfectly smooth cheese sauce that never gets gritty. Topped with a buttery, golden panko breadcrumb crust and baked until bubbling. This is a showstopper BBQ side dish that works just as well at a backyard cookout as it does at Thanksgiving. Fair warning: make a big pan — I always use a deep 9×13 baking dish so there’s plenty of room for that gorgeous breadcrumb topping.
Ultimate comfort food • Creamy & never gritty • Crowd-pleaser
Easy Sauteed Garlic Green Beans
Sometimes the simplest things are the best things. French haricots verts are sauteed in olive oil with fresh garlic, then finished with a splash of chicken stock or white wine until tender-crisp, bright green, and packed with savory flavor. Just 18 minutes start to finish. These are my go-to vegetable when I’m not sure what my guests eat — everyone loves garlic green beans, and they pair beautifully with literally anything on this list.
18-minute recipe • Gluten-free • Low-carb • Pairs with everything
Breads
Two easy homemade bread recipes that pair with just about anything off the grill — a sweet Caribbean cornbread and a savory, cheesy jalapeño beer bread. Fresh-baked options whether you’re in the mood for sweet or savory.
Caribbean Cornbread
This isn’t the dry, crumbly cornbread you’ve had before. This is moist, slightly sweet, with a tropical flair that makes it completely unique — and completely irresistible. It pairs beautifully with the BBQ baked beans, and it’s one of those cookout side recipes that makes people ask where it came from. With over 26,000 shares, it’s clearly earned its place at the table.
Moist & tender • Slightly sweet • Crowd pleaser
Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread
No yeast, no fuss, no kneading — just 8 ingredients stirred together and baked into the most satisfying, savory loaf you’ve ever pulled out of the oven. Cheesy, spicy, with that distinctive malty depth from the beer (you can swap in seltzer water if you prefer). It goes with everything on this list, but honestly? A warm slice smeared with butter is reason enough to make it.
No yeast required • 5-minute prep • Savory & cheesy • Beer optional
A Few Tips for BBQ Success
Plan your cookout menu ahead of time. Most of the salads and baked beans on this list can be made the day before and actually taste better after a night in the fridge. Use that to your advantage.
Bring the right containers. Wide, shallow serving dishes keep salads looking their best — I love a large bowl with a lid for transporting pasta salads without spills. For the deviled eggs, a deviled egg carrier makes transport and presentation completely effortless.
Label your dishes. If you’re taking these to a potluck, a small card noting the recipe name (and any dietary notes like gluten-free or low-carb) goes a long way and will have people searching for your blog before they leave.
Double the most popular. If I’m feeding a crowd, I always double the Jalapeno Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad and the Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad. They go fast.
BBQ Essentials
If you’re planning a backyard barbecue, family cookout, or potluck, these are a few kitchen tools I reach for again and again. They make prep easier, help with transporting food, and take some of the stress out of entertaining.
- 10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet – Perfect for making BBQ baked beans and serving them straight from the oven to the table.
- Deviled Egg Carrier – Keeps deviled eggs secure during transport and makes serving simple when you arrive.
- 9×13 Baking Dish – A versatile kitchen staple that’s great for cornbread, casseroles, and party-sized side dishes.
- Smoked Paprika – A pantry staple that adds rich, smoky flavor to BBQ baked beans, dry rubs, grilled meats, and many of my favorite summer recipes.
- Instant Pot – 6 Quart – One of my favorite time-saving tools for making recipes like Instant Pot Corn on the Cob and Instant Pot Potato Salad.
These are practical tools I use regularly when hosting cookouts and summer gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best make-ahead BBQ side dishes?
The Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad and BBQ Baked Beans both taste even better after a night in the fridge. The deviled eggs can be prepped up to 24 hours ahead and finished just before serving. The German Potato Salad, Smoky Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad, and Instant Pot Potato Salad also benefit from a few hours (or even overnight) of resting time in the fridge. The Asian Cucumber Salad comes together in just 15 minutes, so it’s easy to make fresh the day of.
What should I bring to a BBQ potluck?
A pasta salad or baked beans are always safe bets because they travel well, feed a crowd, and don’t require reheating. If you want to stand out, bring the Jalapeno Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad — it’s the most-shared recipe on this site and it never fails to get compliments.
How far in advance can I make pasta salad?
Pasta salad can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator and give it a good toss before serving — you may want to add a splash of dressing to freshen it up since the pasta absorbs liquid as it sits.
What BBQ sides go well with burgers and hot dogs?
Classic pairings include macaroni salad, baked beans, and deviled eggs — all of which are on this list. The corn salads are also incredible alongside burgers. For something lighter, the Asian cucumber salad or broccoli salad are perfect counterpoints to rich grilled food.
What BBQ sides go well with ribs?
BBQ Baked Beans are the natural partner for ribs — the smoky, sweet flavors echo each other perfectly. The Caribbean Cornbread and Cheesy Jalapeno Beer Bread are also ideal for soaking up the sauce. Round it out with a creamy pasta salad or the Homemade Refried Beans to balance the richness.
What side dishes go with BBQ chicken?
Grilled chicken pairs well with bright, creamy, or slightly smoky sides. Try Greek Tzatziki Potato Salad, Jalapeño Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad, Broccoli Salad with Grapes & Bacon, Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad, Instant Pot Potato Salad, or Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread.
How do you keep cold side dishes cold at a cookout?
Nest your serving bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice — this works especially well for pasta salads, deviled eggs, and the corn salads. Alternatively, keep dishes in a cooler until 30 minutes before serving, and replenish with fresh cold dishes from the fridge if the party runs long.
What are the most popular BBQ side dishes?
Across my site, the top five most-shared BBQ sides are the Jalapeno Cilantro Mexican Corn Salad, Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad, BBQ Baked Beans, Caribbean Cornbread, and Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad. All five are on this list — and all five will disappear fast.
What are the easy BBQ sides for a crowd?
These cookout sides are easy and delicious and always a hit… Baked beans, pasta salad, corn salad, mac and cheese, potato salad, deviled eggs, and cornbread.
Which of these are you making first?
Whatever lands on your table, these sides are guaranteed to make the main dish jealous. Pin your favorites, leave a comment with what you’re bringing to your next cookout, I’d love to hear how it went!
