16 Must-Try Summer Side Dishes You’ll Crave!

Try these easy summer side dishes to highlight your backyard BBQ or picnic!

We’ve rounded up a few summer sides that will add flavor and appeal to grilling, potluck dinners, cookouts, and patio parties. 

There is nothing like enjoying a warm, sunny day with your friends and family, feasting on simple grilled tomatoes (heirlooms are lovely this time of year), and grilled corn on the cob. (More grilled recipes below.) My personal favorite is the first one in this list.

1. Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe

This may be the ultimate summer side dish. It is difficult to beat a salad that is served in a piece of carved-out watermelon. It is light, refreshing, and has some serious WOW to it.

2. Easy Yukon Gold Potato Salad

Yukon gold potatoes have a naturally buttery flavor, making for an extra creamy flavored potato salad. I don’t know why I didn’t make this recipe sooner. It is just that good! This recipe will only take you about 10 minutes to prep.

3. Hawaiian-Style Macaroni Salad

Choosing your mix-ins. Italian pasta salad can be made with hearty vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, olives, and artichokes. Add feta, pearl mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s hungry in here!

You can throw in some shredded chicken, black olive slices, hard-boiled eggs, or chickpeas for a complete meal or keep it simple with just a few ingredients and a flavorful dressing. Add your flair.

4. Grilled Pine–apple Slices

This is my favorite thing to put on the grill. Here’s our quick tip video on Facebook that will tell you our secret to that lovely crisp edge.

Add more brown sugar baste, and these become DESSERT.

5. No-Mayo Carolina Slaw

You can use green cabbage, but the red cabbage adds a lovely pop of color. This Apple Carrot Slaw recipe cuts the mayo with sour cream.

6. Grilled Whole Sweet Onions with Bacon

Made with RealSweet Vidalia Onions, these came out mouthwatering and fall-apart tender. Now, I will warn you that this recipe takes time and effort, but it is worth it. When I first made it, my friends literally stood on the porch and ate it; they just couldn’t wait.

7. Apple Carrot Slaw

One of our goals with cooking is to keep things as simple as possible. This is especially true in the summer. This recipe achieves that goal because I used a packaged coleslaw mix and made it delicious with my extra ingredients.

8. Smokey and Sweet Grilled Peaches

I tell you what. Just try them. You’ll be hooked. HOOKED. Use them to make Grilled Peach Salad, because as the great vegan chef Tabitha Brown would say, “That’s your business.”

9. Marinated Tomatoes

This is such a delicious side dish for summer. It is simple and refreshing. You only need beautiful tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, vinegar, and herbs. You can use fresh herbs or dried herbs. Typically, when I make it, I use dried herbs because they are easy and in the pantry. 

10. Grilled Peach Salad

Use some leftover grilled peaches from #7 above and you’re set for a luscious, slightly sweet summer side dish.

11. Grilled Corn 4 Ways

They all come out amazing, and each recipe uses different tools and ingredients. 

Spoiler alert: My favorite grilled corn was the husked corn cooked directly on the grill. Andi’s fave was the kind wrapped in foil.

12. Grilled Tomatoes

Lip-smacking spectacular, this is one of our most popular hits on the site. If you have tomatoes sitting around, toss them with some simple olive oil and a few spices. The grill will do the rest.

13. Rice And Fruit Salad

This summer side is a bit unusual. We made it for a group, and everyone had extreme reactions. At first, everyone was shy about trying it, but most of the group LOVED it! A few didn’t! I hope that you try it and let us know what you think.

14. Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

When you serve these mashed potatoes at your next summer bash, everyone will ask you what you put in them. It can be our little secret, or you can brag about it to your friends. I like to keep everyone guessing. Sour cream makes the mashed potatoes taste richer.

15. Caprese Salad Skewers

This recipe is perfect for summer because it is served on individual skewer sticks. You can prep them in advance and drizzle the balsamic glaze over top before serving them. I love mixing it up and serving it with varying tomato colors, but it always depends on what I can find at the store.

16. Cilantro Lime Rice

My secret to this recipe is to use fresh lime juice. I always thought this was a complicated recipe, but it isn’t. You only need some cooked rice, limes, and fresh cilantro.