Make your next Thai dinner night extra special with these 17 Thai Side Dishes!
Featuring common Thai ingredients, these are foods you can easily find in Thailand accompanying your main meal.
Thai food has seen incredible popularity around the world, and for a good reason!
It is incredibly flavorful and features unique spices and sauces that all come together in the perfect combination for a flavorful meal or dish to make you feel like you are across the world!
Whether you go for a more straightforward tasting dish or something extravagant, these side dishes are going to be delicious accompaniments.
Soup, salad, vegetables, sauces, and rice are not uncommon to see on the table alongside your dinner, so you can take your pick on which you want to prepare alongside your meal or go with all of them!
Peanut Sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce are full of flavor and can pair with so many Thai dishes as a delicious condiment to dip your foods in.
Get in a serving of vegetables with Sweet Chili Green Beans, too.
Of course, no Asian meal is complete without rice, so make sure to include your Thai Sticky Rice.
Any of these Thai side dishes will be an excellent choice to add to your dinner table, so go ahead and plan your next Thai meal!
Starting off this list of side dishes is this versatile no-cook salad that can go with nearly every Thai meal.
You only need four ingredients plus a dash of salt to get yourself a tasty and fresh salad.
You can even make your own dressing using Thai sweet chili sauce and some apple cider vinegar to toss your salad in.
This rice is fluffy and fragrant without overpowering anything you decide to serve it with.
The coconut flavor in this rice is subtle, so it can still pair along with many Thai meals without overwhelming your taste buds with sweetness.
There is a very simple method to add in the coconut flavor, so there should be no worries for new cooks.
Try to use Jasmine rice for the most authentic flavor with the coconut milk included.
Spice lovers will adore this hot and sour soup.
This soup features lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilies, galangal, and Thai basil for tons of aromatic flavor in each spoonful.
Coconut milk is what makes this so creamy, but you can adjust it depending on how rich you want the soup to be.
This sweet sauce has authentic flavors that make it perfect for so many noodles, salads, wraps, or anything else you can imagine!
Red curry paste is essential for the traditional taste and if you want a more authentic texture, use natural peanut butter where the oil separates.
There is a good amount of sweetness and umami without too much spice making it hard to handle.
A dinner roll is the perfect side dish for your meal, but rather than a simple piece of bread, reach for these curry and coconut rolls.
Making bread from scratch is actually a lot of fun, and these can be made in under an hour!
With the green curry paste and the unsweetened coconut milk included, you will get some amazing dinner rolls that taste unlike any you have tried before!
This dairy-free sweet potato mash is full of Thai spices and coconut flakes, making it a sweet and savory side for all of your favorite protein-based meals.
A little bit of chopped red chili sprinkled on top adds a slight kick to pair with the creamy and sweet mash.
Depending on the consistency you want, you have a few different ways you can mash up your sweet potatoes.
If Brussel sprouts leave something to be desired for you, try frying them to a crispy texture and tossing them in this Thai fish sauce.
The sauce is pretty simple to mix together with common household ingredients.
As you spoon the sauce over your greens, try to do so in a small amount because a little goes a long way, and you want to avoid your Brussel sprouts becoming soggy.
Side salads can be tedious and unsatisfying, making them a chore to finish when you would instead enjoy your main course.
This quinoa salad has an incredible peanut sauce adding tons of delicious flavor and sweetness to your quinoa and chopped vegetables.
Full of red bell peppers, purple cabbage, carrots, and quinoa, you can ensure you will not only be happy after eating this but have a satisfied stomach!
The cotija cheese and grilled corn make this summer-themed side salad almost a Thai-Mexican infusion dish.
Imagine elotes tossed into a salad with a dressing bursting with Thai ingredients.
This is an amazing choice for a grilled side dish for your next backyard barbecue, Taco Tuesday, or fusion-style dinner night!
Everything you could want comes together in this sauce!
It is sweet, savory, spicy, and tangy all in one.
Ten minutes is all it takes to prepare it, and you can save it in the fridge for up to two weeks, meaning you will find yourself reaching for this sauce pretty often!
Pair it with rice, meats, stir fry, sandwiches, or anything else you think could use a little extra boost from this exquisite sauce.
For a quick and light side dish, this cabbage salad hits the right spots.
Even if you decide to save this for the next day, the flavors seem to get magnified as the cabbage absorbs the creamy peanut dressing.
This is meant to accompany your meals, but it tastes so good you might find yourself filling up on this delicious salad on its own!
Even though it only contains four ingredients, this stir fry is the perfect umami side for all of your meals, whether Thai or not.
When a stir fry is this good, there is little that needs to be done to get it to the place it needs to be, which you can see from how simple this recipe is!
After one taste, you will realize there is nothing missing from this quick and easy side, despite how little effort it takes!
Green beans are a great side dish for your Thai meals, but you can easily add some kick and excitement by cooking them with some sweet chili sauce!
This cooks incredibly quickly for a fun way to get some extra greens in your meals.
Even picky kids will love eating their vegetables when they have some sweet chili sauce mixed in!
14. Thai Sticky Rice
Planning some Thai dinner meals means you are going to need a reliable rice recipe to add to all of them!
Even without complicated kitchen tools, you can make perfect sticky rice in your kitchen that is comparable to what you would get in Thailand.
Remember to keep your rice warm, or it could dry out.
Wrapping everything in plastic wrap or using a sticky rice holder are two great methods for keeping the moisture locked in.
Rather than include a little bit of tomato in your salad, how about making one completely centered around this juicy ingredient?
With some cilantro and Thai bird’s eye chilies, you get more than just tomato flavor in each bite of this refreshing side dish.
Fish sauce dresses your tomatoes without overwhelming your mouth with salty seafood tastes.
16. Thai Mango Salad
Fresh mangoes can make your salad perfect for refreshing yourself on a hot summer day.
There are tons of colorful ingredients to pair with the tropical fruit, including red bell peppers, cilantro, onions, and peanuts, all tossed in an amazingly creamy sesame dressing!
There is no cooking involved, and this fresh salad can be made in no time at all making it a perfect side to add lots of color and freshness to your kitchen table.
Along with the sweet and sour flavors your veggies will bring, there is also a little bit of spice added in to complete the flavor profile.
You can use any vegetables you want for this, but a good starting point is to go with carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, snow peas, and cucumber.
An excellent tip to keep in mind is to cook your harder vegetables first and slowly move on to the softer ones so there is a consistent texture and everything has the right amount of crunch!
Even if this is just paired with a hot bowl of rice, you can enjoy highly flavorful vegetables for your next meal!
The bottom line
These 17 Thai side dishes are a necessity for your next Thai meal!
They are sure to impress everyone who enjoys it and can add some authentic flavor to your meal that is just like what you would get if you were in Thailand!
Looking for more Thai food options, we’ve compiled a ist of Thai Appetizers that you should definitely check out.
Top 17 BEST Thai Sides 🍛
Ingredients
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Thai Coconut Rice
- Creamy Tom Yum Soup
- Thai Peanut Sauce
- Thai Curry & Coconut Spiked Dinner Rolls
- Thai Sweet Potato Mash
- Crispy Thai Brussel Sprouts
- Thai Quinoa Salad With Creamy Peanut Dressing
- Thai Chili Summer Corn Salad
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
- Thai Style Cabbage Salad
- Thai Cabbage & Fish Sauce Stir Fry
- Thai Sweet Chili Green Beans
- Thai Sticky Rice
- Thai Tomato Salad
- Thai Mango Salad
- Sweet & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables
Instructions
- Have a look at our list of Thai Side Dishes.
- Choose the dish you want to recreate.
- Start cooking your newly found recipe!
- Share your insights on our Facebook page!
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