If you’re wondering what to serve with grilled cheese, run through these 36 options we’ve compiled here so you can start getting that bread toasty and that cheese all gooey!
A toasty and warm grilled cheese sandwich is an excellent option for an easy and quick meal.
Serving up some melted cheese with fluffy bread with a crunch is a much-loved treat and always provides soulful joy.
Grilled cheese sandwiches can also be made with many variations, offering different flavors with every combo you choose.
The variety of flavors from a grilled cheese made with love can be endless from all the different types of bread, cheeses, and other ingredients you can put in.
While there are countless variations to the grilled cheese sandwich, adding a side dish would be ideal for rounding up your meal.
Grilled cheese sandwiches go great with soup, salad, veggies and fruits, and other side dishes that complement that crisp, savory bite.
From the classic Tomato Soup or Marinara Sauce to some tasty Sweet Potato Fries, any option from our list will pair perfectly with your grilled cheese sandwich.
Our #14 Roasted Brussels Sprouts option is a great choice to add veggies onto your plate while adding crispy textures to the creamy grilled cheese.
1. Tomato Soup
A creamy bowl of tomato soup is always considered a classic side dish that pairs with grilled cheese.
Having a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo can be pretty incredible, with each dish providing complimentary taste and texture.
Dunking in your grilled cheese sandwich in your rich tomato soup provides an added tang that can be so satisfying, or simply enjoy the soup by the sip.
No matter the weather, having a creamy homemade soup is always a great option to pair with toasty bread and is one of the most desired comfort foods out there.
This tomato soup recipe is straightforward, with only a few ingredients and steps required to create the ultimate grilled cheese pairing.
Potato chips are a great pair to grilled cheese sandwiches, with the extra crunch and saltiness adding to the munchable deliciousness.
This tried-and-true recipe requires very thin slices, so if you don’t have one, here’s an inexpensive mandolin
Try this easy oven-baked recipe, which is less messy than its deep-fried version.
These fresh, air fryer potato chips are so much more desirable than store-bought options.
If I had to pick a downside, it’s only because, in our air fryer, we had to do several batches in a row instead of cooking them all at once.
So pair your grilled cheese with these way-too-good potato chips, and you got yourself a snack meal combo you will brag about for AGES.
A delicious macaroni salad is a staple for every potluck or BBQ party and goes perfectly well with a good batch of grilled cheese.
Macaroni salad features fresh veggies and herbs, tender pasta, and creamy dressing to pack in all of the flavors.
While there can be multiple variations in terms of ingredients suited for your preference in a macaroni salad, most of these ingredients are easy to find and simple enough to make.
If you’re lacking in time, you can prepare your macaroni salad ahead of time, pop it in the fridge, and get it chilled and ready for serving after preparing your grilled cheese sandwich.
We also really love this Rice & Fruit Salad recipe too, which is mildly sweet and hearty.
When wondering what to serve with grilled cheese, you can rest easy knowing that you won’t ever go wrong pairing your sandwich with a hearty and nourishing creamy soup.
Much like pairing grilled cheese with tomato soup, having a piping hot butternut squash soup alongside your sandwich provides comfort and takes all the stress from your busy day away.
This simple recipe is a great choice to make, with all the sweet aroma from the ingredients providing all the delicious smells that can get your appetite going before taking your first bite.
What’s butternut squash, you say?
Grilled cheese goes excellent when paired with a tangy tomato soup, much like it would pair great with some chunky marinara sauce.
Making homemade marinara sauce can be easy and can be so much better than store-bought jarred pasta sauce.
Dunk your sandwich into this sweet and tangy sauce, with the combo from the toasty bread and melted cheese mixed with the marinara providing the delectable sensations as if you were eating pizza.
6. Caesar Salad
The Caesar salad is a favorite crowd-pleasing option, with this flavorful salad pairing well with a cheesy sandwich.
This creamy and garlicky salad packs quite the flavor, allowing you to savor each bite alongside your grilled cheese even further.
You can even add in your choice of protein from chicken, shrimp, or salmon to amplify the salad’s taste even further.
Another soup option you can pair with your grilled cheese is this comfort food standard, the chicken noodle soup.
This soup choice is a great choice to provide yourself with a well-rounded meal, with the egg noodles, chicken, and vegetables from the noodle soup giving you more reason to feel full.
A light and fresh Caprese pesto orzo salad is a perfect side dish with a cheese-filled sandwich.
This recipe is a 20-minute process that tells you how to make your own fresh homemade pesto.
All you need is a good food processor, and with some blending magic, you can mix in a great salad that pairs perfectly with your grilled cheese sandwich.
This option is suitable for summer parties, with its light and easy ingredients providing just the right flavors for your meal.
Sweet potato fries are super fast to make and perfectly suit grilled cheese.
The sweet flavors from the potato pair incredibly well with the salty and savory grilled cheese sandwich, making this combo an ideal pairing.
To get your sweet potato fries crispy and scrumptious, you can either cook them in the oven or the air fryer, which is an easy and fast way of cooking great sweet potato fries.
You can serve the fries with some dipping sauces or with a trusty dash of ketchup for more added flavor.
10. Broccoli Salad
If you’re opting to add more vegetables to your diet and need some greens to pair with your rich grilled cheese, you should choose a delicious Broccoli salad to prepare.
This salad recipe puts in broccoli florets tossed in with savory and tart flavors from bacon, cheese, cranberry, sunflower seeds, and homemade dressing.
A filling salad option that can make for one great grilled cheese side dish or for any other dish you have planned for your next meal.
A good ol’ Waldorf salad goes great with grilled cheese, as cheese pairs perfectly with grapes, nuts, and apples, which are ingredients of a Waldorf salad.
The classic Waldorf salad originated over a century ago at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City and used ingredients that are in season all year long.
The recipe has evolved to add grapes and nuts for more complex textures and flavors through time.
The process is easy to make, with some chopping and some mixing in just a few minutes to get your salad ready for munching.
12. Lentil Soup
A good bowl of lentil soup is another perfect complement to a grilled cheese sandwich.
This soup is also tomato-based while combining vegetables and spices to produce a comforting and healthy soup that’s just waiting for some bread to dunk in.
This recipe is made with seasonal vegetables and ingredients you can find within your pantry, with the process being great enough to have it taste as if it came from a gourmet kitchen.
The trick of this recipe to get it all creamy and light at the same time is to blend up some of the soup when the lentils are tender and pour the blended soup back into the pot to get it rich and thick.
13. Mango Chutney
An excellent dipping side dish you can create for your grilled cheese sandwich is this mango chutney that’s vibrant and full of flavor.
Chutney is a typical dipping sauce for many food options because of the sweet, refreshing, and spicy herb ingredients.
These flavors pair fantastically with melted cheese within toasted bread, providing a treat for the taste buds with every bite.
This recipe calls for fresh mangoes, sugar, and vinegar to slowly be cooked down to become a delicious and sticky mixture.
Using chutney can elevate your grilled cheese even further, so make sure you cook a few because you might run out of sandwiches in no time!
Vinegar-averse? Try our Mango Salsa instead!
This delectable recipe offers roasted brussels sprouts cooked in an air-fryer, making it convenient and easy!
Roasting brussels sprouts takes away its bitter flavor, allowing you to enjoy it in all its crispy and tasty goodness.
It pairs great with many excellent meals and would fit perfectly alongside your plate with your grilled cheese sandwich.
15. Corn Chowder
Filled with sweet corn, diced potatoes, and crumbled bacon, this corn chowder is a creamy side dish best paired with your grilled cheese.
The sweetness of the corn chowder blends well with the savory grilled cheese, making it all the more irresistible.
Pickled Red Onions are considered by many to be more of a condiment than a side dish.
Why?
That’s because they go great with anything.
They’re subtly sweet, tangy, and pack quite a punch.
Try pickling a jarful for yourself and let us know what you think.
Ingredients include: Red onions, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and hot water.
If you’re looking for something to do with all of those extra carrots left from last night’s beef stew, then look no further.
This recipe will transform those plain old carrots into little flavor bombs.
Sweet and a little tangy, they’ll complement any savory dish well, including your grilled cheese sandwiches.
Ingredients include: Carrots, balsamic vinegar, pepper, salt, and olive oil.
Try this one by CookingChew.com too!
18. Potato Soup
Soups have always been popularly served with grilled cheese, the most notable of which is tomato soup.
This is why you’ll find several soups on this list.
Here we have a recipe for loaded potato soup.
Thick, rich, and creamy, this soup is incredible.
Ingredients include: Potato, bacon, butter, onions, and garlic.
Here is one of the recipes I always have up my sleeve since it is not only so easy to make, but you can have a bowlful of the delicious soup steaming on your dinner table in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients include: Chicken, cremini mushroom, onions, carrots, and garlic.
If you have a thing for salads and like things done quickly and easily, then this dish is for you.
I know I do!
Fresh, austere, and downright delicious, this salad is rich in flavor but light on the pocket.
Ingredients include: Tomato, cucumber, red onions, mozzarella, and olive oil.
Add some spicy crunch to your meal in the form of some Louisiana Creole Slaw.
This recipe takes coleslaw up a notch with the addition of some fiery creole seasoning.
It’ll go perfectly with anything.
Ingredients include: Carrots, onions, mayonnaise, creole seasoning, and Dijon mustard.
You’ll love our No-Mayo Carolina Coleslaw Recipe too!
I was quite surprised when I was told that apples went well with foods such as roast meats and grilled cheese.
I skeptically whipped up a batch of these delectable apple strudel pastries to see for myself.
And oh wow, they were right!
The contrast between apple-sweet and cheesy savory teases the tongue and will leave you craving for more.
Ingredients include: Pillsbury crescent rolls, apple pie filling, sugar, vanilla, and apple juice.
23. Poutine
Poutine is a Canadian dish made of crispy french fries and salty cheese curds smothered in beef gravy.
It’s sinfully good.
It’ll go well with a variety of foods, but it forms a perfect harmony with grilled cheese.
Ingredients include: Butter, flour, potatoes, beef bouillon, and cornstarch.
24. Gazpacho
Mexican Gazpacho is certainly a treat.
It differs from most soups since they’re usually served piping hot, whereas Gazpacho is refreshing, salsa-like cold soup.
There’s just something about this deliciously spicy, tomato-y dish that makes it pair so well with grilled cheese; most likely the same reason tomato soup does too.
Ingredients include: Tomato, red onions, cucumber, bell pepper, and tabasco sauce.
And here we have an award-winning chili recipe.
Who could say no to some premier-caliber chili cooking in an instant pot?
The recipe page avers that the authors have won cook-offs around the country with it.
Try it out yourself.
Ingredients include: Ground beef, bacon, jalapeno, beans, and cumin powder.
Let’s face it.
It can sometimes be a challenge to decide on food choices that all of your guests will enjoy.
That’s why it’s important to have recipes like baked potatoes to fall back on.
It always helps to have something delicious prepped up your sleeve!
Ingredients include: Potato, olive oil, pico de gallo, black beans, and guacamole.
Judging by the picture alone, one would assume that the red stuff covering the pasta is either tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
You’re half right, my dear readers, that right there’s a blend of tomato sauce and pureed red bell peppers.
And it works!
It provides a wonderful twist to the flavor that you will surely enjoy.
Ingredients include: Red bell pepper, tomato sauce, paprika, onions, and garlic.
Oh my!
These Baked Beans are the real deal.
Baked Beans are usually the stepchild of the buffet table.
Not these ones, though.
Make yourself a potful and taste the difference.
Ingredients include: Beans, onions, red pepper, mustard, and vinegar.
Nothing beats a bowl of warm, hearty soup on a cold night while sitting on the couch next to the fireplace.
And this recipe for Bacon and Lentil Soup certainly delivers.
So the next time it’s cold out, and you’re staying in, cook yourself some of this delicious soup.
No regrets, I promise.
Ingredients include: Onions, garlic, celery, lentils, and bacon.
30. Bolognese Sauce
If you’re a fan of pasta with red sauce like I am, you’ll definitely love this recipe.
Presenting an authentic recipe for Bolognese Sauce, procured by the author from where it all started, Bologna, Italy.
‘Delicious’ is an understatement for the meaty, deeply flavorful, slow-simmered sauce.
Ingredients include: Pancetta, ground beef, tomato, wine, and cream.
When I first sampled these delicious little discs of joy at a Texas Roadhouse, I immediately embarked on a quest to recreate them.
They were that good.
Now I present the fruits of that journey, Cooking Chew’s very own copycat fried pickles.
Ingredients include: Dill pickles, mayonnaise, horseradish, cajun seasoning, and flour.
32. Dal Makhani
‘Dal Makhani’ literally translates to lentil butter, but the name hardly does any justice to how delicious this dish is.
Hailing from India, it’s creamy, rich, and has an almost luscious texture to the gravy.
If you want to impress your friends with something delicious and exotic, here’s your ticket.
Ingredients include: Beans, urad dal, butter, onions, and masala.
What makes this dip unique is, like most other dips, it’s creamy; but it doesn’t contain cream.
Despite being without cream, it retains a creamy consistency and is mild and flavorful.
Ingredients include: Cashews, spinach, artichoke hearts, white miso paste, and almond milk.
Classic Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
This really easy recipe surprises a lot of people when they first hear it.
I admit, avocado and eggs are a pretty unusual combination, but it works.
The combination of sweet and savory will blend with whatever seasoning you decide to top it off with.
Ingredients include: Avocado, eggs, salt, pepper, and your choice of toppings.
Sometimes, all you need to go with a dish is the right condiment.
And what better choice to go with than old dependable ketchup and mustard?
And if you don’t like store-bought, here’s a recipe to make some on your own.
Ingredients include: Tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, onion powder, and garlic powder.
36. Home-Brewed Beer
If you’re a beer drinker, you’ll be happy to know that beer goes extremely well with grilled cheese.
And here’s a recipe to brew some beer of your own.
Once you get better at brewing, you can even start brewing ciders and meads.
Ingredients include: Dried hops, sugar, water, malt extract, and ale yeast.
The bottom line
With a wide range of food options, you can pair it with, so you don’t need to be confused about what to serve with grilled cheese.
From luscious and creamy soup to fresh and flavorful salads, the choices we’ve compiled here are a checklist for you to try, so go ahead and try them all.
More Grilled Cheese Recipes
36 BEST Grilled Cheese Side Dishes 🍞
Unsure what to serve with grilled cheese for your next meal? Here are 36 easy side dish ideas to choose from!
Ingredients
- Tomato Soup
- Air Fryer Potato Chips
- Macaroni Salad
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Marinara Sauce
- Caesar Salad
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Caprese Pesto Orzo Salad
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Broccoli Salad
- Classic Waldorf Salad
- Lentil Soup
- Mango Chutney
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Corn Chowder
- Pickled Red Onions
- Balsamic Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots
- Potato Soup
- Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup
- Tomato Cucumber & Onion Salad
- Zesty Louisiana Creole Slaw
- Easy Apple Strudels
- Poutine
- Gazpacho
- Instant Pot Chili
- Loaded Baked Potato & Toppings
- Spanish Pasta With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Southern Baked Beans
- Bacon & Lentil Soup
- Bolognese Sauce
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Fried Pickles
- Dal Makhani
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Avocado Baked Eggs
- Homemade Mustard & Ketchup
- Home-Brewed Beer
Instructions
- Have a look at our list of What To Serve Grilled Cheese.
- Choose the side dish you want to recreate.
- Start cooking your newly found recipe!
- Share your insights on our Facebook Page!