25 Christmas Side Dishes

What's better than a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potato. These oven roasted red potatoes are baked until crispy with garlic powder, then showered with fresh herbs. Perfect as a Christmas side dish!

Here’s a dreamy Christmas salad: this brilliant Pear Salad! It’s a study in contrasts: fresh, juicy pear against funky gorgonzola cheese; bright pomegranate against savory shallot. Throw in some toasted pecans and cover it in tangy poppy seed dressing, and well: it’s absolutely irresistible. 

Have you tried Smashed Brussels Sprouts? If you’re a Brussels lover, this recipe is a must-try. Boil them, smash them, then roast them with Parmesan cheese until they’re crispy at the edges. It’s like roasted Brussels sprouts taken up two notches, because the interior is creamy and smooth. 

Baked fennel makes easy and elegant side dish! Raw fennel has a crunch and black licorice flavor, making it perfect for salads. But its roasted self is something different altogether. Its flavor becomes sweet and caramelized: almost like roasted onions but even more irresistible!

Here's a vibrant Christmas side dish: Sweet Potato Salad! You won’t be able to stop shoveling in bites of this healthy side dish (we couldn’t, at least). The contrast of garlic roasted sweet potato cubes, feathery baby arugula, cranberries and creamy goat cheese hit it out of the park. Top it with tangy honey mustard dressing and well, you’ll want to park yourself in front of the bowl.

One of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook this ubiquitous orange squash is simply roasting it in a hot oven. It comes out tender and caramelized, its sweet flavor perfectly developed. It makes a lovely Christmas side dish that's mostly hands off.

This gourmet green bean casserole is a modern take on the classic! Starring fresh green beans, real mushrooms, and Parmesan, it's topped with a fun crunchy variation: sour cream and onion potato chips!

Here's a stunning Christmas side dish that highlights the colors of the season: Pomegranate Salad! Crunchy pomegranate seeds make a beautiful confetti over the top of leafy greens. Add tart green apple slices, toasted pecans, and goat cheese or feta crumbles, and it’s a true symphony of flavor.

These braised vegetables taste like they’ve been roasting under a chicken all day long! While they’re plant based and healthy, they’re bursting with flavor that takes cozy to the next level. These braised veggies are the perfect side dish for Christmas, with the jewel toned purple onion and orange carrot.

These creamy, dreamy mashed potatoes are scented with the sweet aromatic flavor of roasted garlic. It’s milder and more luxurious than the typical pungent bite of the raw stuff. Mix it together with creamy Yukon gold potatoes and a bit of Parmesan cheese, and it’s truly something magical. 

Here’s a rich and delicious Christmas side dish that will have everyone talking about it: this perfect Brussels Sprout Casserole! Because what’s better than making Brussels that taste like mac and cheese? Bake up those tender sprouts with a rich and creamy white cheddar cheese sauce, then top it with crunchy breadcrumbs toasted until they’re golden brown.

Looking for a whole grain Christmas side dish? This farro with mushrooms is bursting with flavor from the savory mushrooms, garlic, and fresh thyme and oregano. Add a spritz of fresh lemon juice and some grated Parmesan cheese and well, its pretty heavenly.

Here’s a fantastic Christmas side dish that’s about as quintessentially cozy as they come: Mashed Butternut Squash! The flavor is bold and sweet, with a nutty undertone. Sage, butter, and Parmesan cheese make the baked butternut squash sing! Mash it with a potato masher or even better: whip it for a light and fluffy Butternut Squash Puree. 

Here’s a green salad idea that’s flavorful and versatile: arugula beet salad! It features jewel-toned roasted beets with baby arugula, all covered in a zingy citrus vinaigrette. Add thin-sliced shallots and toasted walnuts, and it tastes sophisticated with minimal effort. You can use Oven Roasted Beets or purchased pre-cooked beets.

Here’s a lovely side dish that’s simple and flavor-filled: Garlic Butter Steamed Potatoes! This recipe is ideal with new potatoes or baby potatoes, those lovely small potatoes with a rich, buttery texture. Even better, use a potato medley for a variation in color of golden, bright red and bold purple. Throw them together with butter, garlic and parsley, and you’ve got a quick side dish that everyone will go crazy for. 

These mashed sweet potatoes are creamy and delicious: the ideal side wish for any Christmas main! Adding some Yukon gold potatoes to the mix makes for a texture that sets up like mashed potatoes and an even more buttery flavor.

A hot oven makes magic with just about every vegetable; here it turns green beans into a tender, caramelized version of themselves. Add a spritz of lemon juice and a sprinkle of toasted almonds, and it’s an easy yet gourmet side dish. 

There’s no root vegetable we love more than the sweet potato. It’s easy, deliciously tender, and easy to load toppings as a tasty side. This baked sweet potato recipe makes spuds that are perfectly tender with delicious moist orange flesh, ideal as a side dish for Christmas alongside roast chicken or fish.

These roasted mushrooms as the ideal elegant side dish for Christmas! They're tender and meaty, topped with a spritz of lemon and showered with fresh herbs. No one will be able to resist them!

Brussels sprout salad is perfect for the holidays! The raw greens aren’t bitter at all: they’re sweet and feathery, with irresistibly fresh flavor. Combine them with a sweet and tangy Djion mustard dressing, apples, and dried cherries, and they’re pretty darn perfect.

Try these easy roasted carrots! They come out tender, lightly charred, and sweetly earthy. Roasting them with lemon wedges gives a brightness of flavor, and fresh thyme sprigs add a hint of complexity. 

These Brussels sprouts are so crispy, you’ll think they were fried. But they’re baked! They’re baked until impossibly crunchy, then tossed with a balsamic and honey sauce that brings in the tangy and sweet notes.

Why not turn this bright orange root vegetable into a baked good? Try these Sweet Potato Muffins! Adding mashed sweet potato to baked goods makes them deliciously moist. These tall, fluffy muffins are perfectly cinnamon spiced and the ideal Thanksgiving side dish.

Also try: Sweet Potato Bread

Here's a festive Christmas side dish: Fennel Orange Salad! It features the famous pairing of juicy oranges and sliced raw fennel, which adds a subtle licorice essence. Throw it over greens with a few garnishes, top with a zingy homemade citrus vinaigrette, and wow! There’s so much going on flavor and texture-wise, it’s one of the most unexpectedly delicious salads.

Last up in these Christmas side dishes, Roasted Sweet Potatoes! This is one of the best ways to cook a sweet potato and it makes the pairing for just about any main dish. Dice them up, season with care, and roast until they’re browned and caramelized on the outsides.