This list of summer side dishes provides you with all the refreshing recipes you could ever need for those hot summer months!
If you are looking for a refreshing summer side dish, I’ve got you covered for the rest of these sweltering hot summer months. Here is your ultimate guide to refreshing summer sides! As the sun’s warmth beats down on us, there’s nothing quite like a spread of cool, delicious, and of course Southern-inspired side dishes. Whether you’re firing up the grill for a barbecue, hosting a potluck, or simply enjoying a relaxed meal on your patio, I think this list has all the side dish recipes you need to make that delicious summer spread.
From crisp and colorful salads bursting with flavor to chilled pastas and delicious veggies, I’ve handpicked a variety of recipes that celebrate the best flavors of summer. With this variety, you’re sure to have tons of options to keep your summer meals exciting, flavorful, and filling. Enjoy!
Classic Macaroni Salad
Enjoy the nostalgic flavors of Classic Macaroni Salad. A staple at potlucks in the South, this pasta salad recipe is an easy and filling side dish!
Tomato Cracker Salad
The classic flavors of a Southern tomato sandwich combine in this quick Tomato Cracker Salad. It’s the perfect side dish for summer with refreshing and simple ingredients!
Creamy Grape Salad
Creamy Grape Salad is a refreshing dish for any crowd. Throw it together with a handful of basic ingredients – grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and pecans.
Vinegar Slaw
Shredded cabbage and thinly sliced sweet onions combine with a tangy dressing to create this tangy Vinegar Slaw.
Pesto Pasta Salad
This simple and easy recipe for Pesto Pasta Salad combines orzo pasta with basil pesto, feta cheese, onions, olives, artichokes, and tomatoes for a cool summer side that’s perfect for your next BBQ.
Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon
This Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon combines the sweetness of fresh corn with the smokiness of bacon. Throw in some red onion, tomatoes, basil, and a creamy dressing made with mayo, lemon juice, and just a little bacon fat and you’ve got a bright and colorful side dish that’s perfect for your next summer bbq, gathering, or potluck.
Easy Pea Salad
This Easy Pea Salad recipe only calls for 5 ingredients and is ready in about 15 minutes! Made with frozen peas, mayo, ranch dressing, red onion, and diced ham, it’s the perfect side for nearly any occasion.
Carrot Cranberry Salad
This recipe for Carrot Cranberry Salad swaps the classic raisins for dried cranberries and adds in pineapple, toasted pecans, and lemon for a bright, fresh, crunchy side your family will love!
Easy Broccoli Salad
This quick and easy recipe for Broccoli Salad combines the best ingredients for a no-cook side dish perfect for warm weather summer gatherings.
Secret Ingredient Fruit Salad
The perfect summer fruit salad with a surprise, secret ingredient. This delicious fruit salad is easy to make, delicious, and so refreshing.
The 1981 Salad or The 1905 Salad or The Best Salad Ever!
Whether you know this as the 1981 Salad from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ or the 1905 Salad from The Columbia, I just know it as the Best Salad Ever! With lettuce, ham, cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, it’s the bold, tangy dressing that’s the real star.
Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad
This cool, crisp, and tangy Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad is quick, easy, and was a summer staple at our house. You can follow my recipe to a T or make it your own! There’s lots of room for improvisation with this summery side dish.
Dill Pickle Coleslaw
If you’re a pickle lover, you’re going to love this quick and easy recipe for Dill Pickle Coleslaw! It’s the perfect blend of tangy and tart!
Pineapple Slaw
This Pineapple Slaw is the perfect cool and crisp side dish recipe for all your summer bbq and potlucks! The tropical flavors pair well with grilled meats and just about anything else! Plus, it’s pretty quick and easy to put together!
Aunt Mary's Pepper Sauce Coleslaw
This quick and easy coleslaw recipe has something extra to give it tang and flavor! Aunt Mary’s Pepper Sauce Coleslaw is a family favorite!
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
If you’re looking for something different to put on the table this year, try this super delicious Loaded Baked Potato Salad! With bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions, it has all the fantastic flavor of a loaded baked potato in a cool and fresh potato salad. It’s the best of both worlds!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This quick and easy Creamy Cucumber Salad is the perfect cool and creamy summer side dish! It features sliced cucumbers coated with a seasoned, sour-cream dressing.
Easy Corn Salad
This quick Easy Corn Salad recipe uses frozen corn as a shortcut to deliver delicious corn salad flavor in a fraction of the time. Corn, green chilies, green onions, tomatoes, and a creamy, tangy dressing combine to create this summer BBQ favorite!
Bacon and Blue Broccoli Salad
This Bacon and Blue Broccoli Salad recipe is perfect for those picnics and potlucks! The flavors are just absolutely amazing! One of my most favorite recipes from my cookbook, this is the perfect spring and summer side that even those who aren’t big blue cheese fans will love. The flavors blend beautifully – all that smokey bacon and the sharpness from the red onion and blue cheese!
Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
This Bacon Ranch Potato Salad features no crazy ingredients, no elaborate prep methods – just simple and delicious. It’s the perfect complement to nearly any meal, especially a summer barbecue.
