A collection of summer sides that are perfect for sharing with your friends and family! They’re the perfect way to embrace things that are in season during the summer or classic summer flavors your friends and family will all love!
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If I’m being honest, I prefer sides to the main dish every single time. I’d absolutely rather eat baked beans and sweet corn on the cob than a hot dog or hamburger.
Summer comes with its own set of classic summer sides that work for summer parties, backyard BBQs, summer pool parties, and more. They’re totally different than what you might serve at a fall or holiday party, so I’ve put together a collection of our favorite summer sides that includes everything from summer salads to potluck potatoes – the ones that we recommend and serve up all summer long!
All of these summer sides work for taking to a party to share or eating alongside dinner with your own family!
Easy Side Dishes for Potluck
Let’s start it off with the sides that are easy to bring to parties and share at a summer potluck. These are all easy to make for a crowd, work well to take somewhere, and are delicious of course.
Slower Cooker Cheesy Potatoes
You can’t go wrong with this delicious cheesy potato side. It pairs easily with any other dish, making it perfect for a backyard BBQ or potluck. Plus, it cooks in the crockpot, so you can spend time doing more important things.
This isn’t just your standard fruit salad, this one is filled with tropical fruits all topped with a citrus dressing that just makes it feel tropical and summery. Plus, it makes a big batch so it’s great for outdoor summer parties!
Perfectly crisp outsides with tender centers, these sweet fried plantains make a tasty summer side. Bringing fried plantains to share is unique enough to guarantee that no one else will have them, but familiar enough that people will love to eat them.
A family favorite, this mac and cheese is a great side dish to share or an easy weeknight meal. It’s hard to go wrong with mac and cheese, no matter the season, and this creamy recipe is the best.
Okay so not technically a veggie but this yogurt veggie dip pairs perfectly with any fresh veggies you might want to serve! And it’s easy to make ahead and then just add to your veggie tray the day of!
There’s really not much better than a good fresh watermelon during the summer months, except if you eat it as a salad with fresh mint and goat cheese. This is easily my favorite way to enjoy watermelon all summer long, and it’s always a hit at summer parties!
Fresh summer fruits diced up and turned into a fruit salsa dip served with cinnamon chips? Yes, please. Super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser – and way more fun than just doing a fruit tray!
Is there actually a better side for hamburgers and hot dogs than french fries? These homemade ones are super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making them the perfect complement for all of your grilled meats!
I don’t think any summer party is complete without some sort of pasta salad and this one combines fresh summer corn with delicious rotini pasta for the perfect potluck dish. It’s simple to make, has great flavor, and only takes a few minutes to toss together!
Some people might call this a dessert, but I call it a dessert salad or side dish. I’d serve it during dinner or put it out on a BBQ buffet table, so we’re calling it a side! All the flavors of a banana split in one creamy and fluffy side dish.
Summer veggies are my favorite, especially fresh from your own garden! These sides are full of veggies that are in season during the summer months so they’re as good as can be for summer parties!
Corn Succotash
It’s hard to beat fresh corn in the summer. This lightly seasoned dish makes the most of the vegetables and is absolutely delicious. It’s a great, healthy option that isn’t just a salad.
This corn salad can double as a roasted corn dip if you serve it with chips! Fresh corn is caramelized to perfection then combined with other fresh summer veggies, creamy feta, and a delicious cilantro lime dressing!
Crisp, salty bacon is the perfect pairing for fresh green beans. It’s a hearty side you didn’t know you needed this summer to balance all the sweet, fruity flavors. It’s also a great way to use up fresh green beans!
This pasta salad is inspired by one of our trips to Greece where we literally ate Greek salads every day. It’s a great thing to throw together last minute with refrigerated tortellini, fresh summer veggies, and a little salty feta to finish it all off.
Forget the mashed potatoes and switch it out for this fresh sweet corn puree instead. It’s even easier to make than potatoes and has such delicious summer corn flavor, you may want to make it all year long!
This summer salad is a great alternative to traditional pasta salad with its combination of orzo, fresh summer veggies, and a delicious pesto dressing. You can serve it with warm or chilled and it tastes just as good either way! This is always one of the fastest sides to go when we bring it!
Grab those fresh tomatoes from the garden, pair it with a little fresh basil and mozzarella balls for a summer side that’s not only tasty, it’s beautiful too!
People would much rather eat this broccoli raisin salad than a veggie tray! Fresh broccoli is cut into small pieces then topped with raisins, seeds, bacon, and a crave-worthy creamy dressing. It takes about five minutes to make and will disappear just as fast.
This homemade red cabbage slaw is the perfect way to use summer cabbage and also delicious served on top of all that summer BBQ. I personally love to put it on top of pulled pork sandwiches, but it’d really be good with anything or just on its own.
This is my all-time favorite way to use up fresh summer spinach and strawberries! It’s always one of the first things gone when I make it for parties and for good reason. You can’t go wrong with a strawberry spinach salad, especially this one.
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