Christmas side dishes are the best part of any holiday feast! Between the mashed potatoes, green beans, cheesy casseroles, scalloped potatoes, and a range of vegetable dishes, there are so many good side dishes for Christmas or Christmas Eve dinner. Here are all of the best Christmas dinner sides to make the holiday easy and delicious!
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Christmas Dinner Sides (45+ Recipes and Ideas)
Whether you’re cooking for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, your holiday dinner isn’t complete without a plethora of Christmas side dishes! Side dishes are always my favorite part of a holiday feast, so I like having plenty of recipes to choose from.
I’m talking potatoes, veggies (covered in cheese), casseroles, some not-boring salads, and all the traditional Christmas side dishes you can think of.
These sides are perfect for Christmas ham, roast turkey, honey glazed ham, prime rib roast, or whatever you’re serving for Christmas dinner.
Traditional Christmas Side Dishes
These are some of the most traditional Christmas sides you might expect to see at the table every holiday. These are great recipes to add to the menu to keep tradition alive!
- Easy Mashed Potatoes: No holiday feast is complete without mashed potatoes, and this recipe is so easy.
- Candied Yams: Thin slices of yams are coated in a buttery maple glaze and baked until they taste sweet as candy!
- Sweet Potato Casserole: Creamy sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and toasted pecans make up this classic Christmas side dish.
- Cranberry Sauce: Every Christmas dinner needs this dish on the table. The tangy, sweet flavor is unbeatable!
- Green Bean Casserole: Creamy, crunchy, and extra delicious straight out of the oven, this casserole side dish is always welcome on my table.
- Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole: This recipe has everything (vegetables, cheese, and rice) a good side dish needs.
- Creamed Spinach: This is quick to make with just a few ingredients, and pairs well with all of your holiday favorites, like a juicy holiday ham!
- Waldorf Salad: This classic salad is filled with fruit, candied walnuts, and a creamy dressing that will make you excited to eat your greens!
Vegetable Dishes for Christmas Dinner
Having some delicious (and at least semi-healthy) vegetable side dishes on the Christmas table is a must. My favorites have lots of cheese, but vegetables are vegetables!
- Asparagus Almondine: This is such a beautiful Christmas side dish idea. Let the asparagus shine with some buttery almonds for texture!
- Sauteed Carrots: Scallions, garlic, and thyme add the perfect savory flavor to this Christmas vegetable dish.
- Green Beans with Bacon: This 20-minute side dish is filled with bacon, garlic, onions, brown sugar, and a splash of bourbon for the tastiest green beans.
- Butternut Squash Casserole: Cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and warm spices create the best squash recipe you’ve ever tasted!
- Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole: Two vegetables in a creamy, cheesy coating, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs…it’s the most delicious side dish!
- Sauteed Leeks: Here’s another simple veggie side dish recipe that will fit beautifully on your Christmas dinner table!
- Zucchini au Gratin: Vegetables, rice, cheese…I think you’re starting to understand what I look for when it comes to good Christmas side dishes!
Make Ahead Holiday Side Dishes
These Christmas sides dishes can easily be made ahead of time to free up time and cooking space on Christmas day!
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes: Prepare your favorite Christmas side dish ahead of time so they’re ready to go. Just throw them in the oven before dinner!
- Green Bean and Corn Casserole: Creamy, cheesy, crunchy, and filled with plenty of veggies, this casserole is a tried-and-true side dish.
- Sausage Stuffing: Breakfast sausage, tart apples, and a mix of veggies help to make the best stuffing for Christmas.
- Scalloped Corn: You get creamed corn and whole kernels for the best texture, and there’s plenty of cheese to go around. Assemble it beforehand, refrigerate, then bake to serve!
- Mac and Cheese Casserole: Prepare the casserole up to 2 days before Christmas, then bake when ready to eat. The crispy topping tastes amazing with the creamy, cheesy macaroni!
- Sheet Pan Scalloped Potatoes: This is the best way to make a potato side dish for Christmas dinner when you have a pretty big crowd to feed.
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole: Everything you love about loaded baked potatoes (cheese, bacon, sour cream) in an easy and creamy casserole dish!
Side Dishes for Christmas Ham
These easy side dish recipes will pair perfectly with your Christmas ham–they all taste great with pork!
- Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles: Fresh green beans are wrapped in strips of bacon to make this Christmas veggie dish.
- Apple Stuffing: Apple always complements pork beautifully, so this is my favorite stuffing for Christmas dinner.
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts: I love serving brussels sprouts with ham, and this recipe makes them super tender inside, crispy outside, and it’s just so simple!
- Cucumber Salad: This fresh, crisp, and simple salad is a great side dish or starter for Christmas dinner.
- Creamed Peas: You only need a few ingredients and 15 minutes to make this quick side dish. The buttery sauce makes these peas mouth-wateringly delicious!
- Fondue Mashed Potatoes: Silky smooth potatoes and a thick, cheesy pull…you get everything with this recipe!
- Cornbread Dressing: Using buttery cornbread instead of regular bread is such a fun way to dress up your stuffing.
- Slow Cooker Velveeta Broccoli Rice: This casserole side dish is super cheesy, and it’s something you can make in your Crockpot to free up oven space!
Potato Side Dish Recipes
I’m a big fan of potatoes, and it’s hard to imagine a holiday feast without plenty of them to go around. These are the best potato side dishes for Christmas dinner!
- Au Gratin Potatoes: I just love the texture of this classic potato dish, and the creamy sauce is to die for.
- Loaded Scalloped Potatoes: Everything tastes better with bacon and cheese, so this has become my favorite way to make scalloped potatoes.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes: This mashed potato recipe is so easy to follow, and the addition of heavy cream gives them the best texture.
- Funeral Potatoes: Prep for this side dish is so quick, so you can get your potatoes in the oven without a bunch of extra steps.
- Twice Baked Potatoes: Get the best of both worlds (baked potatoes and mashed potatoes) in this classic holiday side dish.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes make a nice change, and the savory herbs make these so tasty.
- Chantilly Potatoes: This is one of the best Christmas dinner side dishes. I’m obsessed with that cheesy layer on top!
Easiest Christmas Side Dish Ideas
Make cooking Christmas dinner a little easier with these quick side dish ideas!
- Air Fryer Vegetables: Squash, brussels sprouts, and parsnips are tossed with pecans and pomegranate seeds, then cooked to crispy perfection in the Air Fryer.
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes: Just 20 minutes and a few ingredients to make these cheesy potatoes!
- Cheesy Asparagus Gratin: Tender stalks of asparagus are broiled under a blanket of thick cheese sauce, and this comes together in just 25 minutes.
- Creamed Corn: Make this simple Christmas side dish in just 10 minutes! It’s so good and so easy.
- Ambrosia Salad: This marshmallow fruit salad doesn’t require any cooking. Just mix everything together and refrigerate!
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese: This quick side dish means everyone (even the kids) will have something on the table they love.
- Honey Glazed Carrots: Warm spices make this veggie side dish absolutely perfect for Christmas dinner, and it’s so quick to make.
- Broccoli Salad: This side dish salad is filled with broccoli, dried cranberries, bacon, and a simple creamy dressing. Make it in just 15 minutes!
Now that you’ve got your Christmas side dishes all figured out for dinner, let the preparation begin! These vegetables, casseroles, potatoes, make ahead dishes, and traditional Christmas sides will make your holiday dinner just perfect. Enjoy!
More Christmas Recipes
You’ve got your Christmas side dishes sorted, now make sure you have plenty of recipes ready for all of the other celebrations you’ll be enjoying this holiday season!
Whether serving beef, turkey, or ham for Christmas, you’re going to need some sides to go with it. I like having different types of side dishes to go along with dinner: a vegetable side dish, a potato side, a casserole of some sort, and some bread!
I recommend you serve at least 3-4 side dishes on Christmas. But I think having a little bit extra is always a good idea, especially if you are going to have more than 6-8 people to feed.
Yes, there are definitely some crockpot side dishes you can make for Christmas. Try these slow cooker mashed potatoes, Crockpot sweet potato casserole, or Crockpot glazed carrots.
If you’re going elsewhere for Christmas dinner this year, lots of these sides are easy to make and bring with you. I recommend one of the casserole recipes below, since those can typically be made at home, then baked when you arrive.
