25 Amazing Side Dishes To Serve for Christmas

The prime rib roast or a spiral-cut ham may take center stage at your holiday table, but the Christmas side dishes are what most of us remember when we sit down with friends and family in our own home or theirs.

Planning, preparing, and cooking a holiday meal can become overwhelming. Still, most of these Christmas side dishes lend themselves to making ahead, which allows you to also enjoy your time with your friends and family, in addition to cooking for them.

While getting back together with ones you love this year, let us focus on making your time in the kitchen easier and full of flavorful dishes everyone will enjoy.

1. Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

Get Recipe: Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

Contributor Kayla Hoang says, "For this recipe, use Parmesan that’s been grated into a very fine, pebbly texture."

2. Salted Honey Dinner Rolls

Get Recipe: Salted Honey Dinner Rolls

Senior Editor Myo Quinn says, "I prefer to bake bread rolls in a light-colored metal cake pan because they heat up and cool down quickly. This gives the rolls a chance to brown evenly and cook through at the same time."

3. Cranberry Sauce

Get Recipe: Cranberry Sauce

The wonderful tartness of a homemade cranberry sauce is unlike anything from a can. The deep, red color and rich, thick consistency are just what your holiday meal needs. You may need to make a double batch.

4. Grandma’s Corn Pudding

Get Recipe: Grandma’s Corn Pudding

Senior Editor Sara Bir says, "Corn pudding is best, I think, when it’s warm rather than hot. Its texture and flavors are more cohesive after a rest. If you are serving it at a big holiday meal, that shouldn’t be a problem, since by the time all of the food hits your plate, very little of it is piping hot."

5. Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Get Recipe: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roast some garlic and ensure your overflowing bowl of mashed potatoes is spotless when you—or hopefully, someone else—is clearing the table. The garlic gives a slight sweetness and an extra layer of roasted flavor to the potatoes. Be sure to warm the butter and cream and mash the potatoes when they’re hot for the perfect mashed potatoes. It might even be the dish that outshines the stuffing this year.

6. Homemade Gravy

Get Recipe: How to Make Gravy

A good gravy is even better when it’s this easy to make. In the time it takes to call everyone in for dinner, you’ll have this silky pan-drippings gravy finished. The only thing left to do will be to carve the roast. Make sure you keep a little extra in the kitchen, just for you.

7. Popovers

Get Recipe: Popovers

Flavored with herbs, cheese, or kept plain, these tender and crunchy popovers can be made a day ahead and quickly reheated to save you both time and oven space. And if there are any leftovers, dole out a bit of fig jam overtop the next morning to enjoy with your morning coffee.

8. Green Bean Casserole

Get Recipe: Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

The best part about this dish? You can make the mushroom and green bean mixture a day ahead if you need. This is bound to be one of those recipes handed down, across, and over to all of your family members and guests.

9. Sausage, Sage, and Cornbread Stuffing

Get Recipe: Sausage, Sage, and Cornbread Stuffing

Here’s a gluten-free stuffing that’s both traditional and flavorful, and can be made several days ahead. Fair warning though: Keep it under lock and key because it will be hard to resist eating until the big day. If you’re feeling especially ambitious, you could make your own Italian sausage. Or even swap it out with a traditional breakfast sausage.

10. Cider Vinaigrette Roasted Root Vegetables

Get Recipe: Cider Vinaigrette Roasted Root Vegetables

Turn on the oven, cut the vegetables, season, and spread them on a pan. Yes, that’s it—and it truly tastes like you’ve done so much more.

11. Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Get Recipe: Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

If you need an alternative to traditional mashed potatoes, settle in with the bourbon, brown sugar, and vanilla. These ingredients benefit from their complementary flavor profiles, almost like savory baking spices. And stick with the bourbon—other spirits don’t possess the same roundness of flavor that bourbon does. And if you have any bourbon leftover, you couldn’t choose a better after-dinner drink than an Old Fashioned.

12. Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions

Get Recipe: Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions

Founder Elise Bauer says, "Several chefs I questioned about the bitterness suggested blanching the rabe first to take the edge off the bitterness. So I've done that here, though if you like the bite of rabe, or you are working with tender young plants, you can skip that step."

13. Too-Much-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Get Recipe: Too-Much-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph says, "If you’re a garlic fanatic, I encourage you to stick to the recipe. I served these mashed potatoes to my neighbors and everyone loved them, so you’ll find them surprisingly crowd-pleasing. However, it’s easy to adjust the garlicky-ness. You can leave out any of the garlic preparations and still make tasty mashed potatoes."

14. Creamed Spinach

Get Recipe: Creamed Spinach

Creamy greens are impossible to resist. Add a touch of nutmeg, and it’ll bring back memories of when your Gran made it. This version becomes even more interesting with a dollop of mustard to round out the rich flavors. And there’s the added convenience of using either fresh or frozen spinach.

15. Lion House Rolls

Get Recipe: Lion House Rolls

Now, who doesn’t want layers of cloud-like, buttery rolls just waiting to be unfurled at the holiday table? You’ll surprise yourself on how easy these are to make, and you’ll no longer wait for a special occasion to make them again. Rolls are convenient to make because while the dough is rising, other dishes can be prepared in the meantime.

16. Maple Glazed Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

Get Recipe: Maple Glazed Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

Smooth, creamy squash and charred sprout leaves cannot get any better than this, can it? Well, not until you add little pops of pomegranate seed sweetness. A bit of maple syrup with apple cider vinegar for balance, and you’re all set for a new staple at your holiday table. Substitute acorn or butternut squash, if that’s what you have on hand. And some woodsy herbs like rosemary or sage will provide a base note of flavor.

17. Sweet and Sour German Red Cabbage

Get Recipe: Sweet and Sour German Red Cabbage

Founder Elise Bauer says, "This recipe calls for half a head of thinly sliced red cabbage. The best way to prepare it is to cut the head of cabbage in half through the core, then cut one of the halves in to quarters (save the remaining half for another recipe). Then thinly slice the cabbage from the top down to the core."

18. Potatoes Au Gratin

Get Recipe: Potatoes Au Gratin

A traditional go-to dish, there’s so much simple pleasure in this dish. But if you’d like, swap out the gruyere for a sharp cheddar or smoky gouda. And a little bit of rosemary added along with the thyme will broaden the flavor of herbs throughout. And by blanching the potatoes in the cream, you cut down on preparing the sauce and you’re halfway to a finished dish.

19. Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme

Get Recipe: Green Beans With Almonds and Thyme

A standby dish that is quick and varied in textures. The earthy flavor green beans pairs well with additions like bacon and sautéed shallots. Feel free to swap the almonds with walnuts or pecans.

20. Vegan Mushroom Stuffing

Get Recipe: Vegan Mushroom Stuffing

Contributor Devan Grimsrud says, "I call for mixed mushrooms in the recipe, meaning a mix of your favorites (think button, cremini, portobello, chanterelle, oyster, maitake, beech, or shitake). If you’d prefer to use one type, I recommend button or cremini."

21. Crispy Hasselback Potatoes

Get Recipe: Crispy Hasselback Potatoes

Whether it’s Yukon Golds, Russet, or even sweet potatoes, these spuds will all crisp up well around the edges! And their buttery, creamy insides are just the contrasting textures that your guests will crave.

22. Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

Get Recipe: Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

Casseroles are a hit with your guests, and one that is this easy to prepare will make it a hit with you, as well. Simply seasoned with cheeses and spices, it is loaded with layers of flavor. This dish is adaptable to using different vegetables, such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, as well as a variety of melting cheeses—although it’s advised to buy your cheese whole and grate it yourself.

23. Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Get Recipe: Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan

Charred tips of broccoli florets are enhanced by the bright, sharpness of the lemon juice. The parmesan adds the right amount of saltiness to bring out all the flavors in such a straightforward dish. Right after the holiday roast comes out of the oven, this is a quick and easy dish to cook while the rest of the meal comes together.

24. Butternut Squash with Walnuts and Vanilla

Get Recipe: Butternut Squash with Walnuts and Vanilla

Packed with floral scents of thyme and vanilla, contrasting textures between the walnuts and squash, and a slight warmth from the grated ginger, this is a unique dish which works quite well with the other dishes that are at most holiday tables. You can swap the thyme with an herb like rosemary, and even add a dusting of dried chili flakes for additional warmth.

25. Trinidadian Macaroni Pie

Get Recipe: Trinidadian Macaroni Pie

Contributor Alicia Ramkirpal-Senhouse says, "You can find pimento peppers for this recipe at West Indian supermarkets, specialty markets, and some grocery stores. If you can’t find them, cubanelle peppers would be a good substitute here."

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