The best Christmas dinner side dishes make the whole plate worth coming back for, whether the centerpiece is ham, turkey, or roast beef. This collection brings together 15 recipes from my kitchen, with creamy potatoes, colorful vegetables, Southern favorites, soft dinner rolls, and a sweet-tart cranberry finish. Pick a few that complement your main dish and fit the equipment you have. A holiday menu works better when every pan does not need the oven at the same moment. Below, you'll find the recipes grouped by what they bring to the table, followed by menu combinations and practical make-ahead notes.
Jump to: potatoes · vegetables · Southern favorites, dressing, and rice · salad, rolls, and cranberry sauce
Christmas Potato Side Dishes
Start with the potato dish your family looks forward to most. Mashed potatoes leave room for gravy, scalloped potatoes bring tender layers and cream sauce, and sweet potato casserole adds a buttery pecan crunch.
Homestyle Mashed Potatoes with Evaporated Milk
These homestyle mashed potatoes combine russet potatoes, warm evaporated milk, and melted butter for a creamy side dish. A cold-water start, thorough draining, and gentle mixing help the texture turn out right.
Scalloped Potatoes
Thinly sliced potatoes bake in a seasoned cream sauce until tender with a golden top.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Streusel Topping
Smooth sweet potato filling, vanilla and cinnamon, and a buttery brown sugar pecan streusel make this casserole a sweet companion to a savory holiday meal. It serves 12 and starts with well-drained canned sweet potatoes.
Christmas Vegetable Side Dishes
Give the table some variety in color and texture. Choose between a creamy green bean casserole and garlic butter green beans, then consider glazed carrots, slow-simmered collards, or roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
Crunchy Green Bean Casserole
This easy crunchy green bean casserole combines tender canned green beans, creamy mushroom soup, savory seasonings, and extra French fried onions in a 45-minute holiday side dish.
Honey-Dijon Glazed Carrots with Bacon
Carrots meet a honey-Dijon glaze, bacon, garlic, and thyme in this colorful skillet side.
Southern-Style Collard Greens
Southern-style collard greens simmer with smoked ham hocks, sweet onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar until tender. Includes a smoked turkey option and Beautiful multi-cooker instructions.
Sautéed Garlic Butter Green Beans
Fresh green beans cook with garlic and butter for a savory side that fits a holiday meal.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts and cauliflower roast with a buttery cracker-crumb topping.
Southern Favorites, Dressing, and Rice
These sides make a holiday plate feel generous. The macaroni cooks in a slow cooker, the corn has a creamy sauce, and the dressing includes roasted turkey. Orange cranberry pilaf offers a citrusy alternative to another potato dish.
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Elbow macaroni cooks in the slow cooker with milk, sharp cheddar, and American cheese.
Creamed Corn
Tender corn kernels in a rich cream cheese sauce, with fresh or frozen corn options and stovetop, slow cooker, multi-cooker, and casserole directions.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Southern cornbread dressing with turkey combines dried, non-sweet cornbread, roasted turkey, buttery vegetables, saltines, and cream of chicken soup for a moist center and golden-brown top.
Orange Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Rice and orzo combine with orange, dried cranberries, almonds, and herbs.
Salad, Dinner Rolls, and Cranberry Sauce
Finish the menu with something crisp, something to pass around the table, and a little sweet-tart flavor. The spinach salad, buttery yeast rolls, and cranberry sauce each fill a different spot on the plate.
Apple Pecan Spinach Salad
Fresh spinach, apples, pecans, and cheese come together with a white balsamic dressing.
Homemade Yeast Rolls
These homemade yeast rolls bake up soft, fluffy, and golden with a tender enriched crumb and a buttery finish. The dependable active-dry-yeast recipe makes 20-24 rolls for holidays, Sunday dinner, and leftover sliders.
Easy Baked Cranberry Sauce with Orange Marmalade
Fresh cranberries bake under a tight cover, then get stirred with sweet orange marmalade and lemon juice. A chunky, sweet-tart sauce with 5 minutes of prep and a make-ahead finish.
What Sides Go with Christmas Ham, Turkey, or Roast Beef?
With ham: try scalloped potatoes, garlic butter green beans, apple pecan spinach salad, and yeast rolls. The salad gives you a crisp contrast to the potatoes and the savory main dish.
With turkey: build around homestyle mashed potatoes, Southern cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Add the sweet potato casserole if a sweet side is part of your family's tradition.
With roast beef: pair mashed potatoes with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, glazed carrots, and rolls. If your oven is occupied by the roast, consider collard greens instead of the roasted vegetables.
These are menu suggestions, not a list of everything you need to cook. For a smaller gathering, choose a potato or rice dish, a vegetable, and rolls; add another favorite when your guest count and oven space make it practical.
Christmas Sides You Can Prepare Ahead
Sweet potato casserole: the source recipe allows the filling and streusel to be prepared separately up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Add the topping before baking, and follow the recipe's doneness cues for a chilled casserole.
Cranberry sauce: make it ahead so it has time to cool and chill. It is served chilled, which takes one last-minute cooking job off the dinner schedule.
Yeast rolls: the recipe includes baking, cooling, and storing the rolls ahead, as well as freezing instructions. Follow those directions if you want to avoid managing two dough rises on Christmas Day.
Green bean casserole: prepare the filling ahead according to the recipe, but reserve the final fried-onion topping for baking. That final layer is what gives the casserole its crunch.
Plan the Oven Before You Plan Another Casserole
Write down each recipe's temperature, baking time, pan size, and resting time before settling on the menu. The roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower use a much hotter oven than the scalloped potatoes, so they need separate time in the oven. Do not assume every side can bake together just because it fits.
Use the slow-cooker macaroni and cheese to free oven space, but follow its cooking schedule rather than treating it as an all-day holding dish. The mashed potatoes and stovetop creamed corn offer other ways to spread the work across your kitchen.
Allow for the work that happens before a recipe's final bake. The cornbread dressing needs dried cornbread and cooked turkey, and the collard greens need a long simmer. Check the full source recipe before adding either to a last-minute menu.
Check Portions and Guest Preferences
Use each recipe's stated yield to plan quantities, and consider how many other dishes you are serving. A large holiday spread usually calls for smaller portions of each side than a dinner with just one or two accompaniments.
Check ingredient lists with guests before shopping. Some vegetable sides include bacon, ham hocks, or broth, and the dressing contains turkey. Pecans, almonds, dairy, and wheat also appear across this collection; a vegetable in the title does not establish a dietary label.
More Ideas for Your Christmas Table
For the centerpiece, pair these sides with herb-butter roasted turkey. If you are serving dressing or greens, Southern buttermilk cornbread is another useful recipe to keep nearby.
Christmas Side Dish FAQs
How many side dishes should I make for Christmas dinner?
Start with one potato or rice dish, one vegetable, and bread. For a larger gathering, add another vegetable, a favorite casserole, or cranberry sauce. Let your guest count, recipe yields, and available cooking space guide the final menu.
Which sides help when the oven is full?
The slow-cooker macaroni and cheese, stovetop mashed potatoes, and stovetop creamed corn spread the cooking across different equipment. Apple pecan spinach salad and chilled cranberry sauce also avoid competing for oven space at serving time.
Do I need both dressing and potatoes?
Only if your family enjoys both and the menu has room for them. Rice pilaf can take the place of potatoes, and rolls can provide the bread element when you choose to skip dressing.
Which side dish always earns a place on your Christmas table? Leave a comment below, and join my email list for more recipes from my kitchen.
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