36 Christmas side dishes, plus how many to make and when

The short answer: christmas side dishes make the meal. This list has 36 sorted by type, with pairings for ham, beef and turkey.

• Formula: 1 potato or starch, 2 vegetables, 1 bread, 1 fresh dish
• For 8 to 10 guests: 4 to 5 sides
• Make-ahead sides and a Christmas Day oven plan
• Three easy recipes below
• Next step: Plan it with the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99).

Christmas side dishes make the meal. The main gets the attention, but it's the potatoes, the roasted vegetables and the basket of warm rolls that people go back for. This list has 36 Christmas side dishes sorted by type, with pairing ideas for ham, beef and turkey, a simple formula for how many sides to make, and an oven plan so everything is hot at the same time.

How many Christmas side dishes to make

A balanced Christmas dinner usually needs:

• 1 potato or starch (mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, stuffing or mac and cheese)
• 2 vegetables (one roasted, one green)
• 1 bread (rolls, biscuits or popovers)
• 1 fresh dish (a salad or a bright, tangy side)

That's five sides, which feeds 6 to 12 people. For a smaller group, three sides (a potato, a vegetable and a salad) are plenty. For a big crowd, ask guests to bring a side and keep the potatoes and the main for yourself.

Potato and starch sides

1. Mashed potatoes. The one side everyone expects. Make them ahead and hold in a slow cooker. See our full guide to mashed potatoes.
2. Scalloped potatoes. Thin slices baked in cream with garlic and thyme.
3. Potatoes au gratin. Scalloped potatoes with a cheese crust.
4. Crispy roast potatoes. Parboil, toss in hot fat and roast at 425°F until golden.
5. Duchess potatoes. Piped mashed potatoes baked until crisp at the edges.
6. Hasselback potatoes. Thinly sliced but not all the way through, then roasted with butter.
7. Sweet potato casserole. With pecan streusel or toasted marshmallows.
8. Baked macaroni and cheese. A must at many Southern Christmas tables.
9. Classic stuffing. Bread, celery, onion, sage and broth, baked in a dish.
10. Wild rice pilaf. With cranberries, pecans and herbs.

Roasted and cooked vegetables

11. Roasted Brussels sprouts. With bacon, balsamic or honey.
12. Honey-glazed carrots. Roasted or simmered with butter and thyme.
13. Green beans almondine. Blanched green beans with toasted almonds and lemon.
14. Green bean casserole. The classic, or a from-scratch version with fresh mushrooms.
15. Creamed spinach. Rich and perfect with beef.
16. Roasted root vegetables. Carrots, parsnips, beets and red onion on one pan.
17. Braised red cabbage. With apples and a splash of vinegar.
18. Roasted butternut squash. With maple and sage. Leftover squash makes a quick butternut squash soup.
19. Garlic butter mushrooms. Quick on the stove.
20. Broccoli gratin. Broccoli in a light cheese sauce with crumbs on top.
21. Corn pudding. Sweet, custardy and easy to make ahead. For a shortcut, our easy corn casserole uses corn muffin mix.
22. Roasted cauliflower with parmesan. Simple and crisp.

Breads

23. Soft dinner rolls. Homemade or bakery rolls warmed with herb butter.
24. Popovers or Yorkshire puddings. Puffy and crisp, made for prime rib.
25. Buttermilk biscuits. A Southern favorite with ham.
26. Cornbread. Plain, or with jalapeño and cheddar.
27. Garlic bread. Fast and always eaten.
28. Cranberry orange bread. Sweet, festive and easy to make a day ahead.

Salads and fresh sides

29. Winter green salad. Mixed greens, pomegranate seeds, pecans, goat cheese and a light vinaigrette.
30. Kale and apple salad. Holds up well on a buffet.
31. Citrus salad. Sliced oranges and grapefruit with mint.
32. Caesar salad. A crowd-pleaser with any main.
33. Cranberry sauce. Homemade takes 15 minutes and keeps for days.
34. Ambrosia salad. A retro favorite with fruit and coconut.
35. Deviled eggs. Not strictly a side, but they disappear at every holiday table.
36. Relish tray. Pickles, olives and raw vegetables for a crunchy, fresh contrast.

3 easy Christmas side dish recipes

Honey-glazed roasted carrots (serves 8)

Peel 2 pounds of carrots and cut them into sticks. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Stir together 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of honey and a pinch of thyme, toss with the carrots and roast 5 to 10 minutes more, until glossy and tender.

Balsamic Brussels sprouts with bacon (serves 8)

Trim and halve 2 pounds of Brussels sprouts. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, spread cut side down on a sheet pan and roast at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Top with 6 slices of crisp, crumbled bacon and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Use our recipe scaler to resize a side dish for your crowd.

15-minute cranberry sauce (serves 10)

Simmer one 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries with 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water or orange juice and a strip of orange zest. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until most berries pop. It thickens as it cools. Make it up to a week ahead and keep it in the fridge.

What sides go with each Christmas main

For the main itself, see our guides to how to cook prime rib, how to cook a ham and beef tenderloin.

Christmas side dishes from around the world

Looking for something new? Try a side from another holiday table:

• UK: roast potatoes, parsnips, pigs in blankets and bread sauce
• Germany: braised red cabbage and potato dumplings
• Italy: roasted fennel, or a seafood salad for the Feast of the Seven Fishes
• Mexico: Christmas Eve salad (ensalada de Nochebuena) with beets, oranges and jicama with homemade tamales on the side
• Sweden: Janssons frestelse, a creamy potato and anchovy bake

Make-ahead Christmas side dishes

Christmas Day is easier when half the sides are done before you wake up. These hold well:

• Two days ahead: cranberry sauce, salad dressing, cut and wash vegetables, bread for stuffing
• One day ahead: mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese (unbaked), stuffing (unbaked), rolls
• Morning of: assemble salads (dressing on the side), trim green beans, set out serving dishes with labels

Cool cooked sides quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate them within 2 hours. Reheat to 165°F before serving.

Which sides need the oven, stovetop or slow cooker

Oven space is what limits most Christmas menus, so count how many dishes compete for it. Using the sides in this list:

A good rule: no more than two dishes that need the oven while the main roasts, and bake the rest while the main rests. For the main itself, see our Christmas dinner ideas, and for something to serve while guests arrive, our Christmas appetizers.

A Christmas Day oven plan

The oven is the bottleneck on Christmas. Plan it like this:

• While the main roasts: use the stovetop for green beans, glazed carrots and gravy, and the slow cooker for mashed potatoes.
• While the main rests (20 to 40 minutes): turn the oven up and bake casseroles, roast vegetables and warm rolls. A large roast stays hot under loose foil.
• Last 10 minutes: dress the salad and fill the bread basket.

Write each dish, its oven temperature and its start time on one list. Our Christmas Budget and Gift Planner ($4.99) includes printable menu and to-do pages for exactly this, alongside its gift and budget pages. For the full meal, see our Christmas dinner menu planner.

Food safety for holiday sides

Big holiday meals mean lots of food sitting out. FoodSafety.gov's four steps are clean, separate, cook and chill:

• Clean: wash hands and surfaces often, especially after handling raw meat.
• Separate: use a different cutting board for raw meat and for vegetables and bread.
• Cook: casseroles with eggs, and stuffing, should reach 165°F.
• Chill: refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. USDA says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Keep hot sides at 140°F or above in a slow cooker or a low oven, and cold sides on ice if they'll be out for long. See how to keep food warm for a crowd for more ways to hold dishes.

Christmas sides on a budget

Side dishes are where you can save the most. Potatoes, carrots, cabbage, green beans and homemade rolls cost little per serving. Splurge on one special side, like a gratin, and keep the rest simple. Ask guests to bring a dish, and track the menu so no one doubles up. Our guide to hosting Christmas dinner on a budget has more ideas.

Save the family favorites

Every family has a side dish that has to be there. Write it down this year. Our Family Recipe Binder ($6.99) has four recipe page layouts with room for the story behind each dish. And if you want the whole season covered, our Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99, was $25.94) includes the Christmas Budget and Gift Planner, a meal planner for hosting, a sinking funds tracker and more.

Need a main to go with these sides? Our Christmas dinner ideas list covers turkey, ham, roasts and vegetarian options.

For a sweet, no-oven side, stir together our Watergate salad with pistachio pudding, pineapple and marshmallows. Need sides outside December? Browse easy side dish recipes.

Making the dressing ahead? Our homemade salad dressing recipes keep well in a jar and cover vinaigrettes and creamy dressings for a holiday salad.