Easy and Simple Summer Side Dishes

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Summer side dishes are often the best part of the cookout table. From crisp salads and grilled vegetables to creamy potato salad, baked beans, pasta salads, and fresh fruit, these easy summer sides are made for BBQs, picnics, potlucks, and simple dinners outdoors.

Three classic summer side dishes are shown: a bowl of coleslaw, a plate of corn salad with herbs, and baked beans, all arranged on a white table with kitchenware and a checkered napkin.

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When the grill is heating for juicy burgers, ribs, chicken, or seafood, these colorful sides help make the meal. Many are quick to make, easy to prep ahead, and filled with the fresh flavors of the season: sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, berries, zucchini, and herbs.

Below you'll find favorite summer side dish recipes for every kind of warm-weather gathering, from classic cookout sides to fresh salads, grilled vegetables, and simple make-ahead dishes.

Easy Summer Side Dishes for Cookouts, BBQs, and Picnics

These easy summer side dishes are perfect for cookouts, backyard BBQs, picnics, potlucks, and relaxed dinners on the patio. You'll find classic favorites like potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and pasta salad, along with fresh summer salads, grilled vegetables, corn recipes, cucumber dishes, fruit sides, and more.

A white plate displays skewers with salami, mozzarella balls, basil, and cherry tomatoes arranged in a ring around a bowl of green pesto dip, garnished with fresh herbs. A spoon rests in the dip.

Easy Salami Caprese Skewers Recipe

These Salami Caprese Skewers are a simple and delicious no-cook appetizer made with juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fresh basil, and savory Genoa salami. Perfect for summer entertaining, potlucks, or easy snacking.

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Three ears of grilled corn on the cob garnished with herbs rest on an oval white dish, accompanied by small bowls of salt, red pepper flakes, and a yellow sauce.

Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe

Learn how to make grilled corn on the cob that's sweet, juicy, smoky, and tender. An easy 3-ingredient summer side dish perfect for cookouts, BBQs, and weeknight dinners.

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A blue plate with white stars holds a vibrant salad of corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, green peppers, feta cheese, and parsley-an enticing addition to your Summer Side Dishes lineup, complete with serving utensils and fresh herbs on the side.

Easy Mexican Corn Salad

Simple summer ingredients, huge flavors. A go-to summer salad everyone loves.

Easy Mexican Corn Salad

Side view of Grilled Corn Salad with olive oil

Grilled Corn Salad with Feta

This easy Grilled Corn Salad is a delicious salad recipe, perfect for summer BBQs and picnics. A simple lime vinaigrette enhances the bright, sweet, and refreshing flavors of this chilled salad.

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Mexican Street Corn Dip

Mexican Street Corn Dip is an easy party appetizer filled with sweet corn, abundant flavor, and creamy, melty cheese.

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A bowl of fresh corn salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, chopped greens, cucumber, cilantro, and hints of grilled zucchini, served on a light wooden board with utensils and a drink in the background.

Grilled Corn Zucchini Salad Recipe

This fresh and vibrant Grilled Corn Zucchini Salad is a summer favorite, featuring sweet grilled corn, smoky zucchini, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and a tangy feta-lemon dressing. Perfect for BBQs, picnics, and weeknight dinners.

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Sautéed Corn Recipe: Cooked corn kernels tossed in basil and butter, garnished with fresh basil leaves on a white oval platter, with a wooden spoon and patterned cloth nearby.

Sautéed Corn with Basil and Butter Recipe

This simple sautéed corn with basil and butter is the ultimate late-summer side dish. Fresh sweet corn cooks in minutes, then gets tossed with fragrant basil and a touch of butter for a dish that's as beautiful as it is delicious.

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Grilled Vegetables with Burrata Cheese on a serving platter.

Easy Grilled Vegetables with Burrata

Easy Grilled Vegetables with Burrata is a centerpiece of summer grilling. With a simple balsamic glaze drizzled over delicious and slightly charred vegetables, it's a feast for the eyes and the palate.

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closeup of white bean salad in a wooden bowl

10 Minute Make Ahead White Bean Salad with a Quick Vinaigrette

If you have 10 minutes, this White Bean Salad is for you. Packed with healthy protein, this creamy salad is filled with fresh vegetables and herbs. And then dressed in a deliciously simple vinaigrette.

10 Minute Make Ahead White Bean Salad with a Quick Vinaigrette Save Recipe

Side view of Classic Potato Salad in a dark wood bowl with green onions and boiled eggs

Classic Potato Salad for Delicious Summer Cookouts

Just like grandma used to make, this summer classic always has a place at the table.

Classic Potato Salad for Delicious Summer Cookouts

A bowl of German Potato Salad with red, yellow, and purple potatoes, garnished with chopped parsley and pieces of bacon, on a striped cloth.

German Potato Salad Recipe

This easy German Potato Salad recipe is a warm, tangy side dish made with tender potatoes, savory bacon, fresh parsley, and a simple vinegar-mustard dressing. Perfect for summer cookouts, BBQs, Oktoberfest, and holidays.

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Instant Pot Potato Salad

Summer isn't summer without potato salad. This Instant Pot Potato Salad is so easy and time-saving that you will make it often. Guaranteed!

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A vibrant Green Bean Salad with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, greens, red onion, and dried cranberries is served in a bowl with wooden utensils.

Green Bean Salad Recipe

A vibrant Green Bean Salad with balsamic basil vinaigrette, juicy tomatoes, mozzarella, cranberries, arugula, and pecans. Perfect for holiday gatherings or fresh weeknight meals.

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Closeup horizontal view of homemade coleslaw in a light blue bowl.

Simply Coleslaw: The Perfectly Easy Summer Side

A summer classic dish and a perfect accompaniment for fried fish, pulled pork, ribs, fried chicken - actually, anything!

Simply Coleslaw: The Perfectly Easy Summer Side

A white bowl filled with Instant Pot Baked Beans in a rich sauce sits on a wooden board, with another bowl of beans and a sprig of herbs blurred in the background.

Smokey Instant Pot Baked Beans

Smokey Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe is the perfect side for summer BBQs or game time food. And cook in a fraction of the time. Smokey, sweet, and tender beans cooked with bacon and pure maple syrup.

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Side view of Boston Baked Beans in casserole dish on a woven mat

Easy Boston Baked Beans Recipe

This Boston Baked Beans recipe is a classic side dish perfect for BBQs, picnics, holidays, and gatherings. Unlike traditional recipes, this is an easier, quicker, and even healthier version of this summer favorite. Smokey sweet and delicious!

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Pasta Salad in a White Bowl with salami and vegetables.

Easy Summer Pasta Salad Recipe

This Mediterranean-inspired Pasta Salad is a favorite with salami, peppers, broccoli, zesty Italian dressing, and Feta cheese.

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pasta salad with shredded carrots in a blue and white bowl

Summer Easy Pasta Salad with Shredded Carrots

This family recipe always has a place at our summer table. It's easy and the kids always love it!

Summer Easy Pasta Salad with Shredded Carrots

Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad brings a taste of the Mediterranean to your table. It consists of four ingredients tossed with pasta and a pesto-based vinaigrette that adds vibrant flavor to this easy take on classic caprese salad.

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Side view of Greek Orzo Salad in a white bowl with cherry tomatoes

Greek Orzo Salad Recipe

Greek Orzo Salad is a delicious, colorful salad filled with Mediterranean ingredients like feta, olives, cucumber, and herbs, tossed in a delicious and easy vinaigrette.

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Three-quarter view of farro salad in a white salad bowl for serving.

Farro Salad with Orzo Recipe

Try this easy-to-make Mediterranean Farro Salad with orzo pasta, fresh veggies, and tangy feta. A delicious and healthy alternative to traditional pasta salads.

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A bowl of spinach strawberry salad with blueberries, raspberries, cucumber, pecans, and crumbled feta cheese sits beside a jar of dressing.

Spinach Strawberry Salad Recipe

This Summer Spinach Strawberry Salad is bursting with juicy berries, baby spinach, creamy cheese, and crunchy toasted pecans-all tossed together with a vibrant homemade Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. It's an easy, crowd-pleasing salad that's perfect for summer entertaining, from backyard BBQs to the 4th of July.

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Side view of Mediterranean Chopped Salad in a white salad bowl.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad Recipe

Enjoy a crisp and healthy Mediterranean Chopped Salad with fresh veggies, chickpeas, olives, and feta. Perfect for picnics, lunches, and summer dining.

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A large round platter with rows of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, olives, chickpeas, feta cheese, and spinach-this stunning display celebrates the vibrant flavors of Mediterranean salads, garnished with fresh herbs and edible flowers.

Mediterranean Salad Recipe

This Mediterranean Salad is a delicious, healthy, 15-minute dish with vegetables, chickpeas, feta, and Greek olives tossed with lemon herb dressing.

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Side view of Greek Salad on a white oval serving platter

10 Minute Greek Salad

Greek Salad is a perfect healthy side dish, ready in 10 minutes, and packed with 6 Mediterranean inspired ingredients. Easy and delicious!

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Side view of Chickpea Salad on a black and white plate with feta and cherry tomatoes

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (10 Minutes)

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is a healthy salad packed with delicious ingredients, ready in 10 minutes, or make ahead for picnics & BBQs!

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (10 Minutes) Save Recipe

A white bowl filled with cucumber salad mixed with sliced red onions and dill sits on a napkin, accompanied by a glass of water and a small bowl of dressing nearby.

Simple Cucumber Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing

The flavors of summer in a simple and summer side.

Simple Cucumber Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing

Horizontal view of watermelon salad in a wooden bowl with fresh mint leaves.

Smashed Cucumber and Watermelon Salad

Savor the essence of summer with a quick and easy watermelon salad. Sweet and juicy watermelon, cool cucumbers, and flavorful herbs in minutes.

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A white bowl filled with sliced red, yellow, and orange cherry tomatoes, garnished with chopped herbs, sits on a light wooden table next to a garlic bulb and a striped cloth.

5 Minute Marinated Tomatoes

5-minute Marinated Tomatoes are the best summer staple, sauce, snack, or condiment! It's made with fresh tomatoes, bright lemon juice, grated garlic, fresh herbs, and a little bit of olive oil. And yes, it's delicious!

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Side view of 3 glasses filled with Fruit Salad and garnished with fresh mint

Easy Fruit Salad

This Fruit Salad with mint dressing is refreshing and delicious for summer dining, garden parties, or when you need to bring a dish!

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A glass of cucumber soup garnished with fresh dill, a slice of cucumber, and a small piece of red onion, set on a light surface.

5 Minute Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe

This cold cucumber soup is creamy, refreshing, and full of bright summer flavor. Made with crisp cucumbers, Greek yogurt, lemon, and fresh dill, it's a quick no-cook soup that's perfect for warm-weather lunches, garden parties, or an easy elegant starter.

5 Minute Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe Save Recipe

Side view of 2 glasses of Gazpacho with cucumbers, red onions and tomatoes

5 Minute Gazpacho Recipe

This Gazpacho Recipe is an easy, utterly delicious, fresh Spanish chilled soup recipe that takes about 5 minutes to whip up, plus chilling time. And is inspired by authentic recipes served in Seville.

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Side horizontal view of two stacked squares of cornbread with butter on a white plate.

Honey Cornbread Recipe

Try this irresistible cornbread recipe made with creamed corn. It's sweet, moist, and ready in just 30 minutes. Perfect for any occasion!

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A baked tomato basil pie topped with fresh tomato slices and basil leaves, served on a white plate with a striped cloth and utensils nearby.

Tomato Basil Pie with Garlic Butter Crumb Crust

A delicious and easy pie to take to summer picnics and backyard BBQs.

Tomato Basil Pie with Garlic Butter Crumb Crust

Classic Ratatouille

A Classic French Provencal Ratatouille is a hallmark of summer. Filled with late summer veggies and fragrant herbs. An easy oven-baked dish, versatile and even freezer friendly.

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Side view of grilled flatbread with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella

Easy Grilled Flatbread Recipe

This Grilled Flatbread recipe is a delicious, seasoned dough that's easy to make in under an hour. Scrumptious with or without toppings!

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More Summer Recipes

Looking for more simple recipes to make all season long? These summer favorites are perfect for warm days, outdoor meals, picnics, and easy entertaining.

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