From refreshing salads to simple dips, these 20 simple and delicious summer side dishes are perfect for any outdoor party or barbecue.
Summer cooking is all about making things simple, light and fresh. These 20 simple and delicious summer sides are designed for this. You are looking for the least amount of time in the kitchen and enjoy the most in the sun. Many of these summer recipes are chicken-free or require little preparation, so you can spend less time on the hot stove while relaxing with friends and family.
These dishes are our top choice. They are vibrant, delicious, and pair well with all your favorite summer power supplies, from classic burgers and juicy grilled chicken to vegetarian burgers, lads, hot dogs and ribs.
Our 20 Summers Repeated
Scroll down to get all 20 recipes. To get each recipe, click the link below the photo (or the photo itself) for the full recipe. Happy cooking! You can also check out all our side dish recipes here!
Fresh peach burrito salad
This pink salad is full of flavor and texture and has become one of my summer salads! It’s perfect for summer meals or fresh summer side dishes.
I have been repeating this fresh peach salad since peaches entered season this year. You know I love our salad recipe, but this peach and burrito salad quickly became a summer salad until I beg you to stop your work and get fresh peaches right away so you can do it!
Recipe: Fresh pink salad
Simple chickpea salad
I can’t get this simple chickpea salad with lemon juice and dill. I’ve been making this delicious salad with chickpeas for years and I fall in love again every time.
Thanks to dill and lemon vinegar, this chickpea salad has the most delicious Mediterranean atmosphere. It is super fresh, incredibly delicious, and it can be perfectly stuffed for a healthy, quick lunch or dinner (thanks to those hearty chickpeas!). Perfect for summer picnics!
Recipe: Easy Chickpea Salad
Easy Napa Cabbage Salad
We have been making this napa cabbage salad repeatedly since sharing. How easy it is to go together, it’s so delicious, and the sesame seeds in the seasoning will keep you back more!
It’s hard for me to fall for this cabbage salad, and I think you will, too. I’ve been looking for the super easy, quick play side, and this napa cabbage salad with garlic and sesame is hitting it in the park. For more classic summer cabbage recipes, see our favorite creamy coleslaw.
Recipe: Easy Napa Cabbage Salad
Quick Tomato Salad with Mozzarella Cheese
This is my favorite tomato salad recipe! Simply season tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and olive oil. It’s nothing simpler than this fresh salad. I can eat this salad almost every day, especially when seasonal juicy summer tomatoes! Use cherry tomatoes or larger tomatoes and cut into pieces.
Recipe: Mexican Cheese Quick Tomato Salad
The best capres salad
For some reason, Caprese salad with tomatoes, salt, mozzarella and basil is a summer classic. This is indeed one of my favorite flavor recipes. It is probably the easiest too.
I know I’m not the only one who sees weak knees with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. This authentic Capres salad or the well-known “instalata caprese” in Italy is a classic summer dish that never disappoints. This salad is quick. You only need about 15 minutes to eat.
Recipe: Caprese Salad
Fresh corn salad
This is the most delicious corn salad I have ever made! It’s easy to prepare but amazing. I love the sweet and brittleness of corn, with rich lime juice and crispy sheep cheese. This salad is perfect for barbecue!
You will use fresh raw corn to make it quick and easy. Plus, fresh corn remains crisp and sweet in the salad. Very delicious. I have given this salad to my friends several times and everyone is always surprised by how it performs. I also like this corn and black bean salad.
Recipe: The Best Corn Salad
Green beans and potato salad
Purple Kalamata olives and vinegar feta cheese sauce makes this potato salad and mung beans more delicious. It’s perfect for side dishes, or put some protein on top, like grilled chicken or grilled Halloumi cheese for a main meal.
Recipe: Mung Bean Potato Salad
Simple cucumber salad
This is an incredibly simple cucumber salad recipe that I really can’t stop eating. Simple vinegar seasoning is perfect, sliced and crispy cucumber!
My favorite tip for cucumber salad is to marinate the cucumber for 30 minutes before throwing away our dressing. Cucumbers have a lot of water, and my salt steps make sure your cucumber salad stays crisp and never wet. There is no water bowl of cucumber salad here!
Recipe: Easy Cucumber Salad
Simple cream potato salad
This is our family’s favorite potato salad recipe for hands, and for good reason! It’s very easy to make, uses simple ingredients and uses classic three-in-one flavored mayonnaise seasoning, which is very good and you’ll lick the bowl to clean.
We’ve been making this classic potato salad recipe for years and honestly, I haven’t found anything that goes beyond its butter and flavor balance. We love this seasoning so much that we even use it for more Herby Red Potato Salad!
Recipe: Simple Creamy Potato Salad
Strawberry fruit salad
For my strawberry fruit salad, we tossed the strawberries and red fruit into the two ingredients made with orange juice and a small amount of sugar. This fruit salad is simple, gorgeous and has an incredible taste.
Strawberries and other red fruits blend together to make it the most beautiful fruit salad ever. I love this snack, summer dishes or dessert. When feeling spirited, I like to make a batch of whipped cream or this vegan cream to serve with it.
Recipe: Strawberry Fruit Salad
Perfect avocado sauce
My family swears about this avocado sauce recipe! The best, most authentic avocado sauce starts with fresh ingredients and some simple tips to guarantee the perfect texture and flavor. All you need is avocado, onion, coriander, lime, tomato and salt. Too simple, so good!
I’m not kidding when I say this homemade avocado sauce recipe won’t last long. The whole family loved my teenage niece even made it her special dish over the years (that’s good you know!). Definitely a classic of pheasant! Don’t forget to make your own tortillas!
Recipe: Perfect Avocado Seasoning Sauce
Quick and easy pasta salad
I’ve made fresh, simple pasta salad recipes and lost the quantity so many times. This is so delicious thanks to the homemade seasoning of fresh vegetables (such as zucchini), olives, fresh herbs, mozzarella and pepper. You will like it!
My favorite pasta salad is ready in 20 minutes. Better yet, it actually gets better over time, which makes it the perfect made salad for cooking, picnics and summer parties.
Recipe: Quick and easy pasta salad
Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad
My watermelon feta salad is light, fresh, almost addictive savory flavor combination. When you see how easy it is to make it, you will make it all summer.
When watermelon peaks in summer, my family loves to buy as much as possible. Aside from enjoying the juicy watermelon wedges, we love turning them into a refreshing salad with sheep cheese and fresh parsley!
Recipe: Watermelon Salad
Broccoli Salad
We love this simple broccoli salad recipe with crispy broccoli, smoky bacon and a rich buttery flavor. It’s quick to make, simple and very delicious!
This broccoli salad recipe starts with a faint memory of what my mom would do as a kid: raw broccoli, red onions, mayonnaise-based dressings and bacon. I wasn’t the biggest fan of veggies at that time, but I remember loving her broccoli salad. For salad-style salads, try our simple broccoli salad.
Recipe: Easy Broccoli Salad
Simple couscous salad
We’ve been fascinated by this simple couscous salad for years! This is indeed one of our favorite recipes ever. Everyone loves simple lemon sauce, crispy veggies and fresh dill!
Try this recipe once and I think you’ll be as obsessed with it as we do. The seasoning for this couscous salad is so good that I have been using it all the time (see our chickpea salad and arugula couscous salad).
Recipe: Easy couscous salad
Simple bacon wrapped jalapeno
Learn how to make the easiest and most delicious jalapeno! With my recipes, you will immediately have the perfect, bacon-wrapped pop. Extra batches as they fly off the plate!
These bacon-wrapped jalapeño has a very good foam. Every day, I will buy French fries from the store and sell them at the store! Thin bacon is the secret to these incredible cream cheese stuffed pops. Its fat lowers it to the filling and chili. so good!
Recipe: Easy Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno
Grilled tomatoes and ricotta and mint
These grilled tomatoes with ricotta are perfect on the side of being used as a summer appetizer or other summer dishes. When they roast in the oven, the tomatoes release juices and the creamy ricotta tastes incredible.
This is our favorite summer recipe – simple, fast, and perfect for friends or family. Start with a large oven-safe dish – assuming this will be the same dish with tomatoes you, so if you have a nice dish, use it.
Recipe: Grilled tomatoes with ricotta and mint
Tomato basil filling chili
My family has been making these vegetarian stuffed chili for years! You will fill the bell pepper with simple but delicious tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil and bake until tender. They are incredible!
These easy-to-fill chili, juicy tomatoes, sweet garlic and fresh basil are perfect for light, fresh, healthy meals. Just make sure you have something to absorb all the cute, garlic-flavored juice left in each pepper (spraying some goat cheese on each pepper is also a good idea). I always eat these with bread (try a country bread or homemade bread bread).
Recipe: Tomato and basil filling chili
Cajun Butter Corn
My family loves this buttered Cajun corn! We cook corn in foil to ensure that the corn remains tender and juicy. Use a grill or oven!
Make the most of the corn season with this incredibly delicious Cajun corn on the cob made with very delicious Cajun butter. Once corn season is in, we have the opportunity to make this corn recipe. It’s easy and quick and you can make other recipes with the same Cajun butter, like Cajun Shrimp!
Recipe: Cajun Butter Corn
Perfect grilled Mac and cheese
Our family’s favorite roasted Mac and cheese recipe has the perfect sauce ratio, guaranteeing a cream center, all with a layer of golden bubbling cheese. This is a macaroni and cheese recipe that we’re back again and again!
A pile of cheese melts into a soft creamy sauce and toss it with pasta. Yes, please! This incredible roasted Mac and cheese is high on my favorite list. I love simple cheese sauce! Serve it with summer water favorites like pulling pork in the slow cooker, crushing burgers and grilling wings!
Recipe: Grilled Mac and Cheese
And, you have it. 20 simple and delicious summer side dishes our family can’t stop making. Happy cooking!
