Must-Have Potluck Side Dish Recipes for Any Gathering
Ready to win the potluck? You will when you tote along one of these flavorful potluck side dishes. Here you'll find classic potluck side dish recipes (and several inventive twists!) for layered salads, pasta salad, baked beans, potato salad, and much more.
Layered California-Style BLT Salad
When it comes to the best room temperature side dishes for a potluck, you can't go wrong with a layered salad. This make-and-take favorite, complete with layers of bacon, greens, and tomatoes, will be the first eaten at any party. Pile up all the vibrantly colored layers in a clear glass bowl for a salad that works overtime as a centerpiece.
Greek-Inspired Quinoa Salad with Lemon-Feta Dressing
This Greek inspired potluck side dish takes inspiration from Horiatiki—Greece's famous chopped salad. The beautiful platter is bursting with color (and nutrients!) from the peppers, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and red onions, atop a bed of spinach and quinoa.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Gouda and Crispy Pancetta
It's no secret that one of the most popular potluck side dishes is mashed potatoes. This year, why not step it up a notch? In this recipe, pancetta adds a baconlike twist to our extra-creamy mashed potato recipe. Add Gouda or mozzarella cheese for a smooth, melty flavor.
Peach and Tomato Salad
Step aside, peach desserts. Peaches make a great addition to any summer salad, especially with tomatoes, coated in a sweet and tangy balsamic-honey dressing. This toss-and-serve salad is a gorgeous option if you're looking for a cold side dish for a potluck. It's a perfectly portable option for a potluck party in the warmer months.
Classic Potato Salad
It's hard to beat a classic potluck side dish. So let's leave it at that. This super-creamy, slightly mustardy potato salad is sure to draw recipe requests at the party. Garnish with deviled eggs and paprika to really wow 'em.
Five-Bean Bake
The five varieties in this unbeatable baked beans recipe—red kidney, lima, garbanzo, butter, and pork and beans—work flavor magic alongside sautéed onions and bacon in a bath of molasses-spiked ketchup sauce for this easy side dish for any potluck.
Lemon-Rosemary Potato Rolls
When it comes to the best potluck side dishes, you can't beat fresh bread. This potato roll recipe gets its bright flavor from fresh rosemary and lemon zest. While they're warm, top with herbed lemon butter.
Roasted Beet and Radish Salad with Sunflower Seed Turmeric Vinaigrette
It may take a bit of time to assemble this salad with the Za'atar sunflower seeds and sunflower seed turmeric dressing, but it's worth it for the extra spice it brings to this impressive cold side dish perfect for a potluck. Roasted beets and radishes bring a nice earthiness to the dish.
Fresh Corn Salad
If sweet corn is in season, this gorgeous salad is a must-make potluck side dish. Fresh corn kernels, juicy cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers give this salad recipe its sweetness, while finely diced jalapeño and red onions provide tongue-tingling heat.
Classic Chopped Salad
You can't go wrong with a chopped salad, and this one just happens to be easy to make, easy to store, and even easier to devour. Why do chopped salads taste so good? By using bite-size pieces of your favorite ingredients, you get a little bit of everything in each forkful for maximum flavor. Serve cold for an easy side dish for a potluck dinner.
Ancho-Brown Sugar Baked Beans
No matter what you're serving as an entrée, baked beans are among the best potluck side dishes. They're hearty and flavorful while being one of the easiest side dishes to make and reheat. Brown sugar and molasses give this baked beans recipe richness, and ancho peppers add heat. Everyone will want a second helping of these baked beans.
Sesame Noodle Slaw
Whether you call it ramen salad, Asian slaw, noodle salad, or any other name, the combination of crunchy noodles, cabbage, and vinegar-soy dressing is a potluck side dish winner. Toasted almonds and sesame seeds give our version extra crunch and flavor.
Spicy Broccoli Slaw
Slaw is a potluck staple, and this twist on the classic version is sure to impress. Fresh jalapeno and a dash of hot sauce add some heat to what we have to say is quite an easy side dish for potluck dinner.
Deviled Egg Macaroni Pasta Salad
Deviled eggs are a potluck fave. Pasta salad is too. So imagine how quickly this best-of-both-worlds potluck side dish recipe will disappear when you set it on the table.
Italian Pesto Pasta Salad
Crank up the pesto power of this make-ahead macaroni salad by garnishing with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (two ingredients commonly found in basil pesto). Toss beans and pasta with arugula for a peppery punch to your typical potluck side dish.
Roasted Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella
Brighten any party when you arrive with this gorgeous layered pasta salad in tow. It's brimming with red and yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, and plenty of herbs and spices. Sprinkle fresh basil on top for a flavorful finishing touch. Best served at room temperature, it can be made ahead for an easy potluck side your friends will rave about.
Sweet and Tangy Four-Bean Salad
This flavor-packed four-bean salad features fresh green beans, edamame, wax beans, and red kidney beans, all in an irresistible wine-spiked sauce. It'll make the perfect side dish for a potluck.
Herbed Potato Salad
For a cold potluck side dish that's even better made a few days in advance, try this simple herbed potato salad. Olive oil and vinegar help thin the creamy dressing, and garnish it all with your favorite fresh herbs to add even more flavor.
Snap Peas, Snow Peas, and Farro with Oranges and Citrus-Sesame Vinaigrette
Snow peas and snap peas add a delicious crunch to chewy farro and juicy oranges. The citrus sesame vinaigrette pulls it all together in this dish that makes a stellar potluck side dish.
Citrus Wheat Berry Salad
This stunningly colorful salad is filled with a bounty of fruit and is sure to be a stunner of a cold side dish for a potluck. It's easy to make in advance, just cook and store the wheat berries and dressing separate in the fridge and add the fruit before serving.
Corn Salad with Queso Fresco
If you are looking for a Mexican side dish for a potluck, look no further than this corn salad with queso fresco. Fresh cut corn is combined with queso fresco, sweet peppers and red onions and then topped with a vibrant cilantro lime dressing.