30 Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
by Amanda Keefer
Time to start meal planning for the holidays! Our favorite part of any holiday feast? The sides!
There are plenty of ways to enjoy your favorite fall fruits and veggies with holiday side dishes – and easy to make them a bit healthier with a few simple ingredient swaps.
Whether you’re planning for a Thanksgiving feast or low-key Christmas dinner with your family, these side dishes will compliment your main dish well.
Here are 30 of our favorite holiday side dishes including classic holiday staples, simple vegetable recipes, festive salads and more.
30+ Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
Creamed Spinach & Mushrooms
Give the traditional creamed spinach a healthy makeover with this rich and creamy recipe. The addition of mushrooms also adds a great unami flavor.
Easy Pumpkin Soup
This Easy Pumpkin Soup is creamy, flavorful, smooth, and garnished just right with Chili Garlic Oil and roasted pumpkin seeds!
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
This healthy slow cooker mashed potato recipe is super easy to make. Adding cauliflower and Greek yogurt add flavor and nutrition to this side dish.
Balsamic Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate
Balsamic Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds is an easy flavorful side dish made with roasted butternut squash cubes, Brussels sprouts, onion and more.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Parents can breathe easy serving a side of this sweet potato casserole with marshmallows with their family dinner.
Cranberry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts
We’re in love with this healthy gluten-free Cranberry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts!
Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Traditional green bean casserole gets a healthier twist. Skip the condensed soup for a creamy, homemade sauce and top with nutrient-rich almonds for a little crunch.
Ginger Miso Acorn Squash with Toasted Pistachios
This is a Thanksgiving side that stands on its own – it definitely won’t get forgotten among all the traditional staples.
Instant Pot Carrot and Sweet Potato Mash
This easy Instant Pot recipe is perfect for beginners. It combines sweet potatoes and carrots for a delicious and colorful side dish that’s perfect to pair with any meal.
Lentil & Mushroom Stuffing
This Lentil & Mushroom Stuffing is gluten-free and chock full of goodies like mushrooms, dried fruit, celery, onion and herbs.
Caramelized Butternut Squash
With a few kitchen staples, like butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, you can turn butternut squash into a recipe that kids will ask for again and again.
Garlic Thyme Roasted Carrots
The subtly sweet carrots pair beautifully with the fresh herbs and garlic.
Pecan Rice Stuffed Apples
These pecan rice stuffed apples will be a hit at your holiday celebration. Combining fall favorites like apples and pecans, this delicious and elegant side dish is sure to add a sparkle to the dinner table.
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Pecan Streusel
These twice-baked sweet potatoes are topped with an amazing chipotle pecan streusel and are an all-time favorite for Thanksgiving!
Butternut Squash Orzo Salad
Butternut squash orzo salad is a lighter fall salad recipe with spinach, orzo, Craisins and Gorgonzola cheese, topped with a creamy maple vinaigrette.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples
These Scalloped Sweet Potatoes with apples are the perfect combination of sweet and savory in one dish.
Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing
This tasty Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing recipe creates enough for a crowd for that special holiday celebration.
Avocado Caprese Salad
The traditional Caprese salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil gets an upgrade with the addition of avocado and a balsamic glaze.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples & Pistachios
This shredded Brussels sprouts salad is tossed with a simple vinaigrette, apples, pistachios and feta for a delicious dish.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole gets a vegan makeover with a few easy ingredient swaps! This festive dish is prepped and ready to pop in the oven in 10 minutes.
Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
Roasted garlic brussels sprouts are the best, and quite frankly, only way to eat Brussels sprouts!
Asparagus Puff Pastry Bundles
Turn asparagus into an elegant appetizer or side dish using puff pastry and goat cheese to make these little bundles. Perfect for any holiday celebration!
Stuffed Mushrooms with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
You'll love these Italian stuffed mushrooms filled with broccoli rabe and sausage, the perfect festive holiday appetizer!
Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans and Carrots
This simple side dish of roasted potatoes, green beans and carrots is perfect to pair with any protein for dinner.
Thanksgiving Wild Rice Pilaf
A simple Thanksgiving rice pilaf recipe made with nutty wild rice, sweet and tangy cranberries, leeks and fresh herbs.
Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash
This simple roasted acorn squash recipe is topped with Parmesan for a cheesy and delicious side dish that pairs easily with any meal!
Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas
Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Pomegranate-this easy, healthy side dish is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Lemon Garlic Roasted Artisan Broccoli
This simple lemon garlic roasted Artisan Broccoli is the perfect side dish to pair with any meal. Artisan Broccoli, garlic, lemon juice and oil are all you need for this tasty recipe.
Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots
This maple roasted beets and carrots recipe is an easy, colorful, and healthy side dish. Perfect for your holiday table.
Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Roasted butternut squash, crisp apples, goat cheese, pecans, dried cranberries and pepitas are tossed with salad greens and a homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette for a delicious meal or side dish.
I already tried some of these and those were so good! My family so love it too! Thanks a lot for sharing!