Veggie Sides and Sauces For Your Summer BBQ
These veggie sides and sauces for summer BBQ aren’t just delicious, they make hosting so much easier. From refreshing veggies and homemade sauces, to must-have comfort foods, these side dishes are fun, tasty, and saves me a ton of time to actually enjoy my time with family and friends. They’re easy to make in large batches on the day of, or can be prepped the day before, tossed together, and served straight from the fridge. Whether you’re feeding a few friends or a backyard full of guests, these sides dishes and sauces add color, variety, and plenty of flavor to any summer barbecue!
Refreshing Vegetable Side Dishes
When the grill is loaded with burgers, ribs, and smoky barbecue favorites, the right vegetable side dishes for a backyard BBQ can easily become the surprise stars of the table! From colorful salads, grilled vegetables, to fresh seasonal recipes, these recipes are fun to eat and tasty paired with barbecue favorites like burgers. They’re all easy to make ahead, perfect for feeding a crowd, and add plenty of variety to your spread!
For more refreshing meal options, also check out my Summer Salad Dinner List for my favorite filling salad recipes!
Japanese Marinated Shiso Tomato Salad
This Japanese Marinated Cherry Tomato will give you the most refreshing pop of flavor when it’s chilled! When I was in Osaka, I had a few meals with this served as a side for a lunch set. Between bites of food straight from the grill, there’s nothing better as a palette cleanser than these tart, floral tomatoes. Infused with a soy-based plum and lemon vinaigrette and fresh shiso or perilla leaves, they are savory, but sour enough to really stimulate your appetite!
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes preferably fresh tomatoes on the vine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon plum syrup
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 4-5 perilla leaves or shiso leaves, thinly sliced
- Green onion chopped, for garnish
Miso Yuzu Asparagus
This Miso Yuzu Asparagus is a tasty, quick veggie side dish that will definitely be a hit. It is savory and aromatic, but slightly fruity. Save yourself a little chaos by making the day before your barbecue! You can make this recipe with different vegetables as well like mushrooms, okra, carrots, cucumber, and more. Another way to switch up this recipe is to put the veggies on the grill instead of boiling them. Then, you can chop up the grilled veggies and mix with the miso yuzu dressing. If you’d don’t have Yuzu Sesame Dressing, you can also use ponzu!
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and peeled
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 2-3 tbsp kai dong Yuzu Sesame Dressing
- 1/4 Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
Homemade Kimchi
Whenever I have guests, I like to do a full Korean BBQ Feast. In the summer, that can easily translate to a backyard barbecue. To go with rich, fatty grilled meats, there’s no better side dish than Homemade Kimchi. This version is fully-vegan as well! Since I make this in huge batches, I’ll usually have some last minute. Otherwise, it will take a few days of planning ahead to let it develop flavor. But, I think it’s definitely worth the wait! If you’re looking for a faster recipe, try my 1 Hour Kimchi!
- 1 Napa Cabbage 3–4 lbs
- 1/2 cup coarse sea salt or kosher salt for salting the cabbage
- 1 Carrot julienned (about 1 cup)
- 1 Daikon julienned (about 1 cup)
- 4-5 stalks chives or green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
Kimchi Paste
- 1 Asian pear or apple, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 18-20 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 inch ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 cup gochugaru Korean chili flakes; adjust for spice level
- 1.5 tablespoons miso paste or vegan fish sauce optional
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 cup water
Hearty Barbeque Comfort Foods
Somehow there’s always room for mac and cheese or a scoop of pasta salad, even after grilled steaks, ribs, and more. These hearty BBQ comfort foods are the ones everyone hopes don’t run out first! From the classic Taiwanese Grilled Corn to an allergy friendly pasta salad, these side dishes deliciously flavorful for even the pickiest eater!
Nut Free Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is always the easiest backyard barbecue side dish to prepare ahead, like this Nut-Free Sesame Pesto Pasta Salad. This pesto recipe has all the fresh, herby flavor of classic pesto without any nuts. It’s an allergy-friendly option that more guests can enjoy. The flavors get soaked in even better into the pasta and veggies the next day, so it’s great for making a day ahead. I’ve made this so many times for guests, and they’ve cleared the bowl every time. Served chilled, it will be a popular choice for any summer cookout or barbecue spread.
- 12 oz Pasta
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 2 cans Corn
- 4 stalks Green Onions
Pesto
- 4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 6-8 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup olive oil
Kimchi Mac and Cheese
No backyard BBQ feels complete without a pan of hot, cheesy mac and cheese on the table. This Kimchi Mac and Cheese gives the beloved classic a bold flavor upgrade. The kimchi adds just the right amount of spice and tang to every creamy bite. It’s the kind of comfort food that feels familiar enough for everyone to love, yet fun enough to keep them coming back. Pop this into the oven before your guests start to arrive, and you’ll have this hot and melty cheesy pasta ready to go!
- 2 cups uncooked Macaroni pasta
- 1.5 cup chopped Kimchi
- 2 tbsp Korean Chilli Paste
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Milk
- ¼ cup Butter
- 1 cup Cheddar
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ cup Panko
Taiwanese Street Corn
This Taiwanese Street Corn is an absolutely delicious (and nostalgic!) side dish option for any Taiwanese backyard BBQ. To adapt my air fryer recipe for the grill, mix the sauce together, and put the corn on the grill a little for about 10-12 minutes. At about 9-10 minutes in, start basting the corn with the sauce as it finishes grilling! The sugars in the sauce gets more of a char on the grill compared to the air frying, so it’s an absolute must try!
- 3 Corn
- 3-4 tbsp Japanese Mayo
- 1.5 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 0.5 tbsp Five-Spice Powder
- 0.25 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 pinch black pepper
Fun Sauces On The Side
No backyard BBQ spread is complete without a few homemade sauces to tie everything together. The right sauce can brighten smoky meats, add a creamy contrast to charred vegetables, or bring a burst of freshness to every bite. These finishing touches will turn a great barbecue into one guests will remember. Or, try some of my other go-to homemade sauces that I always have in the fridge!
Creamy Herb Green Sauce
Everytime I’m making fried or grilled foods, I pair it with this creamy herb green sauce. Packed with fresh herbs, this sauce uses avocado and Greek Yogurt as a base. The herbal, tart flavors cuts down on rich fats right away, so you’ll want to eat more! It goes well drizzled over meat, as a dressing for your salad, or dipped with tofu! I especially love it with Grilled Shrimp and Taiwanese Fried chicken wings!
- 1.5 cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 handful parsley
- 1-2 bunch Mint
- 1/2 Bunch tarragon
- 1 Bunch dill
- 1 Bunch chives
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 avocado
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
Mango Salsa
This Mango Salsa literally make any meal taste super tropical and bright! But, it’s actually super tasty combined with bbq favorites. Juicy mango and sweet peppers make the perfect pairing with the delicious char of grilled Miso salmon, chicken, or veggies. Make it the day before your barbecue, and the flavors blend even better!
- 2 cups chopped ripe mango
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup cucumber finely chopped
- ¼ red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeño finely chopped, optional
For the sauce:
- Lime Juice 1 lime, or about 2-3 tbsp
- 0.5 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Read More Tips on Hosting Large Family Meals with me!
