58 Must-Try Side Dishes to Serve with Ham

A beautiful glazed ham is always the centerpiece of a holiday feast or Sunday dinner But let’s be honest, it’s the side dishes that take the meal to the next level. When planning your ham dinner menu, you’ll want an array of complementary dishes that balance out the salty, smoky meat

Here are 58 of our favorite sides to serve with ham, from classic potato and veggie recipes to more unique, flavorful pairings:

Savory Vegetable Sides

Vegetables add freshness, color, and nutrients to balance heavy mains. Some classic options include:

Roasted asparagus – Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400°F until tender. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Honey glazed carrots – Simmer peeled baby carrots in broth with honey, butter, and thyme until glazed.
Creamed spinach – Cook spinach in cream and butter, adding nutmeg and Parmesan cheese for richness.
Green bean casserole – A holiday staple with green beans cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions.
Roasted Brussels sprouts – Toss halved sprouts with olive oil and roast at 400°F until crispy brown.

Creamy Potato Dishes

Let’s be real, potatoes complete any meal. Consider making:

Loaded mashed potatoes – Mix in sour cream, cheese, bacon, and chives for extra richness.
Hasselback potatoes – Slice potatoes into thin strips, brush with oil and roast until crispy.
Scalloped potatoes – Layer potatoes, cream, and cheese then bake until bubbly and golden.
Potato gratin – Sliced potatoes baked in a creamy cheese sauce for the ultimate comfort food.
Roasted fingerling potatoes – Tossed in oil and cornstarch for extra crispy roasted spuds.

Fresh, Colorful Salads

Salads lighten up a heavy dinner and add some greens. We suggest:

Cranberry pecan salad – Toasted nuts, tart cranberries, citrus, and bleu cheese over mixed greens.
Tomato cucumber salad – Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers tossed in a red wine vinaigrette.
Caprese salad – Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
Greek salad – Tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese over crisp romaine lettuce.
wedge salad – Creamy blue cheese dressing over crisp lettuce wedges, with bacon and tomatoes.

Old-Fashioned Southern Sides

No Southern-style ham dinner is complete without:

Collard greens – Slow cooked with smoked turkey or ham hocks and hot sauce.
Black-eyed peas – Simmered with ham and seasonings for luck.
Roasted okra – Oven-roasted okra tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cornbread – Baked in a cast-iron skillet with a crisp, golden crust.
Biscuits – Fluffy, homemade biscuits served warm with honey butter.

Nostalgic Casserole Classics

Some old-school casserole favorites that pair perfectly include:

Green bean casserole – The classic, with green beans and crispy fried onions.
Broccoli rice casserole – With broccoli, rice, cream soup, and cheddar cheese.
Mac and cheese – Elbow pasta baked in a creamy cheese sauce and bread crumb topping.
Corn casserole – Creamed corn, egg, cream, butter, and Jiffy mix makes this easy bake.
Squash casserole – Summer squash, cheese, bread crumbs, and butter for comfort food.

Carb-y Breads and Grains

Round out your plate with bakery-fresh or homemade breads:

Parker House rolls – Fluffy, tender yeast rolls brushed with melted butter.
Potato rolls – Made extra pillowy soft with mashed potatoes added to the dough.
Skillet cornbread – Golden cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet.
Popovers – Hollow, eggy, crisp-crusted breads perfect for sopping up gravy.
Wild rice pilaf – Nutty wild rice simmered in broth with herbs and spices.

With so many delicious options, you can serve up a different side dish combo each time you make a holiday ham. Mix and match tried-and-true recipes with new flavorful contenders to make each meal memorable.

Frequency of Entities:
ham: 14
potato: 8
vegetable: 7
salad: 6
casserole: 5
green bean: 4
roast: 4
bake: 4
creamy: 4
cheese: 4
olive oil: 3
tossed: 3
simmer: 3
bread: 3
butter: 3
herb: 3
brussels sprouts: 2
asparagus: 2
carrot: 2
spinach: 2
loaded: 2
hasselback: 2
mushroom: 1
onion: 1
lemon: 1
honey: 1
cranberry: 1
bleu cheese: 1
romaine: 1
feta: 1
biscuit: 1
okra: 1
cornbread: 1
pilaf: 1
popover: 1
gravy: 1
broccoli: 1
wild rice: 1
soup: 1
elbow: 1
crust: 1
skillet: 1
eggy: 1
spices: 1
pecan: 1
citrus: 1
cucumber: 1
pesto: 1
tomato: 1
mozzarella: 1
basil: 1
balsamic: 1
olive: 1
crispy: 1
pillowy: 1
fluffy: 1
tender: 1
hollow: 1
nutty: 1

what are good side dishes for ham

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Spiral hams are two things: Salty and convenient. Because of the first trait, they go well with everything, from fresh and green to carb- and dairy-heavy. The second means you have a lot of time to make the sides, so you can have a variety of dishes: something creamy to balance the salt, something fresh and bright to take your mind off the rich meat, and something a little fancier, like Christopher Kimball’s favorite “

With fried capers and sauce gribiche, a pile of tender, crisp spring asparagus gets a big, bold, bistro-style flavor. Sauce gribiche is a French topping made of salty capers, egg yolks, Dijon mustard, and horseradish. We used white balsamic vinegar instead of regular wine vinegar for this dish because we liked the mild sweetness of balsamic. We used caper brine instead of adding capers to the sauce, and fried the capers to make a crispy topping for the sauced asparagus.

Mashed potatoes cooked in milk: Like pasta, potatoes make a starchy cooking liquid that’s known as “liquid gold” for a reason. You get natural, creamy lusciousness by cooking the potatoes in a little milk, which you also use as the mashing liquid. No need to weigh them down with heavy cream.

Popovers Whenever our kitchen bakes up these popovers, theyre devoured ferociously. Chris Kimball calls these “perfectly popped popovers” because they are fluffy and light on the inside, with a crispy outside that tastes great with eggs. They’re pretty easy to make, but there are two things you should always do: let the batter sit, and when they’re done baking, poke holes in them.

Minty Radishes and Snap Peas Ditch lettuce for a crisper, more colorful salad. The most refreshing mix is bright green snap peas and pretty pink radishes. A minty kick makes it even better. Optional blue cheese brings a pleasant, savory funkiness to the party.

Butter-Roasted Carrots with Za’atar and Pomegranate Molasses Easter calls for carrots. We call these “magic” carrots because they’re so much better than the simple olive oil-roasted variety. By slow-roasting the carrots, we get them to be very sweet and very soft. A drizzle of butter browns in the pan, adding a nutty flavor. Orange zest and juice wake up the flavors, balanced with earthy za’atar and tangy pomegranate molasses. Crunchy pistachios add a finishing touch to create a side we are proud to present.

You can think of oeufs mayonnaise as a fancier version of a French deviled egg. They are a classic bistro dish made of perfectly cooked eggs with jam in the middle and a dollop of homemade mayonnaise on top. At Le Saint Sebastien in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, chef Chris Edwards, who is also the vice-champion of the 2021 Oeuf Mayo World Championship, showed us how to make the starters. We made our mayo the same way Edwards did. We used Dijon mustard for heat and to help the oil and vinegar mix, and we added lemon juice for a bright flavor.

Venetian Rice and Peas: “Risi e bisi,” or “rice and peas,” is a dish that people outside of Venice eat to welcome spring. It is pea-filled rice in a pale green broth that is traditionally eaten on St. Mark’s Day (April 25), but there’s no rule against enjoying it before then. It balances rich, risotto-like creaminess with broth-y soupiness, and savory pancetta against fresh, grassy pea flavor.

Cauliflower and cheese pasta sauce made in one pot with a blender. We use mild cauliflower in two different ways to make a smooth, cheesy sauce. We simmer florets in water which is later used to cook the pasta. We mix some of the florets with the noodles to change up the texture, and we blend the rest with the cooking water and oil to make a creamy sauce base that doesn’t have any cream. A big pile of rich Italian cheese gives this easy, tasty, and light take on macaroni and cheese its oomf.

Carrot salad in a French bistro: Did you know that shredding carrots makes them sweeter? This classic side dish makes the most of this fact. A touch of mellow vinegar and tarragon makes for the perfect accompaniment to your spiral ham. We kept this salad simple, but it was also tasty with chopped dried fruit or toasted nuts, so feel free to change things up and make it your own.

Adding Gouda and thyme cheese to roasted potatoes and shallots and baking them until crisp makes the dish more interesting and savory. Aged Gouda has nutty, butterscotch-y notes; manchego is similarly nutty but with some tanginess and subtle sharpness. Both are delicious here, so use whichever you favor.

Braised Leeks with Balsamic Glaze: At Valencia’s Casa Montaña, we had leeks cooked in olive oil until they were meltingly soft, then topped with a sweet-tart balsamic glaze. This is our six-ingredient re-creation of that delicious side, with browned almonds for a toasty, crunchy contrast.

If you grill asparagus with cardamom and orange, the orange and cardamom add floral and citrus notes to the grassy asparagus. The butter adds richness and makes the flavors last longer on the palate. We use two kinds of orange in this dish: marmalade makes it sweeter while adding a bit of bitterness, and the zest and juice of a fresh orange make it lighter and brighter. Flaky finishing salt provides spikes of salinity and a nice crunch.

Lemon and Green Pea Risotto: This green pea risotto is another great example of how lemon can bring out the flavors in a good dish and make it great. Cutting lemon juice and zest into a simple butter and Parmesan mix brings it to life. Peas add a sweet pop and mint makes it extra fresh.

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20+ Side dishes that go perfectly with ham

FAQ

What is the best way to serve a precooked ham?

A fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham (also referred to as a “city ham”) can be sliced and served cold or at room temperature—there’s no need to reheat it. A spiral-cut ham is delicious this way, whether eaten by the slice, tucked into biscuits, or in a grilled cheese sandwich.

What is the top side of a ham?

The butt half is the upper part of the ham. This is mostly “rump” which, in turn, makes this part more fatty but also more tender and flavorful. The shank half is the lower end, which means it is more leg and less fatty.

What side dishes do you serve Ham with?

We’ve curated a list of 60 side dishes for ham including potato sides, salad recipes, vegetable sides, and, of course, dinner rolls and buttery biscuits. Whether you’re serving ham for a holiday and want to impress with classic scalloped potatoes, or keeping it simple with creamed corn for Sunday dinner with family, this list has got you covered.

Is honey baked ham as good as regular ham?

The addition of honey will affect the calorie content of the food. One tablespoon of honey contributes to approximately 64 calories. In addition, the use of heat when making baked ham will reduce the quality of the honey.

What goes well with ham?

Creamed spinach with some sour Greek yogurt and a spoonful of white miso; your guests won’t know what hit them! This steakhouse favorite is healthy, and a total luxury too. Using only a few ingredients you’ll have a heavenly dish that pairs exceptionally well with your ham. 12. Broccolini

What to serve with ham for Christmas dinner?

If you’re serving ham for Christmas dinner, this sweet potato dish is elegant and easy. Bake the stacks with rosemary browned butter that’s spiked with cinnamon, and drizzle more on top to serve. Trust us, you’ll want to. Serve this casserole as a side at your holiday dinner or alongside ham for a weekend brunch.