BBQ ribs are a popular choice for summer cookouts, and can also be prepared year-round using your oven or favorite cooking device. But what to serve with ribs? Today we answer that question for you with a collection of the 50+ Best Side Dishes to Serve with Ribs! Our recipe roundup includes pasta salads, mac & cheese, potato salad, vegetables and much more.
In recent years, our Boneless Baked Pork Ribs has emerged as the most popular recipe here on Cooking Chat. Perhaps it’s no surprise as it is also one of the easiest! Our pork ribs recipe uses quick cooking country style ribs, and cooks in the oven in just about 20 minutes.
With hundreds of people visiting our pork ribs recipe every day, it is about time we delve into what to serve with ribs! Whether you are making our baked pork ribs recipe or your own favorite BBQ ribs, we’ve got the best side dishes for you!
I have examined over 100 suggestions from my fellow bloggers to pick this best side dishes to go with ribs. Pick out a few of these tasty side dishes and take your rib dinner to a whole new level!
If you are looking for a barbecue sauce recipe or some other ideas for your basic ribs recipe, we’ve got you covered there, too. You’ll find these collections after we cover the side dishes for ribs. Use the navigational bar to get to the section of interest, or check out all 50 recipes we have!
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Potato Salad
Let's kick things off with a classic for backyard barbecues! We've put together a collection of potato salad recipes that range from traditional preparations to creative interpretations.
Cajun Potato Salad is a creamy and robustly flavorful version of everyone’s favorite cookout side dish with a spicy kick. A 30 minutes recipe!
This roasted corn and bacon red potato salad is the perfect side for your next BBQ! This potato salad goes with so many different proteins, from ribs to chicken.
This Award-Winning Pierogi Potato Salad is perfect for summer or any time of year and a simple and unique take on potato salad.
This simple mayo-free Italian potato salad recipe includes fresh & dried oregano, olive oil, & red wine vinegar. A Calabrian family favorite!
If you’d like a change from the typical mayo-laden sides, check out this tasty Green Bean and New Potato Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette.
This red skin potato salad recipe has all the good fixings, including bacon, celery, and dill pickle, and is the perfect addition to any lunch or dinner spread.
Cook potatoes and eggs together in a single pot to make Instant Pot potato salad with eggs. Done in under 30 minutes with minimal clean-up!
This herbed potato salad has no egg, no mayo and is naturallygluten-free, with a delicious preserved lemon and mustard dressing.
Beans
I definitely think of beans alongside pork ribs and other BBQ! Here are some of our favorites plus some I plan to try from some blogger friends. I was thinking of legumes when creating this group, but did add one recipe using green beans to expand your options!
Instant Pot Baked Beans are the perfect easy side dish to go with BBQ!
We love black-eyed peas! Cooked here with collard greens, we enjoy it with pulled pork as shown, as well as ribs.
This recipe for instant pot black eyed peas is simple and easy with no soaking required! It’s the perfect classic southern comfort food.
Melt-in-your-mouth tender green beans simmered for hours and served drizzled in butter and topped with crispy crumbled bacon…yes these Southern Green Beans are the perfect addition to any dinner.
Pasta
Pasta salad, mac & cheese and other pasta dishes can be the perfect side for your pork ribs meal. Check out these recipes for inspiration!
There is no better side for pork ribs than mac and cheese, and you owe it to these delicious ribs to make a killer pepper jack mac!
This orzo pasta salad is a great side dish. Perfect for bringing along to a cookout or summer potluck!
This Bacon Bowtie Pasta Salad is the perfect addition to a backyard barbecue. Its creamy sauce compliments BBQ ribs. It's served cool so it's ready to grab out of the fridge at mealtime.
This Macaroni Salad Recipe will become a go-to favorite side dish for any occasion! Made with elbow macaroni, celery, carrots and a few secret ingredients, it easily comes together.
Full of fresh herbs and pickled veggies, this Asian noodle salad recipe is so light and refreshing, making it the perfect side to balance rich pork ribs.
An easy to make pasta recipe from Southern Italy that is delicious cold or warm as a side dish with meat or fish.
Tortellini pasta salad with spring greens, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and more! This simple side dish is a hybrid of a regular green salad and a pasta salad recipe for the ultimate refreshing, brand new take on pasta salad.
Salads and Slaw
You need some vegetables along with the meat! Here we provide you vegetable salads and coleslaw recipes to serve with BBQ ribs.
This Zucchini Tomato Basil Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is a light and refreshing summertime salad and the perfect summer BBQ dish, especially when your garden is exploding with tomatoes, basil, and zucchini in the later summer months.
Need a refreshing side to pair with pork ribs? Fix this crunchy red cabbage coleslaw with carrot, apple, jalapeno, cilantro & green onion. It's mixed with a tangy & slightly sweet apple cider vinegar dressing that contrasts beautifully with the richness & sweetness of the ribs.
Baby Kale Salad recipe features the tender, healthy greens tossed with a maple vinaigrette for a touch of sweetness.
Specifically created to go with BBQ, this No Mayo Coleslaw recipe is the perfect middle ground between creamy, deli-style coleslaws and tangy vinegar slaws. Even better? It only takes about 5 minutes to toss together!
Mexican Corn Salad Recipe combines fresh corn kernels, jalapeno, scallion and spice. Add fresh lime and cojito cheese and every spoonful is bursting with flavor.
This avocado mango salad is a perfect exotic side dish to go along with barbecue.
This quinoa salad is colorful and packed with flavor! Fluffy quinoa mixed with chopped spinach and lots of veggies tossed together in a light and refreshing lemon vinaigrette!
This Spaghetti Squash Salad is so good with the perfect amount of zesty dressing. It's easy to make and so good that even people who aren't squash lovers like it!
https://flavorthemoments.com/vinegar-coleslaw-recipe/
Enhance your rib feast with this delicious side dish: Zucchini and Corn Sauté with Bacon! The combination of tender zucchini, sweet corn, and crispy bacon creates a delightful medley of flavors that perfectly complements your juicy ribs.
Broccoli Salad is a fast, delicious, classic salad recipe everyone loves! Sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy salad full of fresh broccoli, bacon, sharp cheese and more in a sweet-tangy dressing!
As the weather gets warmer easy pasta salads are the perfect addition to picnics and summer get togethers. This Italian Pasta Salad is always a crowd favorite loaded with chickpeas, artichokes, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, salami, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Creamy Coleslaw with Tart Cherries, Blue Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts
Creamy Coleslaw with Tart Cherries, Blue Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts is as easy to make as regular coleslaw, but with way more flavor!
This easy cherry tomato salad makes a delicious summer side dish that partners brilliantly with barbecued and grilled meats. You'll find pops of sweet cherry tomatoes, loads of fresh herbs, crunchy celery and just the right amount of salty, smoky bacon.
This easy cabbage dill coleslaw is fresh, bright and crunchy. Serve it as a side for your meat or use it as part of a sandwich!
Cornbread and sweet potatoes
Cornbread and Sweet Potatoes
Gotta have some corn bread options to go with BBQ pork ribs! I added sweet potatoes to this category, too, so I could share with you one of my best side dishes ever!
Want a hearty side dish to pair with ribs? Fix a quick & easy batch of honey cornbread muffins in less than 30 minutes. They're tender & slightly sweet and pair perfectly with meaty main dishes.
I’d have to say this Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cumin Sage Butter is one of our favorite side dishes, maybe number one. You’ve got the sweetness from the potatoes balanced by spice, along with the savory butter. Just be sure to serve it with some good ribs so it doesn’t steal the show!
Delicious Moist Buttermilk Cornbread that is so soft and fluffy!
An easy side dish made on the barbecue! Grilled sweet potato fries are sweet and salty, with a perfectly tender and fluff inside and crispy outside. Keep the skins on and cut them into wedges for the perfect sweet potato fry on the grill.
Spicy Sweet Potato Fries and Cilantro-Lime Dipping Sauce
These spicy sweet potato fries are baked with an easy trick that makes them come out of the oven extra-crispy! Served with a creamy cilantro-lime dipping sauce.
Other Vegetables
Salads and slaw might be a classic way to get your veggies along with ribs, but we have some other vegetable recipes for you to consider as a side dish, too.
Seasoned simply with olive oil and spices, these grilled potato wedges feature crispy edges and a soft, tender middle. They’re great for summer cooking and a side dish that goes ribs and almost anything off the grill.
Sautéed Arugula with Red Bell Peppers and plenty of garlic is a tasty and easy vegetable side dish. Delicious with chicken, fish or ribs.
This delicious grilled broccolini recipe is made with just 5 ingredients and it can be finished in less than 15 minutes. Fresh broccolini is tossed with olive oil, lemon, red pepper flakes, and salt, then charred on the grill.
These corn riblets are a delicious and easy way to enjoy corn on the cob. Simply chop the corn into riblets, coat them with a flavorful spice mixture, and bake until crispy. Serve them with a smoky dipping sauce for a crowd-pleasing side dish for your pork ribs.
Don’t toss out those leek tops! This Sautéed Leek Greens with Bacon recipe shows you a delicious way to enjoy this too often discarded part of a leek plant.
Lidia’s Swiss Chard Potatoes recipe is a creative alternative to typical mashed potatoes as a side dish for ribs or other meat.
Barbecue Sauce
If you are trying to figure out "what to serve with ribs" you may be looking for a delicious barbecue sauce to flavor the meat! Here are some ideas for you.
Bourbon BBQ Sauce is sweet and smoky with no refined sugar and ingredients that you can pronounce! It comes together in about 15 minutes and it's freezer friendly!
Whether you are craving beef, chicken, or ribs this Pineapple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is ready for the job! It is sweet, slightly spicy, and boy does it pack a punch!
Homemade Kansas City style bbq sauce recipe makes a thick, sweet and tangy, tomato-based barbecue sauce that’s perfect with ribs, beef, chicken, burgers, and more!
Blueberry BBQ Sauce is loaded with sweet and smoky flavor that promises to be the hit of your next backyard barbecue! It's perfect with baby back ribs!
This brown sugar BBQ sauce is simple to make, tasty and full of flavour too.
More rib recipes
I’m guessing you found this collection either by hopping over from my Boneless Baked Pork Ribs recipe or you already have your own plan for the ribs. But just in case you need some more rib inspiration, here are a couple more ideas to try:
- Easy Instant Pot Ribs (using baby back ribs) from Pip and Ebby
- Slow Cooker Ribs (with baby back pork ribs) from Butter & Baggage
- Fall off the bone BBQ Ribs (grilled) from Braised & Deglazed
James Waites
Love to cook and try new recipes
Cooking Chat
Thanks for the feedback. Lots to choose from here!
Jacqueline Debono
Love this collection of sides and sauces for ribs. Thanks for including my orecchiette recipe! Going to share this on my FB and Pinterest. All the best from Italy!