Whether you’re vegan, low carb, keto, or just want to keep your holiday pounds at bay with fresh, and super tasty, healthy side dishes, this round up will help. Plenty of recipes for all of the holiday side dishes you love to serve your family. Enjoy!
Healthy Side Salads
Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon, Cranberries, and Pecans —Wholesome Yum! You’ll love this healthy, low carb kale and brussels sprout salad recipe! See how to make kale brussels sprout salad with bacon and cranberries, in just 15 minutes.
Asparagus Salad with Grape Tomatoes, Feta, Walnuts, and Sweet Balsamic Dressing —Radical Strength Crisp, crunchy asparagus tossed in a sweet-tart balsamic vinaigrette with tangy feta cheese, grape tomatoes, and toasted walnuts.
Butternut Squash, Apple, and Kale Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette —The Short Order Cook This beautiful salad showcases seasonal produce like butternut squash and apples. It is healthy, easy to make and so delicious.
Berry Spinach Salad with Feta and Spiced Pecans —Food Love This festive berry salad with spinach, feta and spiced pecans is the perfect Christmas side dish. The combination of sweet, crunchy, salty, tangy, creamy and earthy flavors in this salad make it a winner with everyone
Sweet Corn and Chickpea Salad —Amanda’s Cookin’ In need of a quick side dish that will make your family actually want to eat their vegetables? This Sweet Corn and Chickpea Salad recipe is quick to whip up and so delicious!
Roasted Asparagus Salad with Cranberries and Feta Cheese —A Food Lover’s Kitchen This roasted asparagus salad is a vibrant, tangy, and beautiful way to serve asparagus. It’s topped with pine nuts, feta crumbles, and a homemade vinaigrette that make it irresistible.
Caprese Christmas Wreath —It’s Not Complicated Recipes Enjoy the festive colours of this delicious Caprese Christmas Wreath. Simple to prepare, and stunning to look at.
Broccoli Kale Salad with Cranberries —Sula and Spice This Broccoli Kale Salad is superfood in bowl! Prep is so easy! Kale, broccoli slaw, cranberries, apple, pepitas and a sweet citrus dressing.
Healthy Potato and Cauliflower "Potato" Side Dishes
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower —Son Shine Kitchen As a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes, try making Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. It has all the flavor with fewer carbs and less guilt!
Healthier Cinnamon Maple Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes —Recipes from a Pantry Your whole family will love this super cozy and easy to prepare Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes!!! It is a great comfort food side dish for everyday family dinners, fall gatherings, Thanksgiving, Christmas and even breakfast.
Healthy Sweet Potato Soufflé —Mae’s Menu Discover a healthier take on sweet potato casserole with this healthy sweet potato soufflé. flavored with coconut milk, maple syrup, orange zest, and vanilla, it’s a rich and satisfying Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish the whole family will love.
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes —Rhian’s Recipes These Vegan Scalloped Potatoes are super rich and creamy, soft and tender and super comforting! It’s the best indulgent yet secretly healthy side dish!
Healthy Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes —Tasty Oven Mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and a dash of nutmeg. Made in only 20 minutes with a combination of warming ingredients that create a mouth-watering taste and an extra creamy texture.
Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes —Any Reason Vegans Plant based mashed sweet potatoes are healthy and delicious. They’re packed with vitamin A and other important nutrients.
Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole —Kim and Kalee Delicious, holiday comfort food, the famous sweet potato casserole made paleo friendly.
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes —Your Home Made Healthy Garlic mashed cauliflower potatoes are the perfect quick and easy healthy side dish for any occasion. They whip up fast into a thick and creamy mashed potato with no added cream! Simple, healthy, and the best take on a classic
Healthy Holiday Carrot Dishes
Carrot and Parsnip Puree —Culinary Ginger A healthy side dish of roasted carrot and parsnip will meet the needs of any dietary restrictions that your Christmas diners may have.
Miso Glazed Roasted Carrots —A Food Lover’s Kitchen Miso-glazed carrots are a tasty side dish for your dinner that is impressive enough for guests, yet deceptively simple to make.
Roasted Carrots —Pink Fortitude These Roasted Carrots are easy to make, and they are Paleo, Whole30 compliant, gluten-free, and vegan. The taste is amazing as-is or you can top them with crushed pistachios. They are fancy enough to make for any holiday dinner and easy enough to take to a potluck.
Thyme Carrots & Cauliflower —Bitz n’ Giggles Thyme Carrots & Cauliflower – Carrots and cauliflower tossed with thyme and roasted to perfection!
Brussel Sprout Side Dishes
Balsamic Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash —Happy Kitchen Rocks The best balsamic-maple roasted Brussels sprouts with butternut squash, pecans, cranberries and avocado roasted garlic dressing.
Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts —Greedy Gourmet Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts is a different way to prepare brussels sprouts, with minimal use of fats, while keeping the vegetables intact with plenty of flavour. No soggy sprouts here!
Bacon Pecan Sauteed Brussel Sprouts —Sweet Peas Kitchen Bacon Pecan Sautéed Brussel Sprouts are mind-blowing delicious. A perfect side dish to finish off your holiday table.
Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts —Delightfully Low Carb These Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze are not only super easy to make, they are incredibly delicious and make a great side dish for any main.
Vegan Caramelized Maple Brussels Sprouts —No Sweat Vegan These Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts are crispy, beautifully caramelized, and full of rich flavors. A healthy but delicious holiday side dish.
Squash, Turnip, and Corn Healthy Side Dishes
Gluten-Free Corn Succotash —Food Meanderings This Gluten-free Corn Succotash is made with frozen lima beans and fresh tomatoes, red pepper, thyme, oregano and parsley. It’s also Weight Watchers friendly at only 1 WW point per serving on the blue plan!
Turnip and Apple Casserole —Food Meanderings This Turnip & Apple Casserole is a delicious mixture of apples, turnips, brown sugar and butter. It’s also been lightened to 3 WW points on blue per serving. It makes a fabulous side dish for holiday dinners. I serve it at Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas!
Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples and Kale —Your Home Made Healthy Roasted butternut squash with apples and kale is a great seasonal, healthy side dish that’s also deliciously festive. With the colors of the holiday season, it’s sure to fill you up with nutritious ingredients and help you celebrate in style!
Green Vegetable Healthy Side Dishes
Vegan Cream of Spinach Soup —My Plantiful Cooking This hearty cream of spinach soup happens to be high protein & vegan, kudos to the white beans! The best part is, everything is ready under 30 mins.
Southern Green Beans and Potatoes —Onty’s Plate A satisfying vegetarian version of Southern Green Beans and Potatoes. It is the perfect side dish for a country fish-fry or a traditional holiday supper.
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli —Sweet Peas Kitchen Parmesan Roasted Broccoli is going to please your crowd. It’s easy to make, healthy, and goes well with your other holiday dishes.
Green Beans with Mushrooms —Food Meanderings This super easy Green Beans with Mushrooms recipe, with buttery garlic and onion flavors, is a traditional holiday side dish for my family. It’s healthy, quick and adds a burst of color to your dinner plate!
Bonus Recipes: Instant Pot Broccoli with Garlic Sauce —Radical Strength
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup —Radical Strength
Healthy Holiday Breads, Rolls, and Stuffing
Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Goat Cheese— A Mummy Too A lovely Yorkshire pud with a festive stuffing of vegetarian sausage, goat’s cheese, chestnuts and cranberry chutney that’s as quick as it is delicious.
Keto Cornbread —Wholesome Family Living Cornbread is a great side to go with any meat dish you are serving! As an added bonus, enjoy this comfort food without any guilt as it is keto and paleo friendly!
Keto Mac and Cheese —Sorey Fitness This low carb recipe uses shirataki noodles instead of cauliflower as the pasta! Love your cauliflower? You can still use just the keto mac and cheese sauce from this recipe!
Herbed Farro Dressing —Beyond Mere Sustenance Healthy, fiber-rich, and delicious, Herbed Farro Dressing with Butternut Squash, Dried Cherries, and Pecans has all the flavors of fall in a holiday side dish that can be made ahead and makes great leftovers! Are you ready to try a less traditional dressing? This one is a winner!
Honey Roasted Butternut Squash Bruschetta —Important Enough A mouthwatering simple and charming dish packed with goodness and seasonal flavor.
Honey Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls —Coffee Fit Kitchen These Honey Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls are the perfect side dish to any holiday dinner! They’re a healthier and heartier alternative to plain white rolls, and taste way better than store-bought!
Also check out this MASTER LIST for making any vegetable in the Instant Pot! If you want to streamline your healthy holiday side dishes while leaving your oven and stove free, this list is your new best friend.
So many great side dish ideas here! Thanks for including me in this delicious roundup 🙂
There are some great suggestions here. I am IN LOVE with the berry spinach salad. A local restaurant here has a salad like that and I order it almost every time that we visit. I’m going to have to try making it at home now!
Love all these health options! Will definitely be back to try some of these.