30 Southern Easter Side Dishes
Classic Southern Easter side dishes include everyone's favorite home baked breads like biscuits and cornbread and all the easy potato side dishes and fresh vegetables you'd expect on a holiday table.
After over a decade of living in North Carolina, our family has adopted several classic Southern recipes and incorporated them into our festive holiday menus.
My kids may not recognize it, but some of their all-time favorite dishes are actually traditional regional favorites!
Honestly, who could blame them? These cozy southern side dishes work just perfectly alongside our glazed spiral ham and are comfort food at its very best.
If you're looking to add some 'down home' cooking to your own Easter table, you'll love these easy sides no matter where your family lives.
30 Best Southern Side Dishes for Easter:
Why These are the Best Recipes
After almost 15 years of living in the South, eating at all kinds of local restaurants from tiny diners to bbq joints and beach side establishments, and hosting my share of potlucks and special events, I can tell you that these are the best Southern side dishes for Easter because:
- Popular: Southern food knows how to please a crowd. It isn't pretentious, it's just pure deliciousness.
- Regional Produce: Southern food makes the best of local produce like sweet potatoes, fresh vegetables, farm fresh eggs, and pickled everything.
- Meat and Threes: The small town, family-owned Southern diners know how to please their customers. Their menus ask you to pick your favorite meat and then choose three vegetable-based sides. The side dishes on this list are inspired by the amazing menus I've enjoyed at bbq restaurants all throughout the South.
Classic Deviled Eggs
Is it a party? Then there better be some deviled eggs on that table!
This essential potluck party favorite is a perfect fit for Easter time when you've got hard boiled eggs after that egg hunt.
Bisquick Sausage Balls
Maybe you've seen the "southern mama" jokes on social media about these party Bisquick sausage balls. The joke hits hard because anyone in the South would recognize how popular and common this party snack is in the region.
With just three ingredients, you can prep a batch ahead of Easter for dunking in my honey mustard dip.
Pineapple Cheese Casserole
This quirky southern side dish is just one of those things you have to try before you judge. Pineapple cheese casserole is everything delicious: juicy sweet fruit paired with sharp cheddar cheese and a crispy golden brown buttery cracker top.
It's sooooo delicious with a savory ham!
Deviled Egg Salad
A big bowl of deviled egg salad makes an incredible Easter side dish, especially if you get fancy and serve it with a pretty tray of toast points or party crackers.
Don't forget to set out the cayenne pepper or hot sauce for those that need a little more kick.
Hot Cross Biscuits
I grew up eating hot cross buns for Easter but here in the South? It's all about the biscuit. These currant-studded hot cross biscuits have cream cheese crosses on top and are our favorite part of the Easter menu.
Buttermilk Cornbread
Cut squares of Grandma's buttermilk cornbread and pile them up in a bread basket lined with a pretty Easter napkin.
Set out a bottle of sweet honey, some whipped butter, and a little bowl of blackberry jam for the prettiest holiday presentation.
For those that like a little kick, this is an excellent use for some hot honey, too!
Ambrosia Salad
If you're bringing the side dish to the Easter potluck, you can't go wrong with a chilled bowl filled with pineapple marshmallow salad (a.k.a. ambrosia salad.)
This creamy sweet dish is loaded with pineapple, clementines, coconut, and marshmallows in the dreamiest dressing ever.
Southern Macaroni Salad
For a creamy salad with a vinegary bite, don't miss my Southern macaroni salad with fresh raw veggies and tender noodles. It's a great choice for a make-ahead side.
Creamy Grape Salad
Is it a side dish or is it dessert? It's a holiday, let your loved ones decide!
No matter when they choose to enjoy their scoop, this creamy grape salad with brown sugar and pecans on top is always a hit.
Baked Mac and Cheese
Here in the South, if you offer to bring the baked mac and cheese, you had better be prepared with the very best recipe.
My kids will tell you this recipe is the perfect combination of creamy cheesy macaroni with crispy breadcrumbs on top.
Funeral Potatoes
Cheesy cornflake potatoes start with a bag of hashbrown potatoes and are topped with the butteriest crispy topping ever.
They're called 'funeral potatoes' here in the South because they're frequently served at church potlucks when people need stick-to-your-ribs comfort food.
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Southern sweet potatoes are for more than just a Thanksgiving side dish. I think my make ahead sweet potato casserole is a delicious pick for Easter because the sweet potatoes pair so well with a savory ham.
The pecans on top add a lovely crunch, too.
Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes
My mom would tell you that scalloped potatoes are an essential Easter side dish. My Crock Pot recipe is party perfect because the potatoes keep warm in the slowcooker while everyone dishes up at the buffet table.
Crock Pot Corn Casserole
If you love cornbread and corn and cheese then this recipe is for YOU.
A Southern Crock Pot corn casserole is the best of all those worlds. This creamy comfort food recipe serves a crowd which makes it perfect for a holiday dinner.
Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
If classic mashed potatoes are more your speed, my Crockpot mashed potatoes cook right in the slowcooker and are a hands-off way to make this popular side.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Instead of a fully prepared side dish, sometimes it is nice to offer guests an option they can customize themselves.
If you make my slow cooker sweet potatoes, you could keep them warm right in the Crock Pot and then serve them as a "Build Your Own Stuffed Potato" bar with little bowls of:
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Peppered Glazed Pecans: keep them whole or chop them up
- A Shaker of Cinnamon Sugar
- A Jar of Hot Honey
- A Bottle of Hot Sauce
- My Easy Sauce for Chicken and Waffles would also be a clever addition
Sweet Potato Mash
Or you could use those slowcooker sweet potatoes and mash them up with pineapple.
I love this sweet potato mash when paired with spicy dishes, but it would be delicious alongside a mustard glazed ham, too.
Old Fashioned Squash Casserole
I absolutely adore this old fashioned squash casserole because it is the first time I got my family to actually like eating zucchini.
Tender squash with sharp cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs is truly hard to resist. It's a decadent veggie side dish for a holiday.
Need something a little easier? You could try this grated zucchini gratin instead.
Air Fried Butternut Squash
This easy air fried butternut squash recipe is the perfect side dish because it keeps your oven open for your ham or other important side dishes.
The air fryer makes the edges of the chopped squash nice and crispy, toss it with fresh sage and parmesan for a pretty platter:
Fresh Green Beans
My air fryer green beans are a super-fast side dish that could easily be dressed up for Easter dinner.
Simply grate a little fresh lemon zest over the top and sprinkle some sliced almonds over the platter before serving. You could also crumble up some peppered bacon for adding a more savory touch.
Roasted Carrots
Is there a more perfect vegetable for the Easter table than roasted carrots? I think the Easter bunny himself would absolutely approve.
My easy recipe incorporates a pinch of garlic and red pepper flakes for a hint of heat but if you're up for it, a true southerner would suggest swapping in some cayenne instead.
Roasted Mini Peppers
My roasted mini peppers side dish starts with those tiny sweet bell peppers that come in the bag at the grocery store.
This garden fresh side dish adds a lovely pop of color to your holiday table and they can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
Spring is asparagus season and when you add a salty grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil you've got my easy parmesan roasted asparagus which is an elegant vegetable for any holiday.
Chow Chow
I first discovered chow chow relish at a farm stand in South Carolina during our annual family beach trip. I brought a jar home and now it is an essential part of our menu any time I've got a lovely large roast as the main dish.
Green Bean Casserole
Holiday side dishes are popular across the seasons. I'm pretty sure that everyone at your table will enjoy a spoonful of this crispy Crockpot green bean casserole at Easter, too.
Crock Pot Creamed Corn
A true holiday will have an endless array of veggies to bulk up the menu. Add a pot of this rich Crock Pot creamed corn for a decadent addition to the plate.
More Easter Recipes
Still planning your Easter menu? Don't miss my other family favorite holiday recipes:
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