For anyone wondering what sides to bring to a cookout as a guest- these easy vegetarian recipe ideas are no-fuss crowd-pleaser sides for your next BBQ. These 30 meatless recipes are appetizers, salads, pastas, and slaws everyone will love! Most of these recipes are make-ahead friendly, allowing you to whip together a simple recipe the night before and bring it along to the cookout.
I love hosting summer cookouts, and preparing a ton of fresh and fabulous sides is one of my favorites! If you are wondering what sides to bring to a cookout – these simple and fresh vegetarian recipes will give you all the inspiration you need. From last-minute no-cook recipe hacks, to simple make ahead salads, these recipes are here to save the day. These are all delicious crowd pleaser recipes everyone will love.
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Easy Garlic Hummus
This triple garlic hummus recipe with tahini is loaded with garlicky flavor from whole cloves, garlic powder and salt, and fruity olive oil and spices. A healthy plant based vegetarian summer appetizer recipe that is perfect for summer. This no cook chickpea dip recipe is the perfect 10 minute snack.
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Bruschetta Pasta Salad (Vegan, GF)
This bruschetta pasta salad is a healthy vegan and gluten free side dish for summer made with fresh tomatoes, basil, and a sweet vinaigrette. This bright and summery pasta salad with bruschetta is a great side dish or appetizer and makes a great plant based bbq recipe
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Apple Walnut Salad with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette
This vegan apple walnut salad is a great lunch or dinner salad or main dish. Full of plant protein, healthy fats, and fresh crisp veggies!
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Simple Lemon Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
This healthy lemon quinoa salad is packed with fresh vegetables and herbs in a simple lemon vinaigrette! Easy to make, and ready in 10 minutes. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and plant based a great summer side dish for entertaining, potlucks, or BBQs!
White Fence Farm Coleslaw (Copycat)
This vinegar based coleslaw has a sweet and tart tang without the mayo. Like White Fence Farm coleslaw recipe you can make at home for a side dish or BBQ!
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Easy Vegetarian Cookout Sides
Most of these vegetarian side dishes are what I call Easy Weeknight Meals – which are on your table in about 30 minutes. These quick and simple recipes are perfect for those nights when you want a healthy homecooked meal but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. I have a whole section of The Herbeevore dedicated to Easy Weeknight Meals, that are great for the whole family. From soups and stews, to pastas and proteins – a healthy meal can be on your table in no time. Even faster than ordering takeout!
Vegan Greek Salad (Dairy Free)
This rainbow vegan Greek salad is perfect for a pot luck, brunch, or game day party! Filled with artichokes, olives, roasted peppers, and feta this salad is as impressive as it is delicious. Dairy free & Gluten Free too!
Orange Avocado Salad
This Orange Avocado Salad is a vibrant and fresh summer fruit salad that is loaded with flavor, healthy fats, and sweet citrus fruit. The dressing has a secret ingredient to make this breakfast salad recipe absolutely pop. This is one fantastic way to eat avocado for breakfast that's not avocado toast! Vegan, Whole30 approved, paleo, and gluten free... perfect for anyone!
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Macaroni and Pea Salad
This creamy macaroni and pea salad is loaded with fresh celery, carrots, bell pepper, and of course tons of green peas for a great side dish. This pasta salad has a wonderfully creamy ranch dressing, a great crowd pleaser for your next pot luck, bbq, or party!
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BBQ Deviled Eggs Recipe (Vegetarian)
These BBQ Deviled Eggs are a great summer party appetizer for a cookout, potluck, or luau - a sweet and spicy take on classic recipe! These BBQ hard boiled eggs are a fun and simple appetizer that everyone will love. These eggs are vegetarian, gluten free, and SO good!
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Vegan Ramen Noodle Salad
This vegan ramen noodle salad is light and crunchy, loaded with vegetables, and so easy to meal prep and make ahead. It was so good, I made it 2 weeks in a row for my lunch! I can't get enough of this crunchy, tasty salad.
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Make Ahead Side Dish Recipes For the Win!
A lot of these heartier pasta and bean salads are the perfect recipes for healthy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy healthy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time. There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! I also made a list of my favorite meal prep products on Amazon that I use weekly. They make cooking easy peasy.
Vegan Black Bean Dip
Spice up your game day with this vegan black bean dip recipe - a high protein appetizer that is great with nacho chips, dipping vegetables in, or adding to tacos or burritos.
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Avocado Lime Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
This avocado lime salad recipe is a bright and fresh way to enjoy ripe avocados. Dress simply with a lime vinaigrette, great for breakfast or lunch. I love eating this bright and fresh raw vegan avocado salad over toast, on a grain bowl, or with simple poached eggs.
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Peach Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Sweet and savory, this roasted peach salad combines peaches, asparagus & summer squash with a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette! Serve over fresh mixed greens for the perfect bite of summer.
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Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Rice Noodles
This gluten free pasta salad recipe is loaded with vegetables and rice noodles in a bright and tangy dressing. A great make ahead lunch, refreshing and crunchy. Vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free - perfect for everyone at your table.
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Pasta Bean Salad
This pasta bean salad recipe is creamy and tangy, with plant based proteins and a bright and fresh dressing. This healthy summer side salad features 2 classic salads: creamy macaroni salad and traditional three bean salad. A side dish with a modern twist.
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Some of the BEST Pantry Staple Side Dish Recipes
Pasta and bean salads are fantastic pantry-staple meals! They use a lot of ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad
This creamy cucumber pasta salad is vegan and gluten free, making it a cruchy healthy vegetarian side salad everyone can enjoy! Great as a meatless pasta side dish, a meal prep luch, or just a great recipe for garden cucumbers.
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Tzatziki Pasta Salad
This vegan tzatziki pasta salad is loaded with fresh vegetables & bright herbs in a creamy tangy dressing. A great gluten free side dishes for bbq
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White Bean and Veggie Salad
This summer white bean salad is a protein packed recipe for fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers! Easy no cook summer lunch. Great for an easy no-cook lunch or dinner. Vegan, gluten free summer side salad dishes, high fiber recipes with beans.
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Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce
This Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce is crunchy, healthy, and packed with protein. Easy, vegan, and prefect for everyone at your table - a great vegan potluck idea, and a fantastic healthy quinoa salad for entertaining.
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Caramelized Onion Garlic Bread (Vegetarian, GF)
This caramelized onion garlic bread is the perfect addition to your next pasta night- a rich and garlicky side dish ready in 30 minutes, vegetarian and gluten free. A great bread for spaghetti night, to eat with pesto risotto, or to enjoy with a caprese salad.
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Easy One Bowl Vegetarian Sides for a Cookout
Most of these dairy free summer salad recipes are the perfect one-pot lunch or dinner! I love a good One Pot Meal, especially during these summer months when I don’t want a lot of burners going at once. Cooking everything in one pot is one of my favorite ways to get a meal on the table fast! And one pot makes cleaning up a breeze. The stove does all the work for you, so you can focus on other kitchen prep while the food cooks. One Pot meals are awesome for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – check out my link here to see other healthy one pot meals that are ready in no time!
Green Goddess Hummus
This green goddess hummus recipe is bright and flavorful, packed with fresh herbs and greens. Great for using extra garden veggies to dip into! Vegan, vegetarian, high fiber, and gluten free.
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Hawaiian Mac Salad
This hawaiian mac salad recipe is loaded with fresh pineapple & veggies make this creamy Hawaiian Mac Salad a total hit for a summer backyard BBQ side dish! Can easily be made vegan and gluten free!
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Red Cabbage Coleslaw (Vegan, GF)
This red cabbage coleslaw is the perfect picnic side, pot luck dish, or salad for your summer BBQ. Its a little savory, a little sweet, and loaded with fresh vegetables for a bright crunch. A Healthy BBQ side dish or party salad, this is one rainbow coleslaw everyone at the table will love!
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Lemon and Herb Pasta Salad (Vegan, GF)
This vegan lemon and herb pasta salad is perfect to bring to a cookout, tailgate, potluck, or brunch! Loaded with veggies and easy to make ahead - this is one crowd pleaser pasta salad that everyone will want seconds of!
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Avocado Pasta Salad (Vegan)
This avocado pasta salad is a bright and beautiful bowl of fresh vegetables and a healthy dressing! Loaded with fresh veggies, gluten free macaroni pasta, in a creamy avocado vinaigrette. Vegan, vegetarian, no mayo, and high in fiber and plant protein.
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No-Cook Sides That Are Perfect for Summer
A lot of these no-cook vegetarian side dishes are quick and simple. I love a good no-cook recipe for those days when I’m not feeling like standing around the stove, or for summer nights when it’s too hot to cook. I have a whole collection of recipes that require zero cooking at all, check them out here! These salads comes together in about 10-20 minutes, and doesn’t require the stove or microwave to make. Just use a few pantry staple ingredients and you have a healthy meal ready in no time. And very little to clean up afterwards… an added bonus!
Vegan 7 Layer Dip
This plant based 7 layer dip recipe is THE perfect vegan party food recipe everyone will love! Rich, creamy, loaded with vegetables and actually healthy(ish). This vegan 7 layer dip will impress even the pickiest eaters... no one will miss the meat in this gluten free and dairy free party appetizer recipe.
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Grapefruit Avocado Salad
This delicious grapefruit avocado salad is a bright & healthy way to start your day! Made with avocado, fresh grapefruit, lime juice, and basil, this recipe combines healthy fats with a vibrant citrus-y flavor.
This simple salad makes a fantastic breakfast or snack anytime. It's filling, satisfying, and the perfect way to rise & shine!
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Quinoa Salad with Black Beans
This Quinoa Salad with Black Beans recipe is a fresh and healthy lunch or side dish, loaded with vegetables, and high in fiber and plant based protein! This is a great recipe for healthy meal prep during the week and is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free.
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Vegan Artichoke Dip
This creamy and irresistible dairy free vegan artichoke dip is SO GOOD, its impossible to stop eating it! This make-ahead crowd pleaser recipe features artichokes blended with parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic, and mayo!
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Coleslaw Macaroni Saslad
This coleslaw macaroni salad is a crowd-pleaser pasta side dish! Crisp, tangy, creamy and delicious- this is the perfect side dish for a BBQ, holiday party, or just a weeknight dinner!
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As always, if you make these easy vegetarian recipes to bring to a cookout be sure to leave me a comment, rate them, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!
