Elephantastic Vegan

menu icon
subscribe
search icon
×

20+ Easy Vegan Side Dishes

Published: · Modified: by · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

This post includes easy vegan side dishes for BBQs, picnics, Thanksgiving, Christmas, everyday lunch, and dinner - literally every occasion.

Vegan Side Dishes

Whether you're looking for fancy, but easy side dishes for the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas,..), for gatherings where you want to impress (BBQs, picnics), or just looking to level up your side dish game for your everyday lunch and dinner meals - I am sure you will find exciting, new recipes in this collection!

I've grouped the side dishes by the main ingredient but I also added the recommended occasions (this refers mainly to the produce availability) and mains, other side dishes, or sauces/dips you can combine it with.

You will find here:

Potato Sides Dishes

vegan mashed potatoes in a bowl
Mashed potatoes are amazing as they are, but this flavorful version with caramelized onions, garlic, and parsley is an easy way to bring your vegan mashed potatoes game to the next level!

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner, BBQs, Picnics
Combine with: Vegan Sausages, Schnitzel, Tofish, gravy
Crinkle Cut Fries
Have you ever made Crinkle Cut Fries at home? They are super easy to make and much healthier than the store-bought ones, which are typically pre-fried.

Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Seitan Chicken Nuggets
Gebackene Kartoffelscheiben
These Oven Baked Potato Slices are easy to make and versatile. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And they bake faster than wedges!

Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Banana Blossom Vegan Fish, Seitan Chicken Nuggets
Buttery Parsley Potatoes
For these Buttery Parsley Potatoes, you only need 4 ingredients but they are full of flavor!

Occasions: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Schnitzel, Banana Blossom Vegan Fish, Vegan Steak
Potato Wedges with Za'atar
These oven-baked Potato Wedges with Za’atar are a flavorful side dish! I have been making these quite a lot lately! Quick & easy to make and so delicious!

Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Burgers, Seitan Chicken Nuggets, Creamy Basil Dip, Falafel Wrap
Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Slices
These Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Slices are a great alternative to regular potato fries or wedges.


Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Burgers, Seitan Chicken Nuggets, Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Crispy Potato Twisters
Recipe for super crispy Potato Twisters - It’s a healthy alternative to the traditionally fried twisters because these are baked in the oven!

Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Guacamole
Vegan Potato Croquettes | ElephantasticVegan.com
Vegan Potato Croquettes are the perfect festive side dish! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – just like they should be!

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce
Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes | ElephantasticVegan.com
Hasselback Potatoes are probably the fanciest form of potatoes. To make them even more awesome, I’ve added vegan cheese in each slice and brushed the potatoes with a garlic-parsley oil mixture.

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, BBQs, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Homemade Vegan Sausages, Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes

Couscous Side Dishes

Golden Couscous
This Golden Couscous seasoned with Ras el Hanout is colorful, flavorful, and extremely easy to make.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Homemade Vegan Sausages, Tofu Katsu (Breaded Tofu), Grilled Veggies
Simple Onion Couscous
This simple and flavorful Onion Couscous side dish only takes a few minutes to make.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Homemade Vegan Sausages, Tofu Katsu (Breaded Tofu), Grilled Veggies, Olive Flatbread
Mediterranean Couscous with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichokes
Recipe for a Mediterranean Couscous with olives, artichokes, dried tomatoes & parsley.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Sausages, Grilled Veggies, Olive Flatbread

Vegetable Side Dishes

Kalettes - Flower Sprouts
Kalettes are a relatively new hybrid vegetable between kale and Brussels sprouts. They are quick and easy to prepare and so delicious!

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing, Oven Baked Potato Slices
Brussels sprouts in pan
These Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Soy Sauce are an absolute MUST-MAKE for any Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. I also make them at least once a week whenever there are in season.

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Vegan Potato Croquettes, Oven Baked Potato Slices
Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts
These Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha Mayo are the perfect side dish for all Brussels Sprouts lovers! They are crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth-sprouts in the center.

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Schnitzel
Braised Red Cabbage | ElephantasticVegan.com
This Braised Red Cabbage is so much better than any store-bought version. It's made with fresh apple slices!

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce
Easy & Vegan Garlic Slaw | ElephantasticVegan.com
This Garlic Slaw is super easy to make: shred some purple cabbage, coat it in garlic sauce, let it soften overnight, and enjoy.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan “Chicken” Garlic Slaw Burger, Oven Baked Potato Slices, Vegan Hot Dogs
Golden Cauliflower Rice
This Golden Cauliflower Rice is a delicious low-carb alternative to regular rice! Ras el Hanout gives the cauliflower a beautiful color and rich taste.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Oven Baked Potato Slices, Vegan Fish Curry
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice with Za'atar Chickpeas | ElephantasticVegan.com
For this Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice, I’ve used two small heads of purple and green cauliflower.

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Tofu Nuggets (Popcorn Chicken Style), Kale Falafel

Rice & Quinoa Side Dishes

Broccoli Rice in a bowl
If you’ve ever wondered how to make rice healthier and more nutritious, how to add more color and flavor, then this easy Broccoli Rice is the solution! Give it a try and you’ll never want to make rice any other way!

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak, Seitan Schnitzel, Tofish
Healthy & Vegan Carrot Rice
This healthy Carrot Rice side dish is topped with cilantro and homemade cashew cheese!

Occasions: BBQs, picnics, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak, Seitan Schnitzel, Tofish
Tri-Color Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries
If you want to combine healthy with festive, then this Tri-Color Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries is the perfect side dish! Great for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce

Dumpling Side Dishes

Vegan Bread Dumplings
Bread Dumplings are traditional Austrian dumplings made with dried bread cubes. Traditionally, old, stale bread was used.

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce, Lentil Stew, Vegan Goulash with Homemade Sausages
Vegan Czech Dumplings Knedlíky with pumpkin goulash
Vegan Czech Dumplings (Knedlíky) are perfect for serving with goulash or stews. And the best part is, that you only need 5 basic ingredients to make them!

Occasions: Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Goulash with Homemade Sausages, Pumpkin Goulash with Bread Dumplings
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings | ElephantasticVegan.com
Pan-fried Bread Dumplings are a no-boil/no-steam alternative to regular Bread Dumplings.

Occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunch/Dinner
Combine with: Vegan Steak with Herb Butter and Roasted Potatoes, Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts, Pumpkin Goulash with Bread Dumplings

Let me know in the comments if you're looking for a specific side dish, that you want to see on the blog!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *