Trying to find the best kid-friendly side dishes that they will love to eat? With these side dish recipes that are kid-approved, feel confident that they will be ready to eat and enjoy something they love or find a new favorite. My kids love them & yours will too.
All of these recipes are loved by my kids (and adults too!). They are served frequently and make a regular rotation in our meal planning. Try them with one of my Best Back to School Dinner Recipes & have them join in to uncover the benefits of cooking with your kids.
You will find quick and easy recipes for your air fryer, Instant Pot, and toaster oven too. Whether you want a kid-friendly gluten-free, vegan, keto, or vegetarian side dish, these recipes fit the dietary needs of kids of all ages.
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Try one or two and have a new favorite that your kids will ask you to make all the time. Meal planning and dinner with your kids just got a whole lot easier and tastier. So get a few of them on your meal planning calendar and make dinner more enjoyable.
Potato Side Dishes
Here are some great recipes for serving as a side dish. One of our favorites is rich, creamy, and fluffy Whipped Sweet Potatoes.
Air Fryer Frozen Crinkle French Fries
For an easy foolproof method for cooking frozen crinkle-cut french fries in the air fryer, try this recipe. They will be hot, crispy, and yummy with just the right amount of time to cook in the air fryer. Plus delicious dips and seasonings to add for the best air fryer french fries.
Air Fryer Frozen Crinkle French Fries
Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Fries
Homemade deep-fried sweet potato fries are a quick and easy family favorite recipe. This fantastic method to deep fry & season them makes the best appetizer or side dish.
Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Fries
Pan Fried Potatoes & Onions
Fire up your skillet and pan-fry some potatoes and onions for a hearty side dish. This easy recipe is ready in 30 minutes & takes only a few ingredients. This southern recipe for seasoned russet potato cubes is a classic American dish great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The potatoes are crispy & fork-tender - plus gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, & dairy-free.
Pan-Fried Potatoes & Onions
Instant Pot Ranch Salt Potatoes
Tender bite-sized potatoes are tossed with butter and ranch seasoning for a family favorite. These salt-crusted electric pressure cooker potatoes are easy and the best side dish recipe.
Instant Pot Ranch Salt Potatoes
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
For the best air fryer baked potatoes, try this quick & easy recipe. In half the time get yummy crispy skin & fluffy hot insides for topping. This simple side dish is an American classic due to its simplicity & versatility. All the steps for time and temperature for air frying plus topping, storing, & reheating.
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Toaster Oven Baked Potato
Making baked potatoes in the toaster oven is an easy and delicious way to cook this classic side dish. The skin turns out crispy and the inside is soft and fluffy. If your toaster oven has a convection setting, this baked potato recipe is super quick
Toaster Oven Baked Potato
Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli
Two yummy side dishes in one sheet pan recipe - oven roasted potatoes & broccoli florets are the ultimate pairing. The spice mix add a ton of flavor & it pairs with anything from fish to chicken or beef. This easy vegetable side takes little prep & the small pieces cook fast in the oven. This simple yet fancy recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, & dairy-free.
Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
For the best baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer, try this easy recipe. They come out crispy & tender in less time than from the oven.
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Cubed Sweet Potatoes
For a quick and simple way to cook sweet potatoes, this Instant Pot recipe is the best. Cubed sweet potatoes steam perfectly in the pressure cooker in no time for a wonderful healthy side dish.
Instant Pot Cubed Sweet Potatoes
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
For a comforting side dish, these whipped sweet potatoes really hit the spot. They are fluffy and sweet with a hint of nutmeg. Perfect to serve with Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas roast, Easter Ham, or any family dinner or holiday.
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Pasta & Rice Side Dishes
Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon
Creamy macaroni & cheese with caramelized onions & bacon is a classic old-fashioned recipe. The best homemade baked mac and cheese begins with a traditional roux, 3 kinds of cheese & al dente elbow pasta. This family-favorite casserole recipe is creamy, comforting, & simple to make.
Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon
Fried Spaghetti with Eggs
Fried spaghetti with eggs is a great way to enjoy leftover spaghetti in a delicious meal that is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. This simple recipe results in crispy spaghetti, fried eggs, with a creamy garlicky sauce that pulls it all together in just minutes.
Fried Spaghetti with Eggs
Chicken Broth Rice
For a flavorful 30-minute side, make 3 ingredient chicken broth rice. It's better than using just water, a buttery rich simple recipe. It's a comforting recipe similar to a no pasta/gluten-free Rice-a-Roni copycat. Made in a skillet & not a pot or rice cooker, the toasted rice flavor is the best.
Chicken Broth Rice
Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Red Rice
Tastes just like the flavorful, bright, and fluffy Mexican rice you get in your favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. This easy recipe for Mexican Red Rice (arroz rojo) is great served with any of your favorites - tacos, enchiladas, steaks, seafood, & in burritos.
Easy Mexican Red Rice
Antipasto Rice Salad
Antipasto rice salad is a light lunch or hearty side dish that is packed with so many yummy things. Rice paired with Italian-American ingredients like salami, mozzarella, and olives are mixed with a homemade dressing for a tasty gluten-free alternative to pasta salad.
Antipasto Rice Salad
Vegetable Side Dishes
In this section, you will find healthy vegetable side dish recipes. These simple, flavorful, and often vegan recipes are great sides to serve kids. A few even work as finger foods and a few are fancy enough to entice the foodie teenager in your household.
Bacon Fried Corn
This easy recipe for bacon fried corn is a Southern classic. Fresh corn off the cob is cooked in the skillet & seasoned for a sweet, salty, & tasty side dish no one can resist. The kernels are cooked in bacon drippings with onion until tender & crisp. It only takes 20 minutes & 4 ingredients to pan-fry this vegetable into your new favorite summer comfort food.
Bacon Fried Corn
Jiffy Cornbread Pudding Casserole
This silky smooth corn pudding casserole satisfies the summer craving for sweet corn on the cob. This spicy green chili casserole made with Jiffy corn muffin mix is an easy savory recipe. It's a new version of the southern classic corn pudding that my grandma used to make.
Jiffy Cornbread Pudding Casserole
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Instant pot steamed broccoli is a healthy and easy recipe that comes out perfect every time. In just a few minutes fresh broccoli is cooked and ready to enjoy. This method works in any electric pressure cooker with or without a steamer basket and results in fresh steamed broccoli that is not mushy.
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Air Fryer Green Beans
In just 10 minutes, this recipe for crispy air fryer green beans is the best. This simple side dish with few ingredients is quick & easy.
Air Fryer Green Beans
Roasted Green Beans with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
These delicious oven-roasted green beans will be a family favorite. The nutty sesame seasoning that includes garlic and onion adds so much flavor. This quick & easy recipe is the best thanks to everything but the bagel seasoning that elevates this simple vegetable side dish.
Oven-Roasted Green Beans with Everything Bagel Seasoning
Asian-Inspired Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts
This easy recipe for Brussels sprouts is an Asian-inspired twist on the classic vegetable. It has sweet, spicy, savory, & salty flavors you won't want to miss. The homemade teriyaki sauce is gluten-free plus has brown sugar that caramelizes the Brussels sprouts as they roast in the oven. The crispy edges & delicious sauce makes this quick & simple recipe irresistible.
Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts
Soups & Salads
For healthier sides that are also low-carb, try one of these kid-friendly sides.
Instant Pot Cream of Celery Soup
For the best homemade cream of celery soup, make it in the Instant Pot. It is a creamy, rich, and comforting recipe. As a bonus, this cream of celery soup is keto, gluten-free, grain-free, & low-carb.
Instant Pot Cream of Celery Soup
Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
This fresh fruit salad with Cool Whip is light, sweet, & creamy. The easy dessert recipe is healthy, refreshing, & a summer favorite. It is perfect to serve at BBQ, cookouts, potlucks, parties, & easy to make a lot to feed a crowd. A holiday favorite at Easter, Mother's Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, & Labor Day. It is gluten-free, vegetarian, & better for you than classic ambrosia - made without coconut or marshmallows.
Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
Broccoli Salad with Apples & Cheese
This healthy broccoli salad with carrots, raisins, apples, and cheese is amazing. The creamy greek yogurt dressing is low-fat and made without mayo. It is tangy, crisp, fresh, and sweet in every bite. It holds up great for potlucks and barbecues. It is even great as a leftover, unlike other salads.
Broccoli Salad with Apples & Cheddar
Italian Chopped Salad
The best Italian chopped salad is packed with garbanzo beans for protein and a bunch of fresh vegetables. It has juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and delicious Italian classic ingredients like olives, artichoke hearts, & spicy pepperoncini. Vegan Italian dressing recipe included for a great combination for lunch, dinner, side, or appetizer. It is gluten-free, healthy, & tasty for everyone to enjoy.
Italian Chopped Salad
Simple Spinach Salad
Toss together this quick & easy simple spinach salad in just minutes. The crunchy croutons are made from scratch & with a homemade dijon vinaigrette this is the best recipe hands down. It's a fresh & healthy side dish that goes with any meal or enjoy for lunch. Pile on some protein for an entree dinner.
Simple Spinach Salad
Other Side Dishes
Here are some other fun & tasty sides that are kid-approved. Fried finger foods and those that are easy to hold included These are good side dishes for the kid in all of us. Enzo's favorite is my Low-Carb Keto Creamed Spinach Casserole - it's rich, comforting, & so easy to make.
Deep-Fried Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Onion rings are a classic fried treat that is so easy to make homemade. This beer-battered recipe for onion rings is deep-fried until crispy & crunchy. It's the perfect side dish, snack, or appetizer.
Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Roasted Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Crispy roasted marinated artichoke hearts are the easiest recipe ever. It is so simple to cook marinated, canned, or frozen artichoke hearts in the oven on high heat to get a crispy outside and a tender inside. They're best as an appetizer, healthy snack, salad pizza topping, or side dish. They are gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, vegan, vegetarian and keto. For a Spanish twist (alcachofa) or Italian take (carciofo) artichoke hearts are so versatile.
Roasted Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Homemade Pickles with Leftover Pickle Juice
Homemade pickles are so easy to make when you reuse pickle juice or brine for this recipe. In 24 hours quick refrigerator pickles are crisp and ready. Fermentation to turn cucumbers into pickles has never been easier.
Homemade Pickles with Leftover Pickle Juice
Low-Carb Keto Creamed Spinach Casserole
Creamed spinach is a tasty low-carb steakhouse restaurant favorite. This easy keto recipe is the best spinach casserole side dish.
Keto Creamed Spinach Casserole
Easy Homemade Soft Dinner Rolls
The best soft homemade dinner rolls baked using yeast are easy to make. These rolls are delicious and enjoyed best when warm straight out of the oven.
Soft Dinner Rolls
Cindee says
Great ideas. I pinned this to Pinterest for cooking later.