14 Vegetable Side Dishes for Weeknights and Thanksgiving

These vegetable side dishes are the ones I actually cook, week in and week out, from garlicky green beans on a Tuesday to a creamy dish of scalloped potatoes on the holiday table. All fourteen are my own tested recipes, and most of them are on the plate in 30 minutes or less.

In short, these are 14 vegetarian sides grouped into greens, corn and other easy sides, and potatoes. Times run from 12 minutes for boiled corn on the cob to 75 minutes for scalloped potatoes without cheese, ten of the fourteen take 30 minutes or less, and six are vegan as written.

Better yet, every single one is vegetarian, so they work for a mixed crowd at Thanksgiving as well as a quick weeknight supper. I have grouped them into greens, corn and friends, and potatoes, and after the recipes you will find a time and storage chart, a make-ahead plan for the big day and my favourite pairings.

Why These Sides Earn a Place on the Table

Honestly, a good side is what turns a plain main into a proper dinner. So I picked vegetable side dishes that are quick, cheap and forgiving, and that taste of the vegetable rather than of a jar.

• Fast: ten of the fourteen take 30 minutes or less, and the air fryer ones are done in under 20.
• Vegetarian throughout: no bacon, no chicken stock. Six are vegan as written, and I have marked them.
• Holiday friendly: the casserole, the mash and the scalloped potatoes can all be made ahead, which frees up the oven.
• Short shopping lists: most need four to six ingredients you probably have already.

Green Vegetable Side Dishes

First, the greens, because a bright green side makes every plate look cared for. These five cover the hob, the oven and the air fryer, so you can cook two at once without a fight over the kitchen.

1. Garlic Butter Green Beans

These are the beans I make when I have twenty minutes and a hungry family. The beans are blanched for just 3 to 4 minutes so they stay bright and snappy, then tossed in a pan of melted butter and fresh garlic until glossy. Watch the garlic closely, because it goes from fragrant to bitter in seconds.

Get the Garlic Butter Green Beans recipe →

2. Fresh Green Bean Casserole

This is the classic holiday casserole rebuilt with fresh beans, and I think it is far better for it. The beans are blanched for exactly 5 minutes and drained very well, then stirred into a creamy mushroom sauce under a crunchy fried onion lid. The recipe uses a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, which is traditionally made with anchovies, so use a vegetarian Worcestershire or simply leave it out. I also check the soup label for meat stock.

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3. Air Fryer Broccoli

This broccoli (vegan) gets crispy, charred edges while the stalks stay tender, and it needs nothing more than avocado oil, salt and pepper. The trick is cutting the florets to a similar size and keeping them in a single layer, so they roast rather than steam. In fact, it is one of the easiest ways I know to get children eating their greens.

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4. Air Fryer Asparagus

Asparagus (vegan) is my spring and holiday favourite, and the air fryer gives it lovely charred tips in about 8 minutes. Snap off the woody ends, brush the spears with oil, season and cook in a single layer. Thin spears need only 4 to 5 minutes, while thick ones can take up to 10, so check them early the first time.

Get the Air Fryer Asparagus recipe →

5. Sauteed Okra

If you think okra is slimy, this recipe (vegan) will change your mind. The secret is a hot pan, a single layer and patience: leave the rounds alone for the first 3 to 4 minutes so the moisture cooks off before you stir. After that, onion, garlic and a pinch of chilli do the rest, and a squeeze of lemon at the end brightens everything.

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Corn, Mushrooms and Other Easy Sides

Next come the crowd pleasers. Corn two ways, garlicky mushrooms, a creamy slaw and my crispy courgette fritters, so there is something here for barbecue season and the holiday table alike.

6. Air Fryer Mushrooms

These garlicky mushrooms (vegan) are on the table in 13 minutes and taste like they took far longer. Toss sliced button mushrooms with oil, garlic and dried parsley, then cook them with visible gaps between the pieces, because crowded mushrooms steam instead of browning. Please do not wash them under the tap; a quick wipe is plenty.

Get the Air Fryer Mushrooms recipe →

7. Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

Air fryer corn on the cob cooks in 18 minutes, and wrapping each ear in foil with a knob of butter is what keeps the kernels juicy, and the last 3 minutes unwrapped give you that lovely char. As a result, you get grilled flavour without lighting the barbecue. If you use salted butter, halve the added salt.

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8. Boiled Corn on the Cob

Sometimes the simplest way is the best, and sweet summer corn needs only a big pot of boiling water and 5 to 7 minutes. I start the timer once the water returns to the boil, then brush the cobs with melted butter and a little salt. The sugar in the water is optional; very fresh corn honestly does not need it.

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9. Creamy Coleslaw

There is always a bowl of this slaw in my fridge once the weather warms up. Green and red cabbage and carrot are tossed in a tangy sweet mayonnaise dressing with cider vinegar and lemon, then chilled for half an hour. Because mayonnaise is made with egg, it is vegetarian rather than vegan. For a make-ahead batch, salt and drain the cabbage first so it stays crisp.

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10. Zucchini Fritters

These fritters are how I use up a glut of courgettes. Grated zucchini is squeezed hard in a clean cloth, which is the step that makes them crisp, then mixed with egg, chives, parsley, mint, lemon zest and a little flour. Fry spoonfuls in olive oil until golden on both sides and serve them straight away with a dollop of seasoned yogurt or sour cream.

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Potato Sides for Every Occasion

Finally, the potatoes, which are probably the most loved vegetable side dishes of all, because no holiday plate feels complete without them. Two are creamy and made for a roast dinner, and two are crisp and golden for every other night of the week.

11. Buttery Mashed Potatoes

Light, fluffy and never gluey, this is the mash I make for every big dinner. The potatoes are steamed dry in the hot pot for a minute after draining, mashed by hand, then finished with butter first and warm cream second. Cold cream makes the mash seize, so warm it gently. Also, never use a blender, which turns potatoes to glue in seconds.

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If you want the mash even smoother for a holiday table, pass the dried potatoes through a potato ricer instead of mashing; it keeps them light without ever turning them gluey.

12. Scalloped Potatoes Without Cheese

This old-fashioned bake has no cheese at all, just thin potato slices baked slowly in a seasoned cream sauce with garlic and smoked paprika. Slice the potatoes evenly, about 3 mm thick, and do not rinse them, because their starch thickens the sauce. In addition, it is fully make-ahead, which is exactly what I want on a busy holiday.

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Getting every slice to 3 mm by hand takes a steady knife, so I find a mandoline slicer the easiest way to keep them even, with the guard on, always.

13. Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

These fries (vegan) are crisp outside, soft and sweet inside, and they need only avocado oil, salt and pepper. Cut them to an even quarter inch, keep them in a single layer and shake the basket every 5 to 7 minutes. Of course, a little smoked paprika or garlic powder never hurts.

Get the Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries recipe →

14. Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions

This is real comfort food (vegan) from one cast iron pan. Thin slices of potato and onion fry in hot oil with garlic powder and red pepper flakes, stirred often for about 15 minutes until tender and golden. Cover the pan for softer, creamier potatoes, or leave it open for crispier edges.

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Vegetable Side Dishes at a Glance

Here is every recipe on one chart, so you can pick sides by time, by appliance or by how far ahead you can make them. Every number comes from the recipe card itself.

For the two recipes that give no fridge time, I follow the usual three to four day rule for cooked leftovers.

A Make-Ahead Plan for Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes

This is how I spread the work when the oven is full of the main event. The idea is simple: the creamy bakes are done the day before, the mash is done that morning, and the quick green things happen in the air fryer or on the hob in the last half hour.

That gives you six vegetable side dishes from one oven, one pan and one air fryer. Meanwhile, if you have a vegetarian guest, nothing on this plan needs swapping, as long as your Worcestershire and soup are meat free.

What to Serve With What

Still not sure which vegetable side dishes to pick? These are the pairings I come back to most. For even more spuds, my potato side dishes roundup has nine more.

• Roast dinner or a holiday main: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and air fryer asparagus.
• Barbecue or burgers: corn on the cob either way, creamy coleslaw and sweet potato fries.
• Pasta night: garlic butter green beans or air fryer broccoli, both ready while the pasta boils.
• Curry or a spiced main: sauteed okra and air fryer mushrooms.
• A meat free plate: zucchini fritters with slaw and asparagus, which I happily eat as a meal on its own.

Tips for Better Vegetable Sides

• Do not overcook green vegetables. Short cooking keeps colour and crunch. Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter also notes that gentle steaming keeps more of the folate in broccoli and spinach than boiling, so brief cooking is good for flavour and nutrients.
• Dry everything well. Wet beans make a watery casserole, wet okra turns slimy and wet mushrooms will not brown.
• Use a single layer. Whether it is the air fryer or a skillet, crowding steams the food instead of crisping it.
• Season at the end too. A squeeze of lemon, flaky salt or fresh herbs just before serving wakes up any side.
• Mix your families of veg. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a lovely beginner’s guide to cruciferous vegetables if you want ideas beyond it.
• Check labels for hidden meat. Worcestershire sauce often contains anchovies, and some condensed soups use meat stock, so choose vegetarian versions.

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