15 Best Side Dishes for Ham

If you're wondering what to serve with ham, the main dish is the easy part. You score it, glaze it, shove it in the oven, and suddenly it's sitting on the table looking like it booked a professional session at Glamour Shots. The sides? That's where things get competitive. And, if you need a recipe you can't go wrong with the Southern Coca Cola Glazed Ham!

Table of Contents

• 1. Creamy Potatoes au Gratin
• 2. Bacon Ranch Crack Green Bean Casserole
• 3. Pineapple Casserole
• 4. Southern Sweet Onion Casserole
• 5. Maple Glazed Carrots
• 6. Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon
• 7. Potluck Pea Salad with Cashews
• 8. Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Cranberries & Bacon
• 9. Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
• 10. Asparagus Casserole With Ritz Crackers
• 11. Cauliflower Casserole
• 12. Jiffy Cornbread Casserole
• 13. Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Rolls
• 14. Easy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
• 15. 30-Minute Dinner Rolls
• 💬 Comments

That's where Aunt Linda elbows someone out of the way for the last scoop of cheesy potatoes. That's where the rolls disappear before you even sit down. That's where someone's cousin is "just tasting" the pineapple casserole straight from the dish with a serving spoon.

Yeah, that's fine Gerald, no one wants any now. You can have the whole pan.

This list is packed with the side dishes and breads that make ham dinners legendary. Creamy casseroles. Retro potluck classics that refuse to die. Sweet sides that make grown adults hover near the buffet like seagulls at a beach picnic. And warm rolls and biscuits that vanish faster than your willpower around deviled eggs.

Some can be made ahead. Some save precious oven space. All of them bring big comfort-food energy without turning you into a stressed-out kitchen goblin. Pick a few, build your plate, and prepare for people to suddenly become very invested in who gets the leftovers.

Here are my favorite side dishes for ham dinners, holidays, and those random Sundays when someone brought home a ham the size of a small Buick.

1. Creamy Potatoes au Gratin

Ham shows up salty and confident. These cheesy au gratin potatoes show up creamy, cheese-forward, and fully prepared to arm-wrestle the ham for the spotlight. Tender potato layers, rich sauce, and a golden top that people keep picking at like raccoons in a snack drawer. Put this on the table and watch the potatoes disappear before the ham even realizes what happened.

2. Bacon Ranch Crack Green Bean Casserole

This isn't the polite church-basement green bean casserole your aunt used to bring. This loaded green bean casserole shows up loaded with bacon, ranch, cheddar, and a crunchy onion topping that makes people lose all buffet manners. Put it next to a ham and watch the free-for-all unfold.

3. Pineapple Casserole

If you've never had pineapple casserole, you're about to experience one of the South's strangest and most delicious plot twists. Sweet pineapple, sharp cheddar, and a buttery cracker topping somehow join forces and become absolute magic next to ham. It's sweet, salty, crunchy, and completely unapologetic about the whole situation.

4. Southern Sweet Onion Casserole

Southern sweet onion casserole is proof that onions can absolutely compete with the main act. The onions soften into a creamy, cheesy filling while a buttery cracker topping gets golden and crunchy on top. It feels fancy enough for a holiday table but it's easy enough to throw together ahead of time, which is exactly the kind of kitchen magic I appreciate.

5. Maple Glazed Carrots

Ham and sweet sides are basically best friends, and these maple roasted carrots show up ready to cooperate. The maple glaze gets sticky and beautiful while a little spicy kick keeps things balanced. They look impressive on the table but are almost embarrassingly easy to make. My favorite kind of side dish.

6. Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon

Ham might be the headliner, but fried cabbage and bacon is the side that makes the whole plate feel Southern. Tender cabbage, smoky bacon, and a skillet full of flavor that comes together in about twenty minutes flat. It's the kind of dish people keep scooping onto their plate like they forgot vegetables existed yesterday and will still be available tomorrow.

7. Potluck Pea Salad with Cashews

This pea salad with cashews is straight-up vintage potluck magic with a sprinkle of grandma energy. Creamy, crunchy, a little sweet, a little salty, and absolutely the kind of dish that's been showing up in church fellowship halls since the Nixon administration. The cashews and water chestnuts bring that addictive crunch, and it's cool and refreshing next to warm ham. I like to make it ahead so it's one less thing trying to ruin my peace on a busy morning.

8. Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Cranberries & Bacon

When the plate starts getting heavy with ham and casseroles, this crisp broccoli cauliflower salad shows up to balance the situation. Bacon brings the salty bite, dried cranberries add little pops of sweetness, and the creamy dressing pulls everything together like it runs the place. Best part? It stays crunchy and tastes even better the next day.

9. Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

This bourbon sweet potato casserole shows up with main-character energy and no intention of backing down. The filling is creamy and rich, the pecan-praline topping crackles when you scoop it, and the bourbon and vanilla make the whole thing taste like the holidays walked in early carrying a box of emotional support and good life choices. Next to ham? Absolute Southern harmony.

10. Asparagus Casserole With Ritz Crackers

This asparagus Ritz cracker casserole is basically asparagus's version of hot girl summer. Creamy, cheesy, loaded with bacon, and topped with that buttery Ritz cracker crunch that makes people hover near the dish with a spoon like there were magnets in the bottom of the casserole dish. Five ingredients, about thirty minutes, and you can stash it in the fridge until it's time to bake. Fair warning: it has a real habit of getting scraped clean before the ham even finishes resting. Make two just in case.

11. Cauliflower Casserole

Honestly, I was out of crackers and had leftover cornbread, so this casserole happened. Creamy cauliflower casserole may not sound exciting until this one hits the table. Creamy cauliflower, sharp cheddar, sautéed bell peppers, and a cornbread topping loaded with crispy fried onions bake into a golden, crunchy masterpiece. It travels well, reheats beautifully, and somehow convinces vegetable skeptics they suddenly love cauliflower.

12. Jiffy Cornbread Casserole

Some recipes demand hours of work. This Jiffy cornbread casserole basically demands a box of Jiffy, a cheese grater, and a mixing bowl. The result is soft, golden, slightly sweet cornbread casserole that happily soaks up every drop of ham goodness on the plate. Maximum comfort, minimum kitchen drama.

13. Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Rolls

These are the classic cloverleaf rolls that grandma used to make a ham dinner feel like a proper occasion. Soft, buttery, and perfectly pull-apart tender, they're made for soaking up gravy, scooping casserole bits, and building legendary leftover ham sandwiches the next day. Fair warning: they evaporate when no one is looking.

14. Easy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

These buttermilk biscuits are the kind that make people reach for one before they even sit down. Tall, flaky, and brushed with butter, they're made for stuffing with ham or swiping through whatever good things are left on the plate. Because a ham dinner without biscuits just feels kind of rude.

15. 30-Minute Dinner Rolls

When the ham is already cooking and you suddenly remember you forgot bread, these easy 30 minute dinner rolls save the day. They're soft, fluffy, and buttery with that fresh-baked smell that draws people to the kitchen like a siren song. Thirty minutes later you look like a domestic hearth goddess with fresh, homemade rolls on the table.

Ham might be the star of the dinner show, but the sides are where the real magic happens. Pick a few of these casseroles, veggies, and breads and watch that ham dinner turn into the kind of meal people hover around.

Still planning your holiday table? These 27 Southern Easter side dishes include casseroles, vegetables, breads, and classic comfort foods that pair perfectly with ham.