Recipe Roundup

47 Side Dishes for Ham to Complete Your Holiday Dinner

One cannot live on glazed pork alone. Luckily, we have lots of ideas for side dishes that go well with ham.

By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious

November 20, 2023

A baking dish of macaroni and cheese with a serving spoon.

Once you know how to cook a ham, you’re well on your way to an excellent holiday meal. But the best side dishes for ham depend entirely on what you’re craving. Will you round out the menu with mashed potatoes or buttermilk cornbread? A cheesy gratin or crisp, fresh green beans? Biscuits? (Obviously—and fluffy rolls too.) The biggest challenge in choosing sides for a ham dinner is narrowing down all the options. You could poll the family, or just scroll down and save all the recipes that catch your eye. Whether you’re glazing this year’s roast with brown sugar and mustard, thyme and honey, or hot sauce and apple cider vinegar, you’ll find the ideal side dishes for ham below.

Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine
1/47
Dauphinoise Potatoes
We consider potatoes to be essential side dishes for ham, but the question is: which potatoes. Combining intricate layers of cream-simmered Yukon Gold potatoes with grated Gruyère, rosemary, thyme, and Dijon mustard gives you a gratin that just might become your new tradition.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
2/47
Glazed Carrots
This simple vegetable side dish adds a touch of sweetness to your holiday spread—and only requires 30 minutes total time.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
3/47
Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
Creamy macaroni with a light, crunchy topping: This is the mac and cheese dreams are made of. A hit of ground mustard gives it a flavorful kick.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka
4/47
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta and Garlic
Four ingredients (plus salt and pepper) are all it takes to get this family favorite on the table.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
5/47
Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes are light and fluffy yet rich and creamy, with just a hint of garlic and thyme. They’re just waiting to be paired with a big slice of ham.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
6/47
Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Fried Onions
A mix of wild mushrooms dresses up this creamy holiday side dish, but it’s the lightly spiced fried onions that will keep everyone’s attention.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
7/47
Quick and Easy Collard Greens
Slicing collard greens into ribbons means they cook quickly. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re hosting a larger crowd.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege
8/47
Sweet Potato Sonker With Milk Dip
This North Carolinian dish has a bottom crust and a lattice top. In the center: tender sweet potato rounds. Is it a side? A dessert? We love it whenever it arrives at the table.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
9/47
Funeral Potatoes
No gathering is complete without these creamy potatoes topped with buttery, crunchy cornflakes. This easy casserole recipe is beloved in Texas and has deep roots in the Latter-day Saints community.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
10/47
Simple Classic Stuffing
Who says dressing is just for turkey? The fragrant herbs in this recipe go just as well with a ham dinner.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
11/47
Cheesy Corn Spoon Bread
This creamy, cheesy garlicky spoon bread is made with creamed corn and finely ground cornmeal, plus sour cream for tang and a cup of Fontina cheese.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
12/47
Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower
Nutty roasted cauliflower gets even better with a dose of fresh garlic and grated Parmesan—but then, what doesn’t get better with garlic and Parmesan?
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
13/47
Green Beans Amandine
This classic green bean dish rounds out your holiday meal nicely. Toasting the almonds in butter adds a nutty richness that’s perfectly balanced out by a squeeze of lemon juice added at the end.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
14/47
Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls
Cold rolls have nothing on these hot and fluffy versions, which get parbaked in advance, then brushed with butter and browned in the oven right before serving with a gorgeous glazed ham.
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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which ... Read More

Senior SEO Editor, Cooking

The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More