60 Easy Family Reunion Side Dishes to Feed a Crowd Cheap
Easy family reunion side dishes for a crowd! These fun summer party food ideas include the best potluck side dishes you can make ahead.
Family reunions are perfect for coming together, catching up, and sharing good food with the people you love.
And while the main dishes might be important too, it’s the side dishes everyone loves to fill their plates with!
That’s why I put together this fun list of family reunion side dish recipes.
There are some classic, nostalgic favorites, a bunch of fresh ideas, and easy budget-friendly options …
… so you have lots of family reunion food ideas to choose from that are perfect for feeding a crowd without adding stress.
Whether you’re bringing a dish to share or helping host, these delicious recipes are simple, reliable, and made for easy, laid-back gatherings.
Let’s check ’em out!
(Looking for more easy recipes to feed a crowd? Try these fun summer dip recipes, easy crockpot party foods, or fun picnic appetizers.)
Family Reunion Side Dishes
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Mexican Street Corn Salad features roasted corn, fresh vegetables and herbs, creamy mayonnaise, and Mexican-style spices.
Mexican Orzo Pasta Salad
Mexican Orzo Pasta Salad is delicious and refreshing, with corn, onion, avocado, and tomatoes in a light vinaigrette sauce.
Easy Creamy Coleslaw
This Easy Coleslaw is quick, creamy, and delicious, and uses honey to balance the vinegar, and gives the dressing a bit of thickness without being overly sweet.
Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Deviled Egg Pasta Salad has the flavors of both deviled eggs and pasta salad, making it an ideal summer party dish.
Homemade Potato Chips
Homemade Potato Chips are flavorful, crispy, salty, and better than the store-bought version.
Ultimate Homemade Mac and Cheese
Outrageously cheesy, creamy, and topped with a crunchy breadcrumb topping, this Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe is definitely a keeper.
Old Fashioned Baked Beans
Old Fashioned Baked Beans have a sweet and savory sauce, made with molasses, bacon, and yellow mustard.
Ultimate Potato Salad
Ultimate Potato Salad is a classic potato salad that includes hard boiled eggs, crunchy celery, onion, and more tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing.
Best Homemade Biscuits
Homemade biscuits use just 6-ingredients and yields soft, flaky, layers of goodness that are ready in less than 30 minutes!
Cowboy Caviar
Easy Cowboy Caviar is a colorful bean salad made with a mix of black beans, black-eyed peas, fresh veggies, and a tangy lime dressing.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Pure summer in every bite, this Strawberry Spinach Salad is a classic you might make on repeat throughout the summer months.
Cornbread Salad
Cornbread Salad has crumbled jalapeno cheddar cornbread layered with bacon, beans, and veggies for a delicious southern favorite.
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is an easy, authentic Hawaiian side dish that’s cool and creamy with a tangy and subtly sweet taste!
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad uses simple ingredients like vegetables, cheese, pepperoni, and a homemade Italian dressing and to create the ideal cookout side dish.
Fiesta Corn Salad with Avocado
Light and colorful Fiesta Corn Salad with Avocado is bright, tangy and filled with fresh summer vegetables.
Calico Beans
Loaded with 3 types of beans, ground beef, bacon and a sweet & tangy sauce, everyone will love these vintage Calico Beans.
Dill Pickle Chopped Salad
Dill Pickle Chopped Salad is the perfect healthy dish to satisfy those pickle cravings. It's briny, citrusy, and bursting with pickle flavor!
Old Fashioned Creamy Fruit Salad
Old-fashioned Fruit Salad with Cool Whip has fresh sweet and juicy fruit folded with creamy whipped topping.
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
Easy 5-ingredient Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad takes just minutes to make and is totally packed with flavor.
No Mayo Potato Salad with Bacon
No Mayo Potato Salad with Bacon has a tangy mustard dressing, so you won't miss the mayo, and served cold, at room temperature, or warm.
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Transform your watermelon rinds into pickles for a unique, fun, and healthy recipe that doubles as a conversation starter at your gathering.
Green Bean Potato Salad with Sundried Tomato Pesto
Flavorful Green Bean Potato Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto is the perfect side dish for a summer picnic or potluck because it has no mayo and only 5 ingredients.
Honey Cornbread
Honey Cornbread is sweet, tender and absolutely delicious, especially when paired with grilled meats and smoky BBQ flavors.
Corn and Tomato Pasta Salad
Easy Corn and Tomato Pasta Salad has fresh cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, and cilantro mixed with cavatappi pasta and a fresh lemon dressing.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Tangy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is made with pasta, dill pickles, and a bright creamy dressing.
House Salad
Everyone needs a good House Salad recipe in their back pocket, and this one tastes like restaurant quality.
4 Bean Salad
4 Bean Salad is a fresh, easy, and nutritious salad filled with a variety of beans, crunchy vegetables and a tangy vinaigrette dressing.
TexMex Cucumber and Corn Salad
A refreshing twist on Mexican elote corn salad, TexMex Cucumber Corn Salad combines cucumbers and corn with jalapenos, red onion, cilantro and a sour cream dressing you will love.
Amish Potato Salad
Better than Walmart’s Amish Potato Salad, this has a tangy dressing made of mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and smoked paprika.
Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad
Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad is healthy and fresh, and a great way to use up extra summer produce.
Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans
Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans have a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and loaded with smoky, crispy bacon.
Honey Lime Coleslaw
Honey Lime Coleslaw is the perfect balance of tang and sweetness. Ditch the pre-made coleslaw dressing, and have this on your table in under 10 minutes!
Grilled Corn with Cilantro Lime Butter
Fresh sweet summer corn slathered in a garlicky cilantro lime butter is the perfect grilled side dish to any meal.
Ambrosia Salad
Creamy and light Old Fashioned Ambrosia Salad is a vintage fruit salad made with Cool Whip, coconut, and canned fruit.
Broccoli Salad
Crunchy, tangy, and subtly sweet, Broccoli Salad has 4 main ingredients and a quick dressing. Just toss it in the fridge until you're ready to serve!
Crack Corn Salad
Crack Corn Salad is made with fresh or frozen corn, Ranch dressing, bacon, and cheddar cheese, it’s ready to serve in just about 15 minutes.
Crudaiola Barese Pasta Salad
An authentic Southern Italian pasta salad, Crudaiola Barese combines the flavors of a caprese salad into a delicious cold pasta side dish.
Amish Macaroni Salad
This Pennsylvania Dutch recipe is better than Walmart’s Amish Macaroni Salad with a tangy dressing made of mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and smoked paprika.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Dill Pickle Potato Salad features red potatoes tossed in a creamy dressing, with a pleasant pop of texture from crunchy dill pickles.
Crack Green Beans
Crack Green Beans are rich, and incredibly addicting, cooked in a sweet and savory sauce with brown sugar and crispy bacon.
Smoked Mac and Cheese
Smoked Mac and Cheese is cheesy, warm, satisfying, with a smoky flavor, for a family-friendly classic made on a Traeger grill!
Sausage and Summer Squash Casserole
Easy Sausage Squash Casserole is a tasty vegetable side dish to serve at your summer gathering, made with yellow or zucchini squash or a mixture of both.
Coleslaw Pasta Salad
Coleslaw Pasta Salad has the crunch and flavor of coleslaw in a delicious pasta salad, with celery, green bell pepper, cucumber, and a coleslaw dressing.
Jalapeno Creamed Corn
Zero prep is needed for this spicy Jalapeno Creamed Corn! You’ll have a satisfying summer side dish ready in less than 10 minutes.
BLT Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad is loaded with crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, fresh lettuce, and tender pasta, all tossed in a creamy dressing.
Tropical Mango Coleslaw
Tropical Mango Coleslaw is a fun and fruity no-mayo side dish perfect for summer picnics, BBQs and potlucks.
Loaded Potato Salad
Loaded Potato Salad is made with creamy gold potatoes, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, mayo, and tasty seasonings.
Lemon Dill Rice
Lemon Dill Rice turns easy ingredients into big flavors. It’s light and aromatic, and a fun twist to traditional BBQ sides.
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Vibrant and fresh Mexican quinoa salad is loaded with quinoa, bell peppers, red onions, black beans, and fresh cilantro lime dressing for tons of bold flavor.
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Quick no-cook Pickled Red Onions are perfect for salads, burgers, brats and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches to add crunch and tanginess.
Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad has it all. Quick and easy to make, with lots of fresh veggies and tons of flavor.
Best Ever Blackened Corn
Blackened Corn bursts with robust and smoky flavors. The caramelized exterior provides a delightful contrast to the tender sweetness of the corn.
Chimichurri Potato Salad
Chimichurri Potato Salad is full of fresh herbs and garlic, a little heat from the red pepper, and it's delicious served warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Easy Mexican Rice
Mexican Rice is easy, fluffy, and flavorful, and takes only a handful of ingredients and 25 minutes to cook.
Lemony Chickpea Salad
Chickpea Salad with fresh lemon is packed with fresh flavors including juicy cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, and fresh mint and parsley.
Peach & Raspberry Fluff
Old-fashioned Peach & Raspberry Fluff is a fluffy jello fruit salad made with peaches, mangos, raspberry jello, shredded coconut, cottage cheese, marshmallows and whipped cream.
Shredded Carrot Salad
Shredded Carrot Salad features crunchy shredded carrots mingling with sweet raisins and tangy dressing.
Skillet Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Easy Skillet Jalapeño Cornbread has fresh jalapeños gives the lightly sweetened, cheesy cornbread the perfect kick of heat and flavor!
Waldorf Salad
Waldorf salad is a nostalgic side dish with apples, walnuts, celery, grapes, and raisins in a simple dressing for a unique and totally delicious flavor combination.
Deviled Egg Potato Salad
Deviled Egg Potato Salad is a delicious combination of two classic favorites tossed in a quick creamy dressing with just a little tang.
Family Reunion Food Ideas
Obviously family reunions aren’t just about the food.
But the meals bring everyone together to enjoy those special moments together catching up and reminiscing.
The laughter, the stories, and the familiar people all come together to share a meal and make the day so special.
With simple, crowd-friendly side dishes like these, you can spend less time worrying about what to bring and more time enjoying the people around you.
Enjoy your family reunion!
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