The Best Side Dishes For Steak

Consider this your one-stop-shop for planning out an amazing steak dinner from scratch, complete with all kinds of side dishes. After all, what's more satisfying than kicking back and tucking into a weighty steak with all kinds of complementary and traditional sides? 

Sure, you can cook up the perfect steak in nearly a dozen different ways — and you can make just as many mistakes trying to achieve that perfect steak — but really, is eating that steak on its own fully satisfying? Think of all the wonderful things you can pile up on a plate alongside that mouthwatering slab of beef which, when paired up correctly, can turn even dinners of the cheapest cuts into true feasts.

Don't go thinking you're only going to find a bunch of ways to cook potatoes, though we've got that too. Side dishes for steak can change depending on who you ask or where you are. In fact, these sides can be made into just as much of a lean and even diet-friendly dinner as it can be a chance to load up on some serious carbs. Here's every recipe you'll need to choose your own appetizing steak sidekick.

Some may say that when it comes to steak and eggs for breakfast, the two foods are sharing the plate. Really, however, we all know that the steak is the star of the show. Now, you're not always eating it every day of the week, and as the more pricey option on a diner's menu, it can feel like the special occasion option. 

If you're home, however, and looking to treat multiple people to a bunch of steak and eggs for breakfast, consider wowing everyone with this recipe for sheet pan eggs. It will make it so you can get everyone's sides in order while you work to cook up that delicious steak. It's efficient, filling, and tasty all in one classic side.

Simple, sumptuous, and almost sleek in its delivery, the wedge salad makes for a solid side next to a steak. Who knew that a crisp hunk of iceberg lettuce covered with a blue cheese dressing and crunchy bits of real bacon could pack such a flavor wallop? Recipe author Maren Epstein says it's great when "served with classic American fare like burgers and hotdogs", if you're looking for a standard main. That said, we all know it's best when sided against the king dish of the grill.

These are the Hasselback potatoes you're going to want to pair with everything, so you better believe they'll pair supremely well with steak. Similar to baked potatoes but with a few touches to add more flair and texture than their plainer cousin, you can cook these potatoes off to the side in the oven while you focus on making your steak just right. Best of all, if you make a bit of extra sage butter as originally required for this recipe, you can then add it to your main dish. It'll all taste even more fabulous as a result.

Why should mashed potatoes get all the glory? When you take the lighter texture and almost milky flavor of this mashed cauliflower, you'll learn that it can easily go toe-to-toe with the most traditional of tater-based side dishes, in addition to feeling just as substantial as potatoes in your stomach. Made with just the right amount of flavor adjustments made thanks to cream cheese, butter, and garlic, this side dish makes for a smooth potato substitute. It could even be your next favorite appetizer for all kinds of different main dishes, though definitely try it out with steak.

"There are two ways to think of rice pilaf: as a side and as a base," says recipe author Kristen Carli. That's about as complicated as it gets for this super easy rice pilaf recipe, where toothsome rice gets cooked before having some seasonings and spiced carrots, peas, and diced onion mixed in to give some extra oomph to this classic side dish. That's really all there is to it. As for presentation, you can either eat it separately or pre-slice your steak and lay it artfully on top. Just remember not to cut your steak immediately after it's been cooked — give it a good rest first!

Don't go thinking that siding your steak up with mashed potatoes is the most basic of moves that you can make for dinner. In fact, when you know how to use your slow cooker the right way, mashed potatoes like these can become a silky delight that requires little to no effort to pull off. That's pretty important for many, as you can then focus on cooking up a steak. In fact, if you're a fan of making things ahead, this is the perfect recipe. It's even possible to make this a day ahead and reheat it just as dinner is almost ready.

Consider this next recipe to be a good dish that can join a full table's worth of sides. Everyone will surely pass it around, taking a healthy portion and surrounding the steak on their plates with this side. For, just as much it makes for a great accompaniment to a certain restaurant's signature fried chicken, this copycat KFC coleslaw will make a great pairing for steak. Consider bringing it to the next family gathering, perhaps at a backyard barbecue. The coleslaw's blended texture and sweet, tangy flavor are going to be just the counterpoint to your meal's heavier offerings.

As recipe developer Kristen Carli told Mashed, baked beans like these are great to make "for a barbecue, football party, or other casual gatherings." Now, don't go thinking you'll need to monitor a pot of these beans as it cooks slowly on the stovetop, however. It's actually made in an Instant Pot with bacon, a combination of diced vegetables, and the right chemistry of sauces. It all means that this is an incredibly easy way to create that baked bean flavor without having to cook for hours on end.

They'll definitely take some time to get right, but once you nail them, these copycat Chick-fil-A waffle potato fries just get easier and easier to cook up. Soon enough, whenever it's time to make a good side for your next steak, you'll be reaching for this recipe automatically. They're really that good. 

The trick to making them is to soak the potato slices in a bath of ice-cold water for 20 to 30 minutes. Sure, that adds some extra time to the process, but it's important that you don't skip that step! This will make the fries crunchier in the end. And isn't that what we all want from a really good batch of waffle fries?

Potatoes au gratin, or gratin dauphinois, as some French diners call them (via The Spruce Eats), is one of those rich and creamy dishes that can make a steak dinner a truly luxuriant experience, as if it weren't rich enough already, right? By combining heavy cream, butter, and cheese (with a little extra cheese on top) with a baking dish full of potato slices, you will get a deliciously cheesy and starchy side dish that's sure to delight practically everyone who takes a bite. While it's not strictly part of the recipe, you could maybe throw some chives on top to give the final dish a pop of color and just a little extra flavor.

Even the most adamant of steak lovers know that they need to eat their greens now and then. In that spirit, juicy on the inside yet charred on the outside dishes like this roasted asparagus recipe is a great compliment to a slab of beef. As simple as it may be to some, it's worth following the recipe so you know exactly how you should cook these spears of asparagus to get them just right. Even better is the fact that this side dish will take you less than 20 minutes to complete from start to finish.

Ah, how much more of a classic side dish can you have than some of these scalloped potatoes to go with your steak? Similar to the potatoes au gratin recipe above, this version developed by Cyndi Sterne gives the veggies — and also some bacon — a chance to take center stage ahead of an overload of cheese. That's because the separately diced bacon and leeks get loaded on top of your dish of upright slices of potatoes, allowing all the juices and fats to drip down and seep into the taters as the whole thing cooks. Positively delish.

A variety of heirloom potato cultivars (via New Entry Sustainable Farming Project), fingerling potatoes are always small, sometimes stubby, sometimes long, and oftentimes a bit more expensive than the other, larger spuds you might find in your grocery store's produce section. That's why, in recipes like this one for roasted fingerling potatoes, they're often halved and roasted with heavy seasonings to boost those precious, precious potatoes. Here, you'll use some roasted garlic and rosemary butter, to be precise. Once you get yourself a taste, you'll be coming back to this recipe time and again, but especially each time you find yourself looking to make a good steak side.

"With just a bit of prep, some basic spices, and some time spent roasting in the oven," writes author Susan Olayinka, "you can create a roasted carrot dish that will give everything else on the table a run for its money." That's just what she's done here, with a roasted carrots recipe that involves little more than some simple prep beforehand followed by a bunch of time in the oven. Just remember that the secret ingredient to this recipe really is time, as the cooking period spent in high temperatures caramelizes the natural sugars in the carrots, transforming their flavor.

Author Ksenia Prints deems this recipe for home fries to be one of the easiest side dishes ever. And while they're not necessarily the fanciest accompaniment for a high-flying meal like steak, they're darn close to being among the tastiest. Just imagine the potatoes, crisped inside a pan with butter and then slathered with a garlic-parsley topping like an impromptu chimichurri. It's side dishes like this that demonstrate how you can get a substantial amount of flavor out of next to no ingredients with just a little seasoning and a bit of patience.

Keep it simple and effective by cooking up a tray of these roasted cauliflower florets to go with your next steak. This recipe from Ashley Schuering swears by the 'secret' ingredient of Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning from Costco, employed in order to make the most of the cruciferous vegetable, which gains a wonderfully nutty flavor as it roasts in the oven. If you don't have access to a Costco, some garlic salt with a bit of dried parsley mixed in can act as a decent substitute in a pinch. Don't skimp on the butter, though, as that's what helps make this a simple yet rich side dish.

Consider the humble baked potato. Few side dishes are as iconic as a baked potato, especially when it comes to steak. Thing is, everyone and their grandmother have some trick or another when baking them in an oven. But do you really want to get them right every time? Try making your baked potatoes in an Instant Pot. So long as you know the right settings and process, you'll be recreating the same perfectly baked taters every time. Even better, it all happens within an ultra manageable 30-minute cook time.

Another solid side dish to throw down on the backyard steak cookout table, this copycat Chick-fil-A coleslaw is a strong contender for stealing to show (you know, right after those impeccable steaks you just cooked up). The cult following behind this sweet and salty dish is pretty well merited, and recipe developer Carina Finn swears that it's just like the original. All you're going to need to make this side dish are cabbage and carrots with a sauce made from mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, and dry mustard powder.

Nothing says you're in the money, at least taste-wise, like some of this creamy one-pot mac and cheese, does it? Using medium shells to catch sauce made from four different kinds of cheese, it's an instantly endearing and comforting dish that runs the risk of stealing the show from your main steak. So long as you keep it a side dish on the table, though, things will be fine. You wouldn't want that beautiful piece of beef getting outshined, would you? 

If you haven't been to Texas Roadhouse, a plate of their cinnamon butter and rolls might seem like a strange side dish to enjoy alongside a heap of steak, but you shouldn't be knocking it if you haven't tried it. True believers know that these side dishes are, in a certain light, just as worth a trip to the popular American steakhouse because of their taste. After all, these are house-made rolls made with crave-worthy cinnamon butter. What's not to like?