35 Cauliflower Side Dishes For The Best Low-Carb Holiday Ever

While a great holiday centerpiece like a Thanksgiving turkey or a Christmas ham is important, when it comes to holiday meals, we’re ALL about the sides. They’re truly the things that can make or break a great meal. Whether you want to add color and variety to your table that won’t be too heavy (gotta save room for cookies and pie!) or are living that low-carb lifestyle but still want to indulge, cauliflower makes it easy. Check out our 35 cauliflower side dishes for ideas—you’ll be amazed at everything you can make with our favorite cruciferous veggie.

The best thing about cauliflower is how versatile it can be. We especially love it as a replacement for traditional potato, pasta, and rice dishes. Try out our mashed cauliflower, our keto mac & cheese, our cauliflower au gratin, or our loaded smashed cauliflower. You might find you like them even better than their carb-y counterparts.

Cauliflower is also great on its own and is a fantastic blank canvas for a variety of spices and seasonings. Check out our roasted cauliflower (with Old Bay), our air fryer cauliflower (with turmeric and ghee), or our aloo gobi (with garam masala) for ideas, but really, feel free to get creative and season it however you like.

It should also be noted, cauliflower can make for an impressive vegetarian or vegan main, one that can compete with meat in presentation and serve as an additional veggie side dish for omnivores. Check out our balsamic-glazed roasted cauliflower or our Thanksgiving cauliflower to see what we mean, then make room in your oven alongside the main meat event.

Want even more veggie side dish inspiration for your holiday table? Check out our top butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and pumpkin recipes too.