Wondering what to serve with pizza for your next pizza night? We've got the best 20+ recipes for side dishes and appetizers for pizza. You're sure to find something tasty to elevate pizza night to the next level!
It's Pizza Night! What are you serving with your pizza pie?
The family has a long standing tradition of pizza night on most Friday nights. We usually make our simple homemade pizza dough to make personal pizzas, Or we save time by making Air Fryer Mini Pizzas or Air Fryer French Bread Pizzas.
And as the mom, We know the sides are simply as important as the pizzas themselves!
So We've put together this collection of 25 tasty side dishes, sauces, and appetizers for pizza. Be sure to save this article to reference it for your next pizza night!
[feast_advanced_jump_to]Choosing the best side dishes and appetizers for pizza
When deciding on what to serve with pizza, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Flavor profiles – Pizza is often rich and cheesy. So choose sides that either complement or contrast this richness. For example, a crisp, tangy salad can provide a refreshing balance. For a spicy pizza, offer cooling sides like a cucumber salad or creamy coleslaw. For a pizza with sweet ingredients (like BBQ chicken), something savory or slightly acidic could work well.
- Texture – Pair the soft, chewy texture of pizza with crispy sides, like garlic breadsticks, roasted vegetables, or a crunchy Caesar salad. A creamy side dish, such as a spinach-artichoke dip or mac and cheese, can complement a crispier pizza crust.
- Portion size – Consider the size and type of pizza. For a large or deep-dish pizza, opt for lighter sides to avoid overloading your guests. If you're serving smaller or thin-crust pizzas, you might include more substantial sides.
- Finger foods – If the pizza is part of a casual gathering or Game Day menu, sides that can be eaten with fingers are ideal. These are sides like wings, mozzarella sticks, or garlic knots.
- Seasonal ingredients – Choose sides made with seasonal ingredients for peak flavor. In summer, a fresh tomato-cucumber salad would be perfect. Meanwhile in winter, roasted root vegetables or a warm soup might be more appropriate.
- Cuisine connection – If you're serving a specific type of pizza, such as Italian or Mediterranean, select sides that match the theme. For Italian-style pizza, go with antipasto skewers, bruschetta, or a Caprese salad. For a more American-style pizza, sides like crispy air fryer wings could be a better fit.
🌟 About these recipes
This recipe collection has so many tasty options for what to serve with pizza, including:
- Salad recipes
- Soup recipes
- Vegetable side dish recipes
- Dipping sauce recipes
👩🏻🍳 Pizza side dish FAQs
Foods that are quite sweet, like sugary desserts or fruit salads with a lot of syrup, can clash with the savory, umami-rich flavors of pizza. The sweetness can overpower the pizza, making it difficult to enjoy both together.
Also, foods that are quite acidic or vinegary can clash with the acidity of the tomato sauce on pizza, leading to an overly sour taste that can be unpleasant.
While a little spice can enhance pizza, extremely spicy foods can dominate the meal, making it difficult to taste the pizza's more nuanced flavors.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
Choosing a wine to pair with pizza often depends on the pizza toppings and the side dishes you choose. These are the two favorite wine pairings for most pizza dinner menus.
- Chianti – The acidity in Chianti cuts through the richness of the cheese. And its earthy undertones complement the tomato sauce and herbs typically found on pizza. This makes it an excellent choice for classic pizzas like Margherita, Pepperoni, or any pizza with tomato-based sauces.
- Pinot Noir – Pinot Noir's lighter body and fruit-forward profile make it versatile, pairing well with a variety of pizzas, from those topped with vegetables to those with lighter meats like prosciutto or sausage. Its acidity also helps balance the richness of the cheese and the umami flavors of mushrooms or truffles often found on gourmet pizzas.
What to serve with pizza
Breads to serve with pizza
Garlic knots and breadsticks are classic pizza friends.
Garlic Parmesan Knots
These garlic parmesan knots are simple to make and taste simply like they come from your favorite pizzeria! Serve them with marinara sauce.
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Garlic bread made in the air fryer is a fast and tasty companion to pizza.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread
You don't have to wait until Christmas or the holidays to enjoy this yummy pull-apart bread. It's full of cheesy goodness that's so good with pizza!
Best salads for pizza
From green salads to pasta salads, these side salads are great ways to bump up the nutrition value on pizza night.
Italian Bow Tie Pasta Salad
This Italian Bow Tie Pasta Salad is made for pizza night! With a good mix of veggies, meats, and pasta, a side of this pasta salad completes the meal.
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Add some tasty crunch to pizza night with this simple-to-make broccoli crunch salad.
BLT Pasta Salad
We love serving this BLT pasta salad with pizza. It's creamy and complements the savory flavors of pizza.
Filipino Macaroni Salad
A side of Filipino mac salad goes with almost everything in our minds, but it's truly a tasty treat with pizza. This especially goes well with Hawaiian pizzas or lighter chicken pizzas.
Avocado Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Corn
Cherry tomoatoes, corn, and avocado mixed with farfalle pasta make for a tasty side dish for your pizza night.
Arugula and Quinoa Salad
This arugula and quinoa salad is a protein packed nutritious
Melon & Prosciutto Caprese Salad
This melon and prosciutto caprese salad is especially tasty with summertime pizzas.
Asian Carrot Cucumber Salad
This healthy Asian carrot cucumber salad is a nutritious side to go with any pizza.
Simple Fruit Salad
A simple fruit salad is a colorful, sweet, satisfying side dish for pizza night!
Soups for pizza
Sometimes a warm bowl of comforting soup is the best side dish to enjoy with pizza.
Chicken Minestrone Soup
Chicken minestrone soup is full of vegetables. So comforting and satisfying.
One Pot Lasagna Soup (Dairy-Free)
This one pot lasagna soup is dairy free and will warm you right up on cool nights. It's a great accompaniment to pizza slices.
Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
Sausage tortellini soup is a hearty, delectable soup for pizza night!
Veggie sides
Add some more vitamins and minerals to your meal by making any of these vegetable-forward side dishes to serve with pizza.
Mushroom Marsala
For big umami flavors, make this mushroom marsala. It's especially great to serve with meat lovers' pizza or mushroom and spinach pizza.
Pressure-cooker Green Beans
These Pressure-cooker green beans are fast and simple to make, and go well with any pizzas you have on the menu.
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Asparagus wrapped in bacon gets nice and crispy in the air fryer. A beautiful and tasty side dish for pizza night.
Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots
We love this green beans with bacon and shallots recipe. It's a great side dish for almost any type of pizza you serve.
Air Fryer Broccoli (Pressure-cooker)
This air fryer Pressure-cooker broccoli recipe is one of those side dishes that simply goes with everything. And it's simple and fast to make in the air fryer.
Elote Dip
We truly love serving this Mexican corn dip whenever we make taco pizzas or BBQ pizzas. So good!
Air Fryer Corn Ribs
Corn ribs are a fun side dish with any meal, but the sweet corn and big flavors are truly tasty with pizza dinners.
Sauces to serve with pizza
These sauces are great for dipping your pizza slices into. But also, depending on your pizza toppings, they also make good pizza sauce bases and finishing drizzles.
Homemade Sweet BBQ Sauce
Our signature sweet BBQ sauce is perfect as a base for BBQ chicken pizzas, and also as a dipping sauce for your pizzas.
Buffalo Ranch Sauce
This tangy buffalo ranch sauce is a great dipping sauce for veggies and for pizza. Or use it as a base sauce for your buffalo chicken pizzas or buffalo cauliflower pizza.
Simple Homemade Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
This dairy-free ranch sauce is a staple in our house, and we love it on pizza nights to dip our garlic knots and pizza slices into.
Amazing pizza recipes
Here are four tasty pizza recipes. Make one, along with one or two of the sides listed above, for your next pizza night!
Did you make any of these recipes? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment below letting us know which one you made and how it turned out. Thank you!