Memorial Day is upon us, summer is almost here. We honor the fallen, but we also gather with family and friends to share some love and laughter … and of course, good food. Here are some delicious, totally plant-based sides to bring to your summer cookout. This list is full of wonderful plates. Many items strive to showcase seasonal produce, and you’ll find a mix of both light and hearty dishes

If you love the traditional cookout sides like potato and pasta salad, just scroll down to see a few carby gems. Are bright, fresh, or emerald-hued salads more your thing? Yeah, we got that too. Chips and dip? Obviously.

Best of all, you’ll find some wonderful grill-friendly veggie recipes. That’s right, veggies have a place on the grill. These dishes from the Food Monster App are so tasty that everyone will be clamoring for a bite — so be sure to make plenty to share!

1. Spicy Mango Salsa With Plantain Tostones

Source: Spicy Mango Salsa With Plantain Tostones

This Spicy Mango Salsa With Plantain Tostones by Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez is a great BBQ side! Diced juicy mangoes are tossed with chopped bell pepper, red onion, and fiery slices of jalapeño, which mingle with cool cubes of cucumber and creamy avocado. Topped with freshly-squeezed lime juice and handfuls of fragrant cilantro, this simple, sweet, and spicy blend is the perfect topping for the hot and crunchy plantain bites known as tostones.

2. Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

Source: Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

This Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad by Alena Grahn is chock full of fresh and in-season ingredients like radishes, celery, tomatoes, and of course, corn. A bit of small habanero is added to the corn for an extra zing to this salad. Drizzle it with tarragon dressing for a truly unique combination of flavors.

3. Grilled Eggplant With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Source: Grilled Eggplant

Kick off your summer cookout with this deliciously tasty and easy-to-make Grilled Eggplant stack by Taryn Fitz-Gerald! Sliced eggplant is seasoned with paprika and then grilled until it begins to crisp. It’s layered with a savory roasted red pepper sauce and served with simple sides of corn and sliced avocado.

4. Grilled Avocados With Roasted Tomatoes

Source: Grilled Avocados With Roasted Tomatoes

These Grilled Avocados With Roasted Tomatoes by Carri Pattison make a great barbecue side dish or a quick, light meal. This easy-to-make recipe is plant-based and raw vegan. If you aren’t into grilling, simply roast the avocados along with the tomatoes.

5. ‘Parmesan’ Roasted Potato Salad

Source: Parmesan Roasted Potato Salad

Roasted potato salads generally make a great side dish for all sorts of meals. Veggie burgers, hot dogs, and patties all are nicely rounded out by a side of flavorful potato salad. This Parmesan Roasted Potato Salad by Stephanie McKinnie brings the idea to the next level by adding some delicious Brazil nut Parmesan cheese.

6. Coconut Creamed Corn

Source: Coconut Creamed Corn

Make the best of fresh summer corn with this Coconut Creamed Corn by Jasmine Briones. Onion and garlic are sautéed and then combined with sweet corn kernels and caramelized. Creamy coconut milk, a sprinkle of coconut sugar, and fresh herbs add an amazing depth of flavor that might just upstage all the other dishes on the table. Feel free to use fresh corn instead of the frozen corn suggested in the recipe.

7. Orange Dijon Beans With Crispy Shallots

Source: Orange Dijon Beans With Crispy Shallots

This elegant Orange Dijon Beans With Crispy Shallots by Lisa Lotts is the perfect complement to any dinner. Green beans are dressed up with fresh herbs and a citrusy glaze made from orange juice, whole grain mustard, and a hint of agave syrup. It also includes beautiful pearled onions and some crispy shallots.

8. Oil-Free Pesto Cauliflower Potatoes

Source: Oil-Free Pesto Cauliflower Potatoes

These Oil-Free Pesto Cauliflower Potatoes by Hailey Gallerani are the perfect quick and easy side. All you have to do is cut up your potatoes and cauliflower, put them in the oven for 45 minutes, and throw all of your basil pesto ingredients in a blender, and you are done. It doesn’t get much more simple than that for such a delicious meal.

9. Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage, and Kelp Noodle Salad

Source: Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage, and Kelp Noodle Salad

This Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage, and Kelp Noodle Salad by Annaliisa Kapp is fresh, delicious, and invigorating! You can serve it warm or cold, as a main or side dish. It offers protein, probiotics, and antioxidants.

10. Garlicky Mushroom Kebabs

Source: Garlicky Mushroom Kebabs

These Garlicky Mushroom Kebabs by Gloria Sucic make a great addition to any barbecue. Ready in no time, these skewered mushrooms are a delicious side to any veggie burger or other grilled vegetables.

11. Veggie and Mushroom Mini Bites

Source: Veggie and Mushroom Mini Bites

These Veggie and Mushroom Mini Bites by Nadia Petrova combine broccoli, cauliflower, aubergines, carrots, garlic, red peppers, and baby spinach. A feast for all the senses with the added portobello mushrooms, cashews, ginger, and powdered nutmeg.

12. Carrot Coconut Salad

Source: Carrot Coconut Salad

This Carrot Coconut Salad by Rachael Campbell is a fantastic 5-minute dish full of summery, coconutty flavor and crisp carrots with greens. It has lots of flavors and is so easy to prepare. YUMMO!

13. Thai Barbecue Cauliflower

Source: Thai Barbecue Cauliflower

You’ve gotta get some of this Thai Barbecue Cauliflower by Zsu Dever! Cauliflower is tossed with curry powder, Sriracha, garlic, and coconut milk to contrast the heat and then baked (or air-fried) until tender and toasted. Serve these with a cooling and creamy dip and plenty of carrots and celery sticks!

14. Spicy Cucumber Avocado Onion Salad

Source: Spicy Cucumber Avocado Onion Salad

Salads, boring? Not this one! You can eat Kibby Miller‘s epic Spicy Cucumber Avocado Onion Salad by itself or serve it over some fresh, baby greens. It’s very hydrating, cooling, and filling.

15. Grilled Sweet Potato Boats

Source: Grilled Sweet Potato Boats

Looking for an easy meal to enjoy with company? Try Susan Edelman‘s Grilled Sweet Potato Boats! No flipping is necessary. No poking. No nothing. Just stand around and enjoy your company. Serve this as a side dish or as a light main dish over a bed of kale.

Need more ideas? Check out our vegan Memorial Day recipes page.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!