36 Ideas for What to Serve with Pizza : Ugly Duckling Bakery

Looking for ideas for what to serve with pizza? Need inspiration for your pizza party menu?

This collection of pizza side dishes has something for you, whether you’re looking for what to serve with pizza at a birthday party, what to serve with pizza for a party for adults, or simply what to serve with pizza for dinner at home. I’ve got everything from the best salads that go with pizza to easy appetizers for a pizza party.

three images including a green salad with sliced pear and walnuts, garlic bread in foil, and peach caprese salad. The title reads, "Thirty-five side dishes to serve with pizza".

Jump to:

Pizza dinner tips and tricks
Favorite sides to go with pizza
Appetizers for a pizza party
Simple salads that go with pizza
Substantial salads and vegetable side dishes
Garlic bread and bread sticks
Pizza dips and toppings
Cocktails to serve with pizza
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Pizza dinner tips and tricks

First things first. If you need suggestions for how to make the best pizza for both your home oven or outdoor pizza oven like the Ooni, check out my overnight pizza dough recipe, easy pizza sauce, and some pizza recipes. There’s even a rainbow veggie pizza!

When you’re planning your pizza dinner or pizza party, the goal is for pizza side dishes that aren’t fussy. In my house, I usually go simple with just a few pizzas and a green salad plus a simple cocktail or red table wine.

Favorite sides to go with pizza

Here are some of my favorite sides and salads that go with pizza. They also work well with my quick and easy pizza beans too!

Appetizers for a pizza party

When I’m planning a pizza party menu, I want appetizers that are healthy and simple, like this rainbow veggie tray with kidney bean hummus or just a few small bowls of olives and nuts that guests can enjoy with a dry martini or other pre-dinner cocktail. You could also use your same pizza sauce as a dip for mozzarella sticks or fried vegetables.

tomatoes, radishes, peppers, carrot sticks cucumber slices, celery, and purple cauliflower florets arranged in rainbow order with a small bowl of mauve colored dip on a square wood tray.

Rainbow Veggie Tray

Do you want to make a rainbow veggie tray to bring to a potluck? Do you need a rainbow crudité platter for a Pride party? And let’s make a rainbow veggie tray!

Colorful Veggie Tray

an up close shot of a pile of saucy buffalo chicken wings with a bowl of ranch dipping sauce in the background and few celery stalks.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce

Crispy air fryer buffalo chicken wings are made so juicy and crispy without deep-frying! Tossed with a delicious homemade buffalo sauce.

Recipe: Little Sunny Kitchen

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings

an up close shot of a crispy mozzarella bite with gooey melty cheese coming out of the side there are more bites in the background and a dipping sauce in a silver cup.

Mozzarella Bites

Crispy on the outside, cheesy and ooey gooey on the inside, these Air Fryer Mozzarella Bites are super easy to make and even easier to eat!

Recipe: Life Currents

Air Fryer Mozzarella Bites

a pile of crispy halloumi fries on parchment paper beside a small white bowl of dipping sauce.

Extra Crispy Halloumi Fries

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just looking for a quick and easy appetizer, these extra-crispy halloumi fries will hit the spot!

Recipe: Cooking Gorgeous

Halloumi Fries

Zucchini Fries

Crispy and super crunchy! Our air fryer zucchini fries are just like mozzarella sticks, only better!

Recipe: World of Vegan

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries

Simple salads that go with pizza

No matter what the occasion, you’ll want to serve salad with your pizza. Go Italian with a Caprese, panzanella, or Caesar salad, or make another one of the simple green salads below.

sliced peaches and two different sliced tomatoes arranged in a spiral in a white serving dish with whole basil leaves on top, and two balls of burrata in the center.

Peach Caprese Salad

Ripe peaches and tomatoes and creamy burrata cheese make the perfect summer pairing in this peach and burrata Caprese salad.

Caprese Salad with Burrata and Peaches

small wooden salad bowl of spinach and arugula with goat cheese and strawberries next to large bowl of greens.

Arugula Spinach Salad

This Arugula Spinach Salad has goat cheese and fresh strawberries. Drizzle on a cherry vinaigrette, and you’ve got a delicious spring salad.

Arugula Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Strawberries

wooden salad bowl filled with arugula, pear, qwalnuts, and Parmesan shavings.

Arugula and Pear Salad

This Rocket Pear Salad is a simple salad made with rocket (arugula), crisp pears, crunchy toasted walnuts, and shaved Parmesan.

Rocket and Pear Salad

an overhead shot of Caesar salad in a white bowl on a grey counter top the salad is garnished with parmesan petals and there are wooden salad spoons beside the bowl.

Classic Caesar Salad Recipe

This Classic Caesar Salad recipe has a tangy garlic dressing tossed with romaine lettuce and two kinds of cheese.

Recipe: The Dinner Bell

Classic Caesar Salad

Italian Summer Bread Salad

Watermelon and homemade sourdough croutons take center stage in this variation on a classic Italian summer bread salad.

Watermelon Panzanella

an up close show of a wedge salad on a white plate that's topped with a creamy dressing, sliced grape tomatoes and crispy bacon and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Classic Blue Cheese and Bacon Wedge Salad

This Classic Blue Cheese and Bacon Wedge Salad is fully loaded with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, and red onions, drizzled with a delicious homemade blue cheese dressing with buttermilk, and garnished with crispy fried shallots.

Recipe: Life Love and Good Food

Classic Blue Cheese and Bacon Wedge Salad

Carrot Ribbon Salad with Arugula

Carrot Ribbon Salad is made with arugula, sweet carrots, goat cheese and sliced almonds. It’s extra delicious with an orange ginger dressing!

Recipe: Life Around the Table

Carrot Ribbon Salad

Substantial salads and vegetable side dishes

If you’re looking for ideas what to serve with pizza at a potluck dinner party, I’d consider bringing one of these sides to go for pizza that’s a little more substantial. Below are some dinner salads and other vegetable sides for pizza that are a little heftier than a simple green salad.

a bowl of chopped rainbow colored vegetables.

Rainbow Salad Bowl with Maple Dijon Dressing

This rainbow salad bowl with maple Dijon dressing makes a colorful main course salad. Or serve it on the side with a simple main course.

Rainbow Salad Bowl

a bowl of orzo pesto salad with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, and toasted pine nuts.

Orzo Pesto Salad Recipe

This orzo pesto salad is the perfect summer salad. It’s packed with ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and topped with toasted pine nuts.

Orzo Pesto Salad

Cabbage Slaw

This Purple Cabbage Slaw recipe makes a purple cabbage and carrot salad that is your go-to mayo-free coleslaw for all your summer barbecues.

Purple Cabbage Slaw

an overhead shot of chili lime quinoa salad in a white bowl on a marble counter top.

Chili Lime Quinoa Salad with Kale & Roasted Chickpeas

This crowd-pleasing Quinoa Salad with massaged kale, roasted chickpeas and a homemade Chili Lime Dressing is the perfect make-ahead meal or potluck side!

Recipe: Beet of the Wild

Chili Lime Quinoa Salad

an up close shot of charred broccoli salad with a golden fork tucked in the side of the bowl.

Warm Broccoli Crunch Salad with Balsamic Tahini Dressing

This Warm Broccoli Crunch Salad with Balsamic Tahini Dressing pairs warm cooked broccoli with crunchy elements like pistachios, chickpeas and celery. It will be your new go to fall salad recipe!

Recipe: Avocado Skillet

Warm Broccoli Crunch Salad

an overhead shot of a BLT salad on a blue and white plate on a white surface. The salad is topped with bacon, tomato and lots of avocado and fresh basil as garnish.

BLT Salad with Garlic Toast Croutons

Love BLT sandwiches? Try this unique BLT salad recipe with crispy bacon, sweet tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and creamy pesto dressing.

Recipe: The Virtual Caterer

BLT Salad with Pesto Ranch Dressing

an up close overhead shot of a bowl of creamy cucumber salad you can see the salad has sliced white onion and fresh dill sprigs throughout.

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad Recipe

This sour cream cucumber salad recipe is a classic summer side dish – creamy, light, refreshing, and ready in 15 minutes! Perfect for a BBQ, summer cookout, or potluck side dish.

Recipe: The Herbeevore

Classic Creamy Cucumber Salad

an overhead shot of a red leaf lettuce salad with round red onion slices and marinated artichokes garnishing the top. the salad is in a white bowl sitting on a grey counter with a orange serving towel tucked beside.

Marinated Artichoke Hearts Salad

Looking for a salad that’s as delicious as the ones at your favorite Italian restaurant? This Marinated Artichoke Hearts Salad is for you.

Recipe: Veggies Save the Day

Marinated Artichoke Hearts Salad

an overhead shot of a chicken salad in a wooden bowl with wooden salad spoons on the side. The salad has chicken, tomato, avocado and corn.

Chicken Caprese Salad

This Chicken Caprese Salad is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing ever tasted – healthy, tasty, and fast!

Recipe: Chew Out Loud

Honey Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad

two wooden salad spoons in a Mediterranean orzo salad in a glass green bowl the salad is topped with green grapes and crumbled feta and there are grape tomatoes on the vine on the white counter beside the bowl.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Grapes

Enjoy Mediterranean flavors with a refreshing orzo pasta salad featuring crisp zucchini, juicy green grapes, cherry tomatoes & black beans.

Recipe: Life Around the Table

Balsamic Orzo Salad with Grapes

an up close overhead shot of a salad with various shades of green. There are sprouts, cucumber, shopping parsley and chunks of cheese with wooden salad spoons tucked in the side of the salad.

The Best Cucumber Salad (Fresh and Easy)

This is the best cucumber salad that you can make in 10 minutes, and it is deliciously flavorful, refreshing, and incredibly nutritious.

Recipe: My Chef's Apron

Cucumber Salad

Garlic bread and bread sticks

If there aren’t enough carbs in your pizza party already, make some garlic bread or bread sticks to dip into your leftover pizza sauce. That garlic bread is my go to side dish for soups too, like this pasta e ceci-inspired garbanzo bean soup.

Garlic Bread Baguette

This Garlic Bread Baguette is the answer to all your garlic bread prayers. That’s because a whole head of roasted garlic magically transforms your baguette into a garlic bread with the sweetest and most mellow flavor.

Garlic Bread Baguette

an overhead shot of twisty breadsticks on a black counter top the breadsticks are stopped with cheese and herbs.

Easy Homemade Breadsticks

These quick and easy breadsticks are made from scratch in just one hour! They are a great yeast bread recipe and make the best breadsticks!

Recipe: I Heart Eating

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Pizza dips and toppings

If pizza sauce isn’t enough, add to your pizza party with a variety of other dips for your pizza and appetizers.

Sumac Sauce

Make salads and Middle Eastern dishes sing with this creamy sumac sauce made with sour cream, yogurt, lemon, olive oil, and garlic.

Thick and Creamy Sumac Sauce

a white spoon pulling up a scoop of chipotle ranch from a clear glass cup.

Thick and Creamy Chipotle Ranch Dressing

This thick and creamy Chipotle Ranch Dressing adds a smoky and slightly spicy twist to classic ranch dressing. Blend it up in just 10 minutes for a sensational dip or topping to salads, tacos, and so much more!

Recipe: The Forked Spoon

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

a small mason jar with a silver spoon sticking out of it filled with homemade ranch dressing and topped with finely chopped chives surrounded by lots of raw veggies on a white platter.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

This Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe is quick and easy to make with simple, affordable, and delicious ingredients and without preservatives or MSG. Perfect for salads or served as a dip for pizza, it’s so good you’ll never want to buy store-bought again.

Recipe: The Forked Spoon

Homemade Ranch

green tomatillo hot sauce is displayed in a wooden bowl on a small wooden cutting board in the front of the photo are hot peppers and tortillas and in the back are tall jars containing more hot sauce.

Fast and Easy Tomatillo Hot Sauce

Did you know you can easily make your own homemade hot sauce? Here is a tasty, tomatillo hot sauce recipe that doesn’t require fermentation.

Recipe: In the Kitch

Tomatillo Hot Sauce

Pickled Onions

These spicy pickled onions are easy to make and add heat and crunch to your favorite tacos and sandwiches. Or to anything and everything!

Spicy Pickled Onions

Cocktails to serve with pizza

Finally, a pizza party isn’t complete without a cocktail or two for the adults. Go simple with a refreshing Aperol soda or passion fruit spritz or one of the other cocktails below.