50 Green Side Dishes for Color Themed Potluck

One of my favorite new potluck themes is the Color Party! Some potlucks have every dish in one color or assign each person a different color to make a rainbow of food.

St. Patrick’s Day and Easter are common holidays to have a green potluck, so today we will be listing the 50 best green side dishes to bring to a party!

Green Food Ideas for Potluck

Typically, food that works well for a potluck can be served in a dish, tray, or crockpot. It has to store well at cold or room temperature and not need to be reheated before serving.

Here is my list of Potluck approved green dishes to bring to your next office party, family function, or any celebration! (Not everyone wants to make or prepare foods for a party and that is totally fine. If that is you, check out our Ultimate List of Green Snack Foods at the Grocery Store.)

1. Gaucamole

Guacamole and chips is not only a super easy dish to bring but it has a beautiful green color too! You can make guacamole at home with avocados, or you can buy some already premade at the grocery store! (Pro Tip: if you make the guacamole ahead of time, you keep it from turning brown by putting a little layer of water or lemon juice on the top! This will form a barrier and keep the avocado from turning brown.)

2. Spinach Dip

Spinach dip is one of my favorite snack foods and I love it with a variety of dippers. You can use bread pieces, crackers, fried ravioli, or even pita chips. There are actually two different version of spinach dip, one is hot and bubbly with lots of cheese and the other is cold and more like a spread. Both taste yummy and are big crowd pleasers! (Pro Tip: each cup of spinach dip serves 4/-8 people, so make sure you bring enough for the number of people coming to the potluck.)

3. Olives & Relish Tray

In case you are short on time or short on cooking skills, consider making an olive and relish tray. All you need is a nice platter and assortments of olives and pickles. I like to go with easy to serve pickles like gherkins, spears, or slices. (Pro Tip: Drain your pickles and olives first, and then pat dry before arranging on the platter. This will keep the excess juice to a minimum and less likely to make a mess!)

4. Spinach Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are always great cold side dishes to bring to a barbeque or outside potluck. For a spinach pasta salad, you can pick spinach pasta that is green, or you can use plain pasta and add fresh spinach. Either way, your dish will pop with green color. (Pro Tip: Mix your pasta salad the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. This will give the pasta time to soak up all the dressing. I prefer to use an Italian dressing and I mix it, so the salad is very wet. By the next day the pasta absorbs all the flavor and tastes great!)

5. Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad is a salad made with fresh broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflowers seeds, and bacon bits. The dressing is similar to a coleslaw dressing made of mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt/pepper. In fact, if you don’t want to make your own dressing, you can just buy coleslaw dressing. (Pro tip: Wash and dry your broccoli very well before mixing. Excess moisture will water drown the dressing and may make it mushy. This salad can be made the day before and actually taste better when allowed to refrigerate overnight.)

6.Stuffed Jalapenos

Similar to bacon wrapped jalapenos, these jalapeno halves are stuffed with cream cheese and then baked in the oven. The fun part is that you can add any spices you want to the cream cheese. I like using dry ranch powder, but you can also use taco seasoning or dry onion soup mix. (Pro Tip: If you want your jalapenos to be less hot, make sure to scrape out the white spots in the middle. Make sure that you wear gloves and use a spoon to scrape the jalapenos, or your hands will feel like they are on fire!)

7. Spinach Wrap Pinwheels

Pinwheels are a great little sandwich side dish! For these we will start with green spinach tortillas and fill the insides with lunchmeat like turkey or ham. Add in some sliced cheese or a cream cheese mixture and then roll up the tortillas. Now with a sharp knife, slice the rolls across in about 1 inch thickness. The result is a cute little green pinwheel! (Pro Tip: if you want to up the green, you can add fresh spinach, chopped green bell pepper, or any green lettuce that you like!)

8. Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde can be served like a salsa with chips, or you can make a side dish with the green sauce. Some of my favorites are salsa verde chicken or salsa verde chili. It’s basically a white chili made with white beans, chicken, and green salsa verde. (Pro Tip: To add even more green color, you can add chopped green cilantro. Just know that not everyone likes cilantro, so you may want to add it to the side and let guests sprinkle on their own.)

9. Watergate Salad

Watergate salad is less like a salad and more like a dessert, but here in the South we serve it as a side dish. To make Watergate salad, you need a can of crushed pineapple, pistachio instant pudding mix, mini marshmallows, chopped pecans and a container of whipped topping. Once you mix everything together, you will need to refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. (One batch of Watergate salad usually serves 8-16, so you may need to make a double or triple batch depending on the size of the party!)

10. Avocado Deviled Eggs

I love a good twist on a classic deviled egg! This version calls for skipping or lessening the mayonnaise and replacing it with fresh avocado. This will give the center of your deviled egg a beautiful light green color. You can add more green by sprinkling with fresh chopped parsley too! (Pro Tip: if you want your deviled egg filling to have an upscale look, try using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with a pastry tip. Just make sure that your filling is smooth and that the tip is wide enough.)

11. Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a popular Greek pie made with spinach and feta in a flaky phyllo dough. You can make this as one large pie in a 9 x 13 dish or you can make mini-individual triangles. It really depends on the number of people you are serving and if you want to roll a ton of triangles. (Pro Tip: Spanakopita is best served warm or room temperature, so make sure you can warm this dish up before serving. Once warm, you keep them hot in a chafing dish with canned heat or just serve at room temperature.)

12. Cucumber Boats

Cucumber Boats are a very versatile side dish because you can stuff them with almost anything! I have seen them stuffed with cottage cheese, ham salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, and much more. I like to start by washing my cucumbers and then using a vegetable peeler to remove most or some of the bright green skin. You can make it, so the green is small stripes or wide ones. Then using a melon baller, you scoop out the center but make sure not to go all the way through the cucumber. (Pro tip: I like to use a small spoon or pastry bag to fill the cucumber boats. If you use a pastry bag, make sure that the stuffing mixture is smooth, or you may clog the bag.)

13. Asparagus Casserole

Asparagus casserole is like the cooler version of boring green bean casserole. There are lots of different variations, but I like the ones with fresh asparagus, cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and ritz crackers on top. (Pro Tip: if you were making this as home as a side dish I would leave the asparagus long, but for a potluck cut your asparagus down into 1–2-inch chunks. This won’t change the taste any, but it will stretch your casserole to feed more people.)

14. Lettuce Wraps

Whether you are trying to eat healthier or follow a keto diet, Lettuce wraps are a great side dish! You will want to pick a firm lettuce like romaine, green leaf or bibb lettuce because softer lettuce like iceberg will fall apart. You can fill your lettuce wraps with salads like chicken, ham, or tuna. You can also fill with grilled chicken, peppers, and onions for a healthier version of a fajita! (Pro Tip: Make a little sign with what the lettuce is stuffed with because it can be hard to tell when it is all wrapped up! Also aim to make smaller wraps then what you would serve yourself for lunch. People love to try multiple items at potlucks, so it’s better to make mini versions.)

15. Celery Sticks with Avocado Dip

This one is a double shot of green with celery and avocado, plus it is super easy to put together. All you need is to wash and cut your celery into nice 2–3-inch dipping sticks, and then make your dip. An avocado dip is typically made with plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or sour cream. The main difference is a little bit of texture and what seasoning you add to it! (Pro tip: Pour your dip into a small bowl and place a napkin under the bowl on top of a plate or platter. This will keep your bowl from wanting to move around.)

16. Honeydew

Honeydew is a fruit with a gorgeous pastel green color. You can chop it into chunks, you can slice it with the rind still on it, or you can use a melon baller. (Pro Tip: Honeydew can be cut the night before and refrigerated until the party. To add a little bit more to this simple dish, consider adding other green fruits like grapes or kiwis.)

17. Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini muffins are the perfect side dish for a breakfast potluck or a lunch party at work. I have seen two different versions that work really well. The first is a muffin version of the classic zucchini quick bread that is a sweet. The second is a corn muffin made with zucchini and sometimes jalapenos that has a savory taste. Both styles are a great side dish! (Pro Tip: if you do add jalapenos to the muffins, make sure to make a sign so someone is not caught off guard that these muffins have some heat!)

18. Green Goddess Dip

Green Goddess is typically a heavy dressing for a salad, but you can also use it as a dip for a veggie tray or you can mix it with cream cheese and make it more of a spread. For a dip, I would serve it with vegetables like large slices of green bell pepper and celery. For a spread, you can serve it with toasted bread slices or chunks of bread. I’ve seen it served similar to a spinach dip inside a round loaf of pumpernickel. (Pro tip: Green Goddess is originally made with anchovies, but you can skip those if you are not a fan.)

19. Sour Cream & Onion Chips

Can you bring chips to a party? Absolutely, and sour cream and onion chips have a pretty green speckles all over them! We do want to make sure that we bring something else to go with the chips though, so I would recommend serving sour cream & onion chips with a french onion dip or even a ranch dip. (Pro Tip: you can also use Sour cream & onion chips to make a pie crust! Check out this recipe on Lay’s website.)

20. Dill Pickle Chips

This is another potato chip that has a great green color to them. For dill pickle chips I would recommend serving with a veggie dip or garlic herb dip. Don’t serve the chips in a bag though, make sure to bring a bowl for easier serving! (Pro Tip: if you want to go really crazy, check out this Dill Pickle Potato Chip Salad.)

21. Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach in a salad is a great side dish. The possibilities are endless as far as toppings and a lot of spinach salad include a fruit like mandarin oranges, strawberries, or dried cranberries. You can also add chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. Typically, a spinach salad is served with a vinaigrette style dressing. (Pro Tip: to keep the salad from getting soggy, keep the dressing on the side. This way each guest can use a little or a lot of dressing. You can also bring more than one dressing if you want the party goers to have options.)

22. Zuppa Toscana Soup

This yummy Italian soup is a huge hit at restaurants like the Olive Garden and you can make it easily in a crockpot. The basics of this soup is ground Italian sausage, chicken broth, diced potatoes, heavy cream, and kale for that beautiful green color. (Pro Tip: I would make this soup in the stove top the night before and then heat it up in the crockpot at the potluck. Make sure to bring a ladle to serve the soup!)

23. Green Pea Crisps

These crisps are similar to a potato chip but are actually more like dehydrated snap peas. These crunchy snacks have a great green color and can be purchased at almost any grocery store. These crisps can be served solo or with a dip of your choice. (Pro Tip: Make sure that you bring enough for everyone to try. A typical bag is pretty small and only serves 3-6 people, so you may need to buy quite a few bags.)

24. Herb Cheese Ball

This classic cheeseball is made with fresh chopped herbs like parsley, chives, rosemary, or sage. The cheesball itself is made using cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream. You can add some of the chopped green herbs into the cheese as well, so the color is speckled within the ball. (Pro Tip: I like to make my cheese ball first and let it refrigerate until mostly firm. Then I take it out and roll it into my fresh chopped herbs. Serve in the center of platter surrounded by crackers and some small bunches of green grapes. Remember to bring a butter knife or a small spatula to serve!)

25. Mini Cabbage Rolls

Similar to full sized cabbage rolls, we are still going to wrap a ground beef, rice, and tomato filling with cabbage leaves, but we are just going to make them smaller. Instead of drowning these rolls in tomato sauce, we will put some chicken broth in the 9 x 13 pan and cover with foil. The broth will help create a steam to fully cook the cabbage rolls and keep their nice green color. (Pro tip: you can also make a cabbage roll that is very similar to an egg roll with ground pork, carrots, and five spice!)

26. Stuffed Celery

You may know this better as bumps on log, where you take celery and fill it with peanut butter and top with raisins. There are actually lots of ways to make stuffed celery! You can fill them with any kind of cream cheese-based dip, or you fill them with a pimento cheese spread. (Pro tip: We want to keep the stuffed celery more bite sized, so we can cut the celery into 1.5-2-inch lengths. These look really nice on a platter, but make sure to leave enough space between them to grab easily or bring a set of tongs for easy serving!)

27. Pesto or Spinach Veggie Pizza

I love pizza and this is an easy side dish to make that has a green color. Instead of delivery pizza, we can make a room temperature pizza with a pack of pizza dough that we cook ahead of time, and then spread with either alfredo sauce or soften cream cheese. Then top with pesto or chopped spinach. (Pro Tip: I love this pizza with chopped tomatoes on top, and it looks really good for a holiday dish with the red and green. Depending on your area you may be able to find green or yellow tomatoes to use instead of red!)

28. Spinach Lasagna

Everyone loves lasagna and you can easily incorporate spinach into a traditional red lasagna or make a white lasagna. For a white lasagna, you typically use an alfredo sauce, chopped chicken instead of beef, and lots of spinach! This dish can be made ahead of time, or you can buy premade spinach veggie lasagnas in the freezer section of the grocery store. (Pro Tip: make sure that you will have an oven to use at the party location to heat this dish up. Lasagna is still good warm, but it is better hot!)

29. Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto not only has a beautiful green color it is really tasty too! You can mix it with pre-cooked pasta and make a delicious pasta salad that can be served cold or room temperature. If you want to up the green in this salad, you can add diced green pepper, chopped green olives, or chopped spinach! (Pro Tip: make sure to bring salad tongs or a large spoon for this salad, so it is easy to serve on the buffet table.)

30. Pea Salad

Pea Salad is a great mixed salad that can be made ahead of time and served cold or room temperature. All you need in thawed frozen peas, chopped bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced onion. Everything is mixed together with a dressing that is similar to coleslaw dressing with sour cream added. (Pro Tip: You really need to make this salad with frozen peas, because canned peas are just too mushy. You can use fresh peas, but you will need to steam them first, and then chill them before mixing the salad together.)

31. Coleslaw

I love coleslaw as a side dish because it is so versatile. I think everyone has their own little twist on coleslaw like adding pineapple tidbits, dried cranberries, making it with chopped broccoli, or even throwing in chopped green apple bits. (Pro Tip: when adding the dressing to your coleslaw it may seem like you don’t have enough but resist the urge to make your coleslaw overly wet. As it sits in the fridge, the dressing will break down the cabbage and the dressing will start to water down. You can always add more dressing later, but you really don’t want to end up with cabbage soup because you added too much at the beginning!)

32. Cucumber Salad

There are many versions of a cucumber salad, but my favorite is super simple and a big crowd pleaser! I slice cucumbers and mix them with tomato, onion, and Italian dressing. This salad tastes better when it sits overnight so it is easy to make ahead of time. You can also add feta cheese crumbles and chickpeas to make this salad more filling. (Pro Tip:

33. Pickle Dip

Here is another super versatile dip that you can adjust based on your preferences. The base of this dip can be sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, or a combination of all of them. Then add your favorite pickles chopped up! You can use sweet, hamburger dill, garlicky, or spicy! I like to serve this dip with super crunchy stuff like celery sticks or ruffled potato chips. (Pro Tip: if you end up using spicy pickles, make sure to add a little sign so nobody ends up with a spicy surprise.)

34. Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumber sandwiches have been associated with tea time, but they are a great side dish for a potluck. They can be made in bulk and then be served cold or room temperature. The basics of a cucumber sandwich is thinly sliced cucumbers, white sandwich bread with the crust cut off, and either a thin layer of butter or herbed cream cheese. I like to cut these sandwiches into small bite sized pieces and then arrange on a platter. (Pro Tip: if you want to go super fancy, whip out the cookie cutters. I have seen really cute cucumber sandwiches in the shape of hearts or leaves.)

35. BBQ Pickle Sliders

Nothing goes better than pickles on a barbeque sandwich so why not skip the bread and go straight for a pickle slider? These cute little sandwiches are two pickle slices with BBQ in the middle, and then held together with a toothpick. These are seriously tasty, and you can’t just eat one. (Pro Tip: Strain and pat dry your pickles before assembling the mini sliders. I have found that the thicker pickle slices work better for this side dish.)

36. Split Pea Soup

Nothing is better on a cold wintry day than a nice hot bowl of split pea soup. Most pea soup starts with a ham bone or chopped ham, but you can also make this dish vegetarian and use carrots or potatoes instead. (Pro Tip: Make this dish the night before on the stove, and then bring it to the party in a crockpot so you can keep it hot. Make sure you use a liner in the crockpot to make clean-up easier.)

37. Ceasar Salad

Ceasar Salad is a classic dish and works well for a potluck. You can start with the basics of chopped Romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, and croutons. It is up to you if you want to add some chicken, tomatoes, or anything else. (Pro Tip: Put your Ceasar dressing on the side so party guests can add it themselves. This keeps the salad from getting soggy and not everyone likes the same amount of dressing.)

38. Green Bean Casserole

There is a reason that green bean casserole is served at big family functions and that is because it is easy! You start with a couple cans of green beans, add some canned cream soup, and top with fried onions. If you want to go for a more unique twist, try adding bacon bits, chopped onions, or try out a different topping. (Pro Tip: 2 cans of green beans make enough green bean casserole for 6-8 people, so make sure that you make enough based on your guest count.)

39. Zucchini Pie

Zucchini pie is basically a quiche made with sauteed zucchini. I like to add sauteed onions, mushrooms, and cheese to mine to make it even more tasty. (Pro Tip: if you want to serve more than 8 people, consider making your zucchini pie in a 9 x13 casserole dish. This will make it easy to cut and serve more people if you don’t want to make multiple pies.)

40. Spinach Balls

Spinach balls are actually one of my favorite side dishes. They are so simple to make and taste amazing. You will need some frozen spinach, a box of instant stuffing, eggs, parmesan cheese, and your favorite seasonings. I like to mix these up and then use a ice cream scoop to make perfectly shaped balls. They bake in the oven for about 20 minutes and then are ready to go! They can be served warm or at room temperature. (Pro Tip: I like to serve these in a large casserole dish so that way I can heat them in the oven and take them right to the buffet table. If in a pinch, you can place them in a large Tupperware container and then warm them in the microwave.)

41. Green Veggie Tray

Veggie trays are always a hit at potlucks! For this green veggie tray, we will use vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, snap peas, bell peppers, and broccoli. I would go with a seasoned dip like French onion or ranch. Place the dip in the center of tray and surround it with your washed and chopped veggies. (Pro Tip: Bring a small set of tongs with your veggie tray to make serving easier!)

42. Grape Salad

This creamy fruit salad sounds strange but is actually really yummy. You start with green seedless grapes and mix them with softened cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Some people like to top the salad with brown sugar and chopped nuts like walnut or pecans, but you can skip this if there are nut allergies. (Pro Tip: Like other mixed salads, I think grape salad tastes best when it has time to chill overnight in the fridge.)

43. Cheesy Brussel Sprout Bake

This casserole is heavenly even if you are not normally a fan of brussel sprouts. It starts with cooking bacon and onions on the stovetop, and then adding the fresh brussel sprouts. Once tender, you add in heavy cream and cheddar cheese, and then pour it in a casserole dish to bake in the oven. (Pro Tip: This dish goes very quickly even though lots of people claim to hate brussel sprouts. I always get asked for the recipe and I send them to Delish!)

44. Mustard Greens

This may be another southern thing, but mustard greens are always a big hit with barbeques and family holiday meals. You start with a couple of bunches of mustard greens that are washed and chopped. Then you boil them in a mix of water and chicken broth until fully wilted. Here is where it gets interesting, you will strain the greens like you would pasta and in the same hot pan cook some bacon and onions. Once the bacon is crispy and the onions are clear, you will add the greens back to pan to sauté. You can then add any seasoning you like! (Pro Tip: if you want to make this vegetarian friendly, skip the chicken broth bacon and use vegetable broth.)

45. Green Bean Crack

I’m not sure why all the trendy recipes use the work crack in them, but this dish is really good. It starts with a couple cans of green beans or the frozen kind. You will also need about 6 slices of bacon cooked, brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, and some garlic powder. You basically mix all the ingredients together to make a glaze and toss your green beans in it to coat. Then you sprinkle the bacon crumbles on top and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. (Pro Tip: You can totally make this in a crockpot and then serve it in a crockpot to keep them nice and warm.)

46. Spicy Garlic Edamame

If you haven’t tried edamame, now is the time to jump on this bean wagon. For this side dish you will start with either fresh or frozen edamame and cook boil until bright green. This takes about 5 minutes, and you can make the sauce while they boil. For the sauce you take saucepan and cook fresh garlic and ginger in oil. Then you mix in soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and chili sauce like Sriracha. Once the edamame is drained, add them to the sauce and stir to coat. (Pro tip: if you want the flavor but not the spice leave out the chili sauce. These can be served in a crockpot or reheated at the potluck location.)

47. Fried Okra

I love fried okra but I hate to make it. This is one of the few items that I will buy already made in the frozen food section of the grocery store. You can then bake them in the oven until nice and crispy. I lvoe to serve them with a horseradish mayonnaise sauce similar to what is served with a blooming onion at Outback. (Pro Tip: Fried Okra can easily be reheated or just baked at the location of the potluck, so make sure you have access to an oven. If not, you can bake this right before the party and travel with them in an insulated casserole bag.)

48. Seaweed Salad

Seaweed always has a beautiful deep rich green color and you can use it for more than sushi rolls. I love this salad from Food.com because it is so flavorful. The dried seaweed is rehydrated and then mixed with a super tasty vinegarette. This salad is served cold and goes really well with lots of main dishes. (Pro Tip: Since the average Joe probably has never has seaweed before, you may want to make a small sign, so people know what they are trying.)

49. Green Olive Tapenade with Bread

If you love hummus, you really need to try a tapenade. Instead of chickpeas this spread is made with blended olives. To make this one green, we will want to use mostly green olives but you can add some black ones in for flavor it you want! The olives are then put in a food processor with olive oil, fresh garlic, and lemon juice. You can then serve this spread with toasted bread or pita chips. (Pro Tip: If you don’t have a food processor you can make this by chopping the olives yourself. You will want to mince them as fine as you can!)

50. Zoodles

Zoodles are faux pasta noodles made from zucchini! You can make these zoodles by making long ribbons with a vegetable peeler or you can use a machine that creates the spaghetti style noodles for you. Zoodles can be boiled, sauteed, or left raw. I like to keep them raw and make a zoodle salad similar to a pasta salad with Italian dressing. (Pro Tip: to keep the rich green color of the zucchini, make sure to leave the skin on when you are making your zoodles.)

Green Side Dishes for a Color Party

Now I know that you can easily add green food coloring to any dish you like and bring it to a party, but I will warn you not to do this. Foods that are unnaturally green just are not appealing, so people are less likely to try it let alone eat it.

The good thing is that there are plenty of foods out there that are already green. So, we simply start with a green fruit or vegetable and make an awesome dish from there.

Hopefully this list has inspired you for your next Green Color Potluck. If you need more ideas, check out our list of green desserts for a potluck!