The Best Braai Salads and Sides For Summertime Entertaining
Cooking outdoors is best done in summer. Long, warm evenings and beautiful sunsets are the best accompaniment to any meal. We’ve rounded up all our favourite sides and salads for your braai, from light salads to crispy potatoes and delicious pull-apart breads.
Best Braai Salads
Toasted Panzanella Salad with Burrata and Thyme Vinaigrette
This fresh and tasty salad is super easy to whip up and perfect as a side for any summertime lunch.
Recipe for Toasted Panzanella Salad with Burrata and Thyme Vinaigrette
Southwestern Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
A wholesome South-Western-style roasted potato salad with a homemade honey-mustard dressing. The perfect side dish for your next braai.
Recipe for Southwestern Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Beetroot Quinoa Salad with Butternut, Feta and Rocket
We’ve used 100% beetroot juice to prepare the quinoa. Not only does it give it a fabulous jewel-like colour but enhances the whole dish with the earthy flavour of delicious beets
Recipe for Beetroot Quinoa Salad with Butternut, Feta and Rocket
Basil Pesto, Pea, Pine Nut and Pecorino Pasta Salad
Everyone loves a pasta salad but they can often be heavy with mayo-style dressings. This one lightens things up with flavoursome pesto and fresh greens.
Recipe for Basil Pesto, Pea, Pine Nut and Pecorino Pasta Salad
Chargrilled Spring Onion, Pea and Asparagus Salad with Jalapeno Dressing
Tons of fresh flavours, charry edges and peppery bite. No more tossing of the green bits of your spring onions – that’s where the flavour’s at!
Recipe for this Chargrilled Spring Onion, Pea and Asparagus Salad
Grilled Aubergine with Tomato Rocket and Goats Cheese
Individual servings of charry aubergine and fragrant, earthy salad. An easy and unique way to serve a tasty take on salad.
Recipe for this Grilled Aubergine with Tomato, Rocket and Goats Cheese
Classic Tabbouleh Salad
If your a lover of tomatoes, then this salad is for you. The tabbouleh is served with a velvety rich tomato dressing that will have you licking the bowl!
Recipe for Classic Tabbouleh Salad
Crudité Salad with Hummus & Cracked Chickpeas
Flex your artistic skills to arrange the veggies and make these simple ingredients look amazing.
Watermelon & Labneh Salad
Nothing says summer in South Africa like watermelon. This salad is the perfect side to a braai and brings a fresh sweetness that complements grilled meat.
Recipe for Watermelon & Labneh Salad
Charred Watermelon & Bocconcini Salad With Honey & Mustard Dressing
Watermelon is the quintessential summer ingredient and charring only intensifies its flavour. Pair this salad with a rich rib-eye steak or lamb chops.
Recipe for Charred Watermelon & Bocconcini Salad
Summer Beetroot Salad With Herby Pesto
Don’t just put the pickled beet jar on the table, instead make this super easy and delicious summer beetroot salad. It goes well with smokey braai flavours.
Recipe for this Summer Beetroot Salad
Roast Butternut & Quinoa Salad with Nuts & Seeds
Quinoa really is a miracle pseudo-grain, it’s high in protein and naturally gluten-free. This salad combines earthy flavours of butternut, it’ll go perfectly with a spatchcock chicken.
Recipe for Roasted Butternut & Quinoa Salad
Bulgar Wheat, Kale & Halloumi Salad with ClemenGold® Dressing
This warm grain salad has it all — texture, crunch and a delicious ClemenGold® dressing that ties it all together.
Mint, Lemon & Olive Oil Marinated Zucchini Salad
This salad is so easy to put together and is full of healthy goodness from the raw veggies, seeds and extra virgin olive oil.
Recipe for Mint, Lemon & Olive Oil Marinated Zucchini Salad
Fresh Green Slaw
Sweet and tangy apples give this slaw its summeriness, pair with a whole grilled fish.
Recipe for this Fresh Green Slaw
Pepper and Pomegranate Salad
This has to be one of our best braai salads – ideal for summer and full of the flavour of roasted peppers.
Recipe for this Pepper and Pomegranate Salad
Beetroot, Chevin & Hazelnut Salad
A fresh and tasty salad, with pomegranate dressing that will have all your guests asking you for the recipe, which you can get right here.
Recipe for this Beetroot, Chevin & Hazelnut Salad
Spinach, Baby Gem & Herb Salad with Dates and Cashews
This salad honestly couldn’t be easier to make. It’s a one bowl wonder that is full of fresh flavour. It’s the perfect accompaniment with a rich meat like roasted lamb shoulder but will work equally on it’s own as a tasty lunch.
Recipe for Spinach, Baby Gem & Herb Salad
Warm Quinoa Salad With Roasted Cauliflower And Chickpeas Served With A Spicy Citrus Dressing
A perfect braai side that is not only incredibly healthy and filled with antioxidants but also wonderfully fresh and delicious. The spicy citrus dish elevates the dish to a whole other level.
Charred Broccoli And Baby Gem Salad
A refreshing salad that is filled with all those good nutrients! It’s best if the greens get good char on them, so use a griddle pan if you can.
Recipe for Charred Broccoli & Baby Gem Salad
Potatoes
As good as a plain potato chucked on the open fire is, up your potato game with these tasty and easy recipes.
MUSTARD CREAM VERTICAL POTATO BAKE
This is traditional potato bake version 2.0. Get the best of both worlds with a crunchy top and creamy bottom.
Recipe for this Mustard Cream Potato Bake
Thyme Brown Butter Potato Bake
The perfect potato side to pair with a meaty dish.
Recipe for this Thyme Bown Butter Potato Cake
Vegan Maple Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
This delicious vegan dish is sweet and nutty and will be the perfect side dish for a Christmas table spread.
Recipe Vegan Maple Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Wedges Wrapped In Bacon
It doesn’t get any sweeter than this.
Recipe for Sweet Potato Wedges Wrapped in Bacon
Smashed Baby Potatoes with Rocket & Basil Pesto
These oven roasted baby potatoes are super crispy and are delicious drizzled with a punchy homemade pesto.
Recipe for Smashed Baby Potatoes
Crispy Potjie Potatoes with Herby Horseradish Cream
In this dish, oil and water are placed together in a potjie and boiled – the water cooks the potatoes and then evaporates and the remaining oil fries the taters to golden perfection. Miraculous!
Recipe for Crispy Potjie Potatoes
4 Variations on Potato Salad
No braai salads and sides buffet table would be complete without a potato salad. If you’re looking to give a little wow factor, this is a must try recipe. Also, don’t buy your mayo – make it, it’s so easy with this homemade mayonnaise recipe. Got a vegan guest? Don’t panic, make this vegan mayonnaise.
Recipe for these 4 variations on Potato Salad
Hasselback Potatoes
This way of preparing potatoes is a classic for a reason – so tasty!
Recipe for these Hasselback Potatoes
Bread
So you’ve sorted your braai salads but what about sides. We know bread has a bad rap, but really what meal isn’t made better with bread?
Bacon, Cheese and Chive Cornbread
Bacon and corn have always been good mates and this bacon cornbread is set to become your new best friend.
Recipe for Bacon, Cheese and Chive Cornbread
Cheesy, Pull-Apart Bread with Bovril Drizzle
If you’re a fan of Bovril and cheese toast, then you’ve met the bread of your dreams. A cheesy, savoury pull-apart bread that will be an instant hit!
Recipe for Cheesy, Pull-Apart Bread with Bovril Drizzle
Tomato, Olive and Basil Pesto Foccacia
Good bread takes time but one bite of this focaccia makes it all worth it. We guarantee this will be flattened in minutes.
Recipe for this Tomato, Olive and Basil Pesto Foccacia
Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Ale Beer Bread
Lather with butter and a sliver of vleis, wash down with an ice cold one.
Recipe for this Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Ale Beer Bread
Olive Oil & Herb Crusted Loaf with Chunky Olive & Feta Dip
There is nothing quite like the aroma and flavour of a freshly baked loaf of bread. This one is brushed with extra virgin olive oil and served with a rough chopped olive and feta dip.
Recipe for Olive Oil & Herb Crusted Loaf
Potato, Parsley, Chorizo and Red Onion Pizza
This pizza is especially tasty with its potato, chorizo and other delicious toppings!
Recipe for Potato, Parsley, Chorizo and Red Onion Pizza
Veggies
Curried Green Beans
A Cape Malay favourite, these sweet, spicy and tangy stems are great for cutting through rich meats. Chop them and dust over some grated parmesan for a bit of pizazz.
Recipe for these Curried Green Beans
Harissa Glazed Carrots
Harissa and carrots are a match made in food heaven; this is a great side for spicing up plain grilled chicken or steak.
Recipe for these Harissa Glazed Carrots
Roasted Garlic With Basil & Thyme
Cooked garlic is the shizz-niz. Slice them and leave on the grill to caramelise to a golden nugget. Rub over bread, mash into dips or eat as is. Either way, you’re in business!
Recipe for this Garlic With Basil & Thyme
Roasted Butternut & Cauliflower Salad
A fresh and earthy salad, the perfect braai side.
Recipe for this Roasted Butternut & Cauliflower Salad
Zaalouk with Fried Halloumi & Toasted Pita Bread
Zaalouk is a Moroccan eggplant and tomato salad that is often served as a dip or as part of a spread of small plates/tapas.
Elotes, Mexican-Style Grilled Corn
Mielies are a staple for every braai, why not change it up and serve a delicious Mexican chargrilled version.
Miso Butter Charred Potjie
Although this might be more of an American dish, why not incorporate this classic into your braai. Let’s be honest, anything that is deep fried is delicious but this blooming onion takes it to a whole other level.
Recipe Miso Butter Charred Potjie
Roasted Baby Aubergines With Lentils Pomegranate Chevin Dressing
Such a fresh and simple side to whip up that is packed with incredible punchy flavours. A healthy dish to balance out all other indulging braai sides.
Recipe For Aubergines With Lentils
If you haven’t found that amazing main dish yet to go with your best braai salads and sides, check out our favourite braai recipes.
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