Here are some of the best pizza sides to serve. By all means, these choices go well beyond the usual salad and a cookie. They’re all shown in our Side Dishes category but keep reading to see which ones pair best with this Italian pie.

Introduction To Choosing The Best Pizza Sides

Certainly, choosing the pizza sides will be easier after seeing all these choices. These pizza sides are focused on health, taste, and what pairs well overall.

What To Serve With Pizza For Dinner

Overall, here are several sections that show some great ideas of sides you can serve, whether for dinner or lunch.

Several sections below show great ideas of sides

Drinks To Serve With Pizza

Of all the beverages, consider Sweet Tea or an adult Bloody Mary with pizza. It pairs well due to the tomato juice base. Also, you can make a Bloody Mary Mix for multiple drinks.

good pizza side beverage is sweet tea — Good pizza side beverage is sweet tea

Also, there are particular types of wine pairing with pizza to serve. In short, since this main course is salty, wine is a great complement for it. However, you can easily pick a wine that will make your meal taste less good. To be sure, here are some pairings that Anish Patel recommends in his article “Wine With Pizza: 11 Pairing Tips“.

Cheese Pizza pairs with Barbera Wine (light red)
Pepperoni Pie goes well with Chianti Wine (or a bolder Valpolicella Classico
Margherita matches with Pinot Grigio or Picpoul Wine
Veggie Pies pair with Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc Wine
Supreme, Meaty Pies match with Syrah or Tempranillo Wine

However, if you’re wanting something more simpler to choose, basically with a tomato-based sauce, choose a high acidic wine like “Pinot Noir” or “Sauvignon Blanc” red wine. Or, with a creamy, cheese base, then choose a white wine.

Healthy Pizza Sides

You can have a healthy pizza side like a simple salad. Or, you can have a salad with some toppings or mixings like these.

good healthy pizza side is green salad with healthy toppings — Good HEALTHY green salad has Romaine lettuce, Mrs. Dash, carrots, and sunflower seeds

Likewise, you can also pair a pizza with these other premade healthy sides.

Black olives
Spanish green olives
Celery sticks
Carrot sticks or baby carrots

Also, here are some more excellent ideas for healthy sides for pizzas from MomsWhoThink.com.

Fruit Sides With Pizza

On the other hand, some people forget that fruit is a great set of sides with pizza. For example, if you have ham on your pizza, a natural fruit side would be pineapple. So, keep reading to see some great fruits as accompaniments.

good pizza fruit side dish is cantaloupe salad — Good pizza fruit side dish is cantaloupe salad

Pineapple chunks or tidbits
pineapple mixed with cottage cheese
seedless grapes
Cantaloupe salad

Dessert Sides With Pizza

good pizza dessert side dish is yogurt parfait — Good pizza DESSERT side dish is yogurt parfait

Cookies
Cheesecake
Sherbert (aka Sherbet) or other frozen flavored ice dessert
Ice Cream
Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt Parfait

What To Serve With Pizza At A Party

When you have pizza at a party, like a birthday or other event, you’ll want to serve some good appetizers. So, keep reading to see your options.

Appetizers To Serve With Pizza

It’s a great idea to have appetizers to serve with pizza. They’re perfect finger food and they display well on a platter or bowl.

Appetizers are great pizza sides for parties

appetizers with pizza like fried mushrooms and dip

Garlic crusty bread appetizer
Breadsticks
Croutons
Bagel chips/crisps
Fried mushrooms and fried mushroom horseradish dip
Popcorn
Tortilla chips
Seedless grapes
Strawberries (whole)
Pineapple chunks (with toothpicks available on the side)
Black or green olives
Baby carrots
Club crackers with chicken liver Pate
Celery sticks Cauliflower Florets (How To Cut Up a Cauliflower)
Veggie Dip (for chips or veggies dipping)
Pico de Gallo (traditional & easy) for tortilla chips
Salsa (for tortilla chips)
Vanilla yogurt (as a fruit dip)

Also, here are some other ideas of what to serve with pizzas.

Italians Serve These Pizza Sides

In similar fashion, there’s an interesting article “Pizza in Italy” that lists what Italians drink with pizza. The author, Louisa, says they typically drink red wine, Fanta, and non-alcoholic drinks such as lemon soda. Other articles also mention beer as common with Pizza in Italy.

Popular sides with pizza in Italy are salads. In particular, mixed greens are a good salad side. Also, another example is a tomato with mozzarella cheese (caprese). Also, good Italian pizza sides are roasted zucchini, bell peppers, or eggplant. Check out stir-fry zucchini & yellow squash.

Conclusion of Pizza Sides

So, now you know a ton of options for best pizza sides. Also, you’ve seen sides for pizza parties listed in detail like fresh veggies, fruits, and desserts. Finally, even beverages were shown, including what drinks and sides the Italians have. So, plan your next dinner or party now or share this for someone who is thinking about a pizza event.

Best Pizza Sides