What to Serve with Baby Back Ribs? 10 BEST Side Dishes

If you’re planning to serve some juicy baby back ribs on your next lunch or dinner but are unsure about what to pair them with, we’re here to help.

Baby back ribs are just another name for loin ribs or pork ribs, which constitutes the part of the top rib cage.

They are curved, meatier, and shorter than spare ribs.

In this post, we’ve listed some of the most delectable side dishes if you want to know what to serve with baby back ribs.

While keeping the ribs the star of the menu, these ten side dishes will complement and elevate your meal to a whole new level.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Baby Back Ribs?

Baby back ribs make a great dinner item.

When cooked right, they are elegant, juicy, and perfect for all occasions.

When serving it, you’d want to pair it with food with fresh, contrasting flavors.

You can also make something sweet and light, like honey cornbread muffins, to surprise your palate.

The main course is rich in fats and proteins.

Serve fresh vegetables and starchy foods with it to round up the meal and ensure your guests leave with a full stomach.

What to Serve with Baby Back Ribs? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Here are some excellent side dish ideas if you need help with your next meal presentation.

We are proud to give you this list of foolproof dishes to go with baby back ribs any day.

1 – Baked Beans with Bacon and Ground Beef

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This side dish is a standard option for camping, BBQs, and cookouts.

However, it is more than suitable for sit-in dinners.

Pairing baked beans with bacon and ground beef with baby back ribs might sound overwhelming, but you’ve got to taste them to know how good they are together.

Get ready for a satisfying meal by making this decadent side dish for your pork ribs.

You’ll need to assemble ingredients like ground beef, brown sugar, smoked bacon, black pepper, baked beans, green pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

Want to make the dish even more flavourful and stunning? Use liquid smoke.

2 – Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

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If you’re doing a baby back ribs barbecue, it’s easy for everyone to expect a traditional pasta salad.

Surprise your guests with a Hawaiian version of the usual macaroni salad.

It is sweet, savory, and tangy- perfect to pair with ribs.

The Hawaiian macaroni salad is a quick and effortless side dish that uses ingredients like pasta, mayo, pineapple juice, and vinegar.

You’re sure to have a new favorite once you try this dish with your baby back ribs.

If you want to be extra, you can also add bacon, crushed pineapple, and cooked ham.

3 – Mexican Corn Fritters

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It may not be very common to see this side dish alongside baby back ribs.

But trust us when we say that they are a bomb together.

Mexican corn fritters have a kick of spice and are subtly sweet- perfect to go with the main course.

What you’ll love most about this side dish is that it takes only 15 minutes to make.

You’ll need flour, baking powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, heavy cream, eggs, cilantro or green onion, corn, jalapeno, and seasonings.

The ingredients list might sound like a lot, but they really are basic, staple ingredients- probably most of which you own in your pantry right now.

4 – Browned Butter Polenta

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Another quick side dish that you can make to serve with baby back ribs is browned butter polenta.

It is the best option if you wish to cook a crowd-pleaser.

The dish combines various seasonings with butter to render a beautiful, deep flavor that compliments your main course.

Get your ingredients- cornmeal, chicken broth, parmesan, butter, and oil.

Adding garlic cloves while browning your butter is a thumbs-up in terms of flavor.

You can also use fresh parsley and lemon to garnish the polenta before serving.

5 – Honey Cornbread Muffins

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If you want a hearty dish to go with our baby back ribs, honey cornbread muffins won’t disappoint.

You can prepare this side in just half an hour to enjoy a slightly sweet, tender, and incredibly delicious meal on any occasion.

For the easiest honey cornbread muffin recipe, you’ll need milk, sour cream, cornbread mix, butter, sugar, egg, and of course, honey.

6 – Collard Greens and Black-eyed Peas

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Add some greens to your meal by making this decadent side dish containing collard greens and black-eyed peas.

It is easy to prepare, incredibly delicious with baby back ribs, and one of the dishes that screams comfort food.

You don’t need a lot of ingredients and sophisticated seasonings to make a great side dish.

For this one, you’ll need collard greens, black-eyed peas, ham, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and onions.

If you want to make sure your side dish is a flavor bomb, we recommend using apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, red pepper/hot pepper sauce, and sugar.

7 – Brussels Sprouts With Lemon Sauce

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This side dish is full of flavors to make any person’s mouth water at one look.

Accompany your baby back ribs with these decadent Brussels sprouts drenched in a fresh lemon sauce to present the perfect meal.

You can prepare this side dish in less than 30 minutes- another plus point.

The only other thing you need is a glass of your favorite white wine.

8 – Tomato Zucchini Basil Salad

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Another refreshing salad that’s sure to cleanse your palate and make your stomach happy is tomato zucchini basil salad.

Make the best use of your garden tomatoes, zucchini, and basil when they are in season by making this fresh salad that tastes awesome with baby back ribs.

You can make the vinaigrette using olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, lemon juice, and basil.

Mozzarella balls make a great addition if you want to give the salad a depth of flavor.

TIP: If you don’t want to use zucchini or can’t get your hands on them, you can replace them with yellow squash.

Also, cherry tomatoes work best for this side dish.

9 – Grilled Corn on the Cob

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Don’t leave out any corn recipes when the vegetable is in season.

There are several recipes for corn, including this one, and they work well with almost anything you might want to serve in the future.

Grilling corn gives it deep flavors, while you can add butter and herbs to enhance it.

However, if you think it’s too much work for the day to turn up the grill, you can cook corn any way you like.

Grilled corn on the cob is one of the most inexpensive, effortless, and tastiest side dishes for any meat dish.

It is beginner-friendly and loved by everyone.

10 – Dirty Rice

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Are you a fan of Cajun/Creole recipes? Try dirty rice to serve with your baby back ribs- it might be the best decision.

Rice and meat are a heaven-sent combination.

You cannot go wrong with the two when you use the right flavoring.

Dirty rice gets its name from the “dirty” look white rice gets when it is mixed with bits of meat, veggies, and spices.

It is an excellent side dish for your meat-based main course if you want it to be filling and flavourful.

Conclusion

Baby back ribs go well with many dishes.

Therefore, it might become confusing sometimes when choosing what to cook.

Hopefully, our list contains side dishes that suit your interest and palate.

We’re confident your guests will love the combinations.

Whether you want to serve something light and fresh, like Mexican corn fritters, or something more filling, like dirty rice, there are several dishes that you can pair pork ribs with.

Most dishes listed here are pantry and budget-friendly.

You’ll have no problem assembling the ingredients and starting with the cooking right away.