What To Serve With Pot Roast ~ Best Side Dishes

➤ by Lydia Fulson

Pot roast is something very comforting, so you want some comforting and classic sides to serve with it. As you scroll through these sides, you can find loads to pair with your favorite roast recipe. You'll even find some ideas of what to throw in to the cooker with your roast.

If you're looking for authentic German recipes, then you've come to the right place. Keep scrolling to find dumplings, traditional veg, and more to put together the perfect hearty meal! 

If you see something that catches your eye as you go, jot it down or simply follow the links and get cooking! If not, I hope you're able to enjoy reading through and bringing back some cherished memories of your childhood in Germany. After all, this website is built on love and memories!

Doesn't that gravy look so inviting?

But of course, we can't start looking for sides without the best pot roast recipe. Up above, is a slow cooker pot roast recipe that is so quick and easy to throw together in the morning. Simply prep your meat, and let the cooker do it's thing until later when you're ready to serve it alongside your chosen sides!

Using a slow cooker is such a great option when trying to come up wth something that you can do fast and get out of the way. It's a great way of achieving tender meat with juiciness leftover to turn into lecker gravy!

Alright, let's take a look at some of the best pot roast sides! Some of my very favorites are on this list!

Bread sides

Bread is the perfect side or appetizers to serve with pot roast. It's a classic side that you can never go wrong serving.

1. Artisan Bread

Baked to perfection and ready for snacking

Oma's artisan bread recipe is one that I could eat all day long! Whenever we go to her house and I see a fresh loaf on the table, I get sooo excited. We'll often enjoy it with yummy cheeses and butter ... or snack on it by itself because it's just that good! The crispiness is the best part.

Can you already picture this fluffy bread soaking up that lecker pot roast gravy? Take it from me- it's as good as it sounds!

2. Bread Dumplings

Something traditional for your taste buds!

I couldn't leave out the famous bread dumplings. These are oh-so traditional, and serving them with pot roast is something that is definitely worth the try. They are a Southern German dish but have found their way to our family dinner table on many occasions. I love when Oma shows us a taste of what her childhood looked like in dishes that her Mutti would've made.

There is one rule while one is eating bread dumplings that can't be forgotten ... ALWAYS pull them apart with two forks, then pour that delicious roast gravy over the top. That's the Bavarian way! 

3. Bread Rolls

These tasty rolls are popular around Easter time ... but taste good ANYTIME!

This bread roll recipe is the one for you if you're looking for a side reminiscent of the bread you had in Germany. What a great comfort food.

These bread rolls always turn out perfectly. Not too dry, not too fluffy, not too hard, and you don't need to add a lot of butter to add flavor because they're just amazing by themselves! 

Dinner rolls have been a common and popular side to pot roast for years, and it's no question as to why that is. They're irresistible!

Honorable Bread Mentions

rye bread recipe

no-knead sourdough!

Potatoes and Noodles

Potato dishes and noodles are a big part of German culture. But you can't have a truly great pot roast without throwing a few potatoes in the slow cooker!

4. Boiled Potatoes

Classic, simple and always delicious

Boiled Potatoes are a favorite side for a roast beef dinner. They're simple and not too bold, which lets the delicious savory pot roast flavors shine!

Throw these in the slow cooker when there's a few minutes left for them to soak in even more flavor before serving.

I love to enjoy these with lots of sour cream or Oma's gravy, of course. My Opa loves to clean up his plate by using these to soak in all of that leftover gravy goodness! They're ultra quick and easy. That's just how we like it! Quick sides are the best sides after all.

5. Potato Dumplings

Don't forget the croutons!

Everyone knows these Potato Dumplings! Wouldn't they make such a great side? As you can see in the picture at the very top, these make a wunderbar pairing with pot roast.

Potato dumplings are a staple in German cuisine and in Oma's house too. It's not uncommon to see these dumplings made with a butter-fried bread crouton in the center! Yum!

These can go with almost anything and are a delicious snack by themselves too. I personally love them with red cabbage ... you just might find that recipe down below somewhere. Keep scrolling! 

6. Fried Potatoes

MMM so comforting and lecker!

Fried potatoes are one of my favorite go-to easy potato recipes. In fact, they're something that my family has made for years while camping. We would enjoy them over the fire or on the BBQ. It made for a simple recipe to throw together. Sometimes we would make a big pan and eat them as our main dish!

Throw in some olive oil, green onions and fresh herbs and take in the delicious tastes of parsley, fresh thyme, black pepper, and dip in sour cream, ketchup, or whatever suits your fancy! Watch how wonderfully these crisp potatoes pair with your flavorful pot roast.

7. Sweet Potatoes

Easy breezy sweet potato-ey!

My air-fried sweet potato recipe is an easy side dish for new air fryer users. It just takes a few simple steps to make.

You'll love these crispy skins! I love eating these with any meal that has gravy for one reason ... the built in gravy scoopers! Once the flesh has been eaten and the skin is hollowed out, I love to use the skins to scoop the leftover gravy on my plate. It's perfect! 

This may not be one of those traditional german sides, but it's a hard one not to mention. Not only are they easy, but there's so much to do with sweet potatoes. Try making sweet potato fries with any leftover potatoes! Who can resist french fries?

Now for a noodle recipe!

8. Cheese Spaetzle

You won't be able to resist these flavors!

Cheesy German Spaetzle is the perfect comfort food to pair with a comforting classic pot roast. If you're a fan of cheese and onions, this one's for you! The caramelized onions are spectacular. Cheese spaetzle is a traditional German way of serving homemade egg noodles.

It's got to be one of the best side dishes out there! It can be prepped in just 10 minutes, then it's ready for the oven. It's one of those great recipe for busy nights when you want something quick without hours of preparation.

Traditionally made using Emmental cheese, but next time, try it with Swiss or cheddar cheese.

Honorable Potato & Noodle Mentions

Twice Baked Potatoes

German spaetzle recipe

Veggie Sides

Now, let's add vegetables into the mix. You're almost at that yummy red cabbage.

9. Air Fried Asparagus

Of the many ways to enjoy asparagus, this will become a favorite!

My roasted asparagus in the air fryer will leave you craving more. Don't have an air fryer? No problem! This can easily be done in the oven as well. 

My favorite part about cooking asparagus is there is really no correct way to season it. You can add whatever your heart desires. It's always great to try new things. I personally love sprinkling paprika and parmesan cheese on top.

Asparagus is such an authentic German veg, how could we not mention it as one of the best sides. Did you know there's a whole festival in Germany dedicated to asparagus and its bountiful harvest? Yep, it's THAT good.

There’s something absolutely mouth-watering about having a German meat-and-potato dinner. Get Oma's revised collection of her favorites in German Meat Dishes.

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

10. Brussels Sprouts

vegan, easy and delicious!

Here we have my Aunt Sylvie's Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. This recipe is so delightfully yummy, and it's vegan! Use frozen or fresh Brussels if you wish. Both taste just as good as the other.

These Brussels are made with just four ingredients! It doesn't get much better than that.

Looking for another vegan Brussels recipe? Check out Oma's Brussels sprouts recipe, and cut out the bacon, and there you have another perfectly snack-able recipe.

11. Carrot Recipe

This tasty side can be ready in a flash! It doesn't get much better than that.

Oma's pan-cooked carrot recipe is another super quick side, taking just 20 minutes of your time! A real traditional German treat for your taste buds and a real simple recipe that makes one delicious side.

Pan-frying the carrots is an easy way of cooking them quickly. This was how my Oma's Mutti loved to make them. So for our family, it's another classic comfort food. Or, make it an even more classic pot roast by adding seasoned carrots into your slow cooker with the meat to get those tasty flavors in the carrots as well.

These are SO good with gravy. You have to give them a try.

12. Oma's German Red Cabbage

Authentically wunderbar! You'll be eating it like candy!

This German red cabbage recipe sure is one of a kind. Cabbage is something that goes with anything and can be found anywhere in Germany. In our family, it's one of those side dishes that we can't go without! 

Oma's red cabbage quickly became one of my all-time favorite recipes. She would always serve this, and I was skeptical, but now I eat it like candy! I often find myself making it as a late-night snack ... it's become my go-to comfort food and once you give Oma's recipe a try, you'll see why!

Add in some chopped up apples to make it truly German.

Honorable Vegetable Sides

Green beans

Breaded cauliflower

Thanks for scrolling! I hope you found something that peaked your interest or brought back some or your favorite memories of Germany. 

Now you can get cooking! Just follow the links, get your apron out and enjoy some kitchen time.

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More about me >

Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.