Serving brats for dinner or grilling bratwurst is a hearty, flavorful type of sausage that can be served year-round. If you aren't sure what to serve on the side, here's a list of side dishes for brats whether you're looking for traditional German sides or any American style sides that go great with bratwurst.
Bratwurst Sausage Recipes
One of the most popular ways to cook brats is by grilling them, yet when you want to enjoy bratwurst year-round, other cooking methods might work better. Here's a handful of bratwurst sausage recipes on our site that are all highly rated and popular.
- Cooking brats in the oven
- Brats in the air fryer
- Instant pot brats
- How to boil brats
- Crock-pot brats
Classic Bratwurst Sides
Brats are a popular and beloved German sausage link stuffed with a mixture of pork, veal, and seasonings. Brat is German for "finely mixed meats" and Wurst is the German word for sausage. That being said, if you go to various parts of Germany, each region might stuff their sausage with different seasonings such as coriander, nutmeg, ginger, or caraway. This means they'll most likely have a familiar taste but will vary slightly by region.
If you were visiting Germany, here's a list of classic German bratwurst side dishes for dinner you'd be served:
- red cabbage
- sauerkraut
- spaetzle (small egg-type noodles)- the tool we have
- bratkertafle (pan-fried potatoes)
- beer
- A pretzel
- stoneground mustard or sharf mustard (extra hot)
What sort of side dishes with brats you get served varies greatly based on the region of Germany you're in.
If we missed something from the list, please post in the comments and let us know!
Last year I went on a Scandinavian trip with my mom and sister and as part of that, we also went to Hamburg, Germany. Here's a photo of some of the delicious side dishes for brats and other German sausages we were served. I mean, why wouldn't you serve other types of sausage with brats??
Serving all of these together would NOT be common for a German bratwurst meal, but we were at a buffet in Hamburg that was mostly serving Americans. Typically brats would get served with say 2 sides, which are commonly a starch like potatoes or a pretzel and sauerkraut and mustard on the side.
What to Serve with Brats?
Since my husband's dad came from Germany, eating sausage such as bratwurst is something we eat regularly. Definitely at least once per week whether it's brats, Polish sausage, chicken sausage, or Italian sausage.
Here's a list of side dishes for brats that aren't necessarily traditional but are fantastic dishes to serve alongside bratwurst. If it's a recipe included on our site, a link is attached.
Many of these also make great ideas if you're having a BBQ and want new side dishes for brats and hamburgers. And these also make good sides to go with hot dogs or Polish sausage too.
- cabbage (instant pot cabbage with bacon)
- sauerkraut
- coleslaw
- peppers and onions (cook them alongside the brats)
- corn on the cob (instant pot corn)
- potato salad (warm mustard potato salad)
- other potato dishes (herbed potatoes, air fryer baked potatoes)
- cucumber salad
- Baked beans (bourbon baked beans in a pressure cooker)
- buns (pretzel are a nice variety!)
- roasted vegetables (Brussel sprouts, radishes- a low carb potato alternative)
- macaroni and cheese
- baked cauliflower mac and cheese (a low carb mac and cheese variation)
- a simple green salad
- beer
- mustard
We'd love to know what side dishes for brats are your favorite, and did we miss any from the list?? Post your comments and questions in the comments section at the bottom!
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William says
My folks are American so this may not be traditional but, one thing we liked to eat alongside with it were brussle sprouts and maybe something like mashed potatoes, fries, or Mac-n-Cheese. My mom typically would defrost the sprouts first in the microwave, then add some butter and cook them again in the mirowave oven. I personally like to add a bit of garlic butter to mine now. Dad would typically grill them over coals
Richard Littooy says
My German mother-in-law born and raised in Hesse, Germany. She serves bratwürst with boiled potatoes drizzled with the pan drippings from the fried bratwürst + a canned green bean salad with finely chopped onion, s&p, oil and vinegar dressing
WholeLottaYum says
That sounds delicious! Thank you for the suggestion.
Elaine Rivera says
Thanks wonderful suggestions looking to do an Octoberfest with kids and grandkids
Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta says
While the brats were defrosting in the microwave,
I fried some eggplant spesrs with a couple of sundried tomatoes and the oil they were packed in.
I transferred the eggplant to a 400 degree oven for 15 min to caramelize them and fried up a panfull of sliced mushrooms. When the brats were defrosted, I moved the mushrooms to a bowl while I fried up the brats. Served this with baked potatoes and red cabbage stewed with onion, apple, and a little vinegar and sugar and black pepper.
Totally untraditional, but surprisingly yumny.