Ahead of the Christmas Holiday, Jeffbet investigated to find out which side dish is most popular among Americans. Looking at 63 side dishes, and looking at searches for recipes for the past 12 months. The average number of monthly searches was calculated for each dish, ranking them most to least popular.
Deviled Eggs came in at number one with 460,213 average monthly searches. Popular in the south, deviled eggs are as common as Brussels sprouts in a Christmas dinner. The dish is made by boiling, deshelling, cutting in half and blending the yolk with mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings before piping the mixture back in the egg halves.
Number 2- Macaroni and Cheese with 424, 713 monthly searches. Traditionally made by combining noodles with milk butter and cheese blends before baking for a nice crunch. Bacon, butternut squash or broccoli is also occasionally added for more flavor, color or texture.
Mashed potatoes came in at number 3 with 409,527 searches. Made by mashing boiled potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper. Some upgrade the dish by adding cheese, garlic or bacon.
Potato salad takes the fourth spot, with 298, 946 searches. Made by combining boiled potatoes, chopped boiled eggs, mayonnaise, scallions, celery, dijon mustard, pickle relish and fresh parsley before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Coleslaw takes the fifth spot with 293, 420 searches. Some add cranberries and almonds for a seasonal twist.
6. Green bean casserole-269,348 searches. Made popular by the Cambell soup company in the 1960s when they included the recipe on their cans. Made by adding fresh or canned green beans to a casserole dish with cream of mushroom soup then baking in the oven and topping with fired onion.
7. Biscuits-257,408 searches. Add cheese or herbs to give it a seasonal upgrade.
8. Cornbread-241-485 searches. Mainly asscociated with southern states and with links to Native American cuisine, this is a firm favorite among many American families. Made by combining butter, buttermilk, cornmeal, eggs flour, salt, baking soda and sugar before baking in a skillet.
9. Scalloped potatoes-156,063 searches. Made by layering scaled potatoes and pouring over a mixture of butter, flour, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper topped with onions and cheese.
10. Garlic bread-149,703 searches. Taking the last spot in the top ten is a favorite among pasta lovers and not the most traditional side dish for Christmas. But it is a tasty alternative to plain old bread. Made simply by mixing butter with minced garlic and spreading onto a baguette.
A spokesperson for Jeffrey says: “Christmas is a time of celebration and the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones. Arguably, the main event of Christmas is the food, and the chance to overindulge without feeling guilty.
“Families will have their own Christmas traditions and favorite dishes; some may not even celebrate the holiday at all. This study gives a real insight into which dishes Americans are most interested in making this holiday, with some of the least traditional ones coming out on top.”
Sources:
Google Keyword Planner
Methodology:
A list of 63 unique Christmas side dishes was created based on online articles. Each side dish was then paired with the following 14 search variations.
- [side dish] recipe
- how to make [side dish]
- easy [side dish]
- home made [side dish]
- homemade [side dish]
- quick [side dish]
- the best [side dish]
- easiest [side dish]
- quickest [side dish]
- cheapest [side dish]
- best [side dish] recipe
- recipe for [side dish]
- simple [side dish] recipe
- [side dish] recipe easy
Google Keyword Planner was then used to find the combined average number of monthly searches for each side dish, based on search volume data over the last 12 months in America. Christmas side dishes were then ranked by the combined number of average monthly searches for the search term combinations.