We Tried Every Popeyes Side Dish And Ranked Them Worst To Best

Forget about the hamburger and its BFF fries. Fried chicken is the true soul food of America, and it has not one, but many side dishes that perfectly complement its golden fried greatness. Ever since Al Copeland failed with Chicken On The Run, and rebounded quite nicely with his next fried chicken venture – Popeyes — side items have been a vital fixture in the chain's menu and success in general. While some of them have hung around even to this day, sadly the chain has bid adieu to the likes of Cajun Rice (the artist formerly known as rice dressing), BBQ beans, corn on the cob, corn dogs, chicken tacos, and even one of the greatest fast food sides of all time — onion rings.

I have been a Popeyes fan since birth, and have decades of experience gobbling up its chicken and incredible sides. Popeyes has been a family staple — ever present for 4th of July picnics, Friday nights when my mom didn't want to bother cooking, and was even the venue I chose to host my 16th birthday celebration with friends and loved ones. If there was one person ever more qualified to rank all of the Popeyes side dishes, I want to meet this person and eat Popeyes with them. 

For now, I tackled this vastly important task alone. I took this work very seriously, trying seven sides from Popeyes' current menu — each with a fresh set of eyes, an open mind, and yes, an open mouth. Please, do try this at home, or better yet, in-store. Don't forget the napkins and a carbonated beverage.

Red Beans & Rice is such a signature Popeyes side that I assumed it was there right from the beginning. Amazingly, the dish was only introduced as a test market item by 1983, before going wide the following year. When you first meet the side, it just looks like a quiet, pile of bland looking rice. Below the surface is where the Mardi Gras party lies, as the title red beans are chilling in a brownish-burgundy soupy concoction, made with — vegetarians, beware — pork fat.

For most of my formative Popeyes-eating life, this was one of my go-to sides. I couldn't imagine having a meal there without it. In recent experiences with this side dish over the past decade, however, something has changed. Somehow, either the recipe of the Red Beans & Rice has been altered, losing some of its luster along the way, or it just doesn't hit like it used to. Whatever form it takes today seems to be lacking the one thing that used to be its draw for me: the flavor. It doesn't seem to have a strong personality of seasonings, even with dried garlic and onion in the mix. Neither make the impact that's drastically missing here.

What Popeyes' Red Beans & Rice does have is great texture, where the sturdy rice gets funky in a pool of the red beans sauce. It's also the one side that is a natural fit for fried chicken. You can even break off some pieces of the juicy chicken, toss them into the Red Beans & Rice, and dine on an impromptu étouffée. The dish reheats decently thanks to the sauce, but the rice can dry out a little when microwaving.

While french fries have been on the Popeyes menu since basically since inception, the current Cajun seasoned and battered ones served today were first introduced in 1990. French fries are my favorite food, but, my least favorite varieties of french fries are battered ones. However, I have since come around of late to slightly appreciate them, as their coating ensures crispy enjoyment, long after they've left the fryer. That is certainly true of Popeyes' Cajun Fries, with their flaky exterior still packing a crunch even when they've gone lukewarm. True to their name, the fries are dosed in a seasoning that harks back to the flavors of New Orleans, but take things rather mildly, not wanting to spice things up too much.

As a side from Popeyes, these are a totally decent option, but there are far many better options to pair with fried chicken or a sandwich. The problem is the batter itself. While it helps to both shape the fries, as well ensure its longevity, it also creates a deeply dense and savory experience that starts to take away from the entrees. 

While these Popeyes fries may be a unique diversion from all its fast food competitors, they don't really stack up against the spuds being fried up by the likes of McDonald's, or even the vastly underrated fries by Wendy's. Another drawback is their weakness as a leftover. When I took them home and later tried to breathe new life into them with my trusty air fryer, the grease came sizzling back, but somehow the fries lost their signature crunch.

Popeyes always puts creative and tasteful spins on standard sides. That is particularly true of its Mashed Potatoes when first paired with its Cajun Gravy back in good old 1988. I'm fine with mashed potatoes existing in this world, but to me, they're a waste of space in the belly. Why put mushy potatoes into the mouth when you can shove tastier fried ones in instead? Well, the opposite of my belief system holds true here, as Popeyes' Mashed Potatoes are a far superior side than its french fries. Both boast Cajun seasoning bona fides, but where the fries are dense and filling, the Mashed Potatoes make a mouth smile with their super smooth and delectable delivery. 

While you can order the Mashed Potatoes sans Cajun Gravy, why would you deny yourself such combined pleasures? Popeyes' gravy is flat out superb. In fact, it's better than most Thanksgiving gravies. If you dig into its list of ingredients, beyond the spices and seasonings, it sounds like a bodacious buffet, including the likes of smoked pork tasso, pork gelatin, ground beef, turkey and chicken stocks, a beef base, and a turkey one, too. That all adds up to a super-savory sauce that explains why the gravy is also available for you to purchase without its partner. Speaking of which, Popeyes' Mashed Potatoes are no slouch, either. These pillowy mountains hold their own as a sturdy starch swimming in a sea of luscious gravy.

In addition, this is a side that reconstitutes quite well in the microwave. The potatoes never dry out, maintaining their soft fluffiness and delivery mechanism for savoring that savory gravy.

The dynamic duo of fried chicken and biscuits has been such a powerhouse combo for this chain that at one point it went by the name Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits. Crazy to think, but Popeyes didn't always sell biscuits. It first paired rolls with its fried chicken, and 3 ½ inch biscuits only came on board when dropped in as a breakfast item by 1979. The biscuits proved to be such a winner, they became an all-day affair, and one of the only survivors from its breakfast menu. Sadly I still wish the chain made sandwiches with biscuits, like rival Bojangles gloriously does.

After all these years, Popeyes still makes some of the best biscuits in the fast food universe. They succeed due to two attributes: a crunchy exterior and a foamy soft interior. When taken together in a single bite, the texture is pure heaven. It's all accentuated by its excellent butteriness. The butter is present in smell, and in taste. You can't escape it, and that creaminess draws the mouth in for one scrumptious bite after another. Jellies and honey are packet options Popeyes has at the ready, but honestly, these aren't at all necessary to enjoy them.

With such praise and adulation, how is this not the number one side? Well, as soon as these guys lose their heat, that perfect juxtaposing texture combo is deflated, and the biscuits basically become golden hockey pucks. It was impossible for me to rewarm these by way of microwave or conventional oven, but the air fryer can mostly make them fresh again. Pro tip: Always start your Popeyes meal by eating the biscuit first.

At this point in the history of mankind, we are at an over-saturation point with all things dill pickled. Not wanting to be left out of all the fun (and money) that comes with it, Popeyes launched an entire pickle menu in 2025, one of its best LTOs ever. One of the only survivors from that awesomely mighty menu are the Fried Pickles, which haven't earned permanent menu status yet, but it's only a matter of time.

These beauties only come in one size in a little cardboard holder, and there's plenty to go round. Popeyes Fried Pickles have a non-glamorous sandy appearance, and that's literally the only knock against them. The deliciousness begins with the thin and delicate skin. It's super flaky, and reminiscent of the casing that surrounded Popeyes' dearly departed Onion Rings. The skin functions as both the main crunch as well as the pickle slice's protector, keeping its juices intact within its shell. Despite all the heat in this kitchen, these pickle slices do retain their own crunch with each bite. The result is one of the best fried sides going in the fast casual space.

Like the Cajun Fries, these fried monsters are a lot to take on, and will fill your belly up quickly — as well as push your mouth to extreme salty paths. That is why, after munching a few solo, it's best to take advantage of Popeyes' quality line-up of dips to cool things off. The recommended dip from Popeyes is its creamy Buttermilk Ranch, and I couldn't agree more. Another thing this side has over the fries is the ability to regain crispness when reheated. Although let's be honest, how could there possibly be any leftovers of Popeyes Fried Pickles?

Coleslaw stands out from regular old slaw by always including cabbage as its main base. It has also long been a partner for fried chicken, and that's especially true of Popeyes, where it has had a place on the menu since the early days. Today's version is pure-Americana — a mass of mayo dousing finely diced green cabbage and carrots, served beautifully cold. Its choppy nature actually makes it easier to gobble up over most coleslaws, as there's less chewing to do; basically, one is slurping this up as a comely cold soup.

Popeyes' Coleslaw is a side dish that has a simple and beautiful taste. While it has a nice dash of vinegar, dill relish, lemon juice, and salt in its mix, the real key here is the second listed ingredient in the dressing: sugar. This slaw's sweetness is the loose glue that makes this a dish that's hard for the mouth to deny. It's actually a challenge to stop eating it, as it's so great the brain keeps telling the hands to keep feeding more of it to the mouth. At least that's my problem (that I don't want a solution to, besides having more).

Another reason why this is a must is that its cool creaminess is the perfect antidote to help digest all those deeply dense fried chicken options. Think of it as a ginger ale, in the form of food. One great hack is to actually smother one of Popeyes' fab chicken sandwiches with the coleslaw to somehow elevate its greatness even more. Also, out of all the sides, it has the best lifespan as a leftover. It almost tastes even better after chilling out in your home fridge overnight.

One of Anthony Bourdian's fast food pleasures in his voracious life was a side of Popeyes' Mac & Cheese. Popeyes has had it on its menu since at least as far back as 2005. Bourdain passed away in 2018, and sadly never lived to see the makeover it got in 2022 as Homestyle Mac & Cheese. While I found Popeyes' old Mac & Cheese to be a fine side dish, its current iteration is such a major upgrade that it qualifies as a culinary revelation.

The "Homestyle" adjective is no joke in this Mac & Cheese, and an eater's first clue to its more natural being is visible right there when you pop off the lid — a lovely layer of a seared brown crust as its top surface. It's like a savory crème brûlée, and when you crack through that "crystallized" crust with a trusty black spork, the fun and yum has really just begun. Everything in this cup is overflowing in abundance. The noodles are generously large, and the tidal wave amount of cheese included would make a Wisconsinite blush. Real butter is also a part of its make-up, and it's just another part of what makes it such a gluttonously gooey, and endlessly alluring item.

Is mac & cheese the perfect side item for chicken? I mean, it certainly works, but biscuits or coleslaw are better aligned partners. However, what makes Popeyes' Mac & Cheese the best side of them all is that this iconic duo can stand alone as a main dish. It is so fantastic, that they may need to revise the lyrics of its old Dr. John theme song to read, "love dat Homestyle Mac & Cheese from Popeyes."

This ranking is based on all side dishes Popeyes offers for sale at nationwide locations as of May 2026. The Cajun Gravy is also sold as an individual side, but not to repeat myself, it was covered alongside its partner Mashed Potatoes. A Jalapeño Pepper is also a side found on menus, but at the Popeyes location in New York City where I purchased all these items in one sitting, it was not available for sale, and left off of this ranking. It's safe to assume it tastes like a jalapeño pepper and probably not a side that is going to top even the bottom choice: Red Beans & Rice. This taste test was conducted over two sessions. The first was eating the food fresh and on site at a Popeyes. The second was the next day at home by reheating the fast food leftovers to see how they held up to their original form.

This ranking is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. It takes into account my deeply vast previous experiences with Popeyes and its side dishes, but also gives each item a fresh review in these taste tests. Had this been conducted in my youth, the list would have run Onion Rings at number one, Biscuits in second place, and Red Beans & Rice third.

The ultimate criteria considered for this ranking were flavor, appearance, aroma, freshness, texture, volume, value, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, reheatability, Cajun-ness, and overall level of Popeyes-ocity. The results were actually rather surprising, and of course supremely delicious. Enjoy being number one, Homestyle Mac & Cheese, as you're merely holding this spot until the undisputed king of Popeyes sides — Onion Rings — returns. Wait, isn't that what the J. R. R. Tolkien book "Return of the King" is all about?