Cookout Sides Menu

Why the Sides List Is So Long

A Cook Out entrée on its own tends to be smaller than a typical fast food main, so the Tray format leans on two side picks to make the meal filling. That’s the reason the sides board is wider than what most chains offer, fried potato bites, a corn dog, a quesadilla, chicken nuggets, onion rings, hushpuppies, and a couple of cold options are all on it, and nearly all of them are priced under $3. Because almost every item qualifies as a Tray side, the same base Tray price can produce very different meals depending on which two sides get picked.

Complete Cook Out Sides Menu at a Glance

A quick reference table covering every side, its calorie range, Tray eligibility, and vegetarian status before the detailed breakdowns below.

Full Side Descriptions, Prices & Calories

Prices and calories are estimates and can vary by location and exact portioning. Always confirm current figures with your local Cook Out or its posted nutrition guide.

Cook Out Side Calories, Ranked Lowest to Highest

Useful if you’re trying to plan a Tray around a calorie target rather than just picking by taste.

Best Cook Out Sides for Every Preference

If you’re choosing by craving rather than scanning the full table, here’s how the sides group up:

Nutrition Snapshot – Fat, Sodium & Protein

Calories alone don’t tell the full story. A few items that look moderate on calories carry more sodium than expected, and a few of the smaller portion items actually pull more protein per serving than the bigger sides.

Values are approximate estimates and will shift by location and prep method. Coleslaw is the only side here that stays comfortably under 200mg of sodium.

Which Sides Count Toward a Tray

Every standard side on the menu qualifies as a single Tray pick, including the pricier items like the Walking Taco and White Cheddar Bites. There’s also no rule requiring two different sides, choosing the same item twice instead of splitting between two options is a valid order and costs the same either way. The same logic applies on how Tray pricing works overall.

Best Side Pairings by Tray Main

Customizing Sides at the Window

Several toppings that come bundled into specific items, like the chili and cheese on a Walking Taco, can also be requested as standalone add ons on something else for a small charge.

Dietary Notes – Allergens, Gluten, Dairy & Vegetarian Status

This menu leans fried and breaded, so most items contain gluten by default, the exceptions being coleslaw and chili. The Walking Taco and chili also contain meat directly, and several breaded items are cooked in fryer oil shared with meat products at most locations.

This table is not a complete allergen list. Shared fryer oil and location specific sourcing can affect cross contact risk, so anyone managing a gluten, dairy, or soy allergy should check Cook Out’s official allergen documentation or ask in store before ordering.

Are Cook Out Sides Available Individually?

Yes. Every side on this list can be ordered on its own at the standalone price shown above, without attaching it to a Tray or an entrée. This is the standard way people order a quick snack, a Hushpuppies order or a Cup of Chili by itself, rather than committing to a full meal.

Sides can also be doubled, either as a standalone order (two Corn Dogs instead of one) or as both picks inside a Tray. There’s no separate “double” menu listing for most sides outside of fries, you just ask for two of the same item at the register or drive thru.

Do Sides Hold Up for Takeout and Delivery?

Not all sides travel the same way. Thin coated fried items, fries, onion rings, Cook Out Rounds, lose crispness fastest once sealed in a container, often within ten to fifteen minutes. Items with a thicker batter or a wrapped structure tend to hold up better, the corn dog’s coating is built to survive sitting, and a folded quesadilla traps its own heat in a way that helps rather than hurts it.

The Walking Taco travels best if the chili is packed separately rather than pre assembled, since the chips can soften if it’s built too far in advance of the drive. If you’re ordering through DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, it’s worth requesting sauces and chili on the side for anything in that category.

Dip Pairings by Side

Two Quick Side Combinations

Lower calorie combination: Coleslaw plus a Cup of Chili lands under 400 combined calories for both Tray side slots, the lightest two side combination available on this menu.

Higher protein combination: Chicken Nuggets plus a Cup of Chili together provide roughly 28g of protein across both sides, the strongest protein pairing on the list without adding an entrée.

Seasonal and Limited Time Sides

Some Cook Out locations periodically test regional or limited time side items outside the standard list covered here. Availability for any limited time item depends on the specific restaurant and time of year, so it’s worth asking in store or checking the posted board if you’ve heard about a side that isn’t listed on this page.

A Short History Behind the Sides

Cook Out opened its first location in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989, building its menu around Southern fast food staples rather than a standard burger and fries format. Hushpuppies and coleslaw both come out of that regional tradition, items more commonly found alongside Southern barbecue plates than on a typical drive thru board, and they’ve stayed on the menu largely unchanged as the chain expanded across the Southeast. The wider sides list, the corn dog, the quesadilla, the Walking Taco, came later as the Tray format itself became the chain’s signature way of ordering, giving the kitchen room to add items that work as a side without needing to function as a full entrée on their own.

Frequently Asked Questions