From fluffy loaves of challah to crispy potato latkes, here are the classic Jewish food recipes that everyone should learn to make.

29 Classic Jewish Food Recipes Everyone Should Learn to Cook

Matzo Ball Soup
This recipe is worth the time and effort it takes for such a delicious and comforting meal. With the fluffy matzo balls, chicken, carrots, celery and onions, this soup has everything you could want. Make it to help fight off a cold or just to have something cozy for a winter night.
Matzo ball soup is also a popular holiday food, from Shabbat to Passover, and can be served at your Seder alongside one of these Passover chicken recipes.
Passover Popovers
This kosher substitute for bread is perfect for sharing around the table during Passover. Made with only five ingredients, this recipe is a great way to use up any leftover matzo meal you have in your pantry.
Smoked Salmon in the Oven
Gravlax, smoked salmon, lox … whichever iteration you love, there’s no denying this salt-cured fish is a welcome addition to any bagel, cracker or slice of toast. You can easily find different versions of the beloved salmon at your local grocer, but why not try your own hand at it with this shortcut recipe?
Passover Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow cookies are a Jewish dessert often served in synagogues and at Jewish celebrations, but the cookies actually have Italian roots. For this recipe, home cook and The Nosher editor Shannon Sarna shares her family’s version of the beloved dessert.
Latkes
Whether you eat them with applesauce, sour cream or both, potato latkes are a staple enjoyed throughout the celebration of Hanukkah and beyond. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try topping them off with smoked salmon or poached eggs.
Jewish Brisket
There’s no shortage of ways to cook a brisket, but slow-cooked Jewish brisket—just like I grew up on—will always be my favorite. The brisket is simmered in a Dutch oven with aromatic vegetables, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce, creating a tender, melt-in-your-mouth piece of meat. Try serving it with spicy horseradish sauce.
Shakshuka
Two words: one pan. Only one dish is needed to make shakshuka, a Middle Eastern and North African dish that features eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. And you can make it at any time since it’s great for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Rugelach Recipe
A lot of delicious Jewish desserts exist, and thankfully you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy any of them! Filled with fruity, sugary goodness, rugelach is a must-make for anyone with a sweet tooth. Grab a cup of coffee and try one of our favorite rugelach varieties.
Chocolate Babka
Every grandmother has her own take on babka, and they’re all delicious. But we’re suckers for chocolate, so we had to try this special chocolate and cinnamon recipe flecked with orange zest. Other traditional fillings include nuts or dried fruits.
Tzimmes
Serve this classic dish for holiday meals and everyone will be raving about how good it is. Its sweet flavor comes from sweet potatoes, prunes, honey and brown sugar. This recipe is a great accompaniment to any of our Passover lamb recipes.
Sweet-Tart Cucumber Salad
Jewish cuisine has always included lots of pickles. Whether homemade pickles or a jar from the grocery store, pickles can zest up any meal. This sweet and tart pickled cucumber salad makes a great side dish while giving a nod to the classic kosher dill.
Honey Challah
This honey challah is studded with raisins and is perfect for your Rosh Hashanah meal. Leftover slices of this sweet challah recipe work well for challah French toast or bread pudding.
If you’re curious about the Jewish New Year meal, learn more about other Rosh Hashanah foods.
Hamantaschen
Eaten during the holiday of Purim, these flaky pastries are as easy to make as they are delicious. Fill the center pockets with whatever you’d like, from apricot preserves to the traditional poppy seed jam.
Homemade Bagels
Bagels are a staple at Jewish bakeries and delis. And while they may take time and effort to make at home, they’re absolutely worth it. Even when they don’t come out perfect, they’re still delicious! Top your homemade bagels with some lox and cream cheese, and you’re set.
Borscht Soup
Some people call it fall, but I call it soup season. What better way to warm up when the temperature drops than with a piping-hot bowl of borscht? Add a dash of horseradish to the bright red soup for extra heat.
Sufganiyot
If loving sufganiyot is wrong, we “doughnut” want to be right. These fluffy jelly doughnuts—usually made special for Hanukkah—are filled with tart raspberry preserves, tossed in sugar and served warm. You’ll definitely reach for seconds (or even thirds!).
Rye Bread
This rustic rye bread has a slight sweetness from the addition of brown sugar and molasses. Serve it alongside your favorite classic Jewish dish—it tastes fantastic with nothing more than a touch of butter. Or, turn it into lunch by piling the slices high with leftover brisket.
First-Place Coconut Macaroons
With only six ingredients, these chewy coconut macaroons are a beginner baker’s dream. Just stir everything together, drop dollops onto a cookie sheet and toss them in the oven. If you really want to indulge, dip the cooled cookies in melty chocolate. Yum!
Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot Cookies
Mandelbrot is similar to an Italian biscotti but uses no butter. These twice-baked cookies use oil instead and can be filled with a mix-in of your choosing.
Tabbouleh
Popular in Israel, tabbouleh is a grain salad made with bulgur, tomatoes and heaps of parsley. Instead of the traditional bulgur, you can easily substitute other grains and starches. Try couscous, farro or our quinoa tabbouleh recipe that can be made kosher for Passover.
Potato Kugel
Made with noodles or potatoes, kugel is a classic Jewish side dish. Noodle kugel is usually sweet and creamy, whereas potato kugel is like a savory shredded potato casserole. You can make it anytime, but it’s especially perfect as a Passover recipe since it’s made with kosher ingredients.
Blintzes
In only 30 minutes, you’ll have creamy blintzes you can serve for breakfast or dessert. Their sweet taste comes from a surprising filling of cottage cheese and cream cheese. Not a fan of cherries? No worries! This recipe is customizable to incorporate your favorite fruits like blueberries, strawberries or peaches instead.
Charoset
Ahhh, charoset. We don’t know if it’s the sweetness of the apples, the crunch of the walnuts or the scent of the spicy cinnamon that we love most. What we do know is that it’s the perfect last bite to any meal, though it’s traditionally served during Passover.
Spinach and Feta Bourekas
Bourekas are popular Sephardic Jewish pastries made by filling puff pastry or phyllo dough with ingredients like cheese, potatoes or mushrooms. In this case, the filling is spinach and cheese. You can find them during many Jewish holidays, especially Shavuot (the “dairy holiday”).
Matzo Brei
Matzo brei is a favorite Passover food, but it’s definitely not just for Passover! This egg and matzo scramble can be a savory or a sweet-and-savory combo. It’s usually served as a breakfast dish, but matzo brei is so tasty and easy to make that you can eat it anytime.
Matzo Meal Pancakes
Sometimes the week of Passover can feel more like a month, so it helps to have some classics to get you through. Enter matzo meal pancakes—they’re like regular pancakes but with kosher-for-Passover matzo meal. Whip up a batch of these for breakfast during Passover or whenever you’re craving pancakes.
Knish
Knishes, the elusive puffy dough balls stuffed with savory fillings, are the epitome of comfort food. They’re sold in Jewish neighborhoods across the world, though you may not have heard of them if you’re not Jewish. Try your hand at the humble knish and see what all the fuss is about.
Israeli Salad
This fresh and crunchy salad is packed with tomato, pepper, cucumber, carrot, green onion and a little jalapeno for some kick. Whether you enjoy it as a side dish or the main course, this salad provides more than your fair share of vegetables.
Flourless Chocolate Torte
Leave the gluten behind! This flourless chocolate torte is a rich and indulgent dessert that’s fancy enough for your Passover Seder (and it’s kosher too!). It also happens to be easy enough to whip up as a weekday dessert. The magic in this torte comes from separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks to give the torte its signature airy texture.
Jewish Food FAQ
What Jewish food is kosher for Passover?
Not all kosher food is kosher for Passover, as the food must be free of chametz—leavened food—including wheat products. That’s why many Passover recipes are made with matzo, an unleavened bread that can be certified kosher for Passover. All fruits and vegetables are fair game, but other ingredients should be double-checked by looking for a label on the front of the box.
What foods are traditional for Jewish holidays?
Most Jewish holidays center around a few special foods. On Rosh Hashanah, we eat sweet foods, like a raisin challah and apple cake, to celebrate a sweet new year. On Hanukkah, we eat fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot to celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days. And on Passover, we avoid leavened foods for eight whole days, making it a perfect holiday for matzo brei and matzo ball soup.
What are the best Jewish comfort foods?
There are so many Jewish comfort foods that it’s hard to pick favorites. Matzo ball soup, brisket and latkes are all classics that my mom made while I was growing up, so they’re filled with nostalgia on top of being delicious! But I’ll also take a big slice of potato kugel any day of the week.