28 Best Passover Recipes
Whether you are gathering for the seder or just need tasty kosher meals to make it through the week, a long list of good Passover recipes is essential. Passover is a time of joy and revelry, where food plays a central role in celebrating the escape of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. While the holiday involves reflecting on a past of struggles, it also means relishing the bounty of freedom. And is there a better way to show thanks than a table piled high with chicken, potatoes, roast vegetables, and flourless chocolate cake? We don't think so.
Traditional Passover foods like matzo brei, potato kugel, and gefilte fish should all find their way onto your plate during the eight-day holiday, but you can find plenty of space for a little variety too. From classics like rack of lamb to Passover-friendly modern variations like cauliflower rice, there is no shortage of satisfying options for rejoicing with family and friends. While most of these recipes are kosher, and avoid chametz ingredients like flour, a few do include kitniyot ingredients like soy, and some mix butter and meat, so be sure to check the recipes if you adhere to these dietary rules.
1. Sweet Carrot Casserole
This a comforting, all-purpose vegetable side that will be at home next to any braised or roasted meat. Sweet glazed carrots are a cold-weather favorite for all sorts of holidays, but this casserole takes that classic dish further with nuts, raisins, and a more complex mixture of sweet potatoes and carrots. It has all the flavors you want, with far superior texture and an ideal balance between savory and sweet. It's a root vegetable celebration in a casserole dish.
Recipe: Sweet Carrot Casserole Recipe
2. Herb Roasted Chicken
This roast chicken is all about the brine, which is not just salt and water, but a robust broth that includes herbs, honey, lemon, and peppercorns. It brings incredible depth to the whole bird, and a light sweetness that will also help the skin brown beautifully. Then, a lemon pepper and thyme butter mix is rubbed all over the roast before it goes into the oven. Just note that this dish mixes butter and meat, so it is non-kosher.
Recipe: Herb Roasted Chicken
3. Five-Spice Braised Seder Brisket
It might be at the seder, or it might be a special mid-week feast, but at some point during Passover you're going to want brisket. This recipe goes beyond your standard brisket, incorporating East Asian flavors and spices for a pungent twist on a holiday favorite. Soy and hoisin sauces bring a salty, sour punch that wakes up the beef, while warming spices round it out and give the dish an air of soothing hominess. It will bring a new dimension to your dinner without losing any of the traits that people love about brisket.
Recipe: Five-Spice Braised Seder Brisket
4. Chocolate-Matzo Layer Cake
Passover food restrictions are a small hurdle when it comes to dinner, but the lack of flour can really make dessert a challenge. Thankfully, there is chocolate. This cake borrows a technique from tiramisu by soaking matzo in coffee before layering it with rich chocolate ganache, creating a soft and creamy dessert that tastes far more complex than it is. It's an easy, make-ahead recipe that you can leave in the fridge overnight, and it only needs four ingredients.
Recipe: Chocolate-Matzo Layer Cake
5. Easy Charoset
Charoset is a traditional Passover seder dish, a sweet mixture of fruit and spices that is made to symbolize the mortar used by the Jewish people when laboring in Egypt. It's also a delicious dessert that doesn't need to be limited to the seder plate in your Passover dinner. Apples are the star in this crisp, tart version, which is accented by honey, lemon, and wine, with some crunch from toasted walnuts. It can even be served over matzo for added texture. This recipe works with kosher wine, or you can substitute pomegranate juice.
Recipe: Easy Charoset
6. Roast Leg Of Lamb
A lamb bone standing in for the lamb that was sacrificed before the first Passover is another traditional item on the seder plate, but rules about eating lamb during the holiday vary within the Jewish community. If lamb is on the menu for you, the garlic, oregano, and lemon juice in this recipe add just enough acidity to contrast the meat's fatty, gamey flavor. Then all that's left is time in the oven, carving, and the gracious chorus of approval from your guests.
Recipe: Roast Leg Of Lamb
7. Grilled Artichokes
Artichokes are a powerhouse plant that often get overlooked in favor of more standard holiday fare like green beans or carrots. In this recipe, artichokes are steamed to soften them up before getting a fire-roasted kiss on the grill. Charring artichokes adds some extra complexity to their meaty taste, while a squeeze of lemon creates a balanced bite. Their Mediterranean flavor will be right at home alongside your normal Passover favorites.
Recipe: Grilled Artichokes
8. Flourless Chocolate Torte
There is no hate for cake here, but chocolate may be one of the few flavors that actually improves in the absence of flour. Whether in a mousse or a torte, chocolate is best enjoyed when it retains its dense, silky texture. This is a dessert for true chocolate lovers, people who don't want any other ingredients standing between them and some warm, melty cocoa goodness. And if that's not enough for you, it's also a great partner to a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Torte
9. Lemon-Garlic Baked Salmon
Big orbs of beef and poultry get all the attention on most holidays, but meaty fish like salmon offer a tasty alternative that is just as satisfying. This version is a great mid-week meal for Passover; It can satiate a crowd and is ready in half an hour. This dish will be memorable because instead of being finished with a squeeze of lemon, the citrus is sliced and baked on top of the fish, infusing the whole salmon filet and deepening the flavor of the lemon itself.
Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Baked Salmon
10. Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This side is so pretty you may not want to eat it, but once you take your first bite you won't be able to stop. Sweet potatoes become a decadent holiday treat after melding with honey and the richness of buttery olive oil. It's a crowd pleaser, so make sure you make enough for everyone, even the kids. The caramelized flavors work wonderfully between a savory main course and a light salad or bitter green, making this an excellent holiday side for any table.
Recipe: Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
11. Braised Brisket
What is better than a tender braised brisket? How about one that doubles down on meaty flavors with an umami wallop of dried porcini mushrooms? This brisket recipe goes all out in the hunt for savory satisfaction with tomato paste, red wine, and mushrooms alongside a cornucopia of soothing aromatics. This is the platonic ideal of a classic braised brisket: buttery soft, homey, and swimming in a complex gravy. The smell of this braising in your kitchen for hours is reason enough to make it.
Recipe: Braised Brisket
12. Cauliflower Rice Risotto
Balancing the holiday demands of serving something delectable and celebratory while staying healthy can be a tall order, but this dish checks all those boxes. Cauliflower can be riced easily using a box grater, providing a healthy base for a meal that is both rich and filled with vegetables. Coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and a little bit of butter provide the creamy, cheesy base, while asparagus and mushrooms help make it a filling recipe that can work as support for your roast, or by itself as a main course.
Recipe: Cauliflower Rice Risotto
13. Syrian Roast Chicken With Lemon & Garlic
Roast chicken legs over potatoes and onions is a traditional, home-cooked Syrian dish, and this version comes courtesy of two Iraqi-Syrian refugees, Vian Alnidawi and Sara Nassr. Roasting the chicken with nothing but olive oil and salt helps the skin crisp up, while the juices from the chicken will drip down and coat the potatoes and onions in fat and flavor. A brush of lemon juice and garlic right at the end of cooking adds brightness, without a long time in the oven to dull their taste.
14. Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies With Miso
You may be skeptical about miso in your desserts, but it brings the same kind of flavors to a brownie that a good peanut or almond butter will. Salty and mildly savory, miso will add worlds of depth to this fudgy brownie and have anyone who tries a bite begging to know what the secret ingredient is. If that doesn't sound good enough for you, it's all topped off with a dollop of candied almonds, which bring some extra caramel sweetness and a welcome, nutty crunch.
15. Lemon Garlic Green Beans
We've all been subject to a disappointing dish full of mushy, flavorless green beans at a holiday gathering before. In a rush to get a big side dish ready, they get dumped in a pot and boiled within an inch of their life. This recipe avoids all those pitfalls by limiting the cooking to a quick blanch and sauté combo, which infuses the green beans with flavor while holding on to their addictive, crispy texture. Due to its minimal prep, it's easy to produce for a crowd, but so much more enjoyable than typical holiday green beans.
Recipe: Lemon Garlic Green Beans
16. Salmon And Halibut Gefilte Fish
If you have a family gefilte fish recipe you make each Passover, we don't want to dissuade you from making it, but if you're looking for a new tradition, or just need a fresher twist on the old standby, stop here. Salmon brings a nice fatty bit of extra flavor to the poached fish, but the real star here is the poaching liquid itself, an aromatic court bouillon of wine and vegetables. It's a winning combination that should please gefilte fish lovers and skeptics alike.
Recipe: Salmon And Halibut Gefilte Fish
17. Rump Roast
If you're looking to stray from brisket but keep that beefy, warming feel, rump roast is a terrific option. Rump roast is a flavorful, but leaner cut than brisket. The flavor is intensified in the slow cooker during an eight-hour braise in an herbal mixture of beef broth and balsamic vinegar. By the time it's done, you should be able to shred the roast with ease, and then spoon over some of those succulent juices. Carrots and potatoes share the pot with your meat, making this a filling, wholesome meal.
Recipe: Rump Roast
18. Best Meringue Cookie
Meringue cookies are a great-anytime dessert that just happen to be Passover-ready without any alterations. Cream of tartar is the only ingredient you might need to grab for this simple, but delightful, cookie made of egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. After whipping up the whites and mixing in the other ingredients, these cookies need a long time in the oven and resting to achieve the right texture, but it's worth it. Airy and crispy, they should melt in your mouth with that marshmallowy meringue flavor coating your tastebuds.
Recipe: Best Meringue Cookie
19. Simple Roasted Asparagus
This asparagus recipe is made for throwing in the oven right before dinner, requiring little more than trimming the stems and watching the clock. It's a healthy, green side with lemon and olive oil that has tons of roasted sweetness, so it is a natural complement to hearty meals. The key to this side is timing, you want asparagus to get tender without being mushy, which should happen around the 20-minute mark. Get that right and they'll be able to slide right off the pan and onto the plates of your eager diners.
Recipe: Simple Roasted Asparagus
20. Kale Matzo Ball Soup
The simplicity of traditional matzo ball soup leans heavily on a flavorful broth, and this recipe amps it up by infusing every aspect with kale. The stock is simple to make but deeply flavored, with a long list of herbs, aromatics, and vegetables giving it plenty of depth. Both the broth and the matzo balls get mixed with kale puree, transforming this soup into a vegetal dish that is still comfy and inviting.
Recipe: Kale Matzo Ball Soup
21. Pistachio Cake With Pear And Rose
If you want to get a little extra while still going gluten-free, this fruity, nutty cake is for you. Built around a robust mix of almond flour, pears, and pistachios, it's anything but unsatisfying, even without the flour. It all gets taken to the next level with the addition of rosewater and edible rose petals, giving it that little something extra in both looks and taste that make it a special dessert worthy of a Passover dinner table.
22. Slow Cooker Leg Of Lamb
Two great things come together when the big taste of lamb meets the ease of the slow cooker. This garlic and herb rubbed leg can sit and cook for hours without any attention, while you work on the sides and enjoy the company of your Passover guests. It's bursting with beloved lamb flavors like mint and rosemary, fork tender, and it will seem like you spent hours cooking when it only took 20 minutes. It does include butter, so if you want to make it kosher, sub in margarine or schmaltz.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Leg Of Lamb
23. Roasted Lemon Chicken
Whole roasted chickens make for a beautiful dinner, but you can get the best of roast chicken flavor for less money and hassle with these chicken thighs. The chicken is marinated in the lemon, garlic, and herb mixture anywhere from a few hours before dinner to overnight, then tossed in the oven while you move on to your next task. The skins brown and crisp up nicely, and the pan drippings from the fatty thighs and olive oil will taste great over potatoes or roasted vegetables.
Recipe: Roasted Lemon Chicken
24. Coconut Macaroons
Coconut macaroons are a favorite, but can be a little one-note and overly chewy. That all gets fixed here, with a halva-based recipe that incorporates layers of Middle Eastern flavor into the basic coconut cookie. You get your sweet coconut, but you also get spices, all the rich sesame notes of tahini, and the fudgy texture of halva. This is one twist on a Passover staple that even the most staunch traditionalists won't be complaining about.
Recipe: Coconut Macaroons For Passover
25. Easy Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are always a welcome treat, and perfect for a hungry Passover crowd. Relatively simple, these eggs will look so neat topped with a sprig of dill and lined up on a tray. Staying close to your classic recipe, this variation gets a tangy boost from crème fraîche and an herby finish from the dill. The egg base highlights every flavor, from the cracked black pepper to the light spice of Dijon. The only problem with these deviled eggs is that they'll be gone long before dinner is ready.
Recipe: Easy Deviled Eggs
26. Mustard-Crusted Rack Of Lamb
With its picturesque line of bones jutting out of the browned meat, this rack of lamb is as inviting and festive as it comes, and that's before you cut it up into tender, pink slices right out of a photoshoot. The lamb gets coated in a mix of Dijon mustard, herbs, and garlic, complementing the rich meat with tang and pungent acidity. The rub also cooks into a delicate crust, adding a little pop of texture. This is the stuff holidays like Passover are made for.
Recipe: Mustard-Crusted Rack Of Lamb
27. Hazelnut Meringue Cookies With Manischewitz Conserva
This recipe turns the already tasty and snackable meringue cookie into a fork and knife worthy sit-down dessert. Your meringue gets a fancy boost from whole hazelnuts and cinnamon, while Manischewitz forms the base of a bright red sauce that's tangy, sweet, and punchy. It also softens the crispy cookie a bit for a nice contrast in textures. Cooked with rhubarb and poured over the cookies, it's a simple upgrade that makes a stunning final course to your meal.
Recipe: Hazelnut Meringue Cookies With Manischewitz Conserva
28. Julia Child's Roast Chicken
Why search for your Passover headliner when you can just listen to the best right off the bat? Julia Child's roast chicken isn't about any fancy ingredients, it's all in the technique, which just happens to be continually basting the chicken in a sea of butter. It's not kosher, but if that's not a problem for you, then the juices and chicken fat will mix with the basting butter and salt for the only sauce this roast will ever need. Timeless, and elegantly uncomplicated, it's a feast for the ages.
Recipe: Julia Child's Roast Chicken