18 Passover Recipes for a Delicious Seder (2024)

With Passover just around the corner, we've gathered some of our best Passover recipes to fill your Seder table, for both your Seder plate and the meal that follows. There are traditional recipes like Haroset and Jacques Pépin's Chicken Liver Pâté, as well as a stunning Matzo Ball Soup that gets a springy touch with the addition of seasonal herbs and edible flowers. Brisket's on the lineup, as is Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata for a few impressive main course options. Looking for dessert? How about a boozy Chocolate-Hazelnut Matzo Cake to wrap up the meal? Read on for these recipes and more to make for Passover.

Please note: Some of these recipes call for dairy, flour, and other ingredients that more observant households avoid during Passover. Review each recipe and make substitutions or omissions where applicable, using kosher wine, pareve margarine, and matzo meal as you prefer.

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Matzo with Horseradish Butter

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Chef Hillary Sterling makes a blistered wood-oven-baked matzo with horseradish butter (swap in pareve margarine instead of unsalted butter if you wish). These crispy, golden brown, bubbly homemade matzo may not conform to the most stringent religious standards, but they definitely beat store-bought.

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Haroset

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Haroset, a condiment made from fruits and nuts, is traditionally served with matzo during the Passover Seder to represent the mortar enslaved Jews used to build the pyramids. Ingredients vary depending on the region from which it evolved; this version, inspired by Ashkenazi traditions, is prepared with fresh apples, walnuts, sweet wine, honey, and cinnamon.

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Shaved Beet and Carrot Salad With Citrus-Scallion Dressing

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This gorgeous, colorful salad takes late-winter produce like thinly shaved beets, carrot ribbons, and rounds of juicy clementine and dresses them up for spring with a citrus-scallion vinaigrette so delicious, recipe creator Leah Koenig says, "I sneak it straight from a spoon." With its crisp arugula base and nutty almond topping, this bright salad is special enough to serve at your Passover Seder.

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Beef Brisket with Lemon-Oregano Sauce

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This brisket gets rubbed with seasonings, braised, and roasted so it's super-tender with a crisp crust; it goes perfectly with the garlicky oregano sauce.

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Confit Kugel Wedges

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At Vic's, Hillary Sterling leaned on high-quality schmaltz to crisp up these kugel wedges; we opted for rich duck fat, which is easier to source. A drizzle of vincotto, made from simmered grape must that's aged in oak barrels, punctuates the rich kugel with its sweet and tangy bite. Do as Sterling does and serve them with saffron-soaked golden raisins and chicken liver mousse.

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Gefilte Fish

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Gefilte fish is a dish made from poached, seasoned ground fish and served as an appetizer in Ashkenazi Jewish households, most traditionally during Passover. This recipe starts with a whole whitefish, turning the fillets into flavorful gefilte fish and the trimmings into stock. You can find whole whitefish at some supermarkets and delis, and can ask your fishmonger to grind the fish for you at the store — just make sure to ask them to reserve the bones, head, skin, etc. for making stock.

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Herb Garden Matzo Ball Soup

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Matzo ball soup gets a glow-up in this version by cookbook author Leah Koenig, with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds in the matzo balls themselves, plus more herbs, lemon zest, and edible flowers adding color and bright, spring flavors to each bowl.

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Pomegranate-Lacquered Salmon

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A glaze made with a pinch of cayenne, tart pomegranate molasses, cumin, and savory-sweet date syrup gives this gently roasted salmon layers of flavor and a gorgeous bronzed exterior. Choose higher-fat king or Atlantic salmon for best results; if using a skinless fillet, spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray first.

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Roasted Carrots

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method for making these flavorful roasted carrots starts with sautéing whole carrots with a little olive oil in an ovenproof skillet until they're browned in spots. She then tosses them with butter — sub in pareve margarine here, if keeping kosher — thyme sprigs, garlic, and salt. Finally, the carrots are briefly roasted in a hot oven, creating caramelized edges for texture and turning their interiors soft and creamy, but not mushy.

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Hasselback Potatoes

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A showstopper, these crisp, smoky potatoes are actually super easy to make. Hasselback simply means the potatoes are sliced to resemble an accordion. The result is a potato with more surface area, which means it cooks faster and emerges from the oven with thin, crispy layers.

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Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata

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For the crispiest skin and most flavorful meat, roast bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs over a bed of leeks and potatoes, where they render fat and absorb flavor. A quick turn under the broiler imparts a golden finish to the chicken before it's all basted in pan juices and dressed with a zippy gremolata made from toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parsley.

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Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-Style Fried Artichokes)

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At the heart of Rome’s artichoke obsession are carciofi alla giudia, artichokes that are deep-fried until custard-soft inside with leaves as crisp as potato chips. While not as widely known as pasta alla carbonara or cacio e pepe, the golden blossoms are considered one of the city’s greatest culinary achievements, and for good reason. Dressed with nothing more than a shower of salt and a squeeze of lemon, they are incomparably delicious.

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Matzo Cake

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This icebox cake layers liqueur-soaked matzo crackers with chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts for a Passover-friendly dessert. This recipe comes from Rochelle Cooper of The Duck and the Peach in Washington, D.C. It’s a family recipe she used to make with her mother for their Passover Seder, but is a delicious option anytime you want an easy, flavorful, no-bake dessert.

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender

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Chef and cookbook author Melia Marden's recipe for roasting boneless leg of lamb uses the classic combo of rosemary and garlic, but gets an unexpected twist with the addition of chopped fresh lavender. It's served with a savory, tart jam made from shallots, Medjool dates, honey, and apple cider vinegar.

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Chicken Liver Pâté

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This silky-smooth pâté recipe from Jacques Pépin is inexpensive and simple to make. The chicken livers are briefly simmered in water with aromatics before they're blended with butter (or pareve margarine) in a food processor. If you have the opportunity to choose, shop for paler chicken livers; they tend to have a mellower, richer flavor than deep-red ones.

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Smoky Glazed Asparagus

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Chef Nate Appleman swears by coating vegetables with a mayonnaise-based marinade; it creates a beautifully blistered crust when grilled. Here he offers a marinade for asparagus that's also fabulous on broccoli and fennel.

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Brisket with Apricots and Prunes

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For extra-tender brisket, cookbook author Julia Turshen cleverly uses a damp piece of crumpled parchment as a protective blanket for the meat to prevent it from drying out while it roasts. To get a head-start on holiday cooking, you can make this brisket a few days in advance — cool it to room temperature and refrigerate it in its sauce for up to five days.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa with Candied Walnuts

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This simple and elegant dish makes an easy Passover-friendly side, and caramelizing the walnuts only adds five minutes.

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18 Passover Recipes for a Delicious Seder (2024)

FAQs

What is a good menu for Passover? ›

Traditions among Ashkenazi Jews generally include gefilte fish (poached fish dumplings), matzo ball soup, brisket or roast chicken, potato kugel (somewhat like a casserole) and tzimmes, a stew of carrots and prunes, sometimes including potatoes or sweet potatoes.

What food to bring to a Passover Seder? ›

What to Bring as a Seder Dinner Guest
  • Fruit Salad—Sweet and refreshing, a fruit salad is a nice addition to the typical Seder meal.
  • Macaroon Cookies—Kosher macaroons are a common dessert enjoyed during Passover. ...
  • Fresh Flowers—Fresh flowers are always a great gift to the host!

What are the five forbidden foods on Passover? ›

The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

What are the six Passover foods? ›

There are at least five foods that go on the seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas) and a sweet paste called haroset. Many seder plates also have room for a sixth, hazeret (another form of the bitter herbs).

What is the most important Passover food? ›

Whether you spell it matzo or matzah, no Passover meal is complete without the brittle unleavened bread. You'll inevitably have plenty leftover, so use it to make matzo brei, matzo granola, or matzo toffee.

Why is an orange on the Seder plate? ›

The orange also represents the oppression that LGBTQ+ people still face within the world and the Jewish community. According to Heschel, the seeds of the orange represent hom*ophobia and symbolically spitting them out is a crucial part of the tradition.

What was the Seder meal with Jesus? ›

This is a festival which remembers the escape of the ancient Israelites from Egypt. Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover meal together. As this was the last meal that Jesus would share with his disciples, he took elements of the Passover meal and made them symbols of his death.

What color to wear on Passover? ›

Whether you opt for a classic black and white ensemble or a vibrant floral print dress, let your personal style shine through as you gather with loved ones to celebrate this joyous holiday.

Is there a Passover flower? ›

Like with Easter, the traditional flowers associated with Passover are typically those that bloom in the spring, but Passover flowers are usually shades of blue and white. Some traditional Passover flowers used to decorate for Seders include lilies, daisies, violets, carnations, irises, tulips and hyacinths.

What not to bring for Passover? ›

Make sure to avoid offering any gift with yeast or wheat or any food prepared in dishes or with utensils used for unleavened food. A fruit tray, kosher wine, pre-arranged flowers, or a Passover book are culturally appropriate."

What vegetables can you not have for Passover? ›

Produce which cannot be peeled, such as berries or peppers, are not eaten by these people. There are also a few vegetables — such as garlic, ginger, and radish — which certain communities don't eat for various reasons.

Can you eat potatoes at Passover? ›

Vegetables: Fresh vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, green beans, broccoli, and lettuce, are all kosher for Passover. It's important to thoroughly wash them to remove any traces of chametz (leavened grains).

Is peanut butter ok for Passover? ›

Additionally, it should only contain ingredients that are specifically designated as kosher for Passover, like 100% peanuts that have been processed solely through pasteurization. By following these guidelines, you will be able to eat peanut butter during the Passover holiday.

What is eaten at a traditional Passover meal? ›

The menu may differ depending on family tradition, but some popular choices include brisket, roasted chicken, gefilte fish and potato kugel. For dessert, many opt for a flourless chocolate cake, macaroons made with coconut, or something made with matzo (like a Matzo Truffle Tart or Berry Matzo Crumble).

What not to bring to Passover dinner? ›

However, make sure you bring something that is 'Kosher for Passover,'" advises Schweitzer. "There's a difference between just kosher and kosher for Passover. Make sure to avoid offering any gift with yeast or wheat or any food prepared in dishes or with utensils used for unleavened food.

What common foods are kosher for Passover? ›

Foods That Are Kosher for Passover
  • Matzo, which is typically eaten in place of any foods considered chametz.
  • Fruit and most vegetables.
  • Meat, so long as it's kosher.
  • Fish with scales.
  • Dairy, so long as it's not combined with meat or made with chametz.
  • Seeds and nuts.
Feb 27, 2023

What are the rules for Passover meals? ›

During the 8 days of Passover Jewish people cannot eat anything leavened or fermented. Some branches of Judaism also avoid legumes (e.g. beans, soy, rice and corn). Apart from fresh food, everything else is sanctified for eating during Passover and carries a special label.

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