23 Celebratory Hanukkah Recipes (2024)

The eight days of Hanukkah are observed with the lighting of a menorah after sundown and meals featuring foods challah bread, kugel, potato latkes, jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot, and festive drinks. Fried foods recall the miracle at the Temple of Jerusalem, when a day's worth of oil lasted eight nights. From crispy, savory latkes and hearty brisket to spiced sufganiyot and celebratory co*cktails, these Hanukkah recipes are perfect for celebrating the Jewish festival of lights.

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Challah Bread

This tender challah bread has a floral, slightly sweet aroma from honey and a deep golden hue from egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or flaky salt on top to personalize the bread with some texture.

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Best-Ever Potato Latkes

Niki Russ Federman of Russ & Daughters says these are the tastiest, crispiest latkes. She mixes the shredded potatoes with both scallions and onion, but the starchy paste released from the potatoes is the secret to these crispy treats.

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Cranberry-Onion Hanukkah Brisket

This nearly effortless brisket gets a festive garnet glaze from cranberries; their tart sweetness cuts through the super-savory onion soup mix and hearty brisket with ease. Double-roasting the brisket yields incredibly tender meat that soaks up the concentrated sauce.

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Cinnamon-Cardamom Sufganiyot

No Hanukkah is complete without sufganiyot on the dessert table. In Eitan Bernath’s wonderfully spiced version, he begins with a classic yeasted dough fried to golden perfection. A quick roll in cinnamon-sugar gives the pillowy doughnut a delightfully crisp exterior. Cardamom pastry cream fills the centers, making them rich and decadent. These are perfect for a holiday spread or any time you want to treat yourself.

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Aperol Schvitz

This satisfying, yet sophisticated take on an Aperol Spritz features a classic Jewish-American ingredient: Manischewitz. This craft co*cktail carefully harnesses the sweetness of Manischewitz concord grape wine without being overly-saccharine—it’s a genius, grown-up use of a familiar, but somewhat sickly, holiday ingredient. Bartender Naomi Levy balances sweet Aperol and Manischewitz with dry sparkling wine and lime juice in her Aperol Schvitz.

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Latke Breakfast Hash

On the small chance you have any latkes leftover from your Hanukkah celebration, this eggy, savory breakfast is a terrific way to use them up. Pastry chef Caroline Schiff, who loves to fry up latkes the way her great-grandmother did, likes to use a dash of pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika, to give extra depth to the dish.

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Date and Walnut Rugelach with Tahini Glaze

Rugelach, a 20th century adaptation of the filled, crescent cookies from Central and Eastern Europe known as kipfel, are popular year-round and often served for Hanukkah and Shavuot.Faith Kramer starts with a cream cheese and butter-based dough that is scented with cinnamon and cardamom, drizzling a sweetened tahini glaze to finish.

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Whiskey Shamash

Sweet and savory fig, bright lemon, and smooth bourbon combine in this delicious take on a classic whiskey smash. At Maccabee Bar, a Hanukkah themed pop-up in Somerville, Massachusetts, bartender and owner Naomi Levy riffs on classic co*cktails drawing creative inspiration from the flavors and festivities of Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays and traditions.

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Potato Pancakes

The trick to a crispy potato pancake that holds together well is to use russet potatoes, which have a high starch content. You can grate the potatoes on a box grater, or a food processor makes this recipe especially fast and easy. The savory result can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Hanukkah Brisket

Andrew Zimmern's holiday-worthy whole beef brisket is tender and meaty, served with lots of delicious bites of sweet, caramelized fennel.

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Sababa

Rich, nutty tahini forms the base of this savory, piquant, and tart co*cktail. A zippy bite from zhoug, a spicy cilantro-based sauce from Yemen, is balanced by the sweetness of pineapple juice, rounding out this quaffable drink.

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Halvah-Stuffed Challah

Blogger Molly Yeh fills this braided bread with a mix of halvah (the confection made with crushed sesame seeds and honey) and tahini.

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Zucchini Latkes with Red Pepper Jelly and Smoked Trout

Using zucchini and potato to make these latkes keeps them light. Grating the zucchini, potato, and onion in a food processor makes this recipe a breeze. These latkes are especially nice with their toppings of red pepper jelly and smoked trout.

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Brisket with Sweet-and-Sour Onions

This brisket recipe is from Jessamyn Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen, the New York-based social enterprise that helps immigrant women and others launch careers and food businesses. She calls the brisket her "crowning glory," and says the secret is cooking it low and slow.

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Hanukkah Doughnuts

Hebrew for "doughnuts," sufganiyot are the most popular Hanukkah food in Israel. These fried treats are simply made from balls of yeast dough and filled with chocolate, creams, curd, or jam, as here. Bakeries and markets start frying them weeks before the actual holiday and keep going until the week after. With Andrew Zimmern's recipe, you can make them at home.

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Jessamyn's Sephardic Challah

Jessamyn Waldman grew up in Canada eating challah, the Jewish Sabbath bread. Unlike the eggy challahs of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, this version comes from the Sephardic Jews of the Mediterranean, who flavored their challahs with caraway and anise. Many challahs are braided, but this one is twisted into a round, turban-shaped loaf.

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Potato Kugel with Fried Shallots

Kugel is a baked pudding, usually made with noodles or potatoes. This version, prepared with shredded potatoes and fried shallots, is crispy at the edges and deliciously creamy in the middle.

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Killer Potato Latkes

Andrew Zimmern's Jewish potato pancakes are so good that posting the recipe alone is a mitzvah (blessing) of the highest order.

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Holiday Beef Brisket with Onions

When Bruce Aidells was growing up, his family's Hanukkah-Christmas celebration always meant brisket, and this was one of their favorite ways to prepare it. It cooks low and slow for about four hours until the meat is fork tender and nearly shreddable.

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Kate's Supercrispy Potato Latkes

These latkes are a simple but classic holiday tradition. Serve them with sour cream or crème fraîche, smoked salmon, apple sauce, or whatever accompaniments you prefer.

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Sweet Noodle Kugel with Dried Cherries

Noodle kugel is a traditional Jewish recipe served for dessert or as a side dish. Although it's made with cottage cheese, it develops a custardy texture as it bakes slowly in a ceramic dish. Here, Grace Parisi uses corn flakes and pecans to make a crunchy topping.

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Doughnuts in Cardamom Syrup

These doughnuts are a nod to Sephardic Jewish tradition. Dipping them in the cardamom-rose water syrup and sliced almonds gives them an extra layer of flavor and texture.

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Sweet Potato Latkes with Wasabi and Wasabi Tobiko

Rachel Klein mixes sweet and spicy flavors in this whimsical recipe, stirring pungent wasabi paste into crème fraîche to top the slightly sweet latkes and garnishing them with wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe) and peppery radish sprouts.

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