Give family and friends the greatest gift of all at your Hanukkah celebration: an assortment of beloved recipes, including latkes, brisket, short ribs, kugel, and more. Whether you like to prepare traditional holiday dishes or branch out with more modern interpretations of the classics, our collection of essential Hanukkah dinner recipes has something for every family. Rooted in tradition, these dishes will make your celebration both meaningful and delicious.
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Smoked Salmon Dip with Bagel Chips
We've taken all of our favorite bagel toppings and packed them into one sensational dip. We're talking cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, and capers, plus horseradish for kick.
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Matzo Latkes
These crisp, savory cakes make perfect beds for smoked salmon.
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Miso-Tomato Braised Short Ribs
This platter of succulent short-ribs melds flavors from cultures all around the world with the most delicious results. Miso is the magic in the marinade—rubbed over the ribs which are chilled overnight, it adds salt, umami, and a subtle tanginess. Fennel, tomatoes, and orange juice brighten the braise, while ginger offers a hint of heat.
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Classic Latkes
Potato pancakes make for festive starters at any party. Serve them with toppers like crème fraîche, trout roe, smoked trout, and lingonberry jam.
Try a chunky applesauce to accompany your homemade latkes. Using both McIntosh and Granny Smith apples will ensure the right texture—the McIntoshes soften into a purée, while the Grannies stay chunky.
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Braised Brisket with Carrots, Garlic, and Parsnips
This dish is a classic for the ages! The best part? The brisket can be cooked a day in advance.
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Challah
Making this traditional bread from scratch is totally worth it. Just 50 minutes of prep, and you're rewarded with a bakery-worthy loaf of challah.
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Pomegranate-Braised Short Ribs
Red wine and pomegranate juice give these tender braised short ribs incredible depth of flavor, while pomegranate seeds add the perfect pop of color.
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Matzo-Ball Soup with Leeks
This is the ultimate comfort food, whether it's Hanukkah or not. Our tried-and-true matzo balls get their fluffiness from seltzer and baking powder and their rich flavor from chicken fat (schmaltz to those in the know!).
A simple dressing of lemon juice and zest and olive oil is all fresh fennel and smoked salmon need to shine in this 10-minute appetizer recipe.
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Wine-Braised Brisket
A crowd-pleasing option that's worthy of priority placement on your Hanukkah dinner table, this brisket is rich and meltingly tender after braising in white wine, lemon, and mustard. Hearty root vegetables are added for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
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Chicken-Liver Mousse with Raspberry Jelly
Team rich, creamy chicken-liver mousse with homemade raspberry jelly for the ultimate sophisticated starter. Serve with crostini and your favorite pickled veggies. Ready for more? You can't go wrong with this silky Chicken-Liver Crostini with Quince Jelly.
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Potato Kugel Gratin
Make potato gratin dairy-free by swapping the usual cream for chicken broth. A golden-brown matzo-meal crust is the perfect finishing touch.
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Meyer Lemon Brisket with Pomegranate Gremolata
We've amped up gremolata, an Italian condiment made of fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon, with jewel-like pomegranate seeds. It cuts the richness of braised brisket beautifully.
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Short Ribs with Root Vegetables
This dish is inspired by traditional recipes that use flanken, a cut of beef from the chuck end of short ribs. In Jewish custom, the meat is boiled and served with horseradish. Our version uses braised boneless ribs and pairs them with earthy vegetables.
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Chicken Liver Pate
Get your Hanukkah party started with this easy, elegant pâté and golden toasts.
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Kugel Muffins
These individual kugels are baked in a muffin pan. Cottage cheese and sour cream give them rich flavor while a touch of orange marmalade and the addition of currants takes them into sweet territory
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Kumquat-Braised Short Ribs
The vibrant fruit adds a burst of color and citrus flavor to braised beef. Serve with a simple sauce made from the cooking juices and a side of Sautéed Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts.
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Roasted Apples
For an applesauce alternative, toss apple wedges with sugar and cinnamon and roast until tender.
From crispy latkes to tangy brisket to jammy sufganiyot. From shallow-fried potato latkes to deep-fried jelly doughnuts, traditional Hanukkah foods hinge on oil. Typically falling in December, the Jewish holiday, also called the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Latkes. These fried potato pancakes are possibly the best-known Hanukkah food. The oil used to fry them is a commemoration of the oil in the temple lamps. Made of shredded potatoes and onions much like hash browns, they're traditionally topped with applesauce and served as a side dish.
A perfect Hanukkah meal might start with matzoh ball soup, have a traditional brisket at the center and a stack of potato latkes on the side. If brisket is not your thing, a simple roasted chicken would serve very nicely, too.
Traditional foods include potato latkes, applesauce and brisket. Spinning the dreidel (a four-sided top) for “Hanukkah gelt” (gold-wrapped chocolate coins) is another part of the celebration. Your host might appreciate gifts of chocolate, gourmet applesauce, candles, books or board games.
"Among other rules, eating certain animals, primarily pigs and shellfish, is forbidden; meat must be ritually and humanely slaughtered; and dairy and meat aren't to be eaten at the same meal." Fish and plant foods are "neutral" (parve) and can be eaten with either meat or dairy.
It is customary for women not to work for at least the first half-hour of the candles' burning, and some have the custom not to work for the entire time of burning. It is also forbidden to fast or to eulogize during Hanukkah.
A lesser-known Hanukkah custom is to eat dairy, to celebrate the heroism of Judith, slayer of the general Holofernes. Although Judith's defeat of Holofernes took place centuries before the Maccabees defeated the Romans, Jews in the medieval period began to associate Judith's bravery with the miracle of Hanukkah.
In America, Hanukkah food typically refers to two things: latkes, Eastern European fried potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts that are favored in Israel and increasingly popular here.
Hanukkah doesn't have any dietary restrictions, but make sure not to bring food items that aren't kosher. Even if your hosts aren't observant, it's best to stick with kosher items out of politeness. You never know if the host might have invited observant guests!
All you have to do is take your usual charcuterie board and add your favorite sweets and traditional holiday foods, including dreidel cookies, apple pie rugelach, and sufganiyot.
Most of these traditional foods are fried in oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Others contain cheese to celebrate Judith's victory. Three popular foods eaten on the Jewish holidays include loukoumades, pancakes, and latkes.
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