A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (2024)

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Anna Berman

A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (1)

Anna Berman

Anna Berman is a food stylist, recipe developer, writer, and editor with experience producing and starring in close to 1,000 culinary videos. Anna's cooking knowledge and expertise can be seen through her work with companies such as Allrecipes.com, Whole Foods, and Sur La Table. She has also worked with publications such as Fitness, Southern Living, Cuisines at Home, and EatingWell.

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Published on October 21, 2020

A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (2)

Celebrating the miracle of the oil that lit the menorah in the ancient temple for eight nights instead of just one, a traditional Hanukkah menu includes a handful of fried foods. We've rounded up recipes for latkes (fried potato pancakes), sufganiot (fried donuts), and other favorites to help you put together a celebratory menu.

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Potato Latkes I

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (3)

This is a traditional latkes recipe using grated potatoes, flour, eggs, salt, and grated onion. Be sure to squeeze potatoes well to get excess moisture out, this is the key to getting crispy latkes. Allrecipes member Rachel who shares this recipe, says: "A classic potato latke, you can't go wrong with these crispy hot cakes. Serve with applesauce, sour cream and chopped green onions! Happy Hanukkah!"

Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (4)

A perfect accompaniment to potato latkes, this applesauce is made in a slow cooker. The combination of brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and apples will perfume your house for hours.

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Applesauce

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (5)

If you don't have the time for a slow cooker recipe, here's a quick and easy applesauce recipe that will be done in less than 30 minutes. The sauce is spiced with cinnamon and cloves. We recommend tasting your apples first and adjusting the added sugar amount accordingly. Once done, puree the sauce until smooth or leave it a bit chunky.

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Most Amazing Challah

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (6)

This challah recipe uses instant yeast to speed up the rising process and save you some time in the kitchen. Braid the challah as a traditional loaf or make a round one. This recipe makes enough loaves to last through the holiday or share as gifts with friends and family.

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Wine-Braised Beef Brisket

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (7)

Allrecipes member chagar raves about this brisket, saying: "Followed the recipe exactly and we absolutely loved it. I used a red merlot as I'm not really familiar with cooking with red wines. The sauce turned out amazing. I served with basmati rice and steamed cauliflower, zucchini and asparagus."

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Salmon with Lemon and Dill

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (8)

For a dairy menu, this recipe for salmon baked in a butter, lemon, and dill sauce is a crowd pleaser. You can bake the salmon as individual fillets or use a whole side of the fish. Sprigs of fresh dill and lemon slices make for a beautiful presentation.

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Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (9)

Sandy Witek, the Allrecipes member who shares this recipe writes: "This is a one-pan meal that's in the oven in 15 minutes. Rosemary, garlic, and oregano create a mouthwatering aroma. If using dried herbs in place of fresh, use 1/3 the amount. Potatoes are crispy like French fries."

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Roasted Green Beans

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (10)

With some of the heavier, fried menu items, a nice green dish will be a welcomed addition to the table. We love these simply roasted green beans. Be sure to spread the beans in a single layer to allow them to roast evenly without steaming.

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Basic Sautéed Kale

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (11)

Here's another quick and easy side dish for the table. In this recipe, kale is sauteed in olive oil with sherry vinegar, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Adjust the amount of pepper flakes depending on your heat preference. For more flavor, feel free to use vegetable or chicken broth in place of water.

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Sufganiot

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These fried doughnuts from Allrecipes member Rachel are "filled with sweet cheese or preserves" to fit either the dairy or dairy-free menu. Home cook Illysa calls these doughnuts excellent, adding that the recipe has become her family's new Hanukkah tradition.

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Sufganiyot

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Here is another recipe for holiday doughnuts from home cook Mel Levy. The batter in this recipe calls for yogurt, making these doughnuts especially tender. Once fried, roll the doughnuts in vanilla sugar and eat immediately.

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Chanukah Cookies

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (14)

Make a batch and let your guests (kids and adults) roll out the dough and cut out their favorite Hanukkah shapes including menorah, dreidel, and Star of David. A sweet ending to a wonderful dinner.

  • Explore our entire collection of Hanukkah Recipes.

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A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional meal for Hanukkah? ›

Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, Jewish families like mine celebrate by eating latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Notice a theme? Traditional Hanukkah foods are often fried because they're reminders of the oil in the legendary Hanukkah story.

What is the traditional meal for the first day of Hanukkah? ›

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.

What not to eat during Hanukkah? ›

"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.

What is forbidden during Hanukkah? ›

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.

Is there a Hanukkah dinner? ›

Meaty Main Dishes

The star dish for many Hanukkah dinner tables is brisket. It's a show-stopping centerpiece that's as classic as it gets, which is why we love it. For something a little different but equally as fitting, we also love a wintery braise filled with semolina dumplings.

What do you serve the first night of Hanukkah? ›

How do you celebrate the first night of Hanukkah? You light the Menorah, say the blessings and sing a psalm. Then you eat potato latkes (pancakes) or donuts, because they are made in oil, and we commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Temple, which was only enough for one day, lasted 8 days.

What food is a symbol of Hanukkah? ›

Symbolic Foods

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.

Is cheese a Hanukkah food? ›

"By the 14th century, there's quite a strong tradition that people eat cheese on Hanukkah and it's associated with Judith giving cheese to the enemy to make him drunk," Weingarten says.

What do you wear on Hanukkah? ›

What to wear to any Hanukkah celebration. Go for classic blue, white, and gold when trying to style a Hanukkah dress. Not sure where to find a cute and stylish Hanukkah dress? Opt for a simple blue style like this gorgeous pleated midi dress from Prettygarden.

What to bring to Hanukkah dinner as a guest? ›

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.

What is the feast of the Hanukkah? ›

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival.

What is the traditional gift for Hanukkah? ›

The most traditional gift for Hanukkah is gelt, which is Yiddish for “money” — given either in the form of real money or wrapped chocolate coins. These can be used to play the popular Hanukkah game, dreidel.

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