As Yom Kippur approaches, I’m excited to share a collection of recipes perfect for preparing for the fast and breaking it with ease.
This list offers something for everyone, so you’re sure to find a new favorite among these 24 delectable dishes.
Shana Tova!
1. Traditional Jewish Bagels
These aren’t just any old bagels, they’re on another level entirely! The bagels are tender yet substantial, boasting a beautifully crisp exterior.
Feel free to personalize them with your preferred seasonings or toppings.
While preparing these bagels isn’t hard, it will take a while. So be sure to get started well before you need them. Getting started two days before Yom Kippur is definitely the way to go.
2. Baklava
For those with a penchant for textural excitement, this is the ultimate dessert. This treat features that satisfying blend of crispy and gooey.
Originating from the Mediterranean and Middle East, baklava is the king of layered desserts.
This involves countless sheets of flaky phyllo dough. You will also find a hearty blend of cinnamon-spiced nuts nestled in between. Lastly, it’s drenched in honey.
3. Challah Bread
This bread is a complete joy. And like the bagels I talked about earlier, the challah is surprisingly straightforward to whip up.
It’s also great for cooks of all skill levels.
Challah is classified as an enriched bread. That means the recipe calls for yeast and quite a bit of fat. You can anticipate a tender, delectable, sweet bread as a result.
4. Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono)
You’ve definitely never tasted chicken and rice soup like this. It has both a vibrant lemony tang and a creamy, rich texture. You’ll also notice plenty of fresh herbs.
Its light flavor makes it ideal for summer. But it’s also cozy enough for colder weather.
5. Rugelach
I’m a total sucker for a good pastry, so rugelach is definitely up my alley. Hopefully, you’ll feel the same way!
With its delicious buttery flavor, the pastry is tender yet chewy. It gets a bit of crispiness after baking, too.
Each bite is filled with apricot jam, nuts, and raisins. Also, it’s artfully rolled up like a cinnamon roll.
6. Jewish Coffee Cake
Are you looking for a really good way to end your Yom Kippur fast? This fluffy, flavorful coffee cake is just the ticket.
You’ll especially enjoy the chocolate, cinnamon sugar, and nut topping. It’s the perfect pick-me-up after a long day.
7. Sephardic Jewish-Style Eggs (Huevos Haminados)
This might be the easiest dish you can make. Seriously, you only need one thing: eggs.
Once you’ve gathered your eggs, you only have one step to take. Simply place them into a 220-degree oven and let them bake for five hours. This results in yummy, slightly nutty eggs akin to hard-boiled ones.
8. Moist Honey Cake
If you’re craving something rich, tender, and flavorful, this honey cake will definitely deliver. This treat tastes a lot like warm spices, honey, tea, and autumn all rolled into one.
Since this cake will stay moist for days, you can easily prepare it beforehand.
9. Egg and Onion
Here’s a classic Ashkenazi Jewish dish that’s incredibly simple to make. It’s basically an egg salad.
The preparation is as follows: mash up hard-boiled eggs, add in finely diced white onions, and stir in some mayo. While some folks like to use schmaltz in place of mayo, the choice is yours.
Have it with matzo crackers, challah, or a bialy.
10. Bagel and Lox Quiche with Matzo Pie Crust
What if you combined two iconic brunch dishes into one? Then, consider adding a salty pie crust that’s safe for Passover, too!
It’s sure to be great for your Yom Kippur meal.
This dish is basically a quiche. Expect an abundance of eggs, a crunchy crust, and lots of delicious cheese. Also, there’s cream cheese, and everything is topped with chives, Everything Bagel seasoning, and Lox.
11. Bialy
At first glance, bialys might seem like bagels. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are actually quite a few differences setting them apart, including the fact that bialys aren’t boiled and don’t have a hole.
A notable quality of bialys is that they’re made using more yeast. They’re more airy, therefore. Rather than a hole, they’re filled with a savory blend of onions and poppy seeds.
However, you can still add cream cheese to them.
12. Cast-Iron Potato Kugel
It’s like a mashup between hash browns and quiche, which is something I can certainly get behind. You’ll find each bite to be nice and crisp as well as full of yummy potato flavor.
The recipe involves shredding about two pounds of russet potatoes into hash browns. After combining them with seasonings, potato starch, onions, and eggs, it gets baked inside a cast-iron pan, resulting in utter deliciousness.
13. Sweet Noodle Kugel
It’s probably safe to say that nearly every Jewish family cherishes their kugel recipe.
Want to branch out and try something different? This sweet noodle kugel is a great place to start.
Similar to bread pudding, noodle kugel is essentially an egg-based casserole. You will find plenty of tender egg noodles enrobed in a rich, sweet custard, accented by the delightful flavors of vanilla and cinnamon as well as some yummy raisins.
14. Cheese Bourekas With Everything Bagel Seasoning
Is there anything better than puff pastry loaded up with mozzarella and feta? This version is made complete with savory, salty Everything Bagel seasoning.
This flavorful combination really hits the spot!
15. Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)
There is so much to love about spanakopita.
This savory, salty spinach pie has a wonderful crispness that’s hard to resist. Each bite bursts with fresh herbs and cheeses, including ricotta and feta.
For the best results, this recipe teaches you how to make your own phyllo dough, which is surprisingly similar to regular rough-crust pastry and tastes a whole lot better than what you can buy in stores.
16. Kasha Varnishkes
Its name might be complicated, but the recipe itself is fairly simple to throw together! That said, you will find this Kasha Varnishkes to be anything but ordinary. This is the perfect meal to enjoy the night before Yom Kippur.
Kasha, for those unfamiliar, is a term referring to buckwheat groats or bulgar. It’s common to prepare kasha as a chewy breakfast dish akin to porridge.
In this recipe, the groats are toasted.
Toast them and set them aside before sautéing mushrooms and shallots in chicken fat. Next, add dairy and some fresh herbs to create a savory cream sauce. Finally, add in the bowtie pasta together with the toasted kasha.
17. Cinnamon Buns
You just can’t go wrong with cinnamon rolls. I mean, the math is simple: creamy icing + rich dough + cinnamon-sugar filling = carb heaven.
I’m sure we can agree that the homemade version is best. If you want something truly special, this is it.
18. Cauliflower Potato Frittata
This is like a crustless quiche. This fabulous dish features eggs combined with potatoes, cauliflower, onion, garlic, lemon, dill, and your favorite seasonings.
Also, there’s cheese. All that wonderfully melted cheese really brings it together.
19. Sweet Potato Latkes
If you thought classic latkes were good, just wait until you sink your teeth into these! These have a slightly sweet flavor that contrasts so well with the savory flavors.
Latkes are traditionally prepared using shredded russet potatoes. They involve mixing them with flour, eggs, onions, garlic, herbs, and other seasonings. These follow a similar approach but use sweet potatoes instead.
Serve them with seasoned yogurt.
20. Homemade Gravlax
It’s hard to deny that bagels and lox go hand in hand. So, Gravlax is the next best thing!
Like Lox, Gravlax uses salmon. However, Gravlax is salt-cured instead of smoked and relies on sugar, spices, herbs, and onions to flavor the dish.
You’ll also find that Gravlax is cheaper than Lox, since it’s so easy to prepare at home. You won’t even need a smoker-style grill!
Note that this dish will need plenty of time to prepare, so get it going a couple of days before Yom Kippur.
21. Whitefish Salad
Think of this salad as the classy older sibling to tuna salad.
Although it shares many of the same ingredients, it has its own unique flair. The big difference is that this version features smoked whitefish. That simple twist adds an incredible umami element to each bite.
22. Classic Tuna Salad
You might love it, or maybe you hate it, but either way, tuna salad is pretty nostalgic. I personally find it to be great, even though it can cause fishy breath.
This version combines celery, tuna, dill, red onion, relish, mayo, seasonings, and a touch of sugar. Enjoy it on bagels, lettuce wraps, or toast. Just maybe hold off on kissing anyone for a bit.
Or at least brush your teeth first.
23. Chocolate Babka
This wonderfully sweet bread might just become your new go-to treat. Similar to challah bread, babka is prepared with enriched dough, leading to a soft, chewy, and sweet result. Like challah, babka is braided, too.
However, you’ll find that babka is extra delicious because it’s loaded with layers of sugary flavor. This recipe contains a double dose of chocolate, butter, nuts, sugar, and cinnamon.
Want even more chocolate? Mix in some chopped up brownies or candy.