Passover is a holiday built around tradition, but that doesn’t mean your food has to be predictable. These 25 recipes bring something memorable to the table—whether it’s bold flavor, smart prep, or just the right mix of old and new. They’re the kind of dishes people mention again next year, long after the plates have been cleared. If your goal is to host a Passover meal worth remembering, this is where to start.
Last-Minute Homemade Matzo
Homemade Matzo puts you in control of the crunch—fast. With just flour and water, it bakes in minutes and beats the boxed stuff without a contest. When your Passover meal is meant to stretch into the night, even the simplest additions matter. The fact that you made it yourself is half the story.
Get the Recipe: Last-Minute Homemade Matzo
Homemade Gefilte Fish Recipe With Beet Chrein
Gefilte Fish with Beet Chrein keeps things traditional in the best possible way. Homemade and poached in broth, it’s a clear step up from the jarred version—and worth every bit of effort. The beet chrein adds just the right punch to wake up the start of a long meal. It’s the appetizer that tells everyone, “we’re doing this right tonight.”
Get the Recipe: Homemade Gefilte Fish Recipe With Beet Chrein
Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken And Veggies
Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken is the kind of main you serve when the guest list grows and the kitchen starts to feel small. Tossed with roasted vegetables, it all cooks together and still looks like you planned ahead. It keeps the energy easy, which is exactly what a long holiday dinner needs. Cleanup won’t slow you down once the stories start flowing.
Get the Recipe: Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken And Veggies
Marinated Beet Salad With Dill
Marinated Beet Salad with Dill adds color and brightness to the Passover spread while still keeping to tradition. It’s sharp, sweet, and just vinegary enough to reset your tastebuds between courses. Beets, dill, and onions have shown up at tables like this for generations, and this version respects that rhythm. It tastes like a memory someone else might tell by dessert.
Get the Recipe: Marinated Beet Salad With Dill
Argentinian Alfajores Recipe
Argentinian Alfajores bring a rich, sweet finish to the Passover table without breaking any rules. Made with cornstarch and sandwiched with dulce de leche or lemon curd, these cookies are perfect for when everyone’s still lingering after dinner. They feel festive without being fussy, making them a strong finisher to a long evening. A batch of these will disappear before the first story even ends.
Get the Recipe: Argentinian Alfajores Recipe
Chocolate Hazelnut Bars
Chocolate Hazelnut Bars are a smart way to cap off your Passover dinner with something rich and simple. These bars are made with familiar pantry staples and don’t require any baking. That means less time in the kitchen and more time at the table. Everyone will ask for the recipe—and then for seconds.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Bars
The Ultimate Middle Eastern Appetizer Platter
This Middle Eastern Appetizer Platter brings variety, color, and texture to your Passover table with components that are easily adaptable for the holiday. It’s a thoughtful way to start the evening, especially when the conversation lasts as long as the meal. With dips, spreads, and small bites, everyone finds something they like without spoiling the main event. It’s how you make a seder table feel full from the first plate.
Get the Recipe: The Ultimate Middle Eastern Appetizer Platter
Classic Jewish Chopped Chicken Liver
Chopped Chicken Liver is a classic that deserves its spot on a Passover table—no questions asked. Rich with schmaltz and mellowed by caramelized onions, it’s more than just a spread. It turns a piece of matzo into something people won’t stop eating. It's old-school in the best possible way.
Get the Recipe: Classic Jewish Chopped Chicken Liver
My Grandmother's Recipe for Carrot Casserole
Carrot Casserole adds soft texture and sweet spice to the Passover table without needing much prep. With cinnamon and nutmeg baked into every bite, it doubles as a savory-sweet side or a dessert. It’s the kind of dish that sits quietly on the table but keeps getting spooned up. Guests won’t be asking what it is—they’ll be asking if there’s more.
Get the Recipe: My Grandmother's Recipe for Carrot Casserole
Chicken Marbella
Chicken Marbella has all the makings of a Passover favorite with its balance of briny olives, sweet prunes, and herby marinade. It’s the kind of main dish that keeps the table quiet for a few moments—which says a lot at a long holiday dinner. Roasted to a deep, glossy finish, this chicken brings a lot to the plate with little effort. It tastes like something someone’s grandmother used to make, even if she didn’t.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Marbella
Classic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe
Jewish Chicken Soup doesn’t need a sales pitch at Passover—it just needs to show up. With its golden broth, soft vegetables, and tender chicken, this is the soup that says "you’re home." It’s the reset button for any dinner that’s running long, late, or a little loud. Even people who say they’re not hungry end up finishing the bowl.
Get the Recipe: Classic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe
Gluten-Free Lavosh Crackers With Almonds
Lavosh Crackers with Almonds are the kind of crispy side that make dips, spreads, and cheese plates feel complete at a long meal. They’re thin, crunchy, and full of texture that breaks up all the soft dishes on the table. You can make them in advance, which makes prep day a little easier. These are the kind of snacks that keep conversations going between courses.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Lavosh Crackers With Almonds
Soft And Chewy Coconut Macaroon Pyramids
Coconut Macaroon Pyramids are easy to make, easy to share, and practically required at any Passover gathering. Their chewy texture and golden tops make them one of the first things to vanish from the dessert tray. They store well too, which makes them a smart make-ahead treat. Even people who "don’t like coconut" usually grab one.
Get the Recipe: Soft And Chewy Coconut Macaroon Pyramids
Passover Matzo Crack Aka Chocolate Matzo Toffee
Matzo Crack brings the crunch and sweetness that make Passover dessert something to look forward to. This toffee-and-chocolate combo is fast to assemble and impossible to stop eating. It’s great for making in bulk and bringing out slowly throughout the evening. People start planning how to hoard it before the tray’s even on the table.
Get the Recipe: Passover Matzo Crack Aka Chocolate Matzo Toffee
Roasted Salmon On A Bed Of Apples And Potatoes
Roasted Salmon with Apples and Potatoes has just enough sweetness to balance out the savory without going over the top. Baked with spiced apples and soft potatoes, it feels hearty and seasonal without being heavy. It’s a smart centerpiece for a Passover dinner where the goal is to linger and eat in waves. The flavors just kind of stick with you in a good way.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Salmon On A Bed Of Apples And Potatoes
Pomegranate Glazed Whole Salmon
Pomegranate Glazed Salmon brings bold color and flavor to your Passover dinner with minimal prep. The tang of pomegranate molasses and the depth of date honey create something sweet, sticky, and perfect for serving family-style. It looks beautiful and cooks all at once, which helps when there’s already a lot going on. This is one of those mains that gets people to pause between bites.
Get the Recipe: Pomegranate Glazed Whole Salmon
Jerusalem Kugel
Jerusalem Kugel comes in sweet and peppery, with caramelized noodles that surprise anyone who’s never had it before. It’s baked until the edges crisp up, which adds that bit of texture every long table needs. This kugel stays firm enough to slice and pass around, and it only gets better as it sits. One bite and people start trying to guess what’s in it.
Get the Recipe: Jerusalem Kugel
Homemade Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo Ball Soup is practically a requirement when the dinner is this long and this important. Light, fluffy matzo balls float in golden broth that tastes like it’s been simmering all afternoon—even if it hasn’t. It’s the kind of first course that calms the table down and sets the pace. No one complains when there’s a second round.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Matzo Ball Soup
Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins
Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins brings richness and nostalgia to the Passover table in every forkful. The combination of soft noodles, sweet cheese, and golden raisins hits that dessert-meets-side-dish note perfectly. The cognac adds just enough depth to make people stop and pay attention. It tastes like it’s been passed down through a few generations—and maybe it has.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins
Gluten-Free Carrot Kugel
Carrot Kugel earns its place on the Passover table with just a few pantry staples and a lot of comfort baked in. This version brings out the natural sweetness of carrots with cinnamon and nutmeg and works as a side or even dessert. It’s the kind of dish that quietly supports everything else on the table. Someone always says, “this reminds me of something,” and they’re usually right.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Carrot Kugel
Matzo Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
Matzo Lasagna turns a weeknight comfort food into a Passover dinner win without needing anything extra. Layers of matzo, cheese, and sauce bake together into something familiar but still totally holiday-appropriate. It’s a smart way to serve something hearty when everyone’s expecting matzo in every form. This one will probably be talked about again next year.
Get the Recipe: Matzo Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
My Grandma's Russian Jewish Carrot Tzimmes
Carrot Tzimmes is sweet, sticky, and exactly the kind of side dish that holds its own next to brisket or chicken. Packed with carrots, prunes, and a touch of honey, it leans into the kind of comfort food people expect at Passover. It’s also make-ahead friendly, which helps when you’re juggling a dozen dishes for one long meal. It disappears faster than you think, so maybe double it.
Get the Recipe: My Grandma's Russian Jewish Carrot Tzimmes
Matzo Brei Pizza
Matzo Brei Pizza is how you serve breakfast-for-dinner without breaking any Passover rules. The eggy base holds together just enough sauce and cheese to make everyone pause and rethink matzo. It’s a fun, flexible option for nights when the meal runs long and no one minds. It’s exactly the kind of unexpected thing that gets people talking.
Get the Recipe: Matzo Brei Pizza
Classic Matzo Brei Recipe (Eggy Fried Matzah)
Matzo Brei is a Passover standby that earns its place at any table, morning or night. Scrambled with eggs and pan-fried until golden, it’s a comforting and endlessly adaptable dish. Serve it sweet or savory, depending on your guests, and it still fits the tone of a relaxed, long dinner. It feels like the kind of dish that gets made even when no one’s looking.
Get the Recipe: Classic Matzo Brei Recipe (Eggy Fried Matzah)
Pomegranate Chicken With Walnuts
Pomegranate Chicken with Walnuts brings something bold and festive to the dinner table that still feels right at home for Passover. The tangy molasses and nutty base are inspired by Persian cooking, but it fits in naturally among classic dishes. It’s simple to prepare and has just enough flair to make the meal feel special. Everyone at the table will notice when this hits the platter.
Get the Recipe: Pomegranate Chicken With Walnuts
Tell Me What You Think!