15 Passover Recipes for a Delicious Seder (2024)

How to Make the Best Passover Seder Plate

Matzo with Horseradish Butter

Chef Hillary Sterling makes a blistered wood-oven-baked matzo with Horseradish Butter (swap in pareve margarine instead of unsalted butter if you wish). These crispy, golden brown, bubbly homemade matzo may not conform to the most stringent religious standards, but they definitely beat store-bought. Crumble leftovers over soup, or use them to whip up Ruth Reichl's Matzo Brei.

Haroset

Haroset, a condiment made with fruits and nuts, is traditionally served with matzo during the Passover Seder to represent the mortar enslaved Jews used to build the pyramids. Though the ingredients vary depending on the region from which it evolved, it can be made with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds, as well as fresh fruit like apples and pomegranate seeds, plus a little sweet wine and honey. This version is inspired by Ashkenazi traditions and made with fresh apples, walnuts, sweet wine, honey, and cinnamon. Leftovers would be delicious mixed into your morning yogurt.

Shaved Beet and Carrot Salad With Citrus-Scallion Dressing

This gorgeous, colorful salad takes late-winter produce like thinly shaved beets, carrot ribbons, and rounds of juicy clementine and dresses them up for spring with a citrus-scallion vinaigrette so delicious, recipe creator Leah Koenig says, "I sneak it straight from a spoon." Crisp arugula serves as the base for this bright, earthy salad. Topped with nutty almonds and a citrus-scallion dressing balanced with honey, this salad is special enough to serve at a holiday meal (Koenig includes it on her table for Passover, alongside her Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata) but it is just as delicious as a quick, light lunch.

Brisket with Apricots and Prunes

For extra-tender brisket, cookbook author Julia Turshen cleverly uses a damp piece of crumpled parchment as a protective blanket for the meat to prevent it from drying out while it roasts. To get a head-start on holiday cooking, you can make this brisket a few days in advance — cool it to room temperature and refrigerate it in its sauce for up to five days. When it's time to serve, gently reheat the brisket either in a 350-degree oven or on the stovetop.

Confit Kugel Wedges

At Vic's, Hillary Sterling leaned on high-quality schmaltz to crisp up these kugel wedges; we opted for rich duck fat which is easier to source. A drizzle of vincotto, made from simmered grape must that's aged in oak barrels, punctuates the rich kugel with its sweet and tangy bite. If you like, do as Sterling does, and serve them with Saffron-Soaked Golden Raisins and Vic's Chicken Liver Mousse or our Kosher Chicken Liver Mousse. This recipe gives you the option to either use white rice flour, or substitute in some finely ground matzo meal if avoiding rice.

Gefilte Fish

Gefilte Fish is a dish made from a poached seasoned ground fish and served as an appetizer in Ashkenazi Jewish households, most traditionally during Passover. This recipe starts with a whole whitefish, turning the fillets into flavorful gefilte fish, and the trimmings into stock. You can find whole whitefish at some supermarkets and delis, and can ask your fishmonger to grind the fish for you at the store — just make sure to ask them to reserve the bones, head, skin, etc. for making stock.

Herb Garden Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo ball soup gets a glow-up in this version by cookbook author Leah Koenig, with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds in the matzo balls themselves, plus more herbs, lemon zest, and edible flowers adding color and bright, spring flavors to each finished bowl of soup.

Pomegranate-Lacquered Salmon

A glaze made with a pinch of cayenne, tart pomegranate molasses, cumin, and savory-sweet date syrup gives this gently roasted salmon layers of flavor and a gorgeous bronzed exterior. Choose higher-fat king or Atlantic salmon for best results; if using a skinless fillet, spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray first.

Roasted Carrots

method for making these flavorful, buttery roasted carrots starts with briefly cooking whole carrots in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and sautéing them in a little olive oil until they are browned in spots. She then tosses them with butter — sub in pareve margarine here, if keeping kosher — thyme sprigs, and garlic, and seasons them with salt. The carrots are finally briefly roasted in a hot oven, where the high heat creates caramelized edges that add texture to their outsides, while their interior turns soft and creamy, but not mushy. The entire process takes just 20 minutes, and yields fork-tender carrots with satisfying flavor.

Hasselback Potatoes

A showstopper, these crisp, smoky hasselback potatoes are actually super-easy to make. Once you cut the new fingerling potatoes, drizzle them with a combination of extra-virgin olive oil and pimentón de la Vera, season them with kosher salt and black pepper, and roast them. Then, insert a bay leaf into each potato and roast them again until they're crisp and golden. Discard the bay leaves once done, drizzle with a bit more oil, and you're all set.

Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata

For the crispiest skin and most flavorful meat, roast bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs over a bed of leeks and potatoes, where they render fat and absorb flavor. A quick turn under the broiler imparts a golden finish to the chicken before they're basted in pan juices and dressed with a zippy gremolata made from toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parsley. Cookbook author Leah Koenig loves to serve these during the Passover holiday, but they're a special dinner any night of the year.

Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-Style Fried Artichokes)

At the heart of Rome’s artichoke obsession are carciofi alla giudia, artichokes that are deep-fried until custard-soft inside with leaves as crisp as potato chips. While not as widely known as pasta alla carbonara or cacio e pepe, the golden blossoms are considered one of the city’s greatest culinary achievements, and for good reason. Dressed with nothing more than a shower of salt and a squeeze of lemon, they are incomparably delicious.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Matzo Cake

This icebox cake layers liqueur-soaked matzo crackers with chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts for a Passover-friendly dessert. This recipe comes from Rochelle Cooper of The Duck and the Peach in Washington, D.C. It’s a family recipe she used to make with her mother for their Passover Seder, but is a delicious option anytime you want an easy, flavorful, no-bake dessert.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender

Chef and cookbook author Melia Marden's recipe for roasting boneless leg of lamb uses the classic combo of rosemary and garlic, but gets an unexpected twist with the addition of chopped fresh lavender. The mixture is rubbed all over the butterflied lamb, which is then rolled, tied, and rubbed with more garlic and herbs. The lamb is then roasted, sliced against the grain, and served with a savory, tart jam made with shallots, Medjool dates, honey, and apple cider vinegar.

Chicken Liver Pâté

This silky-smooth pâté recipe from Jacques Pépin is inexpensive and simple to make. The chicken livers are briefly simmered in water with aromatics before they're blended with butter (or pareve margarine) in a food processor. If you have the opportunity to choose, shop for paler chicken livers; they tend to have a mellower, richer flavor than deep-red ones.