31 Hanukkah Recipes To Celebrate the Festival of Lights

Mini Sweet Potato Latkes

Recipe: Mini Sweet Potato Latkes

Potato latkes are a staple on the Hanukkah table. Here, we mix things up a bit and add a Southern twist by using sweet potatoes in place of baking potatoes.

Instant Pot Applesauce

Recipe: Instant Pot Applesauce

Make this applesauce your own by adding or substituting sugar and spice to taste. It's delicious spooned over potato latkes, doughnuts, pancakes, and biscuits.

Brisket with Carrots and Horseradish-Parsley Gremolata

Recipe: Brisket with Carrots and Horseradish-Parsley Gremolata

This tender and flavorful brisket will make a mouth-watering main dish for your Hanukkah celebration. Top the meat with a thick sauce made from parsley, olive oil, and horseradish, then round out the meal with buttery mashed potatoes and roasted carrots.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Rugelach

Recipe: Chocolate-Hazelnut Rugelach

Rugelach, a Hanukkah tradition, are bite-size crescent-shaped cookies rolled with fruit, nuts, jam, or other fillings. We used hazelnuts and dark chocolate in this recipe to give the Rugelach just the right amount of holiday decadence.

Roast Chicken

Recipe: Roast Chicken

Show your culinary skill with this recipe for savory Roast Chicken. Roasted with lemon, dried rosemary, and seasoned pepper, the taste of this chicken will speak for itself.

Cast-Iron Potato Kugel

Recipe: Cast-Iron Potato Kugel

Although kugel is often made sweet and with noodles, this version using potatoes in a cast-iron skillet is a classic, Southern spin. We like to think of it as one big, tasty latke. Yum.

Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Recipe: Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

The Test Kitchen named this dish "Anytime Chicken" and we think it's especially perfect for Hanukkah. It's easy enough for a weeknight holiday dinner after lighting the candles, but special enough to ring in the festivities.

Cherry-Walnut Rugelach

Recipe: Cherry-Walnut Rugelach

We gave this version of the traditional Hanukkah treat a decidedly Southern spin with a filling made of cherry preserves and walnuts. These crescent-shaped cookies are a new take on a classic that will become favorites in your household.

Braised Cola-and-Bourbon Brisket

Recipe: Braised Cola-and-Bourbon Brisket

Soda and bourbon may not be your first thought when it comes to the holiday main dish, but we promise, you won't regret it. A long, slow, bake time ensures this savory brisket will be melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Recipe: Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Comforting Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Apples is just the entree for feeding a hungry crowd. One large 5- to 6-pound bird or two smaller ones will satisfy your gang.

Potato Latkes

Recipe: Potato Latkes

These griddle latkes are decidedly less oily than the deep-fried kind. The key is to have enough clarified butter in the pan to warrant excited sizzling. The result is a light, crispy bite with lacy potato edges.

Challah Bread

Recipe: Challah Bread

This slightly sweet bread is made with lots of egg and topped with sesame seeds. It's traditionally eaten for the Jewish Sabbath and delicious for French toast the following morning.

Holiday Present and Star Shortbread Cookies

Recipe: Holiday Present and Star Shortbread Cookies

The ultimate bragging point of celebrating Hanukkah is eight nights of presents. How about eight nights of present cookies? Now that's a tradition we can get behind!

Cornmeal Popovers

Recipe: Cornmeal Popovers

Think of these as a Southern take on knishes, traditional Jewish baked goods. They're the perfect light and fluffy, comforting side for the holiday meal, especially when served toasty warm.

Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Recipe: Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Jews know matzo ball soup when we see it. This Southern spin is made extra easy using a rotisserie chicken and lots of tarragon and parsley.

Banana Cream Donuts

Recipe: Banana Cream Donuts

They may not be your typical sufganiyot (Hanukkah jelly donuts), but we welcome this creamy twist. These round, cakey donuts are filled with a rich banana cream custard that your whole crew will love.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff

Served over egg noodles, this meatless meal is hearty enough to be the star of your holiday spread. The creamy mushroom sauce has smoked paprika for deep, dynamic flavor.

Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

Recipe: Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

Tender beef meatballs can be served as a pre-dinner snack or the main course with a sampling of sides and some egg noodles. Cranberry sauce makes them sweet, but notes of savory and spicy flavor will have your holiday crowd coming back for seconds.

Slice-and-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

Recipe: Slice-and-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

Festive holiday cookies are easy as can be. Roll your cookie dough in blue and white sprinkles to show off those Hanukkah colors.

Orange-Rosemary Roast Chicken

Recipe: Orange-Rosemary Roast Chicken

Sheet pan chicken is the shortcut to a family-favorite holiday meal. Baby potatoes, orange slices, and rosemary roast together as the chicken becomes crisp and tender.

Chocolate Pretzel Stars

These Hanukkah cookies showing off the Star of David are as festive as you can get. Made with pretzels and chocolate, they're the perfect salty-sweet bite after dinner.

Green Beans with Garlic

Recipe: Green Beans with Garlic

When it comes to Hanukkah sides, we like to keep things simple and delicious. These green beans are deliciously garlicky, easy, and have just the right amount of snap.

Cream Cheese Pastries

Recipe: Cream Cheese Pastries

Like cheese blintzes, Cream Cheese Pastries are cheesy, sweet treats. This recipe makes four loaves so that there's enough for each of your eager holiday guests with a sweet tooth.

Golden Chocolate Coins

Rather than buying gelt this year, bake up homemade Golden Chocolate Coins. Winning a batch of these from a game of dreidel is something to write home about.

Skillet Squash Blossom

Recipe: Skillet Squash Blossom

If it weren't holiday dinner, we'd insist on taking a picture of this side dish before digging in. Leave off the bacon to make this pretty dish kosher.

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Herb Couscous

Recipe: Grilled Lemon Chicken with Herb Couscous

This grilled chicken shines with deep lemon, herb, honey, and Dijon-infused flavors. Served with lemony couscous with fresh mint, cucumbers, and parsley, Hanukkah dinner will be a knock-out.

Marshmallow Dreidels

Mama always told us not to play with our food, but this may be the exception. We turned marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and chocolate kisses into scrumptious imitation dreidels, spinning tops with Hebrew letters often toyed with during Hanukkah.

Challah Bread Pudding

Recipe: Challah Bread Pudding

Start the holiday meal with challah and top the night off with this Challah Bread Pudding for dessert. Spongy challah bread is the ideal base for this classic dessert because it so sweetly sops up tasty custard.

Andrew's Potato Latkes

Recipe: Andrew's Potato Latkes

A good latke is simple and straightforward. This recipe uses only six ingredients and is best served hot and crispy with apple sauce or sour cream.

Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots

Recipe: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots

Adding honey to the mix is a good way to get the kids to eat their vegetables. Bonus points if the carrots are purple.

The Best Challah Bread

Recipe: The Best Challah Bread

You can rely on this challah recipe—it won't disappoint. Start with activating your yeast and you'll have sweet, fluffy bread in no time. Our favorite part is braiding the dough.