Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (2024)

Ophira

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Are you throwing a Hanukkah party this year? Looking for Hanukkah party food ideas? Don’t stress, I got you covered. Here is a roundup of easy Hanukkah recipes both traditional and modern. I have personally tried a few of these over the years and can guarantee your guests will love them. Take a pick to match your tastes and have a wonderful party.

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Before we jump into the recipes, a quick background on this Jewish festival and the significance of these recipes.

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights. A time to celebrate miracles.

Long ago a war took place between the Jews (Maccabees) and their ruling king, Antiochus. Antiochus had ruled that Jews can no longer celebrate Shabbat and pray at their temple. He ordered his guards to go guard the temple and destroy everything inside.

What ensued thereafter was a war. After the Maccabees defeated Antiochus and his men and returned to the Temple, they found the temple looted and a mess. They built a new Menorah and looked for oil to light. But, they could not find enough oil to light the menorah for more than one evening and it would take them some time to find more oil. But the Menorah lit anyway. To their surprise, it burned for 8 days!!

Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (1)

It is this miracle that we celebrate on Hanukkah. We light menorahs for eight days and celebrate with foods fried in oil.

Here are some easy Hanukkah recipes for you to try this year to build a tasty party menu. Many of these are also kid-friendly Hanukkah recipes to accommodate your little guests.

EASY HANUKKAH RECIPES FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY

Appetizers, Soups, and Sides

Traditional Latkes: You can’t throw a Hanukkah party and not have some traditional Hanukkah foods at the table.

Matzo Ball Soup: Another one of the traditional Hanukkah foods to have on the table.

Broccoli Soup: Now if you want to change things up a bit, try my creamy broccoli soup recipe. It is plant-based and so delicious both your vegan guests and meat-eating guests will love it.

Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (3)

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Butterbean Soup: I loved this lightly flavored yet filling soup recipe. A wonderful addition to any Hanukkah Party.

Roasted Broccoli: A super tasty side to match the winter-themed table.

Israeli Cut Salad: We love having an Israeli cut salad on our table when guests come over. It is so easy to prepare and goes wonderfully with a variety of dishes.

Israeli CouscousSalad: A simple and delicious alternative to the Israeli cut salad.

Mains

Mutton Curry: Most Indian Jewish families celebrate festive occasions with some type of a lightly spiced and fragrant meat-based curry. Mutton curry is a popular main dish served alongside fluffy basmati rice.

Sweet and Sour Brisket: Super easy to make and a crowd-pleaser for sure.

Jewish Beef Brisket

Apricot Chicken

Sweet Potato Lasagna: A noodle free pasta dish that tastes delicious and healthy too. Your plant-based guests will be raving about this meal for days.

Vegan Mousaka

Broccoli Kugel: My husband once made me this kugel and sent it at my workplace for lunch. Not only was his gesture sweet and thoughtful, but this recipe turned out so good, I had to ask him for the recipe and note it down in my recipe book. We have made it many times since.

Desserts

Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts – Sufganiyot

These classic Hanukkah jelly donuts are my personal favorites. I love the easy way in which the author fills the doughnuts with jelly, just as you would a thumbprint cookie. No special skills required.

Here is Sufganiyot from last year’s Hanukkah party at our place. They add a festive touch to any party table.

Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (4)

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Vegan Fudge

This is a recipe that is a no-fail dessert. Every time I have to whip up a quick dessert for a party, I love making this vegan fudge. It works out perfectly each time and is so so yummy. You have got to try it.

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Date Filled Rugelach

Butter Cookies: Serve these warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate syrup.

Gulab Jamun: Growing up in India, our families served these spiced and sweet fried milk solid based balls called Gulab Jamun for Hanukkah celebrations. You can try the recipe if you are cooking a vegetarian or vegan menu plan.

GulGule: Fried banana fritters made by Indian Jews to celebrate Hanukkah.

Chocolate Chia Pudding: My no pain, go-to dessert when I have guests over. Always turns out perfect and tastes yummy.

No-bake Blueberry Cheesecake Cups: We have made this recipe multiple times now. It is perfect as a cake or made into smaller cupcake sizes too.

Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (5)

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Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (6)

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I hope these recipes inspire your Hanukkah Party Menu in some way. Do comment and let me know if you try any of the recipes I shared here. I would love to hear how it turned out.

Until next time,

Ciao

Feature Image courtesy Pixabay

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Festive Yet Easy Hanukkah Recipes For Your Hanukkah Party (2024)

FAQs

What food should I bring to a Hanukkah party? ›

  • Latkes. These fried potato pancakes are possibly the best-known Hanukkah food. ...
  • Kugel. Kugel is a sweet casserole that originated in Central Europe, made using egg noodles baked with sugar, eggs and sour cream. ...
  • Brisket. ...
  • Rugelach. ...
  • Challah. ...
  • Roasted Chicken. ...
  • Sufganiot. ...
  • Matzo Ball Soup.
Feb 15, 2024

What is traditional Hanukkah dinner food? ›

From crispy latkes to tangy brisket to jammy sufganiyot. From shallow-fried potato latkes to deep-fried jelly doughnuts, traditional Hanukkah foods hinge on oil. Typically falling in December, the Jewish holiday, also called the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

What are four popular foods at Hanukkah? ›

The eight days of Hanukkah are observed with the lighting of a menorah after sundown and meals featuring foods challah bread, kugel, potato latkes, jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot, and festive drinks. Fried foods recall the miracle at the Temple of Jerusalem, when a day's worth of oil lasted eight nights.

What not to give for Hanukkah? ›

Things to Avoid Doing

In particular, do not use the classic Christmas wrapping papers or get green and red gifts. Hanukkah has its own unique color associations and blue and white items are preferred.

What is the dress code for Hanukkah party? ›

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 kind of junk food is commonly eaten during Hanukkah? ›

Fried foods, like potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, are prepared and eaten throughout the holiday to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah: oil that kept the menorah (an ancient lamp) lit for 8 days instead of the 1 day it was supposed to last.

What is an appropriate gift for a Hanukkah party? ›

There's no ceremony for giving gifts. Instead, appropriate Hanukkah gifts are usually small, thoughtful, and often food-related. Typical Hanukkah gifts, such as dreidels, board games, and fancy meats, are designed to show togetherness and bonding among Jews.

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's the difference between Hanukkah and Chanukah? ›

For many English speakers, the festival is also known for confusion over the spelling of its name: Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah? The answer is that both are considered correct, though Hanukkah is the most widely used spelling, while Chanukah is more traditional. In addition, more than 20 other variations are recorded.

What is a good Hanukkah menu? ›

A Traditional Menu for Hanukkah
  • 01 of 12. Potato Latkes I. View Recipe. ...
  • 02 of 12. Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce. View Recipe. ...
  • 03 of 12. Applesauce. ...
  • 04 of 12. Most Amazing Challah. ...
  • 05 of 12. Wine-Braised Beef Brisket. ...
  • 06 of 12. Salmon with Lemon and Dill. ...
  • 07 of 12. Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries. ...
  • 08 of 12. Roasted Green Beans.
Oct 21, 2020

What can I bring to a Hanukkah dinner? ›

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 food is a symbol of Hanukkah? ›

Latkes were originally symbolic of the cheesecakes served by the widow Judith and later evolved to the potato/vegetable fried most known today. Many kinds of cheese and dairy dishes are consumed in memory of brave Judith.

What do guests bring for Hanukkah? ›

You can't go wrong with a gift of jelly donuts, challah bread, and cookies with blue and white decorations. You can even get a wide range of sweet treats like dreidel-shaped chocolates, chocolate coins for the kids, or gelt for grown-ups (gourmet chocolate anyone?) for Hanukkah gift-giving.

Should you bring a gift to a Hanukkah party? ›

Some more conservative Jewish communities prefer to avoid giving gifts and, instead, prefer to give money. They see the giving of gelt to be more authentically Jewish, but many Jews also choose to offer traditional Hanukkah gifts that support the holiday. There's no ceremony for giving gifts.

What to bring to Hanukkah candle lighting? ›

Pro tip: Bring a lighter or book of matches to the festivities. I have participated in more than one Hanukkah candle-lighting where matches seemed as scarce as the super-holy olive oil of 160-ish BC.

Can you bring alcohol to a Hanukkah party? ›

We're here to help you pick out the wine that you're definitely bringing because your mother taught you to always bring a gift for the person hosting. Okay, yes, Manischewitz is the *traditional* drink of the holidays so you could technically bring it. But maybe bring something else that people actually want to drink.

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