recipes

41 Rosh Hashanah Recipes to Welcome the Jewish New Year

From herby brisket to tender carrots to honeyed apple kugel.
Brisket with Fennel and Herbs
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a chance to reflect on the year gone by and to celebrate the year to come. We’ve collected 41 Rosh Hashanah recipes, ready for however big or small your holiday meal may be. Many of these are sweet, in the spirit of a sweet new year. Think a spiced apple cake, a flaky galette studded with apricots, swirly chocolate babka, and apple and honey rice kugel. But, of course, we’ve got plenty of savory appetizers, side dishes, and main courses, too, highlighting symbolic foods like pomegranates and carrots. Whether you’re looking for a crispy roast chicken, juicy brisket, or fuss-free salmon, we’ve got that and then some. Here are lots (and lots) of options for your Rosh Hashanah table.

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  • Image may contain Food and Meat Loaf
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Micah Morton
    1/41

    Pot Roast Brisket With Harissa and Spices

    This one-pot recipe, which makes a holiday table centerpiece with leftovers you’ll be thankful for, is adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s book Simply. Cooking a lean cut of meat like brisket for an extended period of time in a moist environment yields meat that is, in Sabrina’s words, “ridiculously juicy [and] tender, [with] plenty of flavor.”

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    2/41

    Easy Noodle Kugel

    After an intense internal debate about what a noodle kugel should be—naked or cereal-topped? wide noodles or extra-wide noodles? souffléed or custardy? sweet or savory?—this is where we landed.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Anderson, Prop Styling by Bea Chastka
    3/41

    Warm Eggplant Salad With Walnuts

    Date syrup gives this savory, nutty eggplant salad the perfect amount of sweetness. You can find it at most well-stocked grocery stores and health food stores. Alternatively, pomegranate molasses or honey are worthy substitutes.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    4/41

    Challah

    Bon Appétit contributor Julia Kramer’s mother, Jill Weinberg, shared her family’s challah recipe with us—it is truly revelatory. All we can hope is that our faithful version comes close. (For best results, bake weekly for several decades.) This recipe makes two loaves, but it can easily be halved.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    5/41

    Glazed and Flaky Apple Tart

    If you're the type of baker who prefers fruit desserts that go heavy on the fruit, this flaky, crunchy, juicy apple tart with plenty of autumnal flair is the Rosh Hashanah recipe for you. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for guaranteed oohs and aahs. 

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  • Alex Lau
    6/41

    Cranberry Chutney With Orange, Figs, and Mustard

    This bracing, bright cranberry chutney pairs with just about any side or protein on your Rosh Hashanah menu. If using frozen cranberries, which are just as good for this recipe, don’t bother thawing them first.

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  • Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    7/41

    BA’s Best Matzo Ball Soup

    This matzo ball soup recipe calls for hours of simmering, which enriches the homemade chicken stock with concentrated flavor. The schmaltz doesn’t hurt either.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura
    8/41

    Maple-Glazed Carrots

    Simple and no-fuss, these are the glaziest, most craveable carrots you’ll ever eat. Just keep an eye on them as they near the end of their cooking time, as the sugar and maple can darken quickly. Brands of harissa can vary widely in heat levels, so start with a spoonful and increase from there to taste

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh
    9/41

    Raspberry-Tahini Thumbprint Cookies

    These jam-bellied cookies don’t rely on tahini alone for their nuttiness—they also have a subtle touch of almond extract that boosts the natural sesame flavor along with bursts of toasty seeds. Use any flavor jam you like and feel free to choose one hue of sesame seeds (though the combination of black and white makes for the most stunning appearance).

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    10/41

    Tahini-Smothered Charred Cabbage

    Cabbage as its best self: Grilled to charred, tender perfection, then doused in a creamy sesame sauce.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    13/41

    Butternut Squash Tarte Tatin

    Hold the apples, sub in squash, and mind the jaws dropping to the table for this show-stopping fall dessert.

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  • Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    14/41

    Kohlrabi and Apple Salad With Caraway

    If you’ve never bought kohlrabi before, here’s a great reason to try it—and if you can't find kohlrabi for this bright, crunchy salad, then celery root is a great swap.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    15/41

    Apple and Honey Rice Kugel

    Recipe developer and historian Michael W. Twitty combines the best of custardy kugel with rich rice pudding of the American South for this take on the Rosh Hashanah classic.

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  • Christopher Testani
    16/41

    Baked Minty Rice With Feta and Pomegranate Relish

    If you’ve given up on stovetop rice methods, you’ll love this hands-off oven technique with plenty of herbs and a sprinkling of texture and tang from pomegranate seeds. 

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  • Alex Lau
    17/41

    Chocolate Babka

    The secret to babka’s mesmerizing chocolate swirl? A double helix twist (don’t worry, it’s way easier than science class). Make a double batch—there aren't going to be any leftovers. 

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  • Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    18/41

    Chai Cake With Brown-Butter-Ghee Streusel

    This cake is the kind of baked good that you can whip together without a whole lot of planning or special equipment—and toasty, nutty ghee streusel is as craveable as it is easy. 

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  • Alex Lau
    21/41

    Mamaleh’s Brisket

    Ask for the point cut, which is the fattier end of the brisket. It’s more tender and especially delicious.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    22/41

    Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake

    Tender, nutty, and studded with caramel-glazed apple halves, Claire Saffitz’s apple cake is the best apple cake. (There, we said it.)

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson
    23/41

    Cold Roast Salmon With Smashed Green Bean Salad

    Roasting salmon low and slow yields fish that stays moist and tender even when served chilled. A raw green bean salad is a lovely, crunchy accompaniment; our trick for smashing and marinating the beans softens their texture and flavors them inside and out.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    24/41

    Charred Kale With Citrus and Green Tahini

    No more free massages for stubbornly tough greens. Here, a quick char in a hot skillet tempers the raw edge of kale and balances its vegetal flavor.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio
    25/41

    Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups

    Assembling these dessert cups in muffin tin liners (just the liners!) helps speed up the process and ensure the sticky date caramel doesn’t get out of hand.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    26/41

    Tangy Brisket With Fennel and Herbs

    A brisket worth looking forward to. Instead of mushy carrots, this one has caramelized fennel, and lots of fresh herbs on top. 

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  • Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    27/41

    Kisir (Spicy Bulgur Salad in Lettuce Cups)

    In this dish from southeastern Turkey, chewy, nutty bulgur meets sour-sweet pomegranate molasses meets spicy Aleppo-style pepper meets crunchy-cool lettuce cups.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    28/41

    Raspberry Rugelach

    These bright, sweet-tart beauties are the perfect addition to the typical cookie plate and worth the labor of love.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser
    31/41

    No-Fail Roast Chicken With Lemon and Garlic

    No need to make it complicated—this roast chicken stunner only uses six ingredients, and you'll always know when it's done.

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  • Peden + Munk
    32/41

    Jam-Filled Challah Doughnuts

    Restaurateur Michael Solomonov makes these challah doughnuts with fresh quince paste. Apple jam would be wonderful for Rosh Hashanah. If your jam is too thick, a few pulses in a food processor will loosen it up—no need to add water.

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  • Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    33/41

    Moroccan Lamb Shanks With Pomegranate

    We've flavored the lamb shanks with North African spices, and woken up the rich meat and vegetables with a handful of pomegranate seeds and fresh mint leaves sprinkled on just before serving.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    34/41

    Shingled Sweet Potatoes With Harissa

    The classic savory-sweet side gets a makeover with the addition of harissa for an extra hint of spicy-earthiness, and fragrant, toasty nuttiness from pistachio and sesame. 

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  • Alex Lau
    37/41

    Classic Applesauce

    Cooking the apples with their skins on adds a beautiful rosy blush to the finished sauce. Don't skip on the cinnamon or vanilla bean—it's what gives it that extra, flavorful oomph that sets it apart from the store-bought stuff. 

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  • Alex Lau
    38/41

    New York-Style Crumb Cake

    This classic coffee cake is an oldie but a goodie. Plenty of brown sugar in its crumbly topping gives it that caramelized, rich flavor we know and love. 

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
    41/41

    Tahini Rice Crispy Treats

    Rice Krispies Treats meet sesame halva in these savory-sweet six-ingredient bars (salt doesn’t count!).

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Antara is an associate editor at Bon Appétit whose work includes writing about the joys of cooking with South Asian spice blends, a review of Bad Bunny’s Miami restaurant, and plenty of ingredient and technique explainers to help level up your kitchen skills. She developed the “Part-Time Plant-Based
Associate Editor, Cooking