13 Hanukkah Recipes for Your Most Delicious Holiday Meal Yet (2024)

Unique Holiday Traditions You Might Want to Try This Year

Red Wine Braised Brisket

Slow-cooked brisket is the ultimate minimal-effort, high-payoff main dish you can serve for Hanukkah dinner. This recipe incorporates red wine to make a savory, saucy gravy and infuse the tender meat with bold flavor. Serve your brisket with grains or roasted vegetables—think couscous, wild rice, egg noodles, or root veggies like carrots and beets—to soak up the extra sauce.

Crispy Garlic-Parsley Potato Latkes

Latkes and other fried foods are traditionally served during Hanukkah to symbolize the holiday's miracle: The oil that was only supposed to keep the menorah lit for one day, stayed ablaze for eight. These uber-crisp potato latkes have a delectable garlicky taste that will have everyone going back for seconds. Serve warm with traditional sides of sour cream and applesauce.

Matzo Ball Soup

This rich and hearty soup gets a boost of flavor from chicken thighs that are simmered in the broth and then shredded from the bone. To ensure the matzo balls are cooked correctly, remove a ball from the broth and slice it in half. The color should be light throughout—if the center is darker, continue to cook 5 to 10 minutes more.

Jelly Sufganiyot

Hanukkah just got a whole lot sweeter. These melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts, traditionally served on Hanukkah, are the perfect last course to your celebratory dinner. They are irresistibly fluffy and filled with a sweet jam, which makes every bite divine. Each recipe makes eight doughnuts, so you can feed your entire table.

Root Vegetable Latkes

Using a combination of carrots, parsnips, and beets—plus the traditional onions and scallions—as the latke base makes the dish lighter and slightly sweeter without sacrificing anything about that crispy, piping hot patty. Plus, the gorgeous, deep orange hue makes these a fun festive twist on a Hanukkah classic.

Bitter Greens and Beet Salad

This colorful salad will surely impress your guests this Hanukkah. On top of radicchio lies roasted red and golden beets, toasted pecans, and fresh parsley, all tossed in a shallot honey-mustard vinaigrette. Refreshing and bittersweet, this salad is an excellent accompaniment to crispy and savory latkes.

Sweet Potato Latkes With Brie Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

These slightly sweet latkes are paired with salty, creamy Brie and acidic balsamic vinegar. Let the Brie sit out of the refrigerator while you make the latkes so it’s flavorful and runny by the time you’re ready to eat.

Sweet Potato Latkes

For the crispiest latkes, remove as much of the liquid as possible from the grated potato mixture and fry in hot, but not smoking, oil. To keep them warm while making the rest of the meal, hold finished latkes on a foil-lined sheet tray in a 350-degree oven.

Slow-Cooker Coffee-Braised Brisket With Potatoes and Carrots

Brisket does best when it’s cooked low and slow. In this recipe, the meat simmers all day in a combination of tomato paste, coffee, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. It’s also cooked alongside onion, potatoes, and carrots, yielding a full meal that requires some time, but little effort to make.

Gochujang Braised Brisket

Here, gochujang—a spicy and slightly sweet Korean chili paste—kicks the flavor profile of a traditional brisket up to an entirely new level. And no, it won't overpower the dish. Not to mention the fact that the mouthwatering aroma that will permeate your house for the whole day leading up to your Hanukkah dinner can't be beat.

Sufganiyot (Fried Hanukkah Doughnuts)

These no-rise doughnuts are a perfectly indulgent treat for your holiday dinner. For best results, make the dough up to two hours ahead, but wait to fry until the last minute so they'll be piping hot. Serve with a sweet raspberry jam, caramel sauce, or hot fudge.

Honey Cake

Leave yourself time to focus on dinner and socialize with guests by prepping dessert ahead of time. This delicious and moist honey cake can be made up to two days in advance. To keep the cake fresh, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to serve.

Macaroon Thumbprints With a Surprise Nutella Center

Finely chopped hazelnuts and coconut flakes make up the foundation of this festive thumbprint cookie. Swap out the coconut flakes on top for blue and white sprinkles to add a little extra Hanukkah cheer.