21 best Rosh Hashana recipes to celebrate the Jewish New Year (2024)

Looking for a little food inspiration for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year? TODAY Food has got you covered with easy and delicious appetizers, mains, sides and desserts that will feed a crowd and impress guests.

From a classic, juicy roast chicken to a glistening apple upside-down cake for dessert, here are 21 delicious Rosh Hashana recipes. Just don't forget the apples with honey, pomegranate seeds and round challah!

Appetizers

Chilled soups are chic and perfect for starting a heavy holiday meal. This refreshing soup can stand in for a salad or be a part of your Rosh Hashana dinner.

These magenta-colored, beet pickled eggs are Southern classics. Here, they are deviled so their yolks are very creamy.

Ina Garten calls this recipe "the best thing I've ever made!" Whenever she serves it on a cheese board, her guests always insist on taking the leftovers home.

"Every good Jewish boy loves his mother's chicken soup. It's part of our DNA," says Adam Richman. "It is penicillin when we are sick; it is comfort food when we are sad; it is communal food when we are celebrating; and it has its roots in the traditions of relatives that we no longer have with us or ones we never got a chance to meet. This is both part of my tradition and part of my childhood, and with just one spoonful I am immediately transported back to the happy, wonderful times of youth."

Traditional hummus preparation takes time. You have to soak dried chickpeas overnight, turning the whole recipe it a two-day process. This shortened version uses canned chickpeas, which gets you dipping, smearing and enjoying this delicious spread much faster. Plus, everyone loves hummus and it's a great crowd-pleaser and easy to set up for a party!

Mains

Sweet and tangy apple chutney is this year's little black dress for your Rosh Hashana table. It's delicious spooned over this simple and delicious roasted chicken.

The traditional flavor profile and techniques employed here will produce the most absolutely perfect brisket. We are stovetop-searing, oven-braising and employing the customary combo of aromatics. But please do not misinterpret classic as boring. This brisket is utter perfection.

For a festive Rosh Hashana meal, New Orleans chef Alon Shaya braised tender short ribs with fall vegetables and juicy golden raisins that add a lovely sweetness.

Perfect for Rosh Hashana, Easter, Passover and Christmas, the combination of the juicy meat with the lemony potatoes is always an entertaining crowd-pleasing centerpiece main.

This easy, fast, healthy and delicious recipe is perfect for a Jewish high holiday crowd. Buy wild salmon whenever possible and when making the crust, feel free to swap out the breadcrumbs for finely ground almonds or walnuts.

Brisket is a great one-pot meal; the meat and vegetables are roasted together for hours. You can make the meat ahead of time, slice it when it's cooled a bit, then reheat it with the vegetables in an ovenproof serving dish. This recipe will definitely make enough to have leftovers.

Sides

Unite an assortment of citrus in this salad for a kaleidoscope of colors and a mouth-watering mélange of flavors.

These smaller, slender potatoes cook quickly and pair perfectly with steaks, roast chicken and more.

"This dish takes my Jewish heritage and love for Italian food and combines them in a traditional noodle kugel filled with the flavors of cacio e pepe, a traditional Roman spaghetti dish," says chef Missy Robbins. "The result is a super simple dish packed with tons of pepper and the creaminess of Pecorino, creating an indulgent comfort food from two cultures meeting in the middle."

This flavorful salad can easily be prepared in advance and served at room temperature, leaving the stove available for other dishes.

This iconic bread just got a little easier to make. One bowl, one spoon, a few days later and you have ready to braid dough. A little planning is all that this recipe really requires. The dough can be stirred together, and then left to rise, covered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of two days and a maximum of three days before braiding, rising and finally baking.

Desserts

Skip the pineapples and make New Orleans chef Alon Shaya's amazing apple upside-down cake instead. With layers of apples, caramel, fluffy cake and a honey ginger glaze, it's the sweet dessert you'll crave all fall and winter long.

Prepped without butter or cream, vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli's homemade version of classic Hostess cupcakes is just as rich and decadent as the original — plus it's pareve, so it can be enjoyed after a meat meal.

Honey cake is a classic Jewish holiday dessert; Ina Garten likes it moist, spicy and topped with toasted almonds. This recipe has layers and layers of subtle flavor from honey, brown sugar, orange zest, coffee and spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger. How good does that sound? Oh! And one more thing: bourbon!

The beauty of this recipe is that can be customized to your heart's desire. It's a foolproof, fluffy babka that can accommodate whatever you have in your pantry, sweet or savory. Chicken, olives, halva, meat or chocolate can all make their way into a babka.

These pretty rugelach are made with strawberries and pistachios, but you can sub your favorite jam and any other nut you like. Nutella is also a great filling!

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