Jewish Recipes So Good They'll Make Your Bubbe Proud (2025)

Grandmothers of Ashkenazic Jewish heritage, i.e. Bubbes, are, naturally, the best purveyors of Eastern European Jewish delicacies, from chopped liver to matzo balls. Sure, delis may try and replicate that special bubbe touch, but nothing quite tastes like a dish straight from grandma's kitchen. Whether you're trying to impress your own bubbe or on the brink of becoming a grandmother yourself, add a few more Jewish recipes to your cooking repertoire with our collection.

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Matzoh Ball Soup

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A Jewish grandparent is only as good as their matzo ball soup. Just kidding, a little bit. Referred to as kosher penicillin, this cure-all for everything from the common cold to the unfortunate heartbreak is a necessity in any Jewish home cook's repertoire.

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Pecan Noodle Kugel

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Sweet pasta isn't common in Western cuisine, but kugel turns egg noodles into a sugary, cheesy side essential to any Jewish dairy celebratory meal. This pecan-crusted version gussies up a classic with a sweet crunch.

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Challah

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Traditionally, the Friday night Shabbat table has not one, but two challahs. Perfect your braiding technique and try expanding to new shapes, with this classic recipe.

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Matzo Brei

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Not just for Passover, this fried matzo and egg dish is a classic wake-up-at-Bubbe's situation. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack — it's the type of back pocket recipe you'll want to master when your fridge is nearing empty.

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Strawberry Blintzes

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Are they breakfast? Dessert? A main course? Only family tradition can tell you, but classic cheese-stuffed blintzes aren't hard to perfect, which means you can play around with the fruit toppings.

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Mom's Potato Latkes

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The traditional Hanukkah potato pancake is worth making from scratch throughout the cold months. Or, better yet, enlist a few helpers to grate potatoes, whip up a giant batch and freeze latkes to reheat all winter long. Don't forget the applesauce and sour cream on the side!

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Jewish Style Sweet and Sour Brisket

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Every bubbe has her go-to braised brisket recipe! Test out a few techniques and flavor combos to find yours.

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Bubbie's Chopped Liver

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You either love it or hate it, but chopped liver isn't going anywhere. It's easier to make than you may think (just a few cooked ingredients and a blitz in the food processor) and can yes, be kind of luxe if you plate it right.

Raspberry and Apricot Rugelach

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Part cookie, part pastry, all delicious, this croissant-shaped cookie can be made in sweet or savory varieties, with fruit preserves, chocolate, nuts, and more as the filling.

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Mom's Authentic Kosher Cholent

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Traditionally cooked in a slow-cooker overnight between Friday dinner and Saturday lunch, this hearty meat, bean, and potato stew is a Shabbat staple.

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Sandy's Tzimmes

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While very few traditional bubbe recipes are veggie forward (that food had to stick to the ribs in the old country), tzimmes is a lighter carrot dish that pairs with pretty much any entree as a nice side.

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Gefilte Fish

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Gefilte is a project, but one worth attempting, especially if you want to incite nachas (pride) from bubbe. Be patient, open your windows (that fish scent sticks), and prepare to indulge in your homemade fish rolls — plus horseradish — once you've completed the many steps.

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Chocolate Chunk Mandel Bread

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Known as the Jewish biscotti, these mandel bread are perfect for your coffee and mah jongg afternoon or a lazy day on the couch watching Seinfeld.

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Refrigerator Dill Pickles

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Before the word "hipsters" even existed, your Jewish ancestors were pickling. Make your own kosher dills to accompany sandwiches, serve with appetizers, or even jar and package as gifts.

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Kasha and Bowties (Kasha Varnishkas)

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Two types of carbs, one dish. Kasha is always a crowd-pleaser, so bringing it to your next potluck wouldn't be a mistake.

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Great-Grandmother Bubbie's Hamantaschen

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These triangle-shaped butter cookies also leave plenty of room to riff on the fillings, whether you're a sweets lover or more of a poppy seed person.

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Old Fashioned Potato Kugel

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Similar to a potato cake, only better, potato kugel is a starchy baked dish that feels like a hug on a plate.

Jewish Recipes So Good They'll Make Your Bubbe Proud (2025)

FAQs

What is the most famous Jewish food? ›

The typical Jewish dishes are matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, brisket, roasted chicken, kugel, latkes, and tzimmes. What is the most famous Jewish dish? There are plenty of famous Jewish dishes, the top ones are challah, matzah ball soup, bagels, brisket, rugelach, and much more.

What is a traditional Jewish dish? ›

The typical components of the traditional Jewish meal include gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzo balls (also called Kneidlach), brisket, roasted chicken, a potato dish such as kugel or latkes and tzimmes. Like many “Jewish” foods, the Jewish meal components are Ashkenazi as they originated in Eastern Europe.

What is the name of the Jewish meal? ›

The Hebrew word for meal is seudah, with the plural version being seudos or seudot, thus the Friday night and Saturday day meals are often called seudot or seudos. The third meal, held on Saturday afternoon is called either shalosh seudos, seudah shlishit, or shaleshudus.

What is the number one food in Israel? ›

Falafel is probably the most recognizably Israeli food there is. In almost every town in Israel you can find a choice of shops attracting the hungry with the delicious smell of frying falafels.

What is Jewish food from the Bible? ›

Written and archaeological evidence indicate that the diet also included other products from plants, trees and animals. Seven basic agricultural products, called the Seven Species, are listed in the Bible: wheat, barley, figs, grapes, olives, pomegranates, and dates (Deut 8:8).

What do Jews eat for breakfast? ›

The Israeli breakfast is a dairy meal, and a variety of cheeses are offered. Fish is pareve and so is permitted with a dairy meal, and herring is frequently served. Other smoked or pickled fish dishes are also common, including sprats, sardines and salmon.

What is the Jewish fish meal? ›

Gefilte fish (/ɡəˈfɪltə fɪʃ/; from Yiddish: געפֿילטע פֿיש, German: Gefüllter Fisch / Gefüllte Fische, lit. "stuffed fish") is a dish made from a poached mixture of ground deboned fish, such as carp, whitefish, or pike. It is traditionally served as an appetizer by Ashkenazi Jewish households.

Can Jews eat chicken? ›

Certain domesticated fowl can be eaten, such as chicken, geese, quail, dove, and turkey. The animal must be slaughtered by a shochet — a person trained and certified to butcher animals according to Jewish laws. The meat must be soaked to remove any traces of blood before cooking.

Can Jews eat shrimp? ›

Animals that live in water can only be eaten if they have fins and scales. This means that shrimps, prawns and squid are not fish in the true sense, and so they are just as non-kosher as the eel which has lost its fins through evolution.

What is the name of the Jewish sandwich? ›

The Reuben sandwich is a North American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens but is not kosher, as it combines meat and cheese.

What is the Jewish meal Last Supper? ›

The dinner Jesus had with his friends, often called 'The Last Supper', was a Passover dinner actually. Christ used the traditional elements of the dinner, such as the unleavened bread and wine, as symbols of a new covenant, representing His broken body and blood poured out as a sacrifice of our sins.

What are 2 Jewish foods? ›

Jewish recipes
  • Challah. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Pastrami sandwich. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Simple salt beef. A star rating of 2.6 out of 5. ...
  • Lokshen pudding. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Jam doughnut pancakes. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Cinnamon balls. ...
  • Pomegranate brisket. ...
  • Jewish chicken soup.

What are the seven Jewish foods? ›

According to the Torah, there are a few foods that made ancient Israel's agriculture very special: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil, and dates.

What is the special Jewish dinner? ›

For non-Orthodox Jews, Friday night dinner is the most popular Shabbat meal. Typical Shabbat foods include challah (braided bread) and wine, which are both blessed before the meal begins. Eating meat is traditional on Shabbat, as Jews historically considered meat a luxury and a special food.

What is the most important Jewish feast? ›

Yom Kippur is the highest and most sacred holiday in the Jewish calendar. Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is observed to celebrate reconciliation between God and man.

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