25 BEST Yom Kippur Recipes (Easy + Delicious)

These delicious Yom Kippur recipes will help you prepare for your holiday fasting.

And then break your fast very well the day after! 

Easy Yom Kippur Recipes

Yom Kippur is the holiest day in Judaism. It is a day of atonement, forgiveness, reflection, and…  fasting. A 25-hour-long fast- to be exact. 

But going so long without food requires some preparation. You want to eat foods to sustain you throughout the day before the fast.

And you want to eat light, easily digestible foods after. 

This list has a fantastic mix of both. I’ve gathered 25 delectable Yom Kippur recipes. Shana Tova!

1. Traditional Jewish Bagels

Jewish bagels are not your average bagel… they’re better. These bagels are soft and chewy, with the perfect crusty outside. And you can serve them however you like. 

And luckily for you, they’re easy to make. But they require some time. So you’ll need to start the day before you want to bake. 

And that means starting at least 2 days before Yom Kippur. 

2. Sweet Noodle Kugel

I think it’s safe to say that every Jewish family has a well-loved kugel recipe. But if you want to switch it up, this sweet noodle kugel is fantastic!

Noodle kugel is a type of egg-based casserole- similar to bread pudding. 

This noodle kugel features egg noodles swimming in sweet, tangy, and creamy custard. You’ll notice flavors like cinnamon and vanilla in every bite.

And it also has sweet raisins! 

This creamy, custardy, filling dish is ideal for your holiday celebrations. 

It’s perfect for breakfast after Yom Kippur. Or as a sweet ending to your day the night before you fast. 

3. Shakshuka

With a name like Shakshuka, you know this dish has to be good! And truly, it is delectable. 

Shakshuka is made by poaching eggs in tomato sauce. But it’s so much more than that. It’s loaded with spices, aromatics, and other veggies. 

And this version also contains salty feta and a kick of chili peppers. Although, you don’t have to include those if you don’t like spice. 

4. Kasha Varnishkes

Despite the name, this dish is simple. However, this Kasha Varnishkes is anything but plain. And it’s the perfect dish for the night before Yom Kippur. 

If you’re unfamiliar with kasha, it refers to bulgur or buckwheat groats.

Often, kasha is turned into a chewy porridge-like breakfast dish. In Kasha Varnishkes, you toast the groats. 

Here, you toast them first and set them aside. Then, saute shallots and mushrooms in chicken fat.

Add in some delicious dairy and fresh herbs to make a cream sauce. Add in the bowtie pasta and the toasted kasha. Time to tuck in! 

5. Challah Bread

Challah bread (sounds like haa-luh) is absolutely delicious! And just like those bagels from earlier… it’s easy to make. It’s super beginner-friendly.

Challah is a type of enriched bread. This means the dough is made with yeast and plenty of fat. 

And THAT means that it is a soft, rich, sweet-tasting bread. #YUM 

6. Bagel and Lox Quiche with Matzo Pie Crust

Two brunch classics smashed into one? Yes, please!

Add a salty, Passover-friendly pie crust, and you have the perfect dish for Yom Kippur. 

It’s egg-tastic like quiche, with a crunchy crust and so much cheesiness. But that cheese is cream cheese, like in bagels and Lox.

Top it with Everything Bagel seasoning, Lox, and chives. 

Enjoy!

7. Classic Tuna Salad

Love it or hate it, tuna salad is nostalgic. Personally, I love it… fishy breath and all. And this classic version is fantastic. 

It’s made with tuna, celery, red onion, dill, relish, mayo, sugar, and seasonings. Mix it all up and serve it on bagels, lettuce wraps, or toast. 

Just… maybe don’t kiss anyone for a while? Or at least until you brush your teeth. 

8. Rugelach

I’m a sucker for a good pastry. So, rugelach is right up my alley. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love it. 

The pastry is buttery, soft, and chewy, with a touch of crustiness once it’s baked. It’s filled with raisins, nuts, and apricot jam, then rolled like a cinnamon roll. 

9. Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono)

This ain’t your average chicken and rice soup! 

It’s lemony, creamy, and incredibly herbaceous. It’s light enough for summer and comforting enough for the winter months. 

10. Cheese Bourekas With Everything Bagel Seasoning

What could be better than puff pastry stuffed with feta and mozzarella? 

How about topping it with salty, savory Everything Bagel seasoning? 

Sounds pretty great to me. 

11. Homemade Gravlax

Bagels and Lox is an iconic duo. And Gravlax is the next best thing! Gravlax is also salmon, like Lox. 

But Lox is smoked, while Gravlax is cured with salt, herbs, spices, sugar, and onions. AND Gravlax is cheaper than Lox because you can easily make it yourself. 

No smoker-style grill is necessary. But Gravlax takes time… like more time than you must fast during Yom Kippur. Start this at least 2 days before the holiday. 

12. Moist Honey Cake

Dense, sweet, and moist… this honey cake is all that and more! It tastes like tea, honey, warm spices, and autumn. 

The cake stays moist for days, so you can make it ahead of time. 

13. Sephardic Jewish-Style Eggs (Huevos Haminados)

This may be the easiest dish on this list. Seriously. You only need one ingredient: eggs. 

And you only need to do one thing with said eggs. Set them in a 220-degree Fahrenheit oven and let them cook for 5 hours. That’s it. 

And the result is a super delicious, nutty, hard-boiled-like egg you will love. 

14. Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)

I love Spanakopita! 

This salty, savory spinach pie is seriously crunchy and super delectable. Each slice bursts with spinach, feta, leeks, onions, ricotta, and flavorful fresh herbs. 

What’s special about this recipe is that it features homemade phyllo dough. Which is as simple to make as regular rough crust pastry. 

And it’s way better than store-bought! 

15. Sweet Potato Latkes

If you thought regular potato latkes were good, wait until you try these! They’re crispy and carby, with a slight sweetness that will knock your socks off. 

Latkes are typically made with shredded russet potatoes. Mix the potatoes with herbs, seasonings, onions, garlic, flour, and eggs.

Form them into patties and fry them golden. 

These are exactly the same but with sweet potatoes. Serve them with seasoned yogurt, and enjoy! Just be careful… these things are dangerous. 

16. Jewish Coffee Cake

You wanna know the perfect way to break your Yom Kippur fast? This mouthwatering, moist, and fluffy coffee cake. 

My favorite part is the cinnamon sugar, chocolate, and nut topping!

17. Cheese Blintz

Are you a fan of crepes? Then, you’ll adore these cheese blintzes.

They’re filled with sweet vanilla cream cheese and cottage cheese filling. 

I like to top them with raspberry puree and Nutella!

18. Whitefish Salad

This whitefish salad is like the elegant older sibling of tuna salad. It features many of the same ingredients: mayo, fish, celery, dill… etc. 

But the reason this dish is elevated is that the whitefish is smoked. So, it imparts incredible umami to every bite. 

19. Chocolate Babka

This sweet, chocolatey bread might just become your new favorite way to enjoy carbs. Like challah, babka starts with enriched dough.

So, this makes it soft and chewy, and sweet. 

And like challa, babka is braided. But babka is extra tasty because it’s filled with layers of sugary goodness.

This babka is stuffed with double the chocolate, butter, sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. 

And you can add an optional third chocolatey ingredient- crumbled brownies, cookies, or candy. 

Because why wouldn’t you want to add more chocolate?

20. Cauliflower Potato Frittata

A frittata is like a quiche without the crust. 

And this one is quite fabulous. It features eggs, red potatoes, cauliflower, onion, dill, garlic, lemon, and seasonings. 

Oh, and cheese. Lots of wonderfully gooey cheese. 

21. Baklava

Baklava is one of my absolute favorite desserts. If you are a texture person, you will love it, too! Because baklava is crispy, gooey, sticky, and fabulous. 

Baklava is a layered dessert popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

It is made with layer upon layer of phyllo dough pastry. And it has two layers of cinnamon-spiced nut filling.

Everything is soaked in honey. You can’t get much better than that! 

22. Cast-Iron Potato Kugel

This dish is hash browns meets quiche, and I am so here for it! Every bite is crispy and crunchy and full of potato-y goodness. 

This vegetarian meal features 2 pounds of russet potatoes shredded into browns. It’s mixed with onions, eggs, potato starch, and seasonings.

Then, everything is baked in a cast-iron skillet. 

It’s perfect, golden, and delicious. 

23. Cinnamon Buns

Who doesn’t love a good cinnamon roll? I mean, it’s a simple math equation. 

Sweet enriched dough + buttery cinnamon-sugar filling + sugary cream cheese icing = carb-a-licious heaven. 

And we all know homemade is best! 

24. Egg and Onion

Egg and onion is a simple, tasty, traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipe. And basically… it’s egg salad! 

Take hard-boiled eggs and mash them up. Add in finely diced white onions and mayonnaise. Though traditional cooks use schmaltz (chicken fat). 

Then, you mix it together and enjoy! It’s delicious on challah bread, matzo crackers, or a bialy. 

25. Bialy

Bialys kinda look like bagels. But a bialy is not a bagel. 

There are plenty of differences- bialys are not boiled and don’t have a hole. But the biggest difference is that bialys contain more yeast. So, they’re more fluffy. 

Nope. I lied. The biggest difference is that bialys have a delicious filling of onions and poppy seeds.

But you can still slice them and schmear cream cheese all over them!