Celebrating Passover (or Pesach) is ALL about tradition. Whether you’ve been celebrating your whole life, or are new to the Jewish holiday, there are some long-established menu items you must have at your Seder dinner table. Where it starts to get trickier is what to serve for dessert! With restrictions and guidelines have come some of our favorite shows of creativity, and that’s true for these dessert recipes too. Check out our 30 Passover desserts to get inspired for your post-Seder dinner sweets.
If you’re unfamiliar, the term “Passover” refers to the biblical stories of the 10 plagues sent by God to convince the Egyptian pharaoh to “let the Jewish people go”, and the eventual exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. As the story goes, they packed in such a hurry that they didn’t have enough time to even let their bread rise (if you’ve ever made homemade bread, you can imagine), and only were able to bring unleavened, cracker-like bread called matzah with them. To celebrate this exodus, Jewish people today continue to remove chametz from their diets (and their homes, for some strict households) for the duration of Passover, as well as make sure all other ingredients they’re using are specified Kosher for Passover. Simply put, chametz is basically any flour product like bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pasta, etc. In addition, they must continue to follow general Kosher rules (meat and dairy can’t be eaten in the same meal, though fish and eggs are considered neutral, or pareve; no pork products; etc.) This isn’t too terribly difficult to manage when it comes to main dishes and sides, but dessert can be a whole other story.
You’ll note a number of desserts we’ve included are vegan, like our vegan cheesecake or coconut ice cream—because they don’t contain real milk, you’re in the clear for eating them even after a meat-heavy dinner. You won’t even miss the dairy, we promise!
This time of year, we love making extra sweet treats to share with our friends and families. Everyone loves being gifted cookies, like our walnut snowballs or snickerdoodle shortbread, or barks, like our sweet ‘n salty chocolate bark or almond toffee. Just be mindful of how strict your gift receiver is about Passover guidelines—when in doubt, buy Kosher for Passover ingredients.
This tastes just like tiramisu, without the gluten! Make it the day before your celebration to ensure the matzo has enough time to soak and turn cakey.
When you just can't stand any more matzo-based desserts, make these gluten-free coconut macaroons instead. You could skip the chocolate, but we don't recommend it.
Don't be surprised when you see cracks in the top of the cake—this is normal with flourless cakes, since steam causes the batter to expand while baking. When the temperature cools, it'll collapse back down, creating the signature cracks. Topped with a layer of cocoa powder, the result is gorgeously artistic.
Cocoa powder and eggs give this gluten-free cake all the lift and structure it needs. It can be made ahead of time too — wait till right before serving to pour the ganache to really wow your guests.
Really? A recipe for fruit salad? Yes, you need it. Because this simple dressing takes strawberries, raspberries, and mangoes to a whole new level. Sweet syrupy honey, fresh tart orange juice, and bright lemon zest come together to elevate your fruit (even if they're out of season) to new heights.
Get the Fruit Salad recipe.
PARKER FEIERBACH
8 of 30
Flourless Fudge Cookies
These gluten-free cookies are perfect — fudgy in the middle, and crispy on the outside.
This is one of those gluten-free and dairy-free recipes that we turn to again and again — it's that good. If you're crazy about citrus, go heavy on the zest (any type!) and your cake will shine like the sun.
No ice cream maker? No problem! We've included a traditional recipe and a no churn recipe. A churned sorbet will be smoother and creamier than a no-churn one, but the no-churn sorbet is every bit as refreshing.
Vegan means no worrying about dairy in your post-Passover meal. The secret is soaked cashews! Cashews are an amazing ingredient that can be used across a variety of recipes, in anything ranging from a sweet & sour stir-fry to super creamy vegan mac & cheese, and it's no exception here.
Meringues may look fancy AF, but they're actually super easy to make—so long as you keep beating the egg white-sugar mixture until you get stiff and glossy peaks.
This coconut ice cream is no joke. Not only is it dairy-free but it's completely vegan, too. It's ultra-creamy with a sweet coconut flavor that only gets better topped with toasted coconut. We love it with real vanilla bean, but you can easily use an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract if you don't have!
Is there anything better than chocolate-covered strawberries? We think not. They're indulgent and classy, romantic and a little cheesy—just sweet enough to make you and your loved ones smile this Passover.
Buckwheat flour is a nutritional powerhouse: high in fiber and minerals, it's known for its cardiovascular benefits. Meanwhile, glutinous rice flour acts as a milky, starchy binder and almond flour helps to create a rich, nutty, plushy chew. The barely detectable pinch of lavender works together with bright citrus and smokey coffee to balance out the earthiness of the gluten-free flours, and a touch of milk powder completes the flavor package.
There are no alternative flours in this gluten-free recipe. 😲 If you've also been burned by the graininess caused by almond and rice flours and want a simple brownie recipe that really pumps up the chocolate levels—this one is it! We use TWO types of cocoa here to create a more balanced brownie.
Who doesn't love a good snickerdoodle?! We took inspiration from one of our all-time favorite cookies for this keto shortbread, with the addition of shredded coconut and coconut flour for a hint of tropical flavor. We're hooked.
These delicate French cookies are somehow simultaneously crispy, chewy, soft, and light as air. This makes them the perfect blank canvas for creative flavors and colors. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature to achieve the greatest success.
Loaded with pistachios, coconut, pretzels, and dried cherries, this chocolate bark is sure to satisfy your after dinner sweet tooth. It's also endlessly adaptable. You can switch up the dried fruit and nuts as you like, leave out the coconut flakes, sub in goji berries. Just make sure your chocolate is kosher for Passover!
Pavlova is basically a giant meringue that gets topped with whipped cream and berries. All you need is some patience. The key to perfection is drying it out, which requires you leaving it in a (turned off) oven overnight after it bakes.
Get the Best-Ever Pavlova recipe.
Brandon Bales
23 of 30
Gluten Free Cheesecake
Typically a cheesecake crust is made out of crushed graham crackers. You can look for gluten-free grahams—or make a crust with almond flour like ours, which is so delicious. We also like to add a little bit of flour to our cheesecake batter so that it holds together. Here, we add a gluten-free flour (like Cup4Cup), but you can sub in almond flour if you don't mind a nuttier flavor and texture.
In our minds, chocolate mousse is pretty much a super airy pudding. The chocolate flavor needs to be really strong, and the texture needs to be pillowy and smooth. We've included a few different ways to achieve these, just avoid the gelatin one and you'll be on your way to a delicious Passover dessert in no time!
When we're craving a donut, but aren't eating flour for Passover, we compromise with these cinnamon sugar bananas. Is there anything better than a gluten-free churro?
This chocolate sorbet is so fudgy, you won't believe it's dairy free. It does take some patience (re-blending every few hours), but trust us, it's worth it.
These cookies are seriously magical. Super easy to make and without any flour, you can feel good about eating way more than just one. Make sure neither your coconut oil or butter is melted. You want them both at room temperature, but solid or the cookies will spread too much while baking.
This recipe is really simple, but toffee in general can be a littttlllleee fussy. Our biggest piece of advice: WHISK CONSTANTLY! The moment you walk away from the saucepan, the butter and sugar will separate.
