Passover Menu Plan: Charoset Recipes (UPDATED 2021)
Everyone has their favorite kind of Charoset. Mine usually has apricots and pistachios in it. But we will often leave these out also. What’s your favorite?
Ours is sort of a mishmash of everything we can find, put into the mixer and keep adding until the right consistency comes out.
Ingredients often include Apples, Sweet Red Wine, Dates, Prunes, Apricots, Almonds, Raisins, Honey and Pistachios. With allergies sometimes the nuts get left out. We don’t put walnuts because of allergies and dislikes.
Alternatives
Apples with Honey & Crushed Walnuts (NY Times) – WALNUTS
Charoset Salad (Jewish Rhode Island) – ALMONDS
Charoset Salad (Jamie Geller) – ALMONDS
Charoset Stuffed Chicken Breast (Jamie Geller) – CHESTNUTS / MEAT
Haroset Sauce (LA Times)
Charoset London Broil (Busy in Brooklyn) -WALNUT OIL / MEAT
Charoset
Moscato Spice Charoset (Elana Horwich & Meal & a Spiel) – WALNUTS
Apple Cinnamon Charoset with Candied Walnuts (Tori Avey) – WALNUTS
Whole Orange Sephardic Charoset (Tori Avey) – WALNUTS or PECANS
Basic Charoset (Sydney Hertz via Spoon University) – WALNUTS
My Favorite Charoset (Divas Can Cook) – WALNUTS
Indian Style Charoset (Jamie Geller) – ALMONDS
Yemenite Charoset (Jamie Geller) – ALMONDS
Ashkenaz Charoset (Jamie Geller) – WALNUTS
Persian Charoset (Jamie Geller) – WALNUTS / ALMONDS / PISTACHIOS
Syrian Charoset (Jamie Geller) – WALNUTS
New England Charoset (My Recipes) – WALNUTS
Candied Walnut Charoset (Epicurious) – WALNUTS
Apricot-Pistacho Charoset (Epicurious) – PISTACHIOS
Chocolate Charoset (Jewish Food Experience) – NUTS
Lemon & Cinnamon Charoset with Pine Nuts (Family Friends Food) – HAZELNUTS / ALMONDS / PINE NUTS
Iraqi Charoset (Afooda) – PEANUTS / WALNUTS
4 Simple Charosets (Chabad) – WALNUTS / COCONUT
Nut-Free Charoset
Charoset 5 Ways (Jewish Boston) – 1 recipe has coconut in it, but the rest are nut-free
Nut-Free Charoset (Melanie Cooks)
Nut-Free Charoset (Chelsea Amer)
Nut-Free Charoset (Lenses & Lentils) – PINE NUTS
Nut-Free Apple Coconut Charoset (Gluten Free & More) – COCONUT
Apple-Free Charoset
Safta Rachel’s Iraqi Charoset (Food52) – PECANS
Passover Moroccan Charoset (Zabars) – ALMONDS / WALNUTS
Sephardic Charoset Bites (May I Have That Recipe?) – HAZELNUTS / WALNUTS
Tunisian Charoset Balls (Afooda) – WALNUTS / HAZELNUTS / CASHEWS / PISTACHIOS / ALMONDS
Orange Sephardic Charoset (Daily Harvest Express) WALNUTS or PECANS
Venetian Charoset (The Food Dictator) ALMONDS / WALNUTS / PINE NUTS
Desserts
Sephardic Charoset Truffles (Tori Avey) – PISTACHIOS
Gluten-Free Charoset Mini-Pies (Jamie Geller) – WALNUTS
Moroccan Charoset Balls (Jamie Geller) – WALNUTS
Chocolate Covered Charoset Truffles (Forward) – PISTACHIOS / PECANS / ALMONDS
Mango & Pineapple Charoset Balls (The Cuban Reuben) – COCONUT
Chocolate Charoset Truffles (The Chocolate Trail) – PISTACHIOS / PECANS / ALMONDS
Apple & Date Charoset Truffles (The Spruce Eats) – WALNUTS / PISTACHIOS
Drinks
Rosa Mexicano’s Sangria Haroset (NPR) – PAREVE
Charoset from Around the World
These recipes have been seen all over the world. I can’t remember where we found them originally, but I am posting them here.
Ashkenazi
3 red apples
¼ cup grape juice
1/8 cup honey
1 cup raisins
cinnamon
Israeli
2 red apples
2 bananas
2 oranges
½ cup pitted dates
¼ cup white grape juice
Cinnamon
Iraqi
honey
figs
dates
raisins
currents
dark grape juice
Moroccan
Figs
Dates
Raisins
Other dried fruit, like currants
grape juice
Californian
banana
dried apricots
mango
banana chips
cinnamon and curry
Brazilian
avocado
banana
orange
granny smith apple
American Nouveau
dried cranberries
dried cherries
honey
strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Cinnamon, ginger, and curry
Hebrew School Recipe
Apple Sauce
Cinnamon
Raisins
banana chips
dark grape juice
Chocolate
Chocolate Chips
Apples
Honey
White grape juice
Nana’s Charoset
white raisins
red raisins
granny smith green apple
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
grape juice to moisten
Cranberry Charoset
Apples
Cranberries
Raisins
Cinnamon
Yemenite Charoset
pitted dates
dried figs
dried apricots
white or black raisins
dark grape juice
Macintosh apples
cinnamon
Sephardic Charoset
Combination of Syrian, Moroccan and Yemenite recipes
pitted dates
apple raisins
ginger juice (grate a fresh piece of ginger and squeeze the grated portion to extract the juice)
dark grape juice
Yemenite Charoset 2
chopped dates
chopped green apple
matzo meal
sesame seeds
ground ginger powder
cinnamon
cayenne pepper
Greek Charoset
I orange-seeded
½ cup raisins
cherry preserves
dark grape juice
ginger
cayenne pepper
sugar
1 tablespoon dark grape juice
Italian Charoset
chopped pitted dates
apple
orange
banana
grape juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Matzo meal as needed
Persian/Iranian Charoset
1 pear chopped
1 apple chopped
pitted dates chopped
cinnamon
grated ginger root
apple cider vinegar
dark grape juice
Turkish Charoset
pitted dates
peeled sliced apples
dried apricots
dried figs
ginger, coriander
cinnamon
dark grape juice
Mexican Charoset
1 pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 bananas, peeled and mashed
2 cups pitted dates (about 1 lb)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup dark grape juice
Venetian Charoset
Matzo Meal
1 peeled and cored apple3 sliced bananas
3 sliced bananas
10 pitted dates
juice and rind of ½ lemon
juice and grated rind of ½ orange
3 chopped hard-boiled eggs
Dark grape juice
1 tsp cinnamon
California Charoset 2
1 large avocado, peeled /diced
juice of ½ lemon
golden raisins
pitted dates
pitted prunes
dried figs
grated peel of 1 orange
orange juice
matzah meal
Wolfgang Puck’s Charoset
Granny Smith apples
2 lemons, juiced
golden raisins
honey
cinnamon
dark grape juice
A Dozen Charoset Recipes from Around the Globe
#1 EGYPTIAN CHAROSET
* 1 pound dried raisins
* 8 ounces pitted dates
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
* 2 cups water
Put raisins and dates in a bowl and cover with water. Let stand 1 hour. Add the sugar and whirl the mixture in a blender, a few spoonfuls at a time. or divide the mixture in thirds and place in a food processor. Transfer the chopped fruits to a heavy saucepan and let simmer over low heat until the fruits are cooked and the liquid is absorbed. It should take about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a jar. When cool, sprinkle with chopped nuts. Makes about 4 cups
#2 GREEK CHAROSET (RHODES)
Source: The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece by Nicholas Stavroulakis
Yield: 3 cups
* 1 1/4 cups dates, finely chopped
* 1 large orange
* 1/2 cup honey or sugar
* cinnamon to taste
* ground cloves to taste
* 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
* 5 ounces sweet red wine
Peel the orange and cut it into pieces. Remove the seeds, add the chopped dates, and mash together into a paste. Put the paste and honey in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes or until it is quite thick. Add the cloves, cinnamon, and wine, and simmer until very thick. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped nuts, and turn out into a large bowl to cool.
#3 MOROCCAN CHAROSET BALLS WITH DATES, RAISINS AND NUTS
Source: TVFN- Cooking Live Show #CL8862
Yield: about 60 pieces
* 2 cups pitted dates
* 1/2 cup golden raisins
* 1/2 cup dark raisins
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1 tablespoon sweet red Passover wine, (up to 2)
Process the dates, raisins, and walnuts in a food processor until the mixture is finely chopped and begins to stick together. Add enough wine to make a sticky mass. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop slightly rounded measuring teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined sheet. Roll each mound with moistened palms into hazelnut-size balls. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm.
#4 SEVEN-FRUIT CHAROSET FROM SURINAM
Source: “The Jewish Holiday Kitchen” by Joan Nathan 1988
Yield: 5 cups
* 8 oz unsweetened coconut
* 8 oz chopped walnuts or:
* 8 oz grated almonds
* 1/4 c sugar
* 1 tbsp cinnamon
* 8 oz raisins
* 8 oz dried apples
* 8 oz dried prunes
* 8 oz dried apricots
* 8 oz dried pears
* 4 oz cherry jam
* sweet red wine
Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. When it is cohesive, stir in the jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill. Makes 5 cups.
#5 TURKISH CHAROSET
Yield: 10 servings
* 1 cup seedless raisins
* 1 pound pitted dates
* 1 orange, peeled, sliced and pitted
* 1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
* 2 tablespoons sweet wine
1. Soak raisins 30 minutes in hot water to cover. Drain.
2. Grind raisins, dates, orange, and apple together. Add sweet wine to make a thick paste.
3. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
#6 YEMENITE CHAROSET V
Source: Translated from: “The Passover Cook Book” from Hava Nathan, 1986, published by Zmora Bitan, Israel
* 1/2 kg pitted dates
* 1 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1/2 cup almonds
* 1 teasp. ground ginger
* 1 teasp. cinnamon
* 3 grains of “hehl” *SEE NOTE
* 1/4 teasp. black pepper
* 1/4 teasp. cumin
* 1 glass grape juice or orange juice
* 3 apples, grated
*NOTE: Sorry, don’t know the English translation for this- it’s a spice the Yemenites also put in their coffee
Ground all the ingredients together except for the apples. Mix the ground ingredients with the apples. Keep in a closed jar in the fridge.
In my version: I use a date spread instead of the pitted dates. I don’t put the hehl and use dry, red wine instead of the juice. I might also double the quantities for the same quantity of spices. I ground the nuts in the food processor until they’re almost finely ground, but still with pieces of nuts here and there. Then I remorselessly process everything in the food processor.
#7 VENETIAN CHAROSET
* 1+1/2 cups chestnut paste
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 10 ounces dates, chopped
* Grated rind of one orange
* 12 ounces figs, chopped
* 1/2 cup white raisins
* 2 Tbs poppy seeds
* 1/4 cup dried apricots
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup brandy
* 1/2 cup chopped almonds
* honey to bind
Combine all ingredients, gradually adding just enough brandy and honey to make the mixture bind. Other Italian Charoset recipes include mashed up bananas, apples, hardboiled eggs, crushed matzah, pears, and lemon.
#8 THE NORTH AFRICA’S CHAROSET
Source: The Folklore Cook Book by Molly Bar David (First edition) 1964
* 60 Grams Pine nuts
* 1 Cooked Egg yolk
* 1 Apple – Grated
* 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 1/2 Cup Almonds – Grounded
* 1/2 Cup Walnuts – Grounded
* 1 Lemon Juice and Zest
* Cinnamon and Ginger (to your own taste)
Mix together all ingredients.
#9 GAROZA
Source: adapted from Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curacao, by the Sisterhood of Mikva Israel–Emanuel.
Yield: about 65 balls
* 2 pounds peanuts, not salted
* 1/2 pound cashews
* 1 pound dark brown sugar
* 1/2 pound pitted prunes
* 1/2 pound figs
* 1/4 cup candied fruit–optional
* 2 jiggers kosher wine
* 3 tablespoons orange juice
* 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon plus extra for coating
If the cashews are salted, rinse them in cold water. Dry in the sun or a warm oven.
Grind fruits and nuts. Add the sugar, honey, cinnamon, wine and juices to form a moist but firm mixture. With wet hands, roll the mixture into balls, 1″ in diameter. Drop into a bowl with cinnamon and roll the ball to coat thoroughly.
Wrap in plastic film and store air tight. These candies can be frozen.
NOTE: This Sephardic recipe for Charoset makes a very tasty, egg-free candy
*Recipe based on one from Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curacao, written by the Sisterhood of Mikva Israel–Emanuel.
#10 PEAR AND MANGO CHAROSET
Yield: about 2-3 cups, 12 servings
* 2 medium-sized pears, cored and coarsely chopped
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup walnuts
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 tablespoon sweet Passover wine
Place pears in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Place all the ingredients except for the wine in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in wine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
#11 PERSIAN CHAROSET
Source: Mohtaran Shirazi via The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Joan Nathan 1988
Yield: 5 cups
* 25 dates, pitted and diced
* 1/2 c unsalted pistachios
* 1/2 c almonds
* 1/2 c golden raisins
* 1 1/2 peeled apples, cored and diced
* 1 pomegranates
* 1 orange, peeled and diced
* 1 banana, sliced
* 1/2 c sweet red wine, to 1 cup
* 1/4 c cider vinegar
* 1/2 tbsp cayenne
* 1 tbsp ground cloves
* 1 tbsp ground cardamom
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tbsp black pepper
Combine all the fruits and nuts. Add the wine and vinegar until a pasty consistency is achieved. Add the spices and blend well. Adjust seasonings. Makes 5 cups.
#12 CALIFORNIA CHAROSET
Source: Joan Nathan’s “Jewish Holiday Kitchen”
* 1 whole orange
* 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
* juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 4 seedless dates
* 2 figs or prunes
* 2 Tbs apple juice
* 2 Tbs matzoh meal
Peel and section the orange; reserve the peel and the sections. Toss the avocado and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside. In a processor or blender, place the almonds, raisins, dates, and figs. Process until coarsely chopped. Add the orange peel and sections and process briefly to combine. Add the avocado and process 1 or 2 seconds more. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and gently fold in the apple juice and matzoh meal. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
