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31 Hanukkah Desserts To Make All 8 Nights Extra Sweet

Every single night needs a next-level dessert.

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thumbprint cookies with blue and white sprinkles with a chocolate gelt coin in the center
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Is there any better way to celebrate Hanukkah (December 25, 2024 to January 2, 2025) than with a variety of sweet desserts? We've got everything from classic donuts, cookies, and cakes to cheeky and classic twists on them that we think you’ll love. Check out our 31 Hanukkah desserts for ideas—we’ve got enough for all 8 nights, and then some.

If you’re unfamiliar, Hanukkah is a holiday commemorating the miracle of one day’s worth of oil lasting for eight, thus sparking the tradition of eating foods fried in oil. If you make nothing else this Hanukkah, you’ve got to make sufganiyot, or fried jelly donuts. Want to avoid the hot oil, but keep with the “fried” Hanukkah tradition? Try our baked pull-apart jelly donuts, our citrus olive oil cake, our pistachio chocolate chip cookies (with olive oil instead of butter), or our apple cider donut cake. They’re perfect for a more modern celebration.

Speaking of, need a dairy-free, kosher dessert to serve after your meat-heavy dinner? Take a note from many modern Jewish households and go vegan! Try our vegan chocolate chip cookies, our sorbet, or our vegan sugar cookies, or our vegan chocolate cake. This way, everyone can enjoy a sweet treat, no halachah (Jewish law regarding meat and dairy) waiting necessary.

Just because keeping kosher is serious doesn’t mean all your Hanukkah desserts have to be! Take our sugar cookie dreidels—sure, you can’t actually play with them, but they’re so cute, no one will mind. Especially if when you do play, you play for our homemade gelt (made so easily in a mini muffin tin). Another tradition we’re turning on its head is making latkes, or potato pancakes. Though traditionally savory, if you want to bring that potato action firmly into dessert territory, try our potato candy or our latke cookies. They’ll be the perfect playful addition to your Hanukkah dessert spread.

Want even more Hanukkah ideas? Check out our favorite creative Hanukkah latkes, our top Hanukkah cookies, and our best Hanukkah appetizers too.

1

Sugar Cookie Dreidels

dreidel cookies
Andrew Bui

You can use your favorite homemade sugar cookie dough or follow our lead and use a couple store-bought logs. These will turn out so cute, no one mind either way! These work with any small candy, from the mini M&M's we used here to Nerds or Skittles, so have fun with it.

Get the Sugar Cookie Dreidels recipe.

2

Gelt Thumbprints

thumbprint cookies made with gelt
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

For such a simple game, spinning the dreidel easily inspires some fierce competition over who will end up with the largest pile of gelt. The thing is, those coins are usually made up of, to put it kindly, not-so-great chocolate. What then to do with your sweet spoils? Make these chocolate-orange thumbprint cookies! With fewer than 10 ingredients, you can turn your winnings into a cute Hanukkah dessert that's perfect for sharing. Make enough, and you could even use them instead of gelt during a rousing after-dinner dreidel game.

Get the Gelt Thumbprints recipe.

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3

Pull-Apart Jelly Donut

easy pull apart baked donut ring with berry jam filling
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Although baked instead of fried, this pull-apart ring is reminiscent of sufganiyot, made easier for those of us who don't have a good fryer set up at home. Try it with whatever kind of jam you like!

Get the Pull-Apart Jelly Donut recipe.

4

Vegan Chocolate Cake

vegan chocolate cake
Park Feierbach

Keeping kosher and craving dessert? This vegan chocolate cake is for you and yours. Thanks to a couple of smart swaps and a secret ingredient or two, we bet you might not even be able to guess it’s completely egg- and dairy-free.

Get the Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe.

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5

Hanukkah Gelt

hanukkah gelt
PHOTO; ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLIST; ERIKA JOYCE

♫ "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel..." ♫ If you truly want to take your game over the top, play for homemade gelt! They're super-easy to make at home (we used a mini muffin tin), and you can decorate them however you like.

Get the Hanukkah Gelt recipe.

6

Sufganiyot

sufganiyot  delishcom

This lightly fried, gorgeously dusted, low-key sugary jelly donut serves as a reminder that life can be sweet sometimes—which is exactly why we make it exclusively for the most festive of Jewish holidays. You can really fill the donuts with whatever filling makes you happy... as long as it's sweet.

Get the Sufganiyot recipe.

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7

Latke Cookies

lakte cookies with toasted potato sticks and apple caramel
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

No Hanukkah celebration is complete without a big plate of crispy, craggly latkes. If you're more of a sweets fan but want to keep with tradition, we've got just the cookie for you. Our favorite part? A homemade apple caramel as a nod to the applesauce often enjoyed with potato pancakes.

Get the Latke Cookies recipe.

8

Rugelach

rugelach filled with raspberry and apricot preserves
PHOTO: DOAA ELKADY, FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Rugelach is a pillowy soft and flaky filled pastry-turned-cookie filled with jam or a sweet walnut and brown sugar mixture. The cream cheese dough is surprisingly easy to make and to roll, any imperfections are part of the charm. We can't get enough!

Get the Rugelach recipe.

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9

Sweet Noodle Kugel

sweet noodle kugel
Parker feierbach

Kugel is basically the Yiddish/Jewish word for casserole. While there are many savory versions (such as this giant-latke-esque potato kugel), we have a soft spot in our hearts for this eggy, cinnamon-y sweet version too.

Get the Sweet Noodle Kugel recipe.

10

Loukoumades

loukoumades
PHOTO; ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLIST; TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

This dough is made with flour, sugar, yeast, and lemon zest. The loukoumades are then drizzled with melted chocolate, covered in cinnamon and honey, and sprinkled with pistachios. Yum!

Get the Loukoumades recipe.

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11

Black & White Cookies

black and white cookies
Andrew Bui

Black & whites are a NYC Jewish deli classic, and we can't get enough of them, any time of year. Light and moist, these vanilla-, almond-, and lemon-flavored cookies are the closest you might get to biting into a cloud.

Get the Black & White Cookies recipe.

12

Apple Cider Donut Cake

apple cider donut cake
Erik bernstein

This super-sized version of an apple cider donut comes together in no time, and there's no actual deep frying involved. That's a Hanukkah miracle in our book!

Get the Apple Cider Donut Cake recipe.

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13

Poached Pears

poached pears
Erik bernstein

Poaching slightly under-ripe pears makes them tender and sweetens them, while allowing them to maintain their structure. Once poached, they can be served warm or cold, garnished with a caramel reduction of the cooking liquid, and accompanied with everything from dairy-free ice cream to whipped cream to yogurt.

Get the Poached Pears recipe.

14

Zeppole

zeppole
Andrew bui

Zeppole are the perfect snack for serving with coffee for a midmorning pastry break, or serve with chocolate sauce for a more decadent dessert. In Italy, larger zeppole are often filled with pastry cream. For a take on that version, use a paring knife to poke a small hole in the side of the donut, then fill with pastry cream using a piping bag.

Get the Zeppole recipe.

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15

Chocolate Babka

chocolate babka
June xie

A Jewish sweet braided bread loved by all, babka is stuffed, rolled, then baked with a variety of fillings. Chocolate babka tends to dominate the flavor popularity contest, but there's a certain appeal to a cinnamon babka that just can't be denied—which is why this recipe sneaks both into the mix.

Get the Chocolate Babka recipe.

16

New Orleans-Style Beignets

beignets on a platter dusted with powdered sugar
PHOTO: JOSEPH DE LEO; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Liberally dusted in confectioners’ sugar, these pillowy deep-fried doughnuts will make you feel like you're at the famous Cafe du Monde in just one bite.

Get the New Orleans-Style Beignets recipe.

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17

Coconut Ice Cream

coconut ice cream
Parker feierbach

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 milk flavor that only gets better topped with toasted coconut (or whatever you like!).

Get the Coconut Ice Cream recipe.

18

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

pistachio chocolate chip cookies
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Pistachios add a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that will make these cookies feel a little bit elevated, but still just as classic and comforting. Bonus: These are kosher because they're made with olive oil instead of butter!

Get the Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

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19

Challah Rolls

challah rolls
Andrew Bui

This particular challah dough is a bit on the sweeter side, and it lends beautifully to a variety of applications, from being a dinner side to an after dinner treat. Hot tip: These rolls taste phenomenal when toasted!

Get the Challah Rolls recipe.

20

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

olive oil cake
Erik Bernstein

Frying things in oil is a big tradition on Hanukkah, but we'd get it if you were intimidated by a big vat of hot oil. Instead, make this citrusy, tender cake instead! Lemon and orange zest play super well with the grassy, bright flavors of olive oil.

Get the Citrus Olive Oil Cake recipe.

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