8 Hanukkah Desserts to Sweeten Your Celebration

Eight nights, eight incredible desserts.

By
Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam headshot
Genevieve Yam
Senior Editor
After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.
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Published December 06, 2025
A slice of chocolate olive oil cake served with a scoop of ice cream on a plate

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

Every Hanukkah, my husband and his friends whip up a batch of ridiculously crisp latkes to enjoy with applesauce, sour cream, and caviar. I love fried potatoes, but my massive sweet tooth means I look forward to dessert the most. Below, you'll find an assortment of spectacular sweets—including classic rugelach, doughnuts, and olive oil cake—fitting for a Hanukkah celebration.

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  • Classic Rugelach

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    Serious Eats / Emily Dryden

    Filled with walnuts, honey, and spices, these classic rugelach pair just as well with brandy as with a glass of milk. Enriching the dough with cream cheese makes it easier to roll and yields a sturdy pastry with a pleasantly tangy edge.

  • Sweet Noodle Kugel

    Tray of noodle kugel, Square piece of Noodle Kugel on a light blue plate with a fork on a white marble surface

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This streamlined recipe calls for some simple hand-mixing of the custard ingredients and avoids food processors and blenders, which means fewer dishes to wash up after. You can make the kugel in a baking dish for maximum browned edges and crispy noodles, or use a hot water bath for the most tender custard.

  • Rich and Tender Chocolate Babka

    2 babkas on a parchment paper, one sliced and one whole

    Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

    Rich, tender, and filled with just the right amount of chocolate, this delicious babka will fill your home with the enticing scent of yeasted dough and cocoa. 

  • Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

    A slice of chocolate olive oil cake served with a scoop of ice cream on a plate

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

    Rich chocolate meets fruity olive oil in this elegant cake. The dessert is bold and brooding in the best ways: Dutch-process cocoa and a touch of instant espresso bring bittersweet intensity, while olive oil keeps the crumb tender and moist.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below

  • Traditional Jewish Mandelbrot (Mandel Bread)

    20101216-cookie-swap-mandelbrei-610.jpg

    Serious Eats

    Typically studded with golden raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts, mandelbrot is an Eastern European cookie that's satisfyingly crisp and especially delicious with a cup of coffee.

  • Easy Chocolate Rugelach

    20120319-197659-easy-chocolate-rugelach

    Serious Eats / Yvonne Ruperti

    Like chopped nuts and honey, chocolate is a time-honored filling for rugelach. This version has a tender butter crust wrapped around a flavorful but not overly sweet filling of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. The dough freezes well after rolling, allowing you to make one big batch and bake fresh cookies throughout the week.

  • The Best Apple Cider Doughnuts

    20191021-apple-cider-donuts-sarah-jane-webb-24

    Serious Eats / Sarah Jane Webb

    Fresh apple cider and a host of subtle aromatics in the dough lay a flavorful foundation, and a topcoat of freeze-dried apples ground up with toasted sugar provides a big hit of fresh apple flavor.

  • Olive Oil Cake

    a slice of olive oil cake with citrus segments on a white plate
    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Tender, fragrant, and impossibly moist, this citrus-scented olive oil cake is foolproof and ridiculously fast to make. For a rich, flavorful cake, be sure to reach for high-quality olive oil.

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