What is served at a Passover seder?

The seder plate with matzah, followed by a festive meal that often includes chicken soup, gefilte fish or chopped liver, brisket and Passover desserts made without leavened flour.

Why is brisket made the day before?

Chilled brisket slices neatly, the fat is easy to remove, and the flavor deepens overnight in the sauce.

What desserts can be served at Passover?

Desserts made without leavening or wheat flour, such as sponge cakes made with matzah cake meal or potato starch, meringues, and flourless brownies.

Passover Seder Menu

Collage of Passover dishes: brisket, chicken soup, Passover orange sponge cake and garlic matzah

The Passover seder is the most beloved meal of the Jewish year, with the story of the Exodus told around the table and a festive dinner after it. These are the Passover recipes from our family collection, from chicken soup and brisket to Passover rolls and sponge cake, plus breakfasts for the rest of the week.

Families keep Passover in many different ways. If yours keeps kosher for Passover, check every packaged ingredient for Passover certification, since some of these older family recipes call for store-bought products.

The seder plate

The ceremonial plate holds a roasted shank bone (zeroa), a roasted egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror and chazeret), charoset, the sweet apple and nut mixture that recalls the mortar of the Israelite slaves, and a green vegetable such as parsley (karpas) dipped in salt water. Matzah is set beside it.

Starters

Homemade Chicken Soup2 hr 15 min total
Old-fashioned homemade chicken soup: bone-in chicken simmered for 2 hours with carrots, celery, parsnips, a whole onion and other vegetables.
Chopped Liver40 min total
Classic Jewish chopped liver: chicken livers and onion cooked in schmaltz and chopped by hand or ground with hard-boiled eggs. Never in a blender.
Chopped Herring (Forshmak)4 hr 32 min total | About 2 cups
Classic Ashkenazi chopped herring, also called gehakte herring or forshmak: cured herring pulsed with tart apple, onion, hard-boiled eggs and soaked bread into a coarse spread, then chilled. Makes about 2 cups.

The main course

Brisket braised slowly with onions and vegetables is the classic seder main dish, and like most braises it is even better made a day ahead.

Brisket (Yummy and Easy)3 hr 50 min total
A tender holiday brisket browned in the oven, then braised under onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and potatoes with brown sugar and sherry until fork-soft.

Rolls and matzah

Passover Bulkies (Rolls)40 min total | About 12 rolls
Kosher for Passover rolls made like a choux paste from boiled oil and water, matzah meal and eggs, dropped by spoonfuls and baked until puffed and golden.
Garlic Matzah12 min total
Matzah brushed with a garlic and oil paste and broiled for 1 to 2 minutes until golden. Garlic bread for Passover.

Passover desserts

Passover Orange Sponge Cake1 hr 20 min total | 1 (10-inch) tube cake
A tall, airy Passover sponge cake made with matzah cake meal, potato starch, 10 eggs, orange rind and lemon juice, baked in a tube pan and cooled upside down.
Passover Meringue Lemon Pie1 hr 40 min total | 1 pie
A Passover lemon pie with a crisp baked meringue crust, optionally with nuts, filled with a tangy lemon custard thickened with potato starch.
Passover Brownies (with Marble Variation)45 min total | 1 (9 x 9-inch) pan
Fudgy Passover brownies made with matzah cake meal, cocoa, butter, eggs and sugar, with an optional cream cheese swirl for marble brownies.

For the rest of the week

Matzah Brei (Matzah and Eggs)15 min total | 1 serving
Matzah brei, fried matzah: crumbled matzah or farfel soaked in beaten eggs and fried golden on both sides. Serve with maple syrup, jam or sugar.
Passover Granola35 min total
Crunchy Passover granola of matzah farfel, nuts, coconut and raisins baked in butter, oil, brown sugar and cinnamon. Great for breakfast and snacks.

Planning the seder

Two or three days before: make the chicken soup and refrigerate it; skim the fat once it is cold. Bake the sponge cake and brownies.
The day before: braise the brisket, cool it, slice it cold and return it to its sauce. Make the chopped liver and the meringue pie.
Seder day: bake the Passover rolls, reheat the brisket in its sauce, and set the seder plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is served at a Passover seder?: The seder plate with matzah, followed by a festive meal that often includes chicken soup, gefilte fish or chopped liver, brisket and Passover desserts made without leavened flour.
Why is brisket made the day before?: Chilled brisket slices neatly, the fat is easy to remove, and the flavor deepens overnight in the sauce.
What desserts can be served at Passover?: Desserts made without leavening or wheat flour, such as sponge cakes made with matzah cake meal or potato starch, meringues, and flourless brownies.