23 Passover Apps To Kick Your Seder Dinner Off Right
It's that special time of year again! Passover (April 22 to April 30, 2024) is ALL about tradition, and there are some long-established menu items that must be on your Seder dinner table. Because of that, there are some ingredients (ahem, matzo) that require a little creativity to incorporate them into the rest of your meals that week. We’ve found that apps and starters are great opportunities for innovation, so we’ve rounded up our fave Passover-inspired ones here. Whether you’ve been celebrating your whole life or are new to the Jewish holiday, we hope these recipes can be an inspiration.
If you’re unfamiliar, 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 and only were able to bring unleavened, cracker-like bread called matzo with them. To celebrate this exodus, Jewish people today continue to remove chametz (or any leavened flour product) from their diets for the duration of Passover, as well as make sure all other ingredients they’re using are specified Kosher for Passover.
They also have a special seder dinner (or Pesach) with specific ingredients meant to represent various aspects of the exodus. We’ve incorporated some of them here, like the horseradish in our house latkes, the hard-boiled eggs in our Bloody Mary deviled eggs, and the lettuce in our chicken salad lettuce wraps. Feel free to get creative and make these starters your own.
Since general kosher rules prevent the consumption of dairy and meat in the same meal, we’ve included a number of our favorite vegan apps here too. Our vegan spinach & artichoke dip, our herby baked falafel bites with spicy mint tahini dip, and our coconut ranch kale salad all make for great starters and apps and keep with the halachah (or Jewish laws).
Want more Passover inspiration? Check out all our favorite Passover recipes, and our best Passover desserts too (we’ve got a flourless chocolate coconut cake you’ll flip over).
Dolmas
These grape leaves are stuffed with rice and lots of herbs and spices, plus some currants for added flavor and pine nuts for texture. Follow our instructions on how to cook rice to guarantee these are the best they can be.
Get the Dolmas recipe.
Tzimmes
The word tzimmes has its origins in Yiddish: To "make a big tzimmes about something" essentially means making a big fuss. Here, there's hardly any! The carrots and dates are quickly braised in an orange sauce and finished with fresh parsley for a pop of green.
Get the Tzimmes recipe.
Matzo Pizza
Whether you observe Passover and have leftover matzo to use up or are just looking for a crispy, crunchy, thin-crust pizza, this matzo pizza is going to be a hit. Use this recipe as a guide to whatever flavor combinations you can think of.
Get the Matzo Pizza recipe.
Caprese Bites
Prepping for the holidays can get overwhelming. If you’re in need of a quick and easy appetizer or a last-minute addition to your Passover party, then these caprese bites are the simple solution your guests will thank you for.
Get the Caprese Bites recipe.
One-Pot Harissa Beet Soup
A modern take on the classic borsht, this vegetarian soup can (and should!) be enjoyed year-round. It has a perfect balance between sweet, smoky, and spicy, and is sure to please the crowd at Passover dinner.
Get the One-Pot Harissa Beet Soup recipe.
Gefilte Fish
After making these, buying store-bought gefilte fish will be a thing of the past. Serve these with horseradish leftover from your Seder plate for the full experience.
Get the Gefilte Fish recipe.
Herby Baked Falafel Bites With Spicy Mint Tahini Dip
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these falafel are baked (not fried!), for less mess. Make them mini and stick them with toothpicks for the perfect springy green appetizer. Plus they're totally vegan and gluten-free!
Get the Herby Baked Falafel Bites with Spicy Mint Tahini Dip recipe.
Charoset
This recipe is perfect for your Seder plate and for serving as an app for anyone dipping their toes into the Passover holiday. Feel free to swap in your preferred nuts and dried fruit!
Get the Charoset recipe.
Smashed Potatoes
These crispy potatoes are totally versatile; you can top them with cheddar, ranch seasoning (good use for any leftover seder plate karpas, or parsley), or even brie. Skip the Parmesan and swap the butter for olive oil if you want to serve these alongside meat as a side, or put them out alongside toothpicks as an app.
Get the Smashed Potatoes recipe.
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
A creamy, cheesy spinach artichoke dip that’s completely vegan? Not possible! Oh, but it is. Vegan (and kosher) alternatives to cheeses and mayonnaise are thankfully much more common in most grocery stores, making one of our favorite dips and appetizers more enjoyable for everyone.
Get the Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe.
Rösti
Swiss rösti is essentially the fanciest potato latke you’ll ever eat, where the best part is the topping. We view it almost like a Passover pizza. We love classic applesauce, but you can go fancy with a bit of lox, sour cream, fresh dill, and roe for an amazing treat for any celebration.
Get the Rösti recipe.
Coconut Ranch Kale Salad
Because this creamy dressing is vegan, you can even serve it alongside a meat dish for Passover. We love using crunchy roasted chickpeas in lieu of croutons, but feel free to swap if you aren't eating kitniyot this Passover.
Get the Coconut Ranch Kale Salad recipe.
Brisket Bites
Make meat and potatoes the cocktail-hour way by serving brisket over potato chips. We prefer thick-cut ridged chips, but any hearty chip will do.
Get the Brisket Bites recipe.
Giant Skillet Latke
To serve this giant latke, you’ll want impressive toppings such as smoked salmon with sour cream, capers, or maybe even a spoonful of caviar. For a sweet-savory combination, try applesauce and crème fraîche.
Get the Giant Skillet Latke recipe.
Latke Cups
When your favorite latke becomes a cup, magical things happen. Feel free top these with classic applesauce and sour cream, or go wild with your toppings.
Get the Latke Cups recipe.
Baba Ghanoush
We like our eggplant-based baba ghanoush GARLICKY. If you don't, skip grating the raw clove in at the end. Without it, you'll have a more subtle (slightly sweet) garlic flavor that will still make everyone very, very happy. Accompanied by crudités and matzo chips, you really can't go wrong.
Get the Baba Ghanoush recipe.
Sweet Potato Crostini
Swapping bread for sweet potatoes is the most genius way to get that melty, cheesy flavor you love without the chametz! We topped these with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and rosemary, but feel free to switch it up.
Get the Sweet Potato Crostini recipe.
House Latkes
Though latkes are commonly served with applesauce and plain sour cream; here, they get a flavor-boost with a spicy horseradish and chive sour cream topping, which adds savory depth to each bite.
Get the House Latkes recipe.
Lamb Meatballs
These spiced, herby meatballs have Mediterranean vibes and with a delicious green goddess sauce, we couldn't stop eating them. They'll soon be a new favorite, crowd- pleasing appetizer.
Get the Lamb Meatballs recipe.
Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs
Everyone loves a good deviled egg, and few can refuse a well-made bloody Mary. With this easy party app, you can have both!
Get the Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs recipe.
Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps with Grapes and Pecans
We can never get tired of chicken salad. There's so many flavor options, and this lemon-dill chicken salad really tops the list. Swap the Greek yogurt for a non-dairy version here, and you'll be g2g. Want more chicken salad ideas? We love this curried chicken salad too.
Get the Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps with Grapes and Pecans recipe.
Smoked Salmon Dip
For those of you who wouldn't dream of a bagel without smoked salmon or lox, this recipe is for you. Turns out, it's as just as delicious as a dip for veggies or matzo as it is a breakfast sandwich!
Get the Smoked Salmon Dip recipe.
Everything Deviled Eggs
Bye bye bagels and lox—we're putting all our smoked salmon on top of deviled eggs from now on.
Get the Everything Deviled Eggs recipe.
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