Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items12
1
Sufganiyah
Israel's Hanukkah food of choice, and for good reason: Israelis eat over 18 million of these jelly doughnuts in the weeks around the holiday. Polish Jews brought them over as ponchiks, and the Histadrut, the labor federation founded in 1920, pushed them because, unlike latkes, they were a job for professional bakers.
That history is your hosting shortcut. Buying a box from a good bakery is not cheating, it is the tradition. If you fry them yourself, fill them after frying with a piping bag, and set out a mix of jam, custard and dulce de leche so guests can argue about the best one.
More about Sufganiyah2
Buñuelo
Bimuelos, the Sephardic Hanukkah fritter
The Sephardic answer to the jelly doughnut is older and simpler: little puffs of fried dough, drizzled with honey or dusted with powdered sugar. The pedigree is long. The first Ladino Torah translation, printed in Istanbul in 1547, described manna as tasting like a fritter with honey.
For a party they beat filled doughnuts on effort. The batter needs no shaping, spoonfuls go straight into the oil, and a warm bowl of honey syrup does the rest. Make them in rounds through the evening so each batch arrives hot.
More about Buñuelo3
Sfenj
Sfenj, the Moroccan Jewish Hanukkah doughnut
Moroccan Jewish families fry these ring-shaped doughnuts from a plain yeasted dough, then cover them in honey, sugar or both. No filling means no piping bags and no burst jelly, which makes sfenj the most forgiving doughnut on this list for a first-time fryer.
The dough is sticky, so wet your hands before pulling off each piece and stretching a hole through the middle. They are best within an hour of frying, chewy inside with a crackly shell, so time the last batch for when guests arrive.
More about Sfenj4
Zalabiyeh
Zengoula, the Iraqi Jewish funnel cake
Iraqi Jews adopted these syrup-soaked funnel cakes as their Hanukkah food long ago. The batter is piped in coils straight into hot oil, then the crisp spirals are soaked in sugar syrup, which many cooks sharpen with lemon.
The appeal for a host is the contrast: crisp outside, syrup-wet within, and a tangle of loops that looks festive piled high on one plate. A squeeze bottle or piping bag makes the pouring far easier than a true funnel, and messy spirals taste exactly the same.
More about Zalabiyeh5
Frittella (doughnut)
Frittelle di zucca, the Italian Jewish pumpkin fritters
In Italy, pumpkin fritters count as a proper Hanukkah dessert, and the squash version from the Veneto is the one to know. Mashed winter squash goes into the batter, which gives a soft, almost custardy middle and a natural sweetness that needs only a dusting of sugar.
This is the smart pick if you are already roasting squash for the meal: save a cup, and dessert is half done. They also sit well alongside the honey-soaked fritters on this list, being lighter and less sticky for guests eating with their fingers.
More about Frittella (doughnut)6
Neyyappam
Neyyappam, as the Cochin Jews of Kerala make them for Hanukkah
The Jews of Cochin on India's southwest coast fry a whole spread for Hanukkah, built on local South Indian ingredients. These sweet fritters carry coconut, dried fruit, nuts and spices, so they taste nothing like anything else on a typical Ashkenazi table.
That is the reason to make them: one plate that opens a conversation about how far the festival has traveled. They are small and dense, perfect for a dessert board, and they pair beautifully with strong coffee or chai late in the evening.
More about Neyyappam7
Keftes (Sephardic)
Keftes de prasa, Sephardic leek fritters
When a guest wants something savory and crisp that is not a latke, these are the answer. Sephardic Jews in Turkey, Greece and Romania fry patties of cooked leeks bound with egg, and the result is tender, a little sweet from the leeks and very hard to stop eating.
They make the easiest appetizer here because they can be fried ahead and rewarmed in the oven. A squeeze of lemon is plenty, and a yogurt and dill sauce suits a crowd that likes something to dip. Some families add ground beef, so stick to the plain leek version if vegetarians are coming.
More about Keftes (Sephardic)8
Samosa
Sambusak b'tawa, the Iraqi Jewish chickpea turnover
Iraqi Jews often make these for Hanukkah: half-moon pastries stuffed with spiced chickpeas and fried until crisp. They are the samosa's cousin, and anyone who likes a good hand pie will be back for a second.
For a host they solve the problem of the guest who skips dessert. They are filling, vegetarian, eaten in two bites and easy to fold a day ahead and fry just before the doorbell starts ringing. Set out a bowl of amba or a bright herb sauce for dipping.
More about Samosa9
Fried chicken
Pollo fritto per Hanucca, Italian Jewish fried chicken
Italian Jews have a fried chicken made just for Hanukkah. The pieces marinate in lemon, garlic and spices, sometimes overnight, before a dip in batter and a fry in olive oil, which ties the dish straight back to the oil of the holiday story. Some families add cinnamon or a grating of nutmeg to the marinade.
This is the main course that wins over the skeptics who think Hanukkah food is all pancakes and doughnuts. Fry it in advance and serve it warm or at room temperature with plenty of lemon wedges, and it holds up on a buffet better than almost anything else that comes out of a fryer.
More about Fried chicken10
Brisket (Jewish dish)
Brisket is not a Hanukkah invention. It is the Ashkenazi feast dish for nearly every holiday, a cheap, tough cut that turns tender after hours of slow braising. That is exactly why it belongs at a Hanukkah party: everything else on the menu wants your attention at the stove, and brisket wants none.
Braise it a day or two ahead, chill it, slice it cold and rewarm it in its sauce, which tastes better for the wait. The oven is then free and your hands are free for frying. Its sweet, oniony gravy also does the job applesauce does for a pancake, cutting through all the oil on the plate.
More about Brisket (Jewish dish)11
Ricotta
Cassola, Sephardic and Italian Jewish ricotta pancakes
Hanukkah's other food tradition is dairy, in honor of Judith, who in the old story fed an enemy general salty cheese to make him thirsty enough to get drunk. Rabbi Moses Isserles even recommended eating cheese on the holiday for her sake. In Rome, Jews still make ricotta pancakes for Hanukkah, and cassola covers both customs at once: dairy, fried.
Do not confuse it with the baked Roman cassola cake, which belongs to Shavuot. The Hanukkah version is a batter of ricotta, eggs, a little flour and sugar, fried in a skillet until golden. Serve warm with honey or jam, and keep it off a menu with brisket if your guests keep kosher.
More about Ricotta12
Hanukkah gelt
Chocolate gelt, the dreidel table's currency
Gelt started as real money handed out at Hanukkah. The foil-wrapped chocolate coins came later, generally credited to the American candy company Loft's in the 1920s, sold in mesh bags meant to look like money pouches.
Nothing here is fried, but no Hanukkah party works without it, because gelt is what the kids, and plenty of adults, bet with at the dreidel game. Buy more than you think you need and set it out in bowls. It doubles as the easiest party favor going, and good dark chocolate versions make it worth eating once the game is over.
More about Hanukkah gelt
