The “I Want It Like My Bubbe Made It” Rosh Hashanah Recipe List

Every year, as the air starts to taste like apples and honey, I crave the exact Rosh Hashanah table I grew up with: the round challah my Bubbe carefully braided, the sweet-savory tzimmes simmering on the stove, and that honey cake that somehow only ever tasted right at her house.

This list is my love letter to those flavors, the dishes that make the new year feel rooted, familiar, and deeply comforting. These are the traditional Rosh Hashanah recipes I turn to when I want everything to taste just like my Bubbe made it: a little old-world, a little nostalgic, and completely, unmistakably ours.

Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi

I still remember the first time I made this for Rosh Hashanah and how the whole kitchen smelled like prunes, olives, and garlic. This Chicken Marbella, inspired by Ottolenghi, is a sweet-savory roast chicken with briny olives, dried fruit, and a glossy pan sauce that feels fancy enough for the holiday but is really just a one-pan dinner. For me, it hits that “Bubbe would approve” note because it’s deeply flavorful and feeds a crowd without fuss.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi

Moroccan Beet Salad With Orange

Beets were always on our table, but this Moroccan-style version with orange is the one I crave most around the holidays. Thinly sliced cooked beets get tossed with orange segments, garlic, cumin, and a bright hit of lemon and olive oil for a sweet, earthy, and tangy salad that looks stunning next to the challah and honey. It feels like a nod to both my Russian roots and the wider Jewish identity, exactly the kind of mix I want on my Rosh Hashanah spread.
Get the Recipe: Moroccan Beet Salad With Orange

Jerusalem Kugel

I can still hear the hiss of oil when my mom dropped a bit of batter into the pan to test the heat for kugel. Jerusalem kugel is a sweet-and-peppery noodle cake that caramelizes in the pan until the edges are almost candy-like, with noodles coated in a simple egg batter with sugar and black pepper. It’s one of those dishes that tastes like tradition itself, and it always makes the table feel like my Bubbe’s house.
Get the Recipe: Jerusalem Kugel

Apple Olive Oil Cake

There’s something about the smell of apples baking in olive oil that instantly tells me the new year is here. This apple olive oil cake is moist and fragrant, with thin apple slices fanned over a tender crumb that soaks up every bit of honey and spice. It’s not overly sweet, so it works for breakfast, tea time, or a simple holiday dessert that feels honest and homey, the kind of cake my Bubbe would slice without ceremony.
Get the Recipe: Apple Olive Oil Cake

Israeli Rugelach

I used to think rugelach were only for Purim, but these Israeli-style yeasted rugelach have become my go-to for the High Holidays too. The dough is rich and slightly sweet, rolled thin and filled with cinnamon, nuts, and sugar, then twisted into little crescents that bake up golden and flaky. Making them feels like a ritual, and serving them brings back memories of my Bubbe’s kitchen and long holiday afternoons.
Get the Recipe: Israeli Rugelach

Gluten-Free Honey Cake

Honey cake was the one dessert I knew meant Rosh Hashanah, even before I understood why. This gluten-free honey cake is dense, moist, and deeply spiced, with honey and coffee giving it that dark, sticky sweetness that keeps well for days. To me, this cake tastes like continuity, the same sweet note I remember from my Bubbe’s holiday table.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Honey Cake

Homemade Gefilte Fish Recipe With Beet Chrein

Gefilte fish is the dish people either love or pretend not to notice, but in my family it was always the star of the starter plate. This Polish-style gefilte fish is made from ground fish, onions, and seasoning, then poached until tender and served with a bright beet chrein that adds color and a sharp, sweet bite.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Gefilte Fish Recipe With Beet Chrein

Cinnamon-Kissed Labaneh and Apple Crackers

I love a holiday appetizer that looks elegant but takes almost no effort, and this labaneh and apple combo is exactly that. Thick, creamy labaneh gets spread on crisp crackers and topped with thin apple slices, a drizzle of honey, and a whisper of cinnamon for a sweet, tangy, and crunchy bite. It ties straight into the apples-and-honey theme of Rosh Hashanah and feels like a modern nod to the old traditions I grew up with.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon-Kissed Labaneh and Apple Crackers

1-Pot Pomegranate Chicken and Rice

On busy holiday afternoons, I lean on one-pot dishes that still feel celebratory. This pomegranate chicken and rice simmers together until the grains soak up the tangy-sweet pomegranate sauce and the chicken turns tender, finished with herbs and nuts to look and taste like a feast. It’s the kind of dish I can imagine my Bubbe making if she had my modern pots, because it’s hearty, flavorful, and meant for sharing.
Get the Recipe: 1-Pot Pomegranate Chicken and Rice

Easy Challah Bread Recipe (No Eggs!)

Round challah is the visual heart of our Rosh Hashanah table, and this eggless version is the one I make when I want it simple and reliable. The dough is soft and slightly sweet, braided into a round loaf that rises tall and golden in the oven and tears apart easily for dipping in honey. Baking it feels like setting the tone for the whole meal, the same way my Bubbe’s challah always did.
Get the Recipe: Easy Challah Bread Recipe (No Eggs!)

Pomegranate Glazed Whole Salmon

A whole fish on the table always feels like a blessing for the year ahead, and this pomegranate-glazed salmon delivers on that promise. The salmon is brushed with a sticky-sweet pomegranate glaze and roasted until the edges caramelize and the inside stays moist, impressive but straightforward.
Get the Recipe: Pomegranate Glazed Whole Salmon

Almond Apple Cake with Apple Roses

I fell in love with this cake the first time I saw the apple “roses” bloom in the oven. An almond-based batter holds thin apple slices that curl into little roses as they bake, creating a dessert that looks fancy but is really quite simple, with moist, fragrant almond and apple in every bite. It feels like a bridge between my Russian heritage and the new traditions I’ve built, perfect for a Bubbe-style holiday table.
Get the Recipe: Almond Apple Cake with Apple Roses

Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins

Sweet kugel was always the dish I saved room for, even after a huge meal. This version uses egg noodles tossed with a custardy mix of eggs, sugar, and dairy, plus raisins plumped in cognac for a grown-up twist that bakes until the top is golden and the inside is soft and comforting. Every bite tastes like the holiday tables I grew up around, the kind my Bubbe would set with extra napkins just in case.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cognac-Soaked Raisins

My Grandma’s Russian Jewish Carrot Tzimmes

Tzimmes in my family has always meant my grandma’s carrot version, sweet and savory and deeply comforting. This Russian Jewish carrot tzimmes cooks carrots slowly with honey, dried fruit, and a touch of spice until they’re almost jammy, a side that could pass for dessert and pairs beautifully with brisket or chicken.
Get the Recipe: My Grandma’s Russian Jewish Carrot Tzimmes

Babushka’s Baked Apples

Baked apples were the dessert my Babushka made when she wanted something simple but still festive. Whole apples are cored and filled with a sweet mixture, then baked until tender and bubbling at the edges, coming out of the oven smelling like cinnamon and honey. This recipe is my direct line to her table, and it fits perfectly into a Rosh Hashanah spread that honors her memory.
Get the Recipe: Babushka’s Baked Apples

Honey Apple Cake With Salted Caramel Sauce

I associate honey apple cake with the moment the holiday really begins, when the table is set, and everyone is finally sitting down. This cake is moist and spiced, loaded with apples and honey, then drizzled with a salted caramel sauce that makes it feel extra special and slices beautifully for a crowd. To me, this is the cake my Bubbe would have claimed as her own if she’d tasted it.
Get the Recipe: Honey Apple Cake With Salted Caramel Sauce

Pomegranate Chicken With Walnuts

Pomegranate and chicken might sound unexpected, but this dish has been on my holiday rotation for years. Chicken pieces are braised in a tangy-sweet pomegranate sauce with onions and toasted walnuts until everything is glossy and tender, with nuts adding crunch and depth.
Get the Recipe: Pomegranate Chicken With Walnuts

Gluten-Free Apple Cake

When I need an apple cake that everyone can eat, this gluten-free version is the one I trust. It’s moist and tender, with apples folded right into the batter so every slice is full of fruit, and the texture is close to a classic cake so no one feels like they’re missing out.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Apple Cake

Classic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe

If there’s one scent that means “holiday” in my house, it’s chicken soup simmering on the stove. This classic Jewish chicken soup is built on bones, carrots, celery, onion, and plenty of time, until the broth is golden and deeply comforting. It’s the backbone of our Rosh Hashanah table, the dish that makes everything else feel anchored and right, just like I grew up with.
Get the Recipe: Classic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe

If there’s a dish that immediately makes you think of your bubbe’s kitchen, I hope this list helps you find your way back to that feeling, one bite at a time.