L’Shana Tova! If you’re hosting a meal for Rosh Hashanah or bringing a potluck dish, I’ve got you covered with 10+ delicious and festive gluten-free recipes perfect for Rosh Hashanah and Jewish holidays. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, you might dread the Jewish holidays when there’s gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, lurking at every corner of the meal.
Don’t fret. I’ve been gluten-free for 11 years and have made Rosh Hashanah a little sweeter by making all my favorite holiday foods gluten-free.
In this article, I’ll share 10+ of my favorite gluten-free Rosh Hashanah recipes to help you eat deliciously and gluten-free this new year and beyond.
Remember, you don’t have to sabotage your diet to have a sweet new year. A few simple swaps will do the trick.
What is Rosh Hashanah?
Before I share my favorite gluten-free Rosh Hashanah recipes, let me explain why this holiday matters to the Jewish people.
Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. It’s the day that G-d created Adam and Eve.
To celebrate the occasion, Jews worldwide go to synagogue to hear the sound of the shofar (a ram’s horn). They enjoy a special dinner, and, after attending shul, most Jews head to their celebratory lunch with friends and family. All meals center around a series of symbolic foods and are filled with joyful vibes.
The festive meal(s) include plenty of sweet foods like apples dipped in honey, pomegranates, raisins, and sweet vegetables like carrots and beets. There also are other symbolic foods, like the head of a fish, which symbolizes the head of the new year.
During Rosh Hashanah, Jews might avoid bitter foods like nuts and vinegar to warn off the potential for bitterness in the year ahead.
My list of favorite foods includes plenty of savory and sweet foods to ensure a delicious and sweet new year.
(1) Gluten-Free Challah
No Jewish celebration is complete without challah. My original gluten-free challah recipe is the bomb, but I’ve tweaked it to make it sweeter for Rosh Hashanah.
My traditional gluten-free challah recipe already contains honey, and for Rosh Hashanah, I add 1/4 cup of applesauce and 1/2 – 1 cup of raisins.
I also bake the challah in my bundt pan to get that classic round shape. Or, if you don’t mind the shape, you can bake it in your challah mold pan as pictured above.
(2) Gluten-Free Honey Cake
Jews eat apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year, so any recipe that includes honey and/or apples is a bonus!
I make a delicious gluten-free honey cake that has hints of coffee flavor in it, too. This cake is very popular with my family and very popular with my readers too. Enjoy!
(3) Gluten-Free Apple Cake
I’ve also perfected a delicious gluten-free apple cake full of fall spices, plenty of sweet chunks of apples, and even a splash of brandy! This moist and tender cake is always a hit!
I also want to recommend my friend Irena’s apple honey ricotta cake, which is made with almond meal and gluten-free flour. This recipe would definitely jazz up the high holidays!
(4) Carrot and Walnut Soup
I love this carrot and walnut soup recipe and often make it for Rosh Hashanah because carrots are a “sweet” vegetable.
Plus, everyone loves this soup so much, and it’s perfect for a three- or four-course meal starter.
Alternatively, if you’re avoiding tree nuts, consider making my Carrot and Cauliflower Soup. I added some crispy chickpeas to the top to jazz it up but you could just serve it as-is.
(5) Savory Beef Brisket
If you’re looking for a delicious, traditional, slow-cooked, savory beef brisket recipe, look no further than this recipe.
If you’re new to making brisket, I’ve got you covered with step-by-step instructions to make it easy.
This beef brisket recipe is so gedempt (a Yiddish word for food that is so well cooked it just falls apart or melts in your mouth) that it will make your grandmother verklempt!
(6) Gluten-Free Cholent
Cholent is a stew consisting of beef, potatoes, carrots, beans, and barley. Jews typically prepare the stew before Shabbos or a holiday in their slow cooker. It cooks all day and night and can be enjoyed as a warm lunch during the afternoon of Shabbat or a holiday.
I created my own gluten-free version of cholent made with rice and lentils instead of beans and barley. And dare I say, my cholent always gets rave reviews.
Add raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar to sweeten the cholent for Rosh Hashanah. It’s up to you.
(7) Gluten-Free Knishes
Knishes are savory mashed potato filling encased in savory puff pastry. You can make your own gluten-free puff pastry or use pre-made ones from Gluten Free Easy or Sweet Loren’s. This traditional Jewish dish is a huge hit for any Jewish holiday.
Get my gluten-free knish recipe.
(8) Apple Cranberry Crisp
Because this is the holiday for enjoying lots of sweet apples, you might enjoy my healthy apple cranberry crisp recipe, made low-sugar with monk fruit sweetener. You can use frozen cranberries or substitute them with another fruit as well.
(9) Festive Carrot Ring
This festive gluten-free carrot ring is a sweet and fun dish to serve on Rosh Hashanah. It’s kind of a sweet bread and kind of a cake, and it’s bursting with carrot bits. Serve it with the cholent or brisket for a sweet and savory meal.
(10) Carrot Cake
Who says carrot cake is just for Easter? Since carrots are a Rosh Hashanah staple, try my Gluten-Free Carrot Cake for dessert to infuse your Rosh Hashanah with sweetness!
(11) Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake
My gluten-free applesauce cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and it’s always a hit.
Make this applesauce cake if you’re looking for a fail-proof, moist, out-of-this-world dessert for the holiday. Your guests will be very impressed!
You can make this cake a few days ahead of time, too. It gets better with age.
(12) Gluten-Free Kreplach
Kreplach are Jewish dumplings filled with meat traditionally enjoyed on Yom Kippur Eve, but you could enjoy them for Rosh Hashanah and other holidays like Purim.
I use my two-ingredient pasta dough to make the pasta shell and either ground beef or leftover meat for the filling.
Check out my step-by-step instructions for making gluten-free kreplach in this article.
L’shana Tova
There you have it, 10+ delicious and festive gluten-free Rosh Hashanah recipes for my gluten-challenged friends to enjoy.
You won’t have to miss out on challah, cholent, or honey cake just because you’re on a gluten-free diet. I’ve got you covered with these tasty and gluten-free Rosh Hashanah recipes.
L’shana Tova, and may you have a sweet and healthy New Year!
For recipes for Yom Kippur Eve or Yom Kippur break-the-fast, read 18+ Gluten-Free Foods For Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast & More.
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