21 of the Best Vegan Passover Recipes

Celebrate this important Jewish holiday with these vegan Passover recipes for starters, mains, sides, and desserts that make it easy to keep kosher and avoid animal products.

The liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt is celebrated on Passover. Since this holiday already comes with a fairly restricted diet, some people may shy away from adding veganism to the mix. However, by having a vegan Passover, Jews can continue the fight for freedom, not just for humans, but for other animals, too.

Maybe you’d like to invite your vegan friends to a Passover dinner, or perhaps you just became vegan yourself! Here are some tips on how to celebrate with vegan Passover recipes that make it easy to keep kosher and avoid meat.

For more tips on how to celebrate Passover sustainably, take a look at our article on Green Passover.

Starters

Kick off your Passover meal in style with our tasty, colorful vegan vegetable fries, dips, and classic soups. Why not try out different flavors to match the rest of your meal if you’re feeling experimental and have a bit of extra time?

As for all our recipes, we recommend you use organic, fair trade, and locally sourced ingredients when possible. Not only does this help you avoid excessive pesticide use, but it also means your purchases have a smaller impact on the environment than vegetables from all over the world that are grown in a conventional way.

Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo balls, dumplings made from matzo meal, are a popular dish during the holiday of Passover.

Matzo, for those who don’t know, is a type of bread that Jews eat during the week-long Passover holiday. During this time, according to Jewish religious law, Jews can’t eat bread or other food made with leavened grain. Matzo meal is this type of bread ground up.

Matzo balls are one of those special comforting dishes that are difficult to improve upon. Traditionally, matzo balls are made using melted chicken fat and eggs. However, we’ve found three vegan recipes that offer a plant-based alternative while keeping true to the classic taste and texture that are so specific.

• Vegan Matzo Ball Soup from PETA
• Plant-Based Matzo Ball Soup from Kosher.com
• Matzah Ball Soup Recipe Vegan from The Edgy Veg

Vegetable Soup

Low Calorie Vegetable Soup: Delicious 5 Step Recipe

If you’re not feeling bold enough to tell your older relatives you’ve changed your family’s traditional matzo soup recipe to be vegan, you can always serve a classic naturally vegan vegetable soup instead. The variety of vegetables in this recipe are full of nutrients and low in calories, making it the perfect warm starter.

Veggie Fries + Dips

Veggie Fries & Dip 7 Ways

What’s a better starter than fries to get the appetites of your dinner guests going? Veggie fries, of course! Not only are they tastier than potato fries, but they’re also healthier, as potatoes don’t contribute to one of your five a day. Where it calls for flour or breadcrumbs in these recipes, you can always swap these out for equal measures of matzo meal to keep things kosher for Passover.

How to Make Zucchini Fries 5 Ways

While mentioned in the above article, you might want to check out our full-length guide to zucchini fries. Our recipe for zucchini fries gives you five different options for how to make this simply delicious vegan and health conscious starter.

These fries pair great with vegan BBQ sauce, vegan tzatziki, or vegan ranch.

Tasty Vegan Latkes + 5 Toppings to Try

Not exactly fries, but fried food that’s perfect for dipping: with our recipe for egg-free latkes you’ll find five delicious topics to go with them. Latkes are a classic for Hannukah, but make a great side in a Passover menu as well — just make them with matzo meal instead of wheat flour.

Mains and Sides

We’ve put together a selection of our vegan mains, such as nut-roast and plant-based burgers, with some suggested adjustments which make them perfect vegan Passover, as well as our favorite festive vegan sides. Try to use seasonal fresh and organic produce whenever possible for top-quality flavors.

Vegan Roast

Vegan Roast: Ultimate Recipe With Lentils and Walnuts

A holiday meal wouldn’t be complete without a roast. Our recipe for a meat-free main dish is just as much a culinary highlight as its meat counterpart, and is sure to impress your guests whether they’re vegan or not.

Warning: Some Jewish people may not eat lentils during Passover since they are included in the general class of kitniyot, or legumes, corn, and rice. You should speak to your guests or your rabbi to determine whether your family and community tradition allows you to consume kitniyot during Passover.

Otherwise, to keep this recipe kosher for Passover, omit the bread crumbs or replace with matzo meal.

Kugels

Kugels are a favorite side dishes to serve at holiday meals such as Passover. In the Jewish tradition, kugels are baked casseroles made with potatoes or noodles. Essentially, an extra tasty tater tot. Making vegan potato kugel can be tricky, but it is definitely worth the effort.

The traditional method of making this side dish involves using eggs to bind the ingredients together. The three vegan Passover recipes below are savory to sweet, using quinoa flakes, apple sauce, or even tofu to replace the eggs.

• Vegan Noodle Kugel from PETA
• Vegan Potato Kugel from The Vegan Atlas
• Vegan Noodle Kugel from VegKitchen

Black Bean, Sweet Potato or Tofu Burger

Homemade Vegan Black Bean Burger and Other Tasty Vegan Burger Recipes

These recipes are easy to make and provide that personal touch to your home-cooked vegan Passover recipes that store-bought meat substitutes often lack.

According to the Orthodox Unions’s list of kitniyot foods — black beans and flaxseed are unfortunately not kosher according to the Ashkenazic tradition. However, as mentioned before, some traditions do allow it. If you’re not confident, you can always check with your guests and rabbi to clear up any confusion.

On the other hand, the tofu burger can easily be made kosher by substituting the breadcrumbs for matzo! 

Roasted Vegetables

How to Cook Cauliflower 8 Different Ways

First on the list is the wonderfully versatile cauliflower. Our article on eight ways to prepare cauliflower not only gives you a variety of ways you can serve this vegetable as a side or as part of a vegan Passover main, but also goes into detail about its myriad of health benefits. As always, try to choose organic produce to reduce the environmental impact and make your food choices more sustainable.

How to Roast Eggplant

This recipe will show you how you can make a delicious roasted eggplant with just a few extra ingredients, most of which you’ll already have around your home. You are welcome to experiment with different herbs and spices to match the rest of your Passover dinner. Choosing organic, fresh, and locally produced if you can, will not only mean your meal is better for the planet, but it can even improve your meal taste!

We’ve also included a bonus tahini drizzle in this recipe, which you can decide to omit. Tahini is mostly made up of sesame seeds, which are kitniyot, a type of food that some Jews cannot eat on Passover. Consult your guests or rabbi if you aren’t certain if you should avoid kitniyot.

6 Ingredient Zucchini Boats: Vegetarian Recipe

Want to wow your guests with simple but fancy roast zucchini? Our recipe for zucchini boats can be served with a variety of suggested fillings, you’re sure to find one that’ll pair well with the rest of your Passover meal.

Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts Recipe: Easy and Quick

Love them or hate them, this delicious recipe for lightly caramelized Brussels sprouts is sure to change your perception of this divisive vegetable. While this recipe has directions for sautéd Brussels sprouts, you can also stick them in the oven if you’re roasting other vegetables at the same time to save on energy. Simply place in a shallow ovenproof dish, and to keep them from drying out as much, cover before placing in the oven.

Tzimmes

Tzimmes is a side dish that is both delectable and beautiful. In Yiddish, “tzimmes” means a big deal or a lot of activity, which is what this dish is, a big mix of various colors, flavors, and textures. This traditional side dish is not hard to make vegan at all as it doesn’t consist of much more than a unique combination of sweet vegetables and dried fruits.

We’ve compiled a few vegan Passover recipes that will help you add some diverse color and flavor to your menu.

• Carrot and Sweet Potato Tzimmes from The Vegan Atlas
• Sweet Potato Tzimmes (vegan, gluten free, and oil free) from Adventure of a Vegan Military Wife
• Vegan & Gluten Free Carrot Tzimmes from My DairyFree GlutenFree Life

Cauliflower Rice

How to Make Keto Cauliflower Rice

Keto cauliflower rice is not only great for those who want to include more vegetables in their diets, but it’s also a good accidentally kosher alternative to rice for Passover! Our easy-to-follow, quick recipe takes around 10–15 minutes to make, so you can even include it as a last-minute side to bulk out a meal.

Charoset

Charoset is an apple relish frequently served as a side at the Passover. Symbolic of the mortar used by the Israelites to build cities for the Pharaoh, this beige mixture made of apples, raisins, and pecans might not be very pretty, but the great texture and flavor more than make up for it.

Since there are many types of charoset, we’ve put together a few vegan recipes with varying levels of sweetness. However, you can always tailor the sweetness to your personal taste.

These recipes call for the addition of wine, so please be aware that, although it might sound strange, some wines are not actually vegan! Since it may be difficult to find a wine that is both 100 percent kosher and vegan, you can choose to replace this ingredient with grape juice.

• Vegan Sephardic Date Haroset from VegKitchen
• Vegan Charoset from PETA
• Charoset from Sweet Vegan

Desserts

A sweet treat is the perfect way to end your Passover meal. You can still eat desserts on a vegan and kosher for Passover diet that will satisfy your sweet tooth. We’ve compiled a few delicious and easy-to-make vegan dessert recipes sure to please everyone, from cookies to cheesecake.

Many of these recipes call for ingredients that can be hard to find locally sourced, like cocoa and sugar. But you can always choose organic and Fairtrade products to make sure you’re getting the best products possible.

Vegan Meringue

Aquafaba Meringues: Easy Vegan Dessert Recipe

There’s nothing better to finish a big meal than an airy, sweet, and delicious meringue. But did you know you don’t need to use egg whites to make this showstopper dessert? In the above article, we show you how to make vegan meringues with leftover chickpea water, also known as aquafaba.

TIP: Add some fruit and whipped vegan cream for sweet mini pavlovas!

Since chickpeas are not considered kosher for Passover in some Jewish traditions, you might want to double-check with your guests or rabbi before trying out this recipe.

Preacher Cookies

Preacher Cookies: An Easy No-Bake Recipe (Vegan)

Preacher cookies are the perfect sweet treat, quick to make and delicious! It’s important to look for fair trade and responsibly produced products when sourcing your ingredients. For example, this recipe uses almond milk and vegan butter, but there are many alternatives to both of these that will help you limit your carbon footprint.

Raw Oreos

Homemade Oreos: A Raw Vegan Recipe

Vegan homemade Oreos are a fun and easy alternative to store bough ones, and this recipe for raw no-bake Oreos also skips out on the flour, making them kosher for Passover. Remember to make sure you’re sourcing fair trade and organic ingredients whenever possible!

Vegan Cheesecake

No Bake Vegan Cheesecake: A Healthy Cheesecake Recipe

This vegan cheesecake recipe is healthy and delicious, and can be made kosher by swapping out the oats for either matzo meal or another kosher alternative.

This healthy cheesecake recipe uses frozen bananas instead of cream cheese, which can be tricky to buy locally sourced, but fairly easy to find organic and fair trade.

Read more:

• The Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Substitutes
• Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free Bread: A Life-Changing Recipe
• How to Make Food Less Salty: 4 Tricks to Fix Salty Food

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Tags: Fall Food Guide Vegan Vegetables

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