16 Hanukkah Desserts You'll Crave All 8 Nights

From walnut babka to rugelach to sufganiyot, our best Hanukkah dessert recipes are festive and delicious.

strawberry jam filled doughnuts
Photo: Will Anderson

No celebration of the Festival of Lights is complete without a sweet treat to close out the evening. From all kinds of rugelach cookies to those irresistible fried sufganiyot, the Israeli jelly-filled donuts that are perhaps the best known Hanukkah dessert, there are many different and delicious options for your dessert table on this special holiday.

Fried desserts are a time-honored tradition at Hanukkah: They are symbolic of the oil that was only supposed to burn for one day, but lasted eight long nights. Our recipe collection includes several twists (one is actually shaped as twists!) on the fried donut, as well as apple fritters.

Among our favorite baked Hanukkah desserts are some decorated in blue and white for the holiday—plus there's a giant chocolate-covered marshmallow version of the dreidel and easy homemade gelt.

01 of 16

Holiday Rugelach

rugala-0005-d112434-horiz-0922
Mike Krautter

This twist on the classic Jewish dessert is rolled up with prune and apricot butters. The secret to that shiny, slightly crunchy finish is a combination of cinnamon and sugar. Nothing feels more festive than that!

02 of 16

Raisin-Challah Apple Betty

raisin-challah apple betty served with vanilla ice cream
Justin Walker

Similar to a cobbler, apple betty is an easy fruit dessert. It's made with breadcrumbs rather than a flour-butter-sugar crumb mixture and will make for a sweet start to the holiday. Top each portion with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

03 of 16

Walnut Babka

walnut-babka-110-d111661.jpg
Bryan Gardner

Though not a traditional Hanukkah dessert per se, babka is part of many holiday tables at this time of year, along with many other iconic Jewish dishes. Renowned babka baker Uri Scheft shared his version with Martha, and now you can give it a try, too.

04 of 16

Hanukkah Sufganiyot

ml801d14.jpg

It's not a Hanukkah celebration without fried, jelly-filled donuts. They're plump and fluffy—and every bite is just so sweet.

05 of 16

Chocolate Marshmallow Dreidels

Edible Chocolate Marshmallow Dreidels

Kid-friendly and oh-so-sweet, this is a time when it's actually fine to play with your food. Create an assembly line of pretzel sticks, chocolate kisses, marshmallows, and melted chocolate so everyone can create their own edible dreidel.

06 of 16

Apple Fritters

Apple Fritters
David Malosh

A plate of these bite-sized treats, topped off with a generous dusting of powdered sugar, is a delicious way to celebrate Hanukkah.

07 of 16

Donut Twists

doughnut twist

To honor the oil that burned for eight long nights, make these delicious and indulgent fried donut twists. They're a delight to eat for dessert, breakfast, or both!

08 of 16

Pistachio and Dried-Apricot Rugelach

Pistachio and Dried-Apricot Rugelach
Aaron Dyer

Sweet, rich pistachios and apricot jam are an irresistible filling in these rugelach cookies. Make the dough a day in advance, then form, fill, and finish the cookies the following day.

09 of 16

Shortbread Cookies

shortbread cookies stamp star

These shortbread cookies are very versatile—cut them out in a six point star and create individual monograms so they can double as place settings. Or add color by frosting the cookies with blue-and-white icing, then top with silver sprinkles for a festive Hanukkah finish.

10 of 16

Walnut and Brown-Sugar Rugelach

Walnut and Brown-Sugar Rugelach

Rich and creamy, a batch of these rugelach cookies will go fast. The dough can be made up to three months in advance and kept frozen until it's time to fill and shape them for the holiday.

11 of 16

Glitter Ball Cookies

Glitter Ball Cookies

Decorated in Hanukkah colors, these bite-sized cookies are just dazzling. They're filled with a creamy ginger buttercream that gives them the perfect amount of spice.

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Cinnamon-Honey Donuts with Raspberry Jam

cinnamon honey doughnuts raspberry jam dessert

Enjoy this sweet, spice, and everything nice take on the beloved sufganiyot. Honey adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.

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Jelly Donuts

strawberry jam filled doughnuts
Will Anderson

These are sure to be everyone's favorite Hanukkah dessert. The light-as-air yeasted donuts can be filled with strawberry or grape jelly.

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Homemade Gelt

homemade hanukkah gelt
Aaron Dyer

Why not make your own versions of the gold-wrapped chocolate coins handed out to children during Hanukkah? It's easy using our recipe that calls for filling the cups of a mini muffin tin with melted chocolate and topping with orange zest, cacao nibs, and candied ginger.

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Cake Donuts

cake donuts breakfast

Here's a fried dessert everyone will enjoy while they're still warm from cooking. Their crisp, fried exterior contrasts with the cloud-like interior; a dusting of confectioners' sugar is the finishing touch.

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Apple-Cider Donut Cake

apple cider donut cake
Jonathan Lovekin

Perfect for a crowd, this cinnamon-scented Bundt cake is a delightful way to finish a Hanukkah celebration.

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