Our 8 Days of Creativity series highlights the Jewish creators you should know about all year long.
Celebrating the Festival of Lights as a vegan can be a challenge — especially since many recipes call for eggs, dairy, and meat products. However, a few plant-based kitchen wizzes have created vegan versions of your favorite Hanukkah dishes, so everyone can feel included at the table. The recipes are simpler than you may think and you certainly won't be able to tell the difference when it comes down to taste. Perfect to munch on over a game of dreidel, or after you light the candles on the menorah, these vegan Hanukkah concoctions are a real treat.
1. The Edgy Veg's Vegan Challah
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If you've ever bitten into a piece of challah, you can probably recall that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes it unlike any other bread. This is due to the enriched dough and large amount of eggs that the recipe usually calls for, but as eggs are not plant-based, you'll need a substitute. Candice of The Edgy Veg, uses aquafaba, the water in which chickpeas cook, as a fluffy egg alternative.
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Get the recipe here.
2. World of Vegan's Plant-Based Latkes
You can't have Hanukkah without latkes. These crispy potato patties are a holiday staple and this vegan version is perfect for any celebration. World of Vegan pairs these latkes with a mouthwatering plant-based caramelized onion dip comprised of vegan cream cheese, vegan sour cream, and vegan mayonnaise — and onions, of course.
Get the recipe here.
Symbolic of the Star of David, these sweet cookies are a perfect Hanukkah dessert. You'll just need to follow Ilene Godofsky Moreno's easy recipe and pick up some star-shaped cookie cutters (if you don't have some already). The ingredients include flaxseed mixed with warm water as an egg substitute and non-dairy milk.
Get the recipe here.
4. Zardyplants' Vegan Sufganiyot
"Sufganiyot" is just another way of saying "jelly donuts." These pillowy treats are eaten in Israel, typically stuffed with jelly and topped with powdered sugar. Liz of Zardyplants has managed to concoct a vegan version of the dessert with just four ingredients. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to make — it really doesn't get any easier than that.
Get the recipe here.
5. Zardyplants' Vegan Spinach Noodle Kugel
We had to include another recipe from Zardyplants, because this delicacy was just too appetizing to pass up. Noodle kugel is a Jewish casserole, traditionally served as a side dish at Jewish celebrations, comprised of noodles and dairy products. It has a slightly sweet flavor from the inclusion of fruit and cinnamon. This plant-based version includes spinach and calls for tofu and nutritional yeast instead of dairy.
Get the recipe here.
6. Athena of Rainbow Nourishment's Vegan Jam Donut Babka
Babka is a sweet, braided bread typically woven with jam, chocolate, or cinnamon, and served as dessert among Jewish communities. Athena of Rainbow Nourishment adds jam to cinnamon babka to mimic a jelly donut — yum! While the twisted pastry may seem daunting, you can recreate the babka with just a few ingredients from the store. Athena substitutes regular butter with vegan butter, dairy milk for plant-based milk, and eggs for even more vegan butter.
Get the recipe here.
7. Rylee of About to Sprout's Vegan Rugelach
Rugelach are kind of like mini babkas. The word translates to "little twists" in Yiddish. You'll find these little rolled cookies at most bakeries throughout Israel — and understandably so. The delicious dessert is just pastry dough rolled around a filling like jam or chocolate spread. Rylee of About to Sprout's version makes theirs with fig jam, raspberry jam, and homemade poppy seed filling.
Get the recipe here.