18 Passover Dessert Recipes for a Sweet Finish to Seder Make room for chocolate matzo cake, coconut macaroons, flourless tortes, and fruit-topped meringues. By Molly McArdle Molly McArdle Molly McArdle is Food & Wine's Updates Editor. She has written and edited stories about food, wine, culture, place, and technology for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, GQ, Esquire, Oxford American, The Believer, Bookforum, and many more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 26, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell When it comes to dessert, the strictures of Passover, like the meter of a sonnet, are proof that cooking within set guidelines can prompt more creativity than cooking without them. But because those guidelines vary, pay close attention to the ingredient lists here. While these desserts don't include chametz (rising agents, wheat, barley, spelt, rye, or oats), the Pavlovas with Passion Fruit Curd contain cornstarch, making the recipe a no-go for those avoiding kitniyot. Many recipes use dairy, but nondairy alternatives can be easily substituted: There are many delicious options on the market for vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, and vegan ice cream. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 18 Haroset Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee This recipe for haroset (also spelled "charoset"), the fruit-and-nut condiment that symbolizes the mortar used by enslaved Jews to build Egyptian monuments, calls for a chunkier mix of Honeycrisp apple and toasted walnut pieces, flavored with sweet wine, honey, and cinnamon. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 18 Flourless Chocolate Cake Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell Emeril Lagassé's recipe for flourless chocolate cake is deeply rich and intensely chocolaty. Incredibly rich and truly decadent, this single-layer cake serves a crowd: A small slice goes a long way. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 18 Mixed Berry Crisp with Matzo Streusel Abby Hocking Salty-sweet crumbled matzo tops berries tossed in sugar and lemon juice for a sweet-tart burst of spring. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, either dairy or plant-based. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 18 Chocolate-Hazelnut Matzo Cake Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Rochelle Cooper of The Duck and the Peach in Washington, D.C., shares her family recipe for an easy and impressive no-bake dessert. This icebox cake layers espresso liqueur–soaked matzo with chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts for a Passover-friendly dessert. A nonalcoholic version can be made by substituting lightly sweetened decaf coffee in place of the liqueur. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 18 Lemon-Almond Cake with Roasted Rhubarb Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Though we like to serve this delightfully crumbly lemon-scented almond cake with roasted rhubarb, almost any kind of fresh or roasted fruit will do: strawberries, plums, even orange segments. It's also free of wheat and dairy. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 18 Vegan Chocolate-Chipotle Ice Cream Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Christine Keely This vegan ice cream is rich enough to pass for frozen chocolate ganache but also offers a smoky kick from toasted chipotle chiles. Chef and ice cream maker Fany Gerson combines both non-dairy milk (almond milk is reliably Passover-friendly) and coconut yogurt to create the creamy base. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 18 Fun and Fancy Macarons Sarah Crowder / Food Styling by Drew Aichele 2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez likes to paint her vibrant macarons with shimmering (and edible) luster dust. They can be filled with homemade dark chocolate ganache for the ambitious, or store-bought jam, dulce de leche, or apple butter if pressed for time. The macarons can be frozen in advance; fill them only when it's time to serve. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 18 Strawberry Almond Cheesecake with Matzo Crust Abby Hocking Ground matzo and almonds take the place of a traditional graham cracker crust for this silky, sweet, and tangy Passover cheesecake. Made from a blend of cream cheese and sour cream, it's topped with almond slivers and spring strawberries. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 18 Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds Julia Hartbeck Chocolatier Jacques Torres shares a recipe for super-chunky dark chocolate bark that requires just a few ingredients: dark chocolate, roasted whole almonds, and salted, roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. If you're avoiding kitniyot, replace the sunflower seeds with additional pumpkin seeds or nuts. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 18 Italian Almond Cake Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Keoshia McGhee Susan Shapiro Jaslove's light, flourless take on torta di mandorle is like the classic dessert served for Passover in Italy. Whole almonds are pulsed with matzo meal, then beaten eggs are folded in for a fluffy-textured cake with the perfect level of sweetness. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 18 Tropical Jackfruit–Ginger Ale Sorbet with Charred Pineapple Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This icy jackfruit, pineapple, and ginger ale sorbet is from chef Sam Fore of the pop-up Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites in Lexington, Kentucky. "It's important to get jackfruit in syrup, which is sweet, and not jackfruit in brine, which is savory," says Fore. Nota bene: This recipe requires an ice cream maker. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 18 Cacao Nib Meringues Justin Walker These airy meringues layer three forms of chocolate — melted bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, and crunchy cacao nibs — for an especially intense flavor. Their crisp exterior gives way to a soft, marshmallow-like center, a texture achieved by gently heating the egg whites before whipping. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 18 Quindim (Brazilian Coconut Egg Custards) Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis These intensely yellow Brazilian custards are rich and eggy on top of a chewy coconut crust. This delectable macaroon-like crust is not prepared separately. Instead, it forms after the single batter has been poured into molds to bake: The shredded coconut in the mix floats and browns while baking, then you invert the custards. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 18 Chewy, Fudgy Almond Butter and Palm Sugar Cookies Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Chewy and fudgy almond butter cookies form bits of crunch around the edges as they bake, while nuggets of melted palm sugar give chocolate chips a run for their money. The key is to work the sugar down to the right size; tiny chunks between 1/8- and 1/4-inch work best. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 18 Lemon-Maple Halvah with Pistachio and Apricot Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Cookbook author Adeena Sussman’s homemade halvah, a meltingly sweet and crumbly confection with Middle Eastern roots, is sweetened with maple syrup for complexity and notes of rich caramel. It's packed with nutty tahini, dried apricots, and fruity sumac. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 18 Pavlovas with Passion Fruit Curd Con Poulos This light, bright dessert almost looks like a sunny-side-up egg. It's appropriate, since the meringue is made from clouds of whipped egg whites. Be warned: Like many pavlova recipes, this one calls for cornstarch, which means kitniyot. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 18 Coconut Macaroons David Malosh A Passover classic, this macaroon recipe yields two-bite cookies that are both sweet and chewy. "Make whatever shape you want," baker Danny Cohen says. "There are no rules." Get the Recipe Save 18 of 18 Toffee Matzo Madeleine Hill Andrew Zimmern uses store-bought matzo as a ready-to-go base for homemade toffee in this quick and easy recipe. When done, it can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions Passover Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit