Cooking for Hanukkah is a lot like cooking on the Food Network show "Iron Chef," except the secret ingredient is always oil! That miraculous oil that lasted for eight days and nights shows up all over traditional Hanukkah treats. And while that does mean that your entire house will smell like frying oil for at least a week (I recommend making the latkes at someone else's house!), watching the steaming pile of crispy potato latkes disappear off the plate makes it all worthwhile.

Hanukkah is a great holiday to experiment with new recipes because other than latkes and jelly doughnuts, there aren't many other "traditional" dishes. For menu ideas, click on our Menu Planners below. Or check out all our Hanukkah recipes under the Jewish Holidays category. But for just the basics, take a look at these classic staples:

Latkes and Applesauce Bring on the latkes! If you're a first time latke-maker, there's only one thing you really need to know: make sure the oil is hot enough. Otherwise, they just get soggy and drenched in oil. If you have a food processor, use it. Don't get caught up in all the "but when my great-great-grandmother made them, she didn't have a food processor." Just work in batches and make it a family event. Give kids small jobs like laying out butcher paper and mixing. Potato Latkes Sweet Potato Latkes  Apple Latkes Potato Latkes Authentic Potato Pancakes Grandma's Potato Latkes with Ginger-Apple-Pear Compote Hanukkah Latkes Chunky Apple-Cranberry Sauce Granny Smith Applesauce Mrs. Perry's Crockpot Applesauce Simple Quick Batch Applesauce Strawberry Applesauce Sufganiyot and Other Desserts Keeping with the theme of oil for the menu, traditionally sufganiyot are fried in oil. Delicious as they may be, don't feel guilty if you just can't face them. There are plenty of other festive desserts that you can make (that don't involved hot oil). Looking for a project for little kids? Use our basic Sugar Cookie recipe to make dreidel- and menorah-shaped cookies. Add food coloring to make them blue or shake blue and white sprinkles on top! Sufganiyot Chocolate Buchteln (Baked Filled Doughnuts)  Hanukkah Candlelight Cookie Bars Hanukkah Ginger Torte Sugar Cookies 

Menu Planners

Every family has their own traditions for the Festival of Lights, especially when it comes to food. Sure, you'll have latkes, but beyond that – anything goes. If you're really stumped or just looking for something new, try out one of our Handy Hanukkah Meal Planner options: Traditional, Nutritional or Original.