Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 12, 2024 to reflect new offerings for Passover 2024.
(New York Jewish Week) — If you are preparing a Passover seder, you know the drill: roast the shankbone, burn the egg, chop the charoset, prepare the salt water, rinse the bitter herbs. All that, and we haven’t even started on the brisket, the matzah ball soup and the side dishes (which, in my household, always include roast beets, cucumber salad and coleslaw).
By the time your weary arms and legs have trudged to the final course — dessert — you may be ready to call it a day. So why not take a load off and buy a delicious Passover dessert instead of making one yourself? Plus, let’s face it: Dessert is an easy item for guests to bring to a seder — your friends or family members will feel like they contributed something, and they did!
But here’s the rub: Many Jewish bakeries close down for Passover. “Too much to clean,” explained Elan Kornblum of Great Kosher Restaurants Media Group.
But fear not — in this great city of ours, which is home to some 1.5 million Jews, we are never out of options. Firstly, there’s a wide and creative selection of gluten-free and flourless cakes that can be found at bakeries across the city, both Jewish and not, like Magnolia Bakery’s delectable flourless chocolate cake.
Such treats, however — even if they contain no hametz, or leavened ingredients — are usually not certified kosher for Passover, because if you think it is hard to clean your own kitchen of all leavened products, imagine the yeoman’s task it would take to clean and/or replace all items in a commercial bakery.
But even if you are strictly observant, all is not lost. Delicious and certified kosher for Passover desserts are available all across town, particularly at kosher food markets. Some of these specialty shops bake their own treats, others source their desserts from wholesale companies — either way, there’s no shortage of tasty options. Thanks to the increased use of nut and coconut flours, kosher for Passover desserts are no longer limited to tinned macaroons or sawdust-adjacent sponge cake — options today range from lemon meringue pie to apple macaroon cake and more.
Whether you’re hosting a Passover seder this year or attending one as a guest, here are nine of our favorite spots to buy kosher for Passover desserts. Liberation never tasted so sweet!
1. Breadberry
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Breadberry is an online shop as well as a brick and mortar store in Borough Park at 1689 60th St. that can satisfy all of your Passover needs, from the savory to the sweet. You can pick up or have delivered (for a fee) a chocolate mousse cake ($19.99), tiramisu ($5.99), a lemon raspberry jelly roll cake ($15.99). There are K for P cheese cakes ($26.49) and carrot muffins ($5.59 each). As a bonus, they have kosher for Passover pita; buy a two-pound bag $18.99. Kosher.
2. Breads Bakery
Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and Union Square
Breads Bakery’s selection of Passover pastries sound almost too good to be true — especially for a holiday that’s not typically known for delicious desserts. This year, the popular Israeli-style bakery has a flourless coconut cake studded with chocolate ($16.95); a choice of coconut, raspberry and almond macaroons (10 for $11.95) as well as a flourless cheesecake ($46) that serves six to eight people. Don’t miss their flourless brownies; chocolate, yuzu, and hazelnut layered cake; or their fresh fruit tart, enriched with almond and pastry cream. If you’d like some assistance with other courses of the holiday meal, you can also purchase a vegan matzah ball soup, haroset made of dates, walnuts, apples and wine, and different types of matzah brei. Not certified kosher.
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3. Eli’s Market
Multiple locations in Midtown and the Upper East Side
At this popular New York mini-chain, run by Eli Zabar of the famous Zabar’s family, choose from a long list of sweet and flourless treats, including a “mile-high” lemon meringue cake that serves 14 to 16 ($150) and a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate ganache ($35). You can pick up poached pears or baked apples, too ($10 each). At the Eli’s Market at 1411 Third Ave. on the Upper East Side in particular, you can pick up a pint of their special Passover ice cream, which they will begin carrying the week of April 15. This year, they’ll have two flavors, both with a vanilla base: chocolate coconut macaroon and chocolate covered matzah ($20 per pint). Not certified kosher.
4. The Kosher Marketplace
Upper West Side
You can find the to-be-expected selection of boxed macaroons, jelly rolls and brownies at KMP (2442 Broadway), as well as sugar-free kosher for Passover marble and sponge cakes. But this isn’t your typical Manischewitz fare — not that there’s anything wrong with those! The Kosher Marketplace’s desserts come from Zemer Bakery; prices range from $19.99 for a 10-ounce box of black and white cookies to $39.99 for a seven-inch mocha apricot cake. The market is also selling their house-made double chocolate mousse ($16.99 for 12 ounces). Kosher.
5. Michaeli Bakery
Lower East Side and Upper East Side
At this Israeli-style bakery, baker/owner Adir Michael is preparing luscious takes on the usual Passover treats. On offer are coconut or peanut macaroons, chocolate-covered matzah, Passover eggs (a flourless dough filled with nutella), and an array of gluten-free cakes like black forest, chocolate layer, coconut mango and nutty coffee cake. Prices range from $15 to $35 — all of the Passover baked goods are dairy, except for the macaroons. The bakery is certified kosher but not for Passover.
6. Modern Bread and Bagel
Upper West Side and Union Square
To view this gluten-free and kosher bakery’s Passover menu online, head to their web site and enter a date between April 21-30 — then you are good to order from a selection of gluten-free baked goods that are kosher for Passover. Options include a carrot cake loaf ($35) or six chocolate chip cookies ($29). In a fun twist, they’re also offering a kosher for Passover pizza crust (made from cassava flour, parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheese; 4 crusts for $32) that you can top yourself. Order in advance for shipping or pickup. Kosher.
7. Park East Kosher
Upper East Side
This Upper East Side kosher butcher has its own craft bakery, and their bakers are preparing a wide selection of cakes, pies and cookies for Passover this year — including apple, blueberry and cherry lattice pies ($39.98), rainbow cookies ($19.98 for 10 ounces) and a seven-inch strawberry shortcake for $39.98.There are sugar-free selections, too, and they even have Passover hamburger and hot dog buns. If you’re feeling ambitious and want to bake your own dessert, you can also pick up coconut flour, almond flour, quinoa flour and kosher for Passover cake meal from their store at 1733 First Ave. or online. Kosher.
8. Pomegranate Supermarket
Midwood, Brooklyn
If you can’t go to Israel this Passover, a trip to Pomegranate (1507 Coney Island Ave.) may be the next best thing. Here, in addition to fresh meat, fish and prepared foods, you can buy kosher for Passover cakes from just about everywhere, including World Of Chantilly chocolate roll with white cream ($21.99), Oberlander sprinkle cookies (12 for $18.99), Schick’s caramel seven layer cake ($17.49), Geffen and Manischewitz marble cake mix ($7.39) or Streit’s coffee cake mix ($8.59), plus all the ingredients you need if you want to bake your own Passover desserts. Their selection of macaroons is awesome: there’s red velvet, honey almond, rocky road and more. You can place the order online and pick it up at the store. Kosher.
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9. William Greenberg
Upper East Side
Uptown bakery William Greenberg (1100 Madison Ave.) has a relatively extensive menu of Passover desserts. (Take note: While their offerings consist of only kosher for Passover ingredients, the bakery doesn’t change its baking pans for the holiday, so they are not kosher certified.) Their selection of Passover desserts includes flourless black & white cookies ($54.00 for a gift box of 18 mini cookies), flourless brownies ($48 for 12) — with or without pecans — or a Special Walnut Torte ($36 for a 6-inch cake, $58 for an 8-inch version), made with freshly whipped cream and walnut-studded sponge cake.
New! Bonus Passover desserts for 2024:
Glace
Upper East Side
Glace, the gluten-free ice cream shop at 1266 Madison Ave. opened by Sasha Zabar, the son of Eli Zabar, has a seven-and-a-half-inch coconut macaroon s’mores ice cream cake for Passover ($75). Layers of vanilla and chocolate ice cream are covered with pieces of chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, which sit on a large coconut macaroon base and are then covered in toasted marshmallow. Not certified kosher.
La NewYorkina
Red Hook, Brooklyn
For Passover this year, Mexican-Jewish Chef Fany Gerson is selling a special Passover chocolate covered matzah box ($65). The Mexican-inspired collection consists of caramelized chocolate-covered matzah dusted with Mexican chocolate and a “little taste of sea salt;” a white chocolate flavor topped with freeze-dried raspberries and hibiscus powder; a mix of milk and dark chocolate topped with homemade sprinkles and a bright passionfruit white chocolate. In addition to scheduling pickup or delivery from their storefront at 61 Commerce St., the box is also available for pickup at the La NewYorkina stand at Market 57 at Pier 57 (25 Eleventh Ave.). Not certified kosher.
