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These Sephardic Charoset Bites are not just a Passover charoset recipe. You can make and enjoy these sugar-free, vegan, and gluten-free date and nut bites all year long. Bursting with energy, this is a powerful protein snack perfect to eat after a workout or after a long, busy day when you need a pick-me-up.
You will love our delicious vegan and Kosher for Passover Sephardic charoset recipe! It is nutty, sweet, and is actually super easy to make, which is helpful. No more babysitting a pan on the stove! As a result, this recipe will become a welcome addition to your Passover Seder.
What is Charoset?
Charoset (pronounced har-o-set) is a traditional Jewish food that is eaten during the Passover Seder. It is a sweet and very tasty symbolic Passover food. The word itself means "clay" and the food represents the mortar used by the Israelites to make bricks in Egypt.
There are many different charoset recipes depending on the Jewish family's origin. Most Ashkenazi Charoset recipes are made with apples, sweet red wine, and nuts. Our charoset recipe is made with dates, raisins, nuts, and spices has Sephardic influences. You can make a Charoset recipe without wine by using grape juice instead, as we have done in this recipe.
Charoset Ingredients
- Medjool Dates: Pitted and cut in half lengthwise, if you are using smaller date, just use more.
- Grape Juice: we used it instead of sweet wine, but feel free to use wine if you prefer.
- Raisins: They add sweetness and a slight balancing tartness.
- Cinnamon. This spice is used in Moroccan charoset variations and we really liked it!
- Toasted Hazelnuts and walnuts: add texture and flavor to our charoset recipe.
- Almond Flour: Add flavor and binds all the charoset bites ingredients together.
How to Make Charoset
The charoset recipe we use every Passover comes from our great grandmother and it takes many hours cooking on the stove to be ready. If anyone is interested we can pass along the recipe as well. However, we decided to make a simplified version of our great-grandmother's recipe.
We've taken the same flavors of our traditional recipe and added some cinnamon influenced by the Moroccan charoset recipe that we tasted at our friend's house, and made charoset that is ready quickly.
Here's how the recipe comes together. First, you will soak the dates in warmed grape juice for fifteen minutes. This allows the grape flavor to soak into the dates, rehydrating them and plumping up the dates. Next, combine the dates, remaining grape juice, raisins, and cinnamon in the food processor. Pulse the resulting mixture until these classic charoset ingredients are fully pureed.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the puree with the roughly chopped hazelnuts, roughly chopped walnuts, and almond meal. Mix this really well so that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed. Add more almond flour as needed so that you can form it into balls. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
How to Serve This Charoset Recipe
In addition to eating charoset for Passover, you can also serve it with lettuce or carrots or spread it on matza as a special treat.
If you have leftover Charoset, you could cut the bites up, and use them as a sweet element in a leafy green salad with balsamic vinaigrette or a fruity vinaigrette. These soft charoset bites could also be smashed into the bottom of a pan to form a sugar-free pie.
How to Store Charoset
Keep your prepared charoset bites in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. Keep them in a container for which you have a tight lid. Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Frozen Charoset bites are a great Passover snack.
More Passover Recipes
Be sure to check out our very popular round-up of vegetarian Passover recipes: 63 Amazing Vegetarian Passover Recipes You'll Want to Make All-Year-Round. and our round-up of all Vegan Passover Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
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Sephardic Style Charoset Bites
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 25 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Sephardic Charoset)Bites - It is not just a Passover Recipe. Enjoy these Sugar-Free, vegan and Gluten-free date and nut bites all year long. A real energy booster!
Ingredients
- 10 large Medjool dates, pitted and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup grape juice, warm
- 1 cup organic raisins
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 cup almond flour
Instructions
- Combine dates and warm grape juice in a large bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes
- Combine dates (including soaking grape juice), raisins, and cinnamon in the food processor. Pulse until they're pureed
- Transfer to a bowl, add hazelnuts, walnuts, and almond meal and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Depending on the size of the dates and how soft they are you may need to add more almond flour to have the mixture come together to be able to form the Charoset balls.
- Working with 1 tablespoon of mixture at a time, gently form balls (you'll get approximately 25) and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Category: spread
- Method: raw
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 1.3
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: .6
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2.6
- Cholesterol: 0
Joanne
I love these and will definitely make them for Pesach!
Almost the same ingredients as we use for our family charoset however, I like the idea of these balls for dessert 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Joanne, so happy to hear that your family has a similar recipe. This one come from our great grandmother.
Orna
Can you substitute anything else for the almond meal?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Orna,
You could use any other nut meal or ground nuts. You could also try shredded coconut. Hope this helps!
Charlotte
I love using port instead of grape juice and adding a splash of orange flower water.
Vicky & Ruth
Loving how you adapted the recipe! Thank you for sharing Charlotte!
M
These came out very soupy for me, not really able to make them into balls. I've seen other recipes that use far less liquid and will try reducing the liquid when I make these again. I also tried adding more almond flour which helped some. They taste great! Just too thin of a mixture.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi, we are so sorry this recipe didn't work out for you. Dried fruit absorbs liquid in different way depending on freshnes. We will try to adjust the recipe.
daniella reinhard
Hello, how long will these keep? I’d like to make them for Seder this year !
Vicky and Ruth
They should keep for at least 5 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. These charoset bites can also be frozen.
marjorie hilton
Does the texture change if they are frozen?
I am trying to do ahead as much of Passover prep
as possible.
Thank you.
Vicky and Ruth
No. Once you let them defrost they will be great. They are also great forozen.