Passover dessert recipes that go beyond chocolate covered matzo and macaroons! If you keep kosher for Passover, here are a handful of my favorite gluten-free passover dessert recipes, all free of wheat and leavening for Pesach including my GF Chocolate Tahini Tart, pictured below. You'll find cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, puddings and more!
Passover or Pesach celebrates the emancipation of the Jewish people from slavery. During the 8 days of Passover, Jews abstain from eating glutinous grains and yeasted baked goods to honor the time that our ancestors spent traversing the desert without time to stop and leaven bread. Instead, they combined flour and water into a crisp, unleavened flatbread called matzo or matzah, which is traditionally eaten during Passover in lieu of other bread products.
Despite the ban on flour and yeast, there are plenty of Passover desserts to be enjoyed during this holiday besides chocolate covered matzo and coconut macaroons. I've compiled some favorite gluten-free passover dessert recipes from TBG archives here. There are nutty cakes, creamy custards and puddings, chocolatey treats, and raw/vegan/paleo pies and tarts.
Whether you celebrate Passover or not, I hope you'll enjoy these gluten-free Passover dessert recipes!
And if you're looking for a grain-free matzo-like substance, try these rustic cassava flour crackers, a reader favorite here at TBG.
Which flours and ingredients are kosher for passover?
My family isn't particularly religious, so I learned a lot while researching this post! Namely that there is a quite a bit of gray area when it comes to deciding which foods are kosher for Passover.
Yeasted gluten-full grains, known as chametz, chamotz, or hametz, are clearly to be avoided. Some Jews clean their homes from top to bottom to remove every crumb, giving away or burning (!) any lingering bread products.
Some groups, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, also avoid kitinyot, or "little things" such as rice, corn, beans, and legumes that look similar to the forbidden grains. Sephardic Jews don't traditionally abstain from these ingredients.
Then there are chemical leavenings like baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar. My mom feels strongly that these are not kosher for Passover, since the "spirit of the law" is to avoid leavened baked goods and these chemical leavenings are a kind of newfangled loophole. But a New York Times article entitled "It's Passover - Lighten up!" says that these *are* kosher for Passover, as long as you source certified kosher brands. The rabbi interviewed said, "They're just minerals. What do we care about minerals?"
Many traditional passover dessert recipes call for matzo meal in place of wheat flour, but other gluten-free and grain-free flours are kosher too.
Not kosher for Passover:
- wheat and other wheat-hybrid grains
- barley
- rye
- spelt
- kamut
- oats
- leavening (yeast and sourdough)
- beer and spirits made from these grains
Kosher for Passover:
- millet
- teff flour (brown or ivory)
- buckwheat
- amaranth
- quinoa
- coconut
- almond flour / meal
- hazelnut flour / meal
- chestnut flour
- mesquite flour
- matzo meal
- wine and non-grain spirits such as rum, tequila, and brandy
- non-grain fermented foods such as cheese and yogurt
It's complicated (some Jews include these in their Passover victuals while others abstain):
- rice (grain, flour, and rice bran oil)
- corn (including cornstarch in ingredients such as baking powder and powdered sugar)
- chickpeas, lentils, and other legumes and their flours
- peanuts and peanut oil
- dairy (kosher if the rest of the meal is vegetarian or pescatarian)
- chemical leavening such as baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar (technically kosher as far as I can tell, but some folks abstain from these)
I've included recipes that use the above "gray area" ingredients, so if you prefer to abstain from these, feel free to swap ingredients, or ask me about substitution suggestions in the comments, or via DM or email.
Cakes & Quickbreads
7-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Almond Flour Chocolate Cake with Olive Oil
Chocolate Pistachio Torte
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake with Lemon & Almond Flour
Chocolate-Crusted Chèvre Cheesecake
Buckwheat Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
Vegan Paleo Zucchini Bread with Cassava Flour
Super-Moist Paleo Carrot Cake with Almond Flour (Dairy-Free)
Pies, Tarts & Fruit Desserts
See this page for more pies, tarts, and galettes.
Gluten-Free Tart Crust with Almond Flour
GF Vegan Chocolate Tahini Tart
Gluten-Free Lemon Tart with Almond Flour Crust
Flaky Paleo Pie Crust with Cassava Flour
Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes in Flaky Gluten-Free Pastry
30-Minute Poached Pears (Wine or Tea)
Gluten-Free Apple Tarte Tatin
Vegan No-Bake Key Lime Pie
No-Bake Chocolate Tart
No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Slice
No-Bake Lemon Cream Tart
See more Healthy No-Bake Desserts here!
Paleo Apple Crisp with Almond Flour Crumble
Lacy Paleo Crepes with Almond Flour
Custards, Puddings, and Spoonable Sweets
Tahini Chocolate Pudding
20-Minute Silky Stovetop Chocolate Pudding
15-Minute Creamy Stovetop Pumpkin Pudding
Stovetop Pots De Crème with Olive Oil and Flaky Salt
Eton Mess with Poppy Seed Almond Meringues
Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis with Almond Flour
Cookies & Bars
Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons with Brown Butter
Magical Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo & Vegan)
Gluten-Free Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust
Fudgy Teff Flour Brownies + Tahini Frosting
See this post for more gluten-free dessert recipes!
Chocolate & Frozen Treats
Coffee Halva Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Vegan Truffles
Salted Tahini Hot Fudge Sauce {vegan}
Wishing everyone a Happy Passover, Gut Yontif, and Chag Sameach!
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make one of these passover dessert recipes, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Passover Dessert Idea: Chocolate Tahini Tart (GF & Vegan)
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Crust:
- ½ cup (80 g) Bob’s Red Mill sweet white rice flour (or cassava flour)
- ½ cup (60 g) Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
- ½ cup (45 g) cocoa powder (preferably dutch-process)
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour)
- ¼ cup (50 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold vegan butter (such as Miyoko’s), diced into 1⁄2” cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces (55 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
Filling:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65% cacao mass), roughly chopped
- ½ cup (130 g) tahini
- 3 tablespoons (58 g) maple syrup (more or less according to how sweet your chocolate is)
- 1 cup (222 g) well-shaken full-fat coconut milk
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Caramel Sauce:
- Remaining coconut milk from above (¾ cup / 175 ml)
- ¼ cup (35 g) coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Big pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Whipped Coconut Cream:
- 1 (400 ml) can coconut cream, chilled overnight
- ¼ cup (35) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Flaky salt and chopped chocolate, for sprinkling
Instructions
Crust:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Spray a loose-bottom, 9-inch round tart pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet rice and almond flours with the cocoa powder, tapioca starch, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and drizzle with the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to medium-low and run until the dough comes together in clumps and the butter is worked through, 3–5 minutes. (It will seem as though the dough won’t come together, but don’t worry – it will!)
- Dump about half of the crumbs into the prepared pan and press evenly into the sides of the pan. Add the remaining crumbs and press evenly into the bottom – it usually takes me about 10 minutes to make it look pretty.
- Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and, while it’s still hot, press the sides and bottom with the back of a spoon. This will help it hold together when cool. While the crust is still hot, scatter the chocolate in the bottom and let sit a few moments to melt. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the chocolate over the bottom and sides of the crust. Let cool completely.
Filling:
- Place the chocolate and tahini in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the maple, coconut milk, and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to just below a simmer. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and tahini. Stir until melted and smooth. You can either pour the warm filling directly into the baked tart shell. Or chill the filling for about 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until cool enough to hold a shape, then spread evenly into the baked tart shell. Chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Caramel:
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining coconut milk and coconut sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and darkened in color, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan butter, tahini, salt, and vanilla. Use warm or chill until needed; rewarm to serve.
Whipped Coconut Cream:
- Remove the chilled can from the refrigerator. Open the can from the bottom and pour off all the watery liquid that should had separated. Scoop out the solidified cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed until fluffy and thick, 1-2 minutes. Chill if not using right away.
Finish:
- Remove the sides from the tart pan and use a small, offset spatula to release the tart from the bottom of the pan. Place on a serving platter or cutting board. Swirl the whipped coconut cream over the top of the tart and drizzle and swirl with some of the caramel. Top with chopped chocolate and flaky salt, passing more caramel sauce at the table.
- Extra tart will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The crust can be frozen airtight (baked or unbaked) for up to 1 month.
- The crust with filling keeps well, refrigerated airtight, for 1-2 days.
- The caramel can be made up to 1 week in advance, refrigerated airtight.
- The whipped coconut cream can be made 1 day in advance, refrigerated airtight.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi there,
I detailed at the top of the post that some ingredients are considered kosher and others not depending on which rules are followed. It really seems to depend on the individual, outside of the obvious no-no ingredients (wheat & glutenous grain flours and yeast).
Happy to help suggest substitutions in specific recipes if it would be helpful!
-A