Date and Honey Kugel

By Carolina Gelen

Published Sept. 30, 2024

Date and Honey Kugel
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
4(102)
Comments
Read comments

Sweetened with dates and honey, this caramel-scented noodle kugel will be the perfect addition to your Rosh Hashana menu. While many noodle kugels are typically made with sour cream and cottage cheese, this one uses cream cheese and milk in the custard for a creamy and rich result that can easily be made pareve, meaning it uses no meat or dairy products (see Tip).  Toss the chewy noodles with the spiced date and honey custard and jammy chopped dates. Bake until the custard is just set and the noodles develop crispy edges. Serve cold, with a hefty drizzle of honey on top.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (8-inch-round) kugel (about 8 servings)
  • 20pitted Medjool dates (about 15 ounces)
  • Salt
  • 12ounces wide egg noodles
  • 8tablespoons butter (dairy or nondairy; see Tip), cut into 1-tablespoon slices, plus more for greasing
  • Scant ½ cup/140 grams honey, plus more for topping
  • 8ounces cream cheese (dairy or nondairy; see Tip)
  • ½cup/120 grams milk (or oat milk; see Tip)
  • 3large eggs
  • ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

597 calories; 26 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 50 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 446 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  2. Step 2

    Add 14 pitted dates to a small bowl. Chop the remaining 6 dates and reserve for later. Pour about 1 cup of the boiling water over the 14 dates in the small bowl to cover them. Season the rest of the water in the pot with a big pinch of salt. Add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions.

  3. Step 3

    Drain the noodles and cool in a colander. Rinse the pot you cooked the noodles in with cold water to cool.

  4. Step 4

    Add 6 tablespoons butter to a blender, along with the honey, cream cheese, milk, eggs, cinnamon and cardamom. Drain the soaked dates and add them to the blender; blend until smooth. Add the all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt and blend again until smooth.

  5. Step 5

    Add the warm noodles and the reserved chopped dates to the cooled cooking pot. Pour the date honey batter on top and mix using a silicone spatula to evenly coat the noodles in batter.

  6. Step 6

    Lightly grease a deep, 8-inch round pan with butter. Add a little bit of flour and shake the pan so most of the butter gets coated in flour. Discard any excess flour from the pan, setting it upside down and tapping gently against your hand over a sink.

  7. Step 7

    Add the noodle mixture and bake for about 35 minutes, until the batter is cooked through and has a golden color. Gently tap the center of the kugel to check doneness; it should be a little springy, without any visible liquid.

  8. Step 8

    Remove the pan from the oven and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, brushing them over the surface of the kugel as they melt. Then drizzle about 1 tablespoon of honey on top. Turn the broiler on and broil the kugel for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles on top are crispy with a few brown edges. The honey can burn quickly, so keep an eye on the kugel to make sure it’s not charring.

  9. Step 9

    Cool completely, in the fridge for a firm, chewy texture, or at room temperature for a creamier, softer texture. Top with more honey and slice to serve.

Tip
  • To make the kugel pareve (without dairy, meat or their derivatives), substitute cream cheese, butter and milk with non-dairy alternatives.

Ratings

4 out of 5
102 user ratings
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Comments

Faye

This looks great but wouldn't it be easier to remove after baking if made in a springform pan?

Marcie M.

@Faye. Was thinking the same. But, if using a springform, suggest wrapping sides to base in foil, lest the custard leaks. Just sayin’…

BJ

I have eaten and baked my mother's noodle kugel for over 7 decades. Raisins instead of dates, cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. A 9" deep pie dish works well. Skip the springform pan because it will likely leak. For fancy serving, just cut and place on a plate, though we serve it warm from the pan.You can use sugar rather than honey. I cut sugar to 1/2 cup and still find it too sweet.

Cyrus

Please quantify the amount of each ingredient to add during the instructions portion of the recipe. It eliminated unnecessary scrolling to look at the quantities from the ingredients.

handan

Is there any substitute for eggs? I am not using egg noodle, so it could be almost vegan - just eggs.

Lisa

Can this be prepared a day in advance and baked the next day?

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