This easy charoset recipe will elevate your Passover seder to another level! Featuring apples, walnuts and raisins along with your choice of dried cherries or dates, this sweet spread is sure to be a huge hit for Passover dinner. Chag sameach!

Why is this charoset different from all the others? This easy recipe has all of the traditional elements of Passover charoset, but with a couple minor adjustments. My kids love it because it is sweet and tastes like an apple cinnamon raisin salsa. They eat it by the spoonful or use pieces of matzo to coop it up!
This recipe swaps maple syrup for brown sugar to make it refined sugar-free, and the addition of dried raisins and cherries (or dates) gives it more texture and flavor. It also uses different types of apples to add some more color to the seder table!
This is my mom's recipe. I love spending time in the kitchen with my mom and making and sharing her recipes. She's a fantastic home chef, and a huge part of my love for food comes from her.
Recipes like this one make me feel connected to my heritage, and it's so cool to see my kids connect with them as well. This is one of those dishes that I hope they someday make for their own families. That's one of my favorite things about cooking, especially around the holidays!
What is Charoset?
Charoset (also called haroset!) is a traditional Seder plate food served on Passover, one of the biggest Jewish holidays of the year. It resembles the mortar and brick used by the Jews who were enslaved by King Pharaoh in ancient Egypt.
It's served a bit like relish and used for dipping foods into. Charoset is made sweet with apples or pears, walnuts, a touch of cinnamon and sweet wine! I add in raisins (or currants) and dried cherries or dates for my own spin on this special traditional dish.
How to Eat Apple Walnut Charoset
Since it's such a sweet dish, you can eat charoset plain with a spoon if you want...my kids love it that way! They also dip their matzo crackers in it, which I personally love as well.
It’s traditionally eaten in combination with bitter herbs as a reminder of the bitterness of the Jews' experience as enslaved Israelites. The bitterness of the herbs is reduced when dipped in the sweet charoset.
Ingredients
This recipe is made using the following simple ingredients. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
- Apples - use any type of apple you wish. I like using a combination of green apples (Granny Smith) and red apples (Honeycrisp). The apples will be cored and chopped.
- Walnuts - I use raw, unsalted walnuts. For best flavor and crunch, lightly toast them! You can substitute unsweetened shredded coconut if nut-free.
- Raisins (or currants) - any type is fine, such as black, green or golden raisins.
- Dried cherries or pitted Medjool dates (optional) - for added sweetness.
- Sweet wine (or 100% grape juice if alcohol-free) - I use blackberry Manischewitz wine but any sweet red wine will do.
- Maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground allspice
- Pinch of fine salt
How to Make Charoset
I often prepare it in the food processor, which makes a much finer charoset! You can also chop it by hand for a more textured and rustic look. Some families like to turn it into a paste and process it even more. There's no wrong way to make charoset, and it all comes down to your personal preference!
In the food processor, I add ingredients one at a time starting with apples and give each one a few pulses.
1. Dice the apples. Add the green chopped apples to a 7-cup food processor. Pulse about ten times until apples are diced and no large chunks remain. Empty the diced green apples into a large mixing bowl. Repeat this process with the red apples.
2. Chop the walnuts. Add toasted walnuts to the food processor and pulse 5-7 times until roughly chopped and no large chunks remain. Add chopped walnuts to the large bowl with the apples.
3. Chop the raisins and cherries/dates. Add raisins to the food processor and process for a couple of seconds to break the raisins up into smaller bits. Add to the mixing bowl with the apples and walnuts. If using dried cherries or dates repeat this process.
4. Stir everything together in the mixing bowl. Add the wine (or juice), maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Mix again until everything is well incorporated.
5. Serve! Serve with matzo or store covered in the refrigerator or at room temperature until ready to serve. It is best when served 1-2 hours after preparing to allow the flavors to marinate/marry together! I recommend tasting after combined for at least one hour before adjusting the seasonings/flavors/ingredients. My mom always stirs in a splash of wine just before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Pulse each ingredient separately! It is important to pulse each ingredient separately or it will become mushy. Also, each ingredient needs it's own amount of pulsing. You can hand chop/dice the ingredients but this will take a lot longer. We also prefer the texture of finely diced ingredients (a bit "mushier" and less chunky in texture). With the food processor it is not only efficient but you can easily control the texture after each pulse.
- Use fruits you like. Dried cherries or dates are not traditional but a fun spin on the basic recipe. You can also substitute pears for some of the apples for an added twist.
- Choose any wine you wish. My mom loves blackberry-flavored Manischewitz. Don't worry - there is no strong wine flavor here!
- Toast the walnuts (optional). My mom does not toast the walnuts but I like to give them a quick toast in the oven for about 10 minutes to enhance the flavor and add more crunch.
What to Do with Leftover Apple Walnut Charoset
This is the perfect dish to make in advance since it tastes best when the flavors have been allowed to marinate for a bit, so leftovers are yummy! Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
There are more ways to enjoy this nut mixture after the Passover meal is over! Some suggestions are:
- Use as a filling in hand pies or even homemade vegan pop tarts
- Add a crumble topping to turn it into "charoset crispy"
- Stir it into overnight oats or add it to vanilla yogurt (my kids love this!)
- Simply enjoy as a snack on its own!
The sky is the limit when it comes to tart and sweet apples mixed with toasted walnuts, dried fruit and cinnamon, right!?
More Vegan Passover Recipes
- Sweet and Spiced Roasted Chickpeas
- Extra Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes with Lemon Herb Sauce
- Easy Maple Glazed Sauteed Carrots
- Healthy Maple Candied Pecans
- Cauliflower Steak Marbella with Roasted Chickpeas
- Moroccan Chickpeas
- Herb Roasted Root Vegetables
- Vegan & Paleo Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies (grain-free)
- Vegan Matzo Crack for Passover
- Vegan Coconut Macaroons
For more inspiration, you can find all of my Passover recipes here!

Nana's Famous Apple-Walnut Charoset for Passover
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy charoset recipe will elevate your Passover seder to another level! Featuring apples, walnuts and raisins along with your choice of dried cherries or dates, this sweet spread is sure to be a huge hit for Passover dinner. Chag sameach!
Ingredients
- 2 large green apples, cored, skin on, chopped (or 3 small green apples)
- 2 large sweet red apples, cored, skin on, chopped (or 3 small red sweet apples)
- 1 cup raw unsalted walnuts, raw or lightly toasted (sub unsweetened shredded coconut if nut-free)
- 1 cup raisins (or currants)
- ¼ cup unsweetened dried cherries or pitted Medjool dates (optional)
- ¼ cup blackberry Manischewitz wine or any sweet red wine (or 100% grape juice for alcohol-free)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or more to taste)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- pinch of fine salt
Serve with matzo
Instructions
- Pulse the apples. Add the green chopped apples to a 7-cup food processor. Pulse about ten times until apples are diced and no large chunks remain. Empty the diced green apples into a large mixing bowl. Repeat this process with the red apples.
- Pulse the walnuts. Add toasted walnuts to the food processor and pulse 5-7 times until roughly chopped and no large chunks remain. Add chopped walnuts to the large mixing bowl with the apples.
- Pulse the raisins. Add raisins to the food processor and process for a couple of seconds to break the raisins up into smaller bits. Add to the mixing bowl with the other apples and walnuts. If using dried cherries or dates repeat this process.
- Stir everything together in the mixing bowl. Add the wine (or juice), maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Mix again until everything is well incorporated.
- Serve! Serve with matzo or store covered in the refrigerator or at room temperature until ready to serve. It is best when served 1-2 hours after preparing to allow the flavors to marinate/marry together! I recommend tasting after combined for at least one hour before adjusting the seasonings/flavors/ingredients. My mom always stirs in a splash of wine just before serving.
Equipment
Notes
It is important to pulse each ingredient separately or it will become mushy. Also, each ingredient needs it's own amount of pulsing (plus it is difficult to fit all the ingredients in the food processor at once). You can hand chop/dice the ingredients but this will take a lot longer. We also prefer the texture of finely diced ingredients (a bit "mushier" and less chunky in texture). With the food processor it is not only efficient but you can easily control the texture after each pulse.
Dried cherries or dates are not traditional but a fun spin on classic charoset. You can also substitute pears for some of the apples!
My mom swears my blackberry flavored Manischewitz wine.
My mom does not toast the walnuts but I like to give them a quick toast in the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15
- Method: Food Processor
Lisa Levitt says
Love this Charoset recipe. Can’t stop eating it.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you SO much! So happy you love it! Happy Passover!
Austin says
Awesome! Its genuinely amazing piece of writing,
I have goot much clear idea regarding from
this piece of writing.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you!
Becki Gunthrop says
Greatly appreciated this post! It's full of insightful information and presented in an captivating way. Eagerly awaiting more content like this. Fantastic job!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Becki! Definitely check out my Hanukkah section too since that is coming up: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/recipes/?fwp_occasions=hanukkah
Kechi says
Such a hearty delicious passover recipe. I like all the ingredients individually and I can not wait to give this a try! YUM!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Kechi! I hope you enjoy!