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!

Charoset in a glass bowl on a white plate with matzo.

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!

Apple Walnut Charoset in a white bowl next to matzo and red and green apples.

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!

Apple Walnut Raisin Charoset in a white bowl.

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.

Traditional Charoset Recipe in a white bowl.

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.

A hand holding a piece of matzo topped with 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.

Green apples after being pulsed in a food processor.

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.

Walnuts in a food processor before being pulsed.

Chopped walnuts after being pulsed in a food processor.

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.

Charoset Ingredients in a glass bowl with a spoon prior to being mixed.

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.

A hand dipping matzo into a bowl of charoset.

Recipe Tips

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!?

Best Charoset Recipe in a glass bowl on a white plate.

More Vegan Passover Recipes

For more inspiration, you can find all of my Passover recipes here!