Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (2024)

A Jewish meat knish (kuh-NISH) is a baked dumpling filled with meat, potatoes, kasha, sauerkraut, onions or cheese (and lately spinach, sweet potatoes, and other ingredients), that is traditionally baked but sometimes fried. It's similar to a British pasty, Mexican empanada, Russian pirozhki, and an Italian calzone. Since this dough recipe is made with butter, cream cheese, and sour cream, and filled with beef, it would not be considered kosher.

The recipe for the filling was provided by Lloyd Weinstein of Benjie's Deli in Santa Ana, Calif. The knishes can be individually quick frozen on baking sheets and transferred to freezer bags for storage if desired.

Here is a potato knish recipe you might like to try.

“I thought I preferred potato knishes, but that was before I tasted this particular meat version. The addition of pastrami as one of the filling ingredients was absolutely brilliant. It kicked the flavor up to another level. I didn’t have access to a meat grinder, so I pulsed the ingredients in a food processor instead.” —Diana Andrews

Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (1)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Knish Dough:

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Meat Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1 1/2 poundsground beef, preferably 80/20

  • 5 ounces pastrami, coarsely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon water

Steps to Make It

Make the Knish Dough

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (2)

  2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add flour and salt and pulse to blend.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (3)

  3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.

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  4. Using floured hands, form into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (5)

Make the Meat Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

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  3. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 9 minutes.

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  4. Drain the mixture of excess fat. Add the pastrami and mix well.

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  5. Pass meat through a grinder with the small hole setting. Alternatively, pulse then process the mixture in batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until finely chopped, taking care not to over process.

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  6. Transfer meat to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Add the salt, garlic powder, and white pepper and mix to combine. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the eggs and mix well to combine.

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Assemble the Knishes

  1. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let come to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.

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  2. Meanwhile, position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

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  3. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.

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  4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Re-roll any dough scraps until all the dough is used.

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  5. Make the egg wash by combining the beaten egg with the water. Brush each square with the egg wash.

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  6. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one of the dough squares.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (17)

  7. Stretch the dough over the filling and fold the points to meet in the center, similar to an envelope, pinching the edges closed. Continue with the rest of the dough and filling. (You might not use all the filling.)

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  8. Place knishes on the prepared baking sheets and brush with the egg wash.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (19)

  9. Bake until knishes are golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays in the oven halfway through baking, about 30 minutes total.

    Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (20)

Tips

  • Serve these meat knishes with some sharp deli-style mustard, which pairs especially well with the pastrami in the filling.
  • Any leftover filling can be used in omelets and stuffed baked vegetables, stirred into a chili, or eaten in a burrito or taco. Just be sure to cook the filling thoroughly again as it contains raw eggs.

Recipe Variations

Before baking, sprinkle the tops of the knishes with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or even a little flaky salt for a subtle crunch.

  • Eastern European Food Mains
  • Main Dishes
  • Vegetable Recipes
  • Cheese Recipes
  • Hanukkah Recipes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
297Calories
20g Fat
16g Carbs
13g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22to 23
Amount per serving
Calories297
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g25%
Saturated Fat 10g50%
Cholesterol 89mg30%
Sodium 321mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 16g6%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 34mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
Potassium 187mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Dumplings
  • appetizer
  • eastern european
  • hanukkah

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Jewish Meat Knishes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is knish dough made of? ›

The dough is typically made from flour, olive oil, salt, cold seltzer water, and apple cider vinegar. Ingredients for the filling depend on what flavor you're making. Traditional knish is made with: Russet potatoes.

What is the outside of a knish made of? ›

Knishes are fist-size snacks consisting of mashed potatoes wrapped in paper-thin pastry dough and then baked or fried. Other varieties include fillings made from sweet potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cheese, or kasha, which is made from buckwheat groats.

How long do potato knishes last in the fridge? ›

*Knishes can be kept in the refrigerator for 7-10 days if left in vacuum sealed pouch. Please do not freeze knishes. Place the Kugel in it's frozen state on a flat surface/tray and allow to completely defrost (thaw).

What is a knish a deep dive into a slice of Jewish history? ›

A staple of Jewish cuisine, a knish (pronounced kuh-nish) is a hearty snack of cooked carbohydrates (usually mashed potatoes) wrapped in buttery dough. Knish were brought to the US by European immigrants in need of hearty and affordable meals in their new home.

What are the different types of knish? ›

In most traditional versions, the filling is made entirely of mashed potato, kasha (buckwheat groats), or cheese. Other varieties of fillings include beef, chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, or spinach. Knishes may be round, rectangular, or square.

What to eat with knish? ›

There's no wrong way to eat a knish, but we like ours served hot, with a side of good mustard. Enjoy one as an appetizer, midday snack, or served alongside a soup or sandwich.

Should knish be warm or cold? ›

Knish can certainly be enjoyed all on their own, but serving them with your favorite mustard, horseradish, or sauerkraut is popular and recommended. Knish are great warm, at room temperature, or even cold – they're great picnic or lunchbox food.

Do knish freeze well? ›

YOU CAN FREEZE THEM!! Individually wrap knishes in plastic wrap. Double bag them to prevent freezer burn. When ready to consume, remove frozen knish from freezer, remove plastic wrap and place on a cookie sheet.

What does knish mean in Yiddish? ›

Definitions of knish. (Yiddish) a baked or fried turnover filled with potato or meat or cheese; often eaten as a snack. type of: turnover. a dish made by folding a piece of pastry over a filling.

What is a New York knish? ›

A bomb of starchy fillings like nutty kasha groats or mashed potato with caramelized onions, wrapped in a thin sheet of dough and baked, the knish is claimed by Russians, Poles, and Ukrainians, and came to New York on the backs of Jewish immigrants.

What is fried knish? ›

A Jewish knish (kuh-NISH) is a savory single-serving pie filled with meat, potatoes, kasha, sauerkraut, onions, or cheese that is then baked or fried. This Ashkenazi snack food is similar to a British pasty, Spanish empanada, Russian pirozhki, and an Italian calzone.

What dough is strudel made from? ›

Like Phyllo Dough, this requires a little elbow grease; most strudel recipes call for store- bought phyllo or puff pastry, which both work interchangeably with this dough for any strudel recipe.

What is the difference between latke and knish? ›

LATKE (pronounced 🙃 LAT-ka) is like a Jewish hash brown. It's also called a potato pancake! 👌Served with sour cream & apple sauce. POTATO KNISH is pastry dough on the outside & 😜mashed potatoes on the inside!

What is the difference between a knish and a pierogi? ›

“You never get tired of eating them,” said Bronsther. If you've always wondered the difference between a knish and a pierogi, the pierogi is typically fried or boiled, not baked, resulting in a dumpling texture rather than a pastry shell. But the kitchen full of cooks Sunday was clearly partial to the knish.

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