Peach Kugel

peach kugel

This Passover peach kugel is my mom’s specialty. I remember the first year she made it, everyone raved about it and has demanded it since. It is sweet and delicious, and its large peach slices make it a colorful alternative to the more ubiquitous (but equally as delicious) potato kugel. Until making the peach kugel myself, I always thought it had noodles in it. Nope- all matzah! The matzah is softened and combined with many eggs, so when it bakes, it takes on a very noodley consistency.

peach kugel

To make it, preheat your oven to 350º F. Crush up a 1 pound box of matzah into 1/2 inch pieces, and add them to a very large bowl. Alternatively, you can use 1 pound of matzah farfel, which I believe is pre-crushed 1/2 inch pieces of matzah. Fill the bowl of matzah with hot water, and let the matzah sit for about 5 minutes until it is softened. Then, strain the matzah, pushing down on it slightly to get rid of the water. Return the matzah to the bowl.

peach kugel

While the matzah soaks, melt 3 sticks of margarine (3/4 pound), and let it cool. Crack 7 eggs into a separate, medium-sized bowl. Add the cooled margarine to the eggs, and whisk them together. Pour them into the bowl of matzah, and stir. Then, to the medium bowl, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Open 3 cans (16 ounces each) of sliced peaches (the kind in juice, not syrup), and strain the peach juice into the bowl, keeping the peach slices aside. Whisk the peach and sugar mixture, and then stir it into the matzah.

peach kugel

Grease a 3 quart baking dish. Pour half of the matzah mixture into the dish, and spread it evenly. Place half of the peach slices atop the matzah. Then, pour on the second half of the matzah mixture, and layer on the second half of the peaches, pushing them down slightly so they are flush with the matzah.

peach kugel

Sprinkle the top of the kugel with cinnamon (approximately 2 tablespoons) and sugar (approximately 1/4 cup). Bake it, uncovered, for 1 hour until the matzah is set and the sugar on top has formed a nice crust. Let me know if this kugel reminds you of noodles too. And enjoy!

Shopping list:

  • Matzah (or matzah farfel)- 1 pound
  • Peach slices in 100% juice- 3 16 ounce cans
  • Eggs- 7
  • Margarine- 3/4 pound
  • Sugar- 1 1/4 cups
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Salt- 3/4 teaspoon
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Comments

Peach Kugel — 7 Comments

  1. Thank you for this! It looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it. Since I’m alone, it’s been kinda hard to celebrate Passover. This will definitely help!

    • Passover recipes tend to eliminate dairy (butter) so that you can serve the kugel with meat and keep Kosher. Butter and margarine have fairly different consistencies, so I might use a mix of butter and vegetable oil rather than swapping in butter completely. If you try the substitution, let us know how it turns out!

  2. Be aware, that the recipe as written does not work. It makes a ridiculous amount of very liquidy batter which after cooking for 2 hours (finally increased oven temp to 400°) was still runny, mainly in the middle. I finally gave up and took the kugel out. It weighed a ton. I tasted the cooked outer part of the kugel and it wasn’t that good. The peaches tasted slimy and weird embedded in the kugel. I decided to toss it.
    If I tried this type of recipe again, I would cut the ingredients in half, use grapeseed oil in place of the margarine and chop the peaches into the kugel and add some raisins. I would also replace some of the sugar with honey and add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.

  3. I made this kugel for the first time for Passover. I used butter and really drained the water out of the matzah farfel. I made a half recipe, using four eggs in a 8×8 pan. It was perfect after cooking one hour, but the recipe I used called for 400 degrees. Everyone loved it!

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