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

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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:

Steps to Make It

Make the Knish Dough

Gather the ingredients.
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.
Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
Using floured hands, form into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Make the Meat Filling

Gather the ingredients.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
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.
Drain the mixture of excess fat. Add the pastrami and mix well.
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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.
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.

Assemble the Knishes

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.
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.
Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Re-roll any dough scraps until all the dough is used.
Make the egg wash by combining the beaten egg with the water. Brush each square with the egg wash.
Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one of the dough squares.
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.)
Place knishes on the prepared baking sheets and brush with the egg wash.
Bake until knishes are golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays in the oven halfway through baking, about 30 minutes total.

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.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
297	Calories
20g	Fat
16g	Carbs
13g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22to 23
Amount per serving
Calories	297
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g	25%
Saturated Fat 10g	50%
Cholesterol 89mg	30%
Sodium 321mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 16g	6%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg	2%
Calcium 34mg	3%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 187mg	4%
*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.)

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FAQs

What is knish dough made of? ›

The dough doesn't need to rest, so making the knishes will happen pretty quickly. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, oil and warm water. Stir until the dough comes together, and knead it briefly with your hands.

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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).

Can you freeze knishes? ›

Storage: Knishes can be stored in the refrigerator out of the protective package for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 year. If freezing, store knishes in the freezer upon arrival.

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What's the best way to reheat a knish? ›

Reheating Instructions:

Microwave: Place knish on microwave safe plate, and heat on high for 15 seconds or to desired temperature. Conventional oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place knish on oven safe baking sheet and heat at 375 degrees for 5 minutes or to desired temperature.

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What is a Yiddish knish? ›

Knish is a Yiddish word with a Russian root, knysh, "cake" or "dumpling." These petite snacks are either baked or fried, and can be round or square, with fillings that sometimes include cheese or kasha in addition to potatoes.

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What is the triangle Jewish food? ›

Hamantaschen's distinct triangular shape (as opposed to the covered, round mohntaschen) comes with a number of interpretations. Although the name refers to Haman's pockets, there's a tradition that says the biscuit is shaped like Haman's three-cornered hat. In Hebrew, they're called oznei Haman or "Haman's ears".

Tell Me More ›

What is Jewish schmaltz? ›

Schmaltz is a common ingredient in Jewish and Eastern European cooking. It's made by rendering poultry fat, usually chicken, although it's made with goose fat in some areas. It's inexpensive and tastes as rich as butter without containing any dairy.

Learn More Now ›

What are dough balls made of? ›

Method for dough balls:

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the oil and gradually mix in the water to form a soft dough. It should not be sticky. On a floured surface knead the dough for a few minutes.

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What is potato dough made of? ›

ingredients

1 cup very smooth mashed potatoes, ideally from baked Yukon Gold potatoes.
2 tablespoons light olive oil.
¹⁄₂ teaspoon lemon juice.
¹⁄₂ tablespoon brown sugar.
¹⁄₄ teaspoon sea salt.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
¹⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg.

What is a square knish made of? ›

What's a knish made of, you ask? They are made of a few simple, yet satisfying, ingredients. 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.

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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.

Keep Reading ›