45 Foods For A Melave Malka To Savor

When Shabbat ends early, it’s the perfect opportunity to have fun in the kitchen and make things that you ordinarily wouldn’t spend time on during the week.

Recipes like Almond Butter Caramel Popcorn and Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce, or Cinnamon Bun in a Mug and Funnel Cakes are sure to make your Motzei Shabbat fun and delicious!

These recipes are great to make with kids too. Enjoy!

1. Sun-Dried Tomato Jam Challah Grilled Cheese by Micah Siva

Sun-dried tomatoes are the ultimate kitchen staple – but think outside the pasta and salad when it comes to using them! Oil-packed sun dried tomatoes are full of juicy flavor, and perfect for making a sweet and savory jam! This chutney-like jam complements rich cheese and fluffy challah, for a sandwich the family will love!

2. Almond Butter Caramel Popcorn by Rena Tuchinsky

Love caramel popcorn, but also love healthier snacks? This recipe is the perfect healthy treat. The almond-maple combo is so delicious it’ll be devoured in no time.

3. Savory Pretzel Snacks by Chanie Nayman

4. Cinnamon Bun in a Mug by Sara and Yossi Goldstein

Who would have thought you could make a cinnamon bun in a mug? This recipe is amazing for single servings or for when you’re craving a cinnamon bun and don’t have the energy to wait for dough to rise and roll out a whole batch. It’s unbelievable how good and authentic it is.

5. Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce by Faigy Murray

My kids won’t touch store-bought frozen pretzels, so I never bothered making the homemade version until I had to make them for an article last year. They were literally devoured. You can’t compare the flavor or texture!

6. Funnel Cakes in a Bag by Rena Tuchinsky

A FUN way to spend time with your family and also make a sweet treat for Chanukah. Kids love being involved, and you’ll have one less dish to clean thanks to mixing everything right in the bag!

7. Savory or Sweet Snack Wraps by Shaindel Steinberg

These wraps are the perfect take-along for a picnic. They are light enough for a snack but can be used for a quick lunch, too. I have included three variations, but you can use your imagination to come up with more options!

8. Sheet Pan Chili Lime Kale Shakshuka Nachos by Erin Grunstein

The great thing about this sheet pan dinner is that you customize it to your liking. Put extra of your favorite ingredients and skip the ingredients that you don’t like!

9. Puff Pastry Pizza Squares by Danielle Renov

This recipe is not a recipe. There are no ingredients because it is individual and personalized, so the recipe will vary according to what you like. We are going to give you a list of combinations that we love and that are a little bit fun and different. We are also going to give you a list of bases and toppings and you can mix and match according to your likes or dislikes. Watch Danielle create some perfect individualized pizzas here!

10. Fruity Smoothie by Gitty Friedman

This is such a delicious and refreshing drink, plus the color is gorgeous! Perfect for a hot summer morning.

11. Nachos With Lime Tortilla Chips by Dorit Teichman

Set it up as a make-your-own nachos bar or serve it ready to eat; this classic and fun recipe is always a crowd-pleaser. The lime infuses the tortilla chips with a refreshing pop of flavor!

12. Sweet Popcorn by Dorit Teichman

These are my favorite popcorn combos, but you can use them as inspiration to create your own. Gather the kids together, pop the popcorn the good old-fashioned way, and add your fave toppings, nut butters, and chocolate bars. Each of these recipes yields eight cups.

13. Hot Cocoa Sticks by The Peppermill

Perfect for cold winter nights and warm family gatherings!

14. One-Pot Baked Gnocchi ala Vodka by Ally Mawhirter

Who doesn’t love a creamy vodka sauce? This one-pan meal has the same comforting feelings of a baked pasta but made a bit lighter thanks to Tuscanini Cauliflower Gnocchi. Using an oven-safe pan or pot cuts down on dishes and keeps this recipe weeknight friendly. You build the sauce in the pan, stir in the uncooked gnocchi, top with cheese, and bake until golden and bubbly. The gnocchi cook gently in the sauce and have the perfect tender and chewy texture. Don’t skimp on the fresh basil – it adds such a great pop of color and flavor!

15. Easy Pizza Babka by Nechama Norman

Everyone’s favorite classic pizza flavors, served up in a fresh new way! This is a great recipe to prepare with kids. They’ll love to mix up the cheese mixture, spread it on the dough, and help to squish the rolls into the pans.

16. Caramel Popcorn from the Dining In Cookbook

Caramel popcorn is a good, old-fashioned treat the whole family will enjoy. Be sure to store it in an airtight container.

17. Fried Cookie Dough Bites by Victoria Dwek

Starting from frozen cookie dough makes this decadent treat a cinch to make. Watch more 4 Amazing Things!

18. Chocolate Mug Cake by Faigy Grossmann

This chocolate mug cake is a perfect treat for a long Motzaei Shabbat — or any time really. Who needs an excuse?! It’s the dead of winter, a time of year I wish for nothing more than to curl up in my bed and hibernate till spring. But… since that isn’t quite an option, I need to find some way to spark joy on these long, cold nights. As I’ve mentioned before in this column, I believe a real balabusta should have a fresh cake on her counter at all times. The problem is when that cake gets continuously devoured. Mug cakes are the perfect answer. In under five minutes, you’ve got fresh hot cake with built-in portion control!

19. Pasta with Mushrooms & Spinach in Cream Sauce by Rochelle Daniel

Craving a seriously flavorful, creamy pasta dish just like in those date night restaurants? In this favorite recipe, mushrooms and spinach – a combination that always pleases – are paired with a layered cream sauce packed with autumn flavors from the sage and nutmeg. You are sure to enjoy every bite!

20. Crispy Mexican “Cheese Dogs” by Chavi Feldman

Quick and easy… check. Kid friendly… that’s two checks… and in my seven-year-old’s words, “Seriously heaven!” These adorable, fried meal-in-ones get supper on the table fast, while keeping things in the spirit of Chanukah. For those with a less sophisticated palate (as in, most of the Feldman kids), you can swap out the Mexican flavors for a simple grilled cheese filling or whatever foods your family enjoys.

21. Penne in Creamy, Easy Homemade Vodka Sauce by Chani Salzer

I know, I know, you can buy vodka sauce in a bottle, but once you try this recipe, you’ll never be able to turn to the bottle again.

22. Cream Cheese Alfredo Pasta Sauce by Chani Salzer

Two words to sum up this classic pasta recipe? Quick and easy. Need I say more?

23. White Mushroom Pizza by Brynie Greisman

My favorite pizza is white/ricotta pizza. I’m also a major fan of mushrooms of any kind. I decided to combine them both in a unique variety of pizza that was over the top. We couldn’t get enough of it!

24. S’mores French Toast by Esty Wolbe

S’mores French Toast is everything we want in this summer’s most decadent snack. Spread with Gefen Marshmallow Fluff and Elite Chocolate Spread, then breaded with graham cracker crumbs and fried. Delicious!

25. Cinnamon Bun Bites by Victoria Dwek

Make these fun cinnamon bun bites in a pinch by simply using a rolled-out pie crust and sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar. Be sure to frost with this delicious homemade cream cheese frosting that will make these cute treats even more delicious. Watch out, these are addictive! See more Victoria on 4 Amazing Things!

26. Homemade Hot Pretzels by Malky and Yossi Levine

When we think of Chanukah, we think family, parties and fun times all around. This DIY Pretzel Bar works really well as a family project. First, the hot pretzels. I know they’re easy to buy, but trust me, you want to try homemade ones. Besides for the delicious aroma that fills your house while baking them, they taste absolutely divine. While we were recipe-testing these, let’s just say we had a large part of the neighborhood coming for samples! See our topping ideas here.

27. Banana Fun Pops from the Dining In Cookbook

Fun, frozen pops, to treat the kids (and adults!) after they take a Yom Tov afternoon nap!

28. Cookie Butter Pretzel Snack Mix by Shushy Turin

If you’ve seen my recipes in the past you probably know that easy, simple, and fun are not usually words that describe them. But sometimes, even I like to go pretty classic with something as simple as a super amped up snack mix. The one caveat is even my fun and easy stuff has to taste addictively fantastic. So when I tried Gefen’s new cookie butter, which tastes more similar to Tea Biscuit Butter than the Lotus/Biscoff Butter you might be familiar with, I knew making something fun and easy was within reach but I needed some salt to balance it all out. And that’s where pretzels came in. The salty, crunchy pretzels are coated in a sweet and creamy cookie butter shell. It’s the ultimate snack food and keeps you coming back for more, and more, and –sadly for my waistline – even more! This entire recipe takes about 10 minutes to throw together and is perfect for kids and adults. Plus, it can be made in advance which is even more bonus! Legit though, it has sprinkles which for me is the kicker. I really should have just started and ended this whole shpeil at sprinkles.

29. Homemade Pizza with Toppings Extravaganza by Nitra Ladies Auxiliary

This recipe yields enough dough for three delicious homemade pizza pies. Customize your pizza with these four savory toppings options: sautéed eggplant, sautéed peppers and mushrooms, sautéed vegetables, or sardines with onions and tomatoes. Perfect for pizza night, a Melave Malka, or even a rainy day activity. For another variation, try this pizza dough recipe by Estee Kafra.

30. Greek Yogurt Pizza by Estee Kafra

At the end of the school year, my sixth-grader came home with a wonderful (and entertaining) cookbook created by her classmates. We tried a few recipes that were highly recommended by her friends — the ones containing chocolate chips and marshmallows and everything else sweet. But one recipe caught my eye: Greek Yogurt Pizza. Huh? Well, here’s a variation of that recipe. Thank you to the Z. family for this fabulous idea.

31. Pita Chips by Nitra Ladies Auxiliary

Though simple enough for a quick after-school snack, these wedges would also be right at home on an appetizer platter alongside some good ol’ hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouli.

32. El Submarino – Argentinian Hot Chocolate by KosherEye.com

When in Buenos Aires, KosherEye discovered a hot chocolate drink so deep in flavor, so rich in chocolate, so fragrant with vanilla that we have made it ours, and enjoyed it over, and over and over again. In Argentina it is called El Submarino.

33. Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream and Marshmallows by Rega Matok

An especially delicious treat for a cold night – homemade chocolate milk with dark chocolate served with soft whipped cream and roasted marshmallows.

34. Autumn Spiced Hot Toddy by Chanie Nayman

Warm up this November with these delightfully autumnal cocktails. You won’t need more than five ingredients for any of them! Go chilled with a jazzed up spiked cider cocktail or a vodka cranberry with a fruity surprise – or go hot with this autumn-spiced hot toddy that will be the talk of any party.

35. No-Grease Everything Knots by Esther Deutsch

I love that these garlic knots are not coated with oil. Instead they are washed with egg yolk for maximum crispiness. These knots are super addictive, so when you keep reaching for one after another, you’ll be pleased that they won’t leave a greasy residue on your hands.

It was my nine-year-old daughter’s idea to call these knots “everything” instead of just “garlic” knots. She reasoned that even though these knots are seasoned with minced garlic, there are many other spices and herbs that are added as well. Thank you, Dina, for a great recipe title!

36. Beet Pesto Toast with Feta by Victora Dwek

I can eat this spread on its own by the spoonful. While I made this first with pine nuts, it also worked well with pecans, so use what you have on hand. Though you can’t see the nuts (unlike in a traditional pesto), you can taste them so don’t leave them out! If using whole nuts, use heaping tablespoons. Victoria Dwek shows us four amazing things you can make using beets.

37. Cheesy Orzo Mac and Cheese by Norene Gilletz

Mac and cheese is the hallmark of comfort food. I’ve put a bit of a spin on this cheesy favorite by using orzo instead of elbow noodles, making it almost like a risotto-inspired mac and cheese. These little rice-shaped noodles give the dish a creamier texture.

38. Munchy Crunchy Acorn Squash Chips by Rachel Weiss

39. Cheese Snacks by Esther Ottensoser

For all you cheese lovers out there, here’s a little neat treat to snack on when you’re looking for a boost. These small practical containers (which I found in my local paper goods store) are made for oven use, so these snacks can go directly from oven – to fridge – to lunch box, without any additional preparation.

40. Peanut Brittle by Victoria Dwek

This easy brittle technique can use any nut. The best part is, there’s no pot to watch!

41. Popcorn Five Ways by Estee Kafra

Who doesn’t love popcorn? Try these various flavors and see which one is the most popular in your home. These would be so cute to serve at an at-home movie night.

42. Dairy Chocolate Crunch Bar by Faige Tress

This recipe was submitted by my friend Chanie S. to a school function. I made just a minor change to the original recipe and have been making it every Shavuos since then!