What's New for Passover 2021

While COVID-19 is likely to again prevent families from gathering in person to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Passover, they can still have seders virtually using Facetime and Zoom.

This year, Passover begins the evening of Saturday, March 27 and ends the evening of Sunday, April 4. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population refraining from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

I've been chronicling new gluten-free Passover items for many years (you can read prior posts here), and this year there additions to the Seder table, though the pandemic has curtailed the roll-out of many more. Locally, many Passover products can be found at ShopRite markets, particularly the one on Route 70 in Cherry Hill (Garden State Pavilions) and Wegmans stores.

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco, which owns the Manischewitz brand, will be introducing new gluten-free products under various brand names (you can find all of Kayco's gluten-free products here.) The best-selling gluten-free matzo brand, Yehuda, returns with Original, Everything, Egg and other varieties. Yehuda also has gluten-free matzo meal, cake meal and crackers.

This year, there are several new products under the Manischewitz label, including mini macaroons in coconut, chocolate and birthday cake flavors.

This year, also look for new Gefen-branded coconut S'mores, made with coconut, dark chocolate and tiny marshmallows.

Paskesz has two new gluten-free breakfast cereals for the holiday: Choco Fillos are crunchy cereal pillows that come in hazelnut and chocolate flavors.

Also check the frozen-food section of your local market for even more varieties of gluten-free Passover pizzas and pizza bagels, blintzes, knishes and other items.

About a week or two before the start of Passover, supermarkets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Lilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich, black-and-white and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area and other regions. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

What's New For Passover 2020

While COVID-19 might prevent families from gathering in person to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Passover, they can still have seders virtually using Facetime and Zoom.

This year, Passover begins the evening of Wednesday, April 8 and ends the evening of Thursday, April 16. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population refraining from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

I've been chronicling new gluten-free Passover items for many years (you can read prior posts here), and this year brings many additions to the Seder table. Locally, many of these products can be found at ShopRite markets, particularly the one on Route 70 in Cherry Hill (Garden State Pavilions) and Wegmans stores.

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco, which recently acquired the Manischewitz brand, will be introducing new gluten-free products under various brand names (you can find all of Kayco's gluten-free products here.) The best-selling gluten-free matzo brand, Yehuda, returns with Original, Everything, Egg, Onion, Unsalted and Fiber Enriched varieties. Yehuda also has gluten-free matzo meal, cake meal and crackers.

This year, there are several new products under the Manischewitz label, including gluten-free Sicilian-style pizza and cold-brew coffee and tea macaroons.

This year, also look for new Gefen-branded gluten-free granola clusters, in maple almond and honey pecan flavors.

Kayco also has gluten-free Passover rolls, made with potato starch.

Also check the frozen-food section of your local market for even more varieties of gluten-free Passover pizzas and pizza bagels, blintzes, knishes and other items.

About a week or two before the start of Passover, supermarkets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Lilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich, black-and-white and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area and other regions. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

What's New For Passover 2019

While the Jewish holiday of Passover has not lost its religious meaning, it has in recent years become an unofficial gluten-free holiday. This year, Passover begins the evening of Friday, April 19 and ends the evening of Saturday, April 27. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population refraining from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

I've been chronicling new gluten-free Passover items for many years (you can read prior posts here), and this year brings many additions to the Seder table. Locally, many of these products can be found at ShopRite markets, particularly the one on Route 70 in Cherry Hill (Garden State Pavilions) and Wegmans stores.

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco will be introducing new gluten-free products under various brand names (you can find all of Kayco's gluten-free products here.) The best-selling gluten-free matzo brand, Yehuda, returns with Original, Everything, Egg, Onion, Unsalted and Fiber Enriched varieties. Yehuda also has gluten-free matzo meal, cake meal and crackers.

New from Kayco's Gefen brand are soft baked cookies in three varieties (double chocolate chip, chocolate chip, and vanilla with colored sprinkles) and sandwich creme cookies in two versions (vanilla and vanilla & chocolate).

Under its Heaven & Earth label, Kayco is introducing veggie croutons made with plantains.

This year, Manischewitz has refreshed its packaging but continues to produce a variety of gluten-free matzos and cake mixes. For 2019, the company has converted its entire line of biscotti-like mandel bread and egg kichel cookies to be gluten free. Each of the cookies come in three varieties (marble, chocolate chip nut and plain for the mandel cuts; sweet, jumbo and sugar free for the egg kichel).

Manischewitz is also adding a new birthday cake-flavored macaroon flavor this season. A new line of Passover Collection cookies (above) includes Milano-like ladyfinger, almond meltaway, chocolate chip, double chocolate chip and sandwich creme varieties.

Like Manischewitz, Streit's has made its mandel bread and kichel gluten free, but also its soup nuts, or "mandlen."

Lieber Foods is expanding their Passover baked-goods line with several kinds of cookies, including frosted animal crackers and "Aleph-Bet" cookies.

Also check the frozen-food section of your local market for gluten-free Passover pizzas and pizza bagels, blintzes, knishes and other items.

About a week or two before the start of Passover, supermarkets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Lilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich, black-and-white and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area and other regions. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

What's New for Passover 2018

While the Jewish holiday of Passover has not lost its religious meaning, it has in recent years become an unofficial gluten-free holiday. This year, Passover begins the evening of Friday, March 30 and ends the evening of Saturday, April 7. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population refraining from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco will be introducing many new gluten-free products this year under various brand names (you can find all of Kayco's gluten-free products here.) The best-selling gluten-free matzo-style cracker, Yehuda, will have a Cinnamon version for the first time, joining Original,  Everything, Egg, Unsalted, Onion and Fiber Enriched varieties. Returning products include Yehuda's gluten-free matzo meal, farfel, cake meal and crackers.

Kayco's Gefen label will introduce fresh gluten-free gnocchi and fusilli pasta for Passover. Gefen will also have a new lasagna and two kinds of chow mein noodles on store shelves.

New from Kayco's Haddar brand are chocolate nut clusters (cashews, pecans and almond), soup croutons and panko crumbs (Original, Onion & Garlic and Barbeque).

This year, Manischewitz has two new gluten-free gefilte fish products: a frozen loaf and a pre-sliced version.

Lieber Foods is expanding their Passover baked-goods line with several kinds of mini cookies.

About a week or two before the start of Passover, supermarkets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Lilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich, black-and-white and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area and other regions. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

What's New for Passover 2016

While the Jewish holiday of Passover has not lost its religious meaning, it has in recent years turned into an unofficial gluten-free holiday. In 2016, Passover begins the evening of Friday, April 22 and ends the evening of April 30. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population to refrain from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco will be introducing many new gluten-free products this year under various brand names. The best-selling gluten-free matzo-style cracker, Yehuda, will have an unsalted version for the first time, joining Original, Onion and Fiber Enriched varieties. Returning products include Yehuda's matzo meal, farfel and cake meal.

The Gefen brand has its own gluten-free matzo-like crackers this year, along with Gal Gal Original and Onion crackers. Also new from Gefen are three kinds of gluten-free Mediterranean-style couscous, Original, Onion and Vegetable, along with Original and Seasoned gluten-free croutons. The brand's noodles, Crisp Flats (Original, Onion, Salt & Pepper and Onion & Pepper), cake mixes, cookies, and Crispy Crunch cereals will all return this year.

Certain gluten-free items will only be available at Whole Foods markets, including Glick's new salted, chocolate-drizzled macaroons in two varieties, as well as returning items Glick's Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Coconut and Almond Macaroons, Harrison’s Original Sweet Shoppe Natural Jelly Rings and Fruit Slices, and Kedem Tilapia Gefilte Fish.

Have no fear: The Entenmann's-like Rebecca & Rose chocolate covered donuts, a hit last year in their debut, will be back starting this month.

Manischewitz has several new gluten-free products of its own for 2016. Among them are ready-to-eat chocolate chip and chocolate cookies as well as hazelnut chocolate macaroons, which won the best Kosher for Passover product award at last fall's Kosherfest food show. There will also be new gluten-free matzo meal, cake meal, tri-color spiral noodles and Magic Max's Chocolate Crunch Puffs and Vanilla Crunch Puffs cereals. The company will be bringing back several kinds of gluten-free matzo squares and crackers, matzo ball mix, noodles, cake mixes and macaroons. 

About a week or two before the start of Passover, markets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Lilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

Holiday Cheer

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah approaching, it might seem premature to talk about Passover, which doesn't occur until early April. However, new gluten-free products announced last week at the annual Kosherfest food show in northern New Jersey merit a look ahead.

Kedem Foods announced several new gluten-free products that will be widely available for the Passover holiday next year, including additions to its all-natural, certified-gluten-free Rebecca & Rose brand. Chief among them are Entenmann's-style Chocolate Covered Donuts. Also new under the Rebecca & Rose name are brittle-like Brownie Crunch and Blondie Crunch as well as two cookie varieties.

Kedem is also adding a Cajun variety to its Jeff Nathan Creations line of Passover Panko flakes.

Also at the show, Manischewitz sampled new garlic & rosemary matzo-style squares and crackers, matzo ball mix, carrot cake macaroons (which won the event's Best New Kosher for Passover award) and a chocolate brownie mix.

The year-round artisanal gluten-free flour mixes from Blends by Orly won the Kosherfest award for Best New Mix. Each blend is optimized for different categories of baked goods; for example, London Blend is a cup-for-cup substitute in recipes for scones, cookies and biscuits. Other varieties include Tuscany Blend (breads and pizza crusts), Paris Blend (cakes and cupcakes), Sydney Blend (brownies, muffins and pies) and Manhattan Blend (brioche, challah and pastries). Currently, the mixes are sold in stores throughout northern New Jersey and New York, but can be purchased online.

What's New for Passover 2014

There's much to celebrate at Passover if you're gluten free, Jewish or not. Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the biblical exodus from Egypt, begins this year on April 14. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population to refrain from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

What's New for Passover 2013

There's much to celebrate at Passover if you're gluten free, Jewish or not. Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the biblical exodus from Egypt, begins this year on March 25. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population to refrain from eating wheat products at all during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

Dozens of new gluten-free items are available this year, including another gluten-free matzo from a company that is synonymous with Passover. As the holiday draws closer, many of these products will be more widely available, but your best bet is looking for them at a market with a large kosher section, such as the ShopRite markets on Roosevelt Boulevard in northeast Philly and in Cherry Hill on the old racetrack grounds along Route 70. Wegmans stores also have an expanded selection.

Manischewitz has ventured into the world of gluten-free matzo with two products: Gluten-Free Matzo-Style Squares and Gluten-Free Crackers, similar to the company's famous Tam Tams. The company has brought back the gluten-free Yellow and Chocolate Cake Mixes that debuted last year, and has added to its already wide selection of macaroons - all of which are gluten free - with a red velvet flavor. Another new product from Manischewitz is frozen macaroon dough.

Yehuda isn't standing pat on the gluten-free front. The company's plain and toasted-onion matzo-style squares and cake meal are joined this year by fiber-enriched squares along with matzo meal, farfel and crackers (available in Original and Cracked Pepper).

Another old-line matzo maker, Streit’s, debuts gluten-free Matzo Ball Mix, Matzo Ball & Soup Mix and Israeli Couscous.

Jeff Nathan Creations has brought back the Plain version of its gluten-free panko flakes and introduces a Seasoned variety.

On the sweet side, Manischewitz has another gluten-free cereal called Magic Max's Chocolate Chip Cookie Cereal, a reasonable-looking facsimile of Cookie Crisp. Also from that company are Guiltless Gourmet Flaxseed Crunch Bars in two vegan and gluten-free flavors, Almond Cranberry Flaxseed and Cashew Cranberry Flaxseed.

Gefen has given its Passover cereal line a makeover, changing the packaging and the name from King Krunch! to Krispy Krunch.

Lieber's has three gluten-free granola varieties: Original, Chocolate Chip and Cranberry. The brand has also extended its line of Passover cookies to include vanilla and chocolate sandwich cremes.

About a week or so before the start of Passover, markets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Shabtai Gourmet, and Schick's. Look for sandwich and rainbow cookies, cake rolls and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area. Look for bottles with a distinctive yellow cap.

Returning this year are gluten-free chow mein noodles from Streit's and Paskesz, a variety of gluten-free pastas from Manischewitz and Gefen, and gluten-free pizza bagels and flatbreads.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

The "In" Holiday

I love Passover, and not just because I'm a fan of old Charlton Heston movies. The holiday commemorating the biblical Jewish exodus from Egypt, which begins this year in the evening of April 6, is a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population to refrain from eating wheat products at all during Passover.

The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

Some stores carry only the basics, such as Manischewitz noodles, while those with larger Kosher sections tend to have more options. The ShopRite markets on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia and on Route 70 in Cherry Hill have a wide selection of gluten-free items on the shelves, from chow mein noodles and Gefen cake mixes (some even sugar free) to Osem loaf cakes, cereals, pizza bagels and matzoh ball mixes.

Wegmans stores plan to carry a number of gluten-free products, including Klein's Viennese Ice Cream Cake and Passover Flats (great for making pizza and sandwiches), Macabee Passover Pizza, and - to mark the famous "10 Plagues" - Zelda's Locusts and Frogs chocolate-covered marshmallows.

Of course, what would Passover be without matzoh? This year Yehuda has introduced a Toasted Onion flavor to complement its original gluten-free variety. This matzoh is reasonably priced (between $5 and $6), as compared to the gluten-free oat matzoh that also is available this time of year.

Among the new gluten-free products for 2012 are Manischewitz chocolate and yellow cake mixes, Jeff Nathan Creations panko flakes, and four flavors of Sweet Goodies licorice.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area. Look for bottles with a distinctive yellow cap.

About a week or so before the start of Passover, markets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander's, Shabtai Gourmet, and Schick's. Look for sandwich and rainbow cookies, cake rolls and layer cakes.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

News & Notes: April 8, 2011

A big welcome this week to the new readers who learned of Gluten Free Philly at the recent CHOP celiac conference. I want to especially thank Alice Bast, the president and founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, for inviting me to speak alongside her about gluten-free dining and allowing me to share suggestions of kid-friendly restaurants with the audience.

What food could be more kid-friendly than ice cream? This week, I wrote about Philadelphia's own Bassetts, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The company makes more than 25 gluten-free flavors available in pints and at parlors throughout the Delaware Valley.

More gluten-free pizza options in the Philadelphia suburbs, all of which I'm told take precautions to avoid cross-contamination. In Pennsylvania, Boston Style Pizza's Bala Cynwyd location (298 Levering Mill Rd., 610-668-2310) now carries pizza from Still Riding, as does Caruso Brick Oven in Souderton (424 N. Main St., 215-799-1312). Caruso's also has pasta in addition to a full-fledged gluten-free menu. Reader Dana M. tipped that Johnny's Pizza in Prospect Park (547 Chester Pike, 610-461-8600) serves pizza and ravioli.

In New Jersey, Sal's in Mantua (222 Bridgeton Pike, 856-468-2226) has pizza. (Thanks to Sue R.)

Two area contemporary American restaurants note gluten-free items on their menus: Salt Creek Grille in Princeton's Forrestal Village (1 Rockingham Row, 609-419-4200) and the just-opened Gunners Run, in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia (1001 N. 2nd St., 215-923-4600).

One of our favorite restaurants, The Pop Shop in Collingswood (729 Haddon Ave., 856-869-0111), now serves chicken tenders "breaded" with gluten-free corn flake crumbs. Be sure to ask that the dish be baked, not fried.

The Phillies are off to a solid start in the first week of the 2011 campaign. In addition to hot dogs, Sweet Christine's sweets, beer and hard cider available at Citizens Bank Park (at the concession stand behind Section 128), frozen yogurt makes its debut there this season. The Yogen Früz kiosks behind Sections 127 and 315 serve gluten-free low-fat vanilla and chocolate frozen yogurt and fat-free sorbet that's blended with a choice of frozen fruit. Each serving costs $6.50.

Nature's Path gluten-free cereals are on sale this month at Amazon.com. Save 10% using code NATPATH5 at checkout, and save an additional 15% with a Subscribe & Save order.

Bethann S. emailed me this photo of Italian-made Bi Alimenta corn-and-rice pasta, sold locally at Carlino's in Ardmore (2616 E. County Line Rd., 610-649-4046).

My Dad's Cookies are now being sold at Martindale's Natural Market in Springfield (1172 Baltimore Pike, 610-543-6811). Thanks to Marilyn for the good word.

Gluten-free Passover pizza and pizza bagels, cakes and other products are now available in supermarkets such as ShopRite and Wegmans. Look for sweets from Shabtai Gourmet, Reisman's, Oberlander and Schick's.

Organic Bistro is launching a new line of gluten-free single-serve bowl entrees. The new line is available in four varieties: Sesame Ginger Wild Salmon (made with sustainably caught seafood), Asian Style Coconut Lemongrass (made with organic quinoa, brown rice and vegetables), Thai Style Red Curry with Beef and Thai Style Yellow Curry with Chicken (both made with organic brown basmati rice and vegetables). Each 10 oz. package has a suggested retail price of $4.99.

Members of the gluten-free community will gather in Washington, D.C. on May 4 to bake the world’s largest gluten-free cake. The "1in133" event - named for the fact that one in every 133 people in the U.S. suffers from celiac disease or gluten intolerance - is part of an effort to draw attention to the Food and Drug Administration’s delay in finalizing standards for gluten-free food labeling. You can make a donation and sign a petition advocating for the FDA to take action on determining a gluten-free food-labeling standard. The event is the idea of gluten-free author and baking expert Jules Shepard and South Jersey's own John Forberger, a gluten-free triathlete.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!