• 30 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

What to Eat with a Knish

Brown mustard, pastrami, a half-sour pickle, matzo ball soup, and an egg cream to drink.

What to Eat with a Knish

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  1. Spicy brown mustardSqueeze a stripe along the top, or split the knish and spread it inside.
  2. PastramiSplit the knish, add a few warm slices and a stripe of mustard.
  3. Half-sour pickleA whole one on the plate, to bite between forkfuls.
  4. Matzo ball soupA bowl of soup and one knish make a full lunch.
  5. Noodle kugelA small square on the same plate, for a table that wants a bit of everything.

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All 30 ideas

Mustard, gravy and other toppings 8

  • Blueberry sauce Warm it and spoon it over a cheese knish to make it dessert.
  • Brown gravy Ladle it over a potato knish on a plate and eat it with a fork.
  • Chicken cracklings with fried onions (gribenes) Scatter a spoonful over the top while both are hot.
  • Fried onions Cook them dark and sweet and pile them on a potato or kasha knish.
  • Onions in tomato sauce Spoon the soft, sweet onions over a split knish, as you would over a hot dog.
  • Russian dressing Serve a small cup for dipping, as you would with a deli sandwich.
  • Sour cream A cold spoonful on the side for dipping each forkful.
  • Spicy brown mustard Squeeze a stripe along the top, or split the knish and spread it inside.

Deli meats, beside it or tucked inside 5

  • Hot dog Eat them side by side with the same mustard, or tuck the hot dog into a split knish.
  • Kishke with gravy Lay a warm slice beside the knish and let the gravy cover both.
  • Pastrami Split the knish, add a few warm slices and a stripe of mustard.
  • Sliced beef tongue Thin warm slices with mustard, the knish standing in for the bread.
  • Sweet and sour meatballs Set the knish in a shallow bowl so it soaks up the sauce.

Pickles and cold plates 3

  • Coleslaw A cold, crisp scoop next to a warm knish, or tucked inside one that is split.
  • Gefilte fish with horseradish A chilled piece as a first plate, the knish to follow.
  • Half-sour pickle A whole one on the plate, to bite between forkfuls.

Soups and hot sides 6

  • Carrot tzimmes Sweet stewed carrots beside a plain potato knish.
  • Chicken soup with kreplach Serve it first and keep the knish warm until the bowls are cleared.
  • Cholent A ladle of the stew in a bowl, the knish on the side for mopping up.
  • Matzo ball soup A bowl of soup and one knish make a full lunch.
  • Noodle kugel A small square on the same plate, for a table that wants a bit of everything.
  • Vegetable soup A plain bowl, with a potato knish on the side for dunking.

Something sweet after 5

  • Black and white cookie Share one, so everybody gets some of each half.
  • Chocolate babka Slice it thick and serve it with coffee or tea.
  • Coconut macaroons Small and chewy, enough after a filling knish.
  • Hamantaschen A plate of the three-cornered filled cookies, when the bakery has them.
  • Sponge cake A plain slice, with fruit if there is some.

Drinks 3

  • Black cherry soda Sweet and dark, over plenty of ice.
  • Celery soda Dry and a little peppery, served very cold.
  • Egg cream Stir it at the last moment and drink it while the foam is high.

How it works

What to eat with a knish? Mustard on top, and beside it whatever a deli counter would serve. These 30 ideas cover toppings, deli meats, cold plates, soups, sweets and drinks.

Read the full guide

What do you eat with a knish?

Start with the filling. Most traditional knishes hold cheese, mashed potato or kasha, which is buckwheat groats. Potato and kasha take mustard, gravy and fried onions, and a cheese knish goes better with sour cream or fruit. Knishes are often sold by street vendors, sometimes at a hot dog stand, so a hot dog with the same mustard is an easy partner.

Snack, lunch or deli plate

Size decides the rest. A one-bite knish is a starter, passed round with a dish of mustard. A sandwich-sized one is a meal: split it and fill it, or let it take the place of the bread or potatoes on a deli plate and add one meat and one cold thing.

  • Reheat a knish in the oven so the crust stays crisp.
  • Eating it on the move? Put the mustard inside a split knish, not on top.

Questions and answers

What sides go with a knish?

Something cold and sharp: a half-sour pickle or a scoop of coleslaw. Sweet stewed carrots or a square of noodle kugel fill out a bigger plate.

What sauce goes on a knish?

Spicy brown mustard suits potato and kasha knishes. Brown gravy turns one into a plate meal, and Russian dressing works as a dip. Onions cooked soft in tomato sauce are good spooned over the top.

What to eat with a knish for dinner?

Make it a deli dinner: chicken soup with kreplach first, then the knish with sweet and sour meatballs or kishke under gravy. Finish by sharing a black and white cookie.

What do you drink with a knish?

Without alcohol: an egg cream. The name misleads: there is no egg and no cream in it, only milk, seltzer and flavored syrup. A cold celery soda is the drier choice.

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