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If sweet potatoes ever needed a PR agent, tzimmes would be their greatest success story. This vegan tzimmes is a cozy, sticky, sweet stew of tender root veggies and dried fruits, all caramelized in a spiced glaze. It’s a Passover and Rosh Hashanah essential, a staple of kosher Jewish cooking—but honestly, it's just something you’ll crave all year long. Good thing, then, it’s ridiculously easy to whip up.
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Traditionally, tzimmes (also spelled tsimis) is served during Passover alongside potato kugel and charoset, or with round challah on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize hopes for a sweet new year. It’s been a beloved Ashkenazi Jewish (that’s my ancestry) staple for centuries. Fun fact: “tzimmes” is Yiddish for “making a fuss,” which feels pretty appropriate—this dish totally deserves some serious fanfare.
But don’t worry, this recipe itself is as low-key as it gets. The big fuss will be everyone fighting for the last spoonful. With simple ingredients and a foolproof method, you’ll have a pot of golden, caramelized goodness that disappears faster than you can say “pass the challah”. Now, let’s get simmering and make your kitchen smell like sweet potato heaven.
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🥰 Why you’ll adore this tzimmes recipe
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan Jewish recipes, after years of countless tweaks, I handed this recipe over to my team of hundreds of global recipe testers from all around the world. Their verdict? This tzimmes is gosh darned foolproof, easy to nail, and ridiculously good.
🎯 The Perfect Sweet Spot: We’ve all had cloyingly sweet tzimmes that’s kinda a chore to choke down at the Passover table. But for real, this version strikes the perfect balance, with prunes, apricots, and raisins bringing the natural sweetness, cooking down into a silky glaze, without going overboard. It's got max deliciousness with minimal added sweetener.
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of the other gluten-free vegan recipes on my blog, this one is cholesterol free and totally plant-based. No butter, honey, chicken stock, chicken fat, or bad karma.
🍲 Tzimmes Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are the base of this dish, bringing a creamy texture and natural sweetness that perfectly complements the tangy dried fruits. They’re packed with beta-carotene (vitamin A) and fiber. If you can’t find sweet potatoes, butternut squash also bakes some bangin’ tzimmes.
Got leftover sweet potatoes from making this? Why not knock out some killer vegan sweet potato latkes? Or, after Passover, use them to make vegan sweet potato muffins, vegan sweet potato casserole, or the Indian streetfood shakarkandi chaat.
Dried Fruit
Prunes (dried plums) add a caramel-like richness and help thicken the glaze. Dates or dried figs will work in their place, adding a similar deep sweetness.
Apricots (called meshushim in Hebrew) add a bright, tangy sweetness that balances the richness of the prunes. I love using California-style apricots, they're the best for a slightly tart flavor. Turkish apricots work too if that’s what you’ve got.
Golden raisins contribute sweetness and a chewy texture. They’re also a great source of iron and quick-release energy, which makes them the perfect addition to this cozy dish. Dark raisins or dried currants can easily replace them if needed.
Orange Juice & Orange Zest
Fresh orange juice amps up the natural sweetness and adds a citrusy zing. Orange zest deepens that aroma and gives a little citrusy oomph. If fresh oranges aren’t in season, store-bought unsweetened OJ and lemon zest make for a fine alternative.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar brings a nice, caramelized sweetness to the dish. If you don’t have it, my wife swears by coconut sugar or palm sugar—both add a deeper, more complex flavor. And as a bonus, they have a lower glycemic index. Any of these will give you that beautifully sticky, flavorful finish.
Spices
The key to a perfect tzimmes is the right balance of warm, aromatic spices. My favorite spices come from Burlap & Barrel, a single-origin spice company that sources directly from small farmers. Their cinnamon, cardamom and ground cloves are unbelievably fresh and fragrant—worth seeking out if you want the best possible flavor (aaaannd you can get their absurdly good Wild Mountain Cumin seeds for free when you order through my link).
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*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Pineapple Tzimmes
Add diced apples and crushed pineapple for a tart contrast that plays perfectly against the sweetness. This variation is cherished in some Jewish communities for its bright, fruity depth and crisp, vibrant flavor.
Stovetop Tzimmes with Dried Cranberries
I’m borderline obsessed with all things cranberry—bourbon cranberry sauce, Turkish cranberry ezme, you name it—so naturally, I had to work them into tzimmes. Adding a mix of fresh and dried cranberries alongside the prunes and apricots brings a subtle tang that cuts through the sweetness and gives the dish a gorgeous pop of color. Cooking it on the stovetop instead of the oven gives you more control over texture, keeping the veggies tender without turning them to mush, while the sauce thickens into a perfectly glossy glaze.
Tzimmes with Onion
Some people like a little savory edge in their tzimmes (I am absolutely those people), and a touch of onion, shallot, or leek does the trick. It caramelizes into the veggies like a dream (i think dreams do thar, right?). A small pinch of black pepper won't go amiss in this tzimmes recipe, which goes great with kasha recipes like my vegan blintzes or vegan gluten-free blitntzes.
📖 How to make tzimmes
Follow these easy steps for a no-fuss, traditional sweet tzimmes (tsimis). Want to print it out? Scroll to the bottom for the easy-to-use recipe card.
Step One
Tater Swift:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Get your sweet potatoes and carrots cut.
Step Two
Sweet Potato Madman- Jon Yam:
Grab a large baking dish or ovenproof pot, and place the sweet potato and carrot chunks inside. Scatter the prunes, apricots, and golden raisins evenly on top.
Step Three
Whisk and Reward:
In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, salt, and olive oil. Stir until the sugar and spices are fully dissolved.
Step Four
Pour Decisions:
Pour the sweet, spiced mixture over the veggies and dried fruits. Stir gently to coat everything in the glaze. Cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid to lock in all the steam.
Step Five
Bake Me Up Before You Go-Go:
Pop the dish in the oven for 60 minutes, stirring halfway through. Bake until the sweet potatoes and carrots are fork-tender and the liquid thickens into a shiny glaze. After one hour, remove the lid, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover, and let it cool slightly before serving.
💡Serving Ideas
Tzimmes partners up perfectly with a comforting bowl of vegan matzo ball soup or vegan borscht for a traditional pesach dinner. The letfover tzimmes is even no slouch with a Pesach breakfast spread of vegan matzo meal pancakes or vegan matzo brei.
Herck, i's even pretty darn slammin' with vegan latkes or zucchini latkes for Hanukkah.
Outside of Passover, when leavening isn’t an issue, serve it with a slice of easy vegan challah or fluffy vegan round challah for a full-on Rosh Hashanah vibe. For dessert, smash a slice of rich and decadent vegan chocolate babka or vegan cinnamon babka with irmik helvasi—it’s a heavenly combo f’real, my dear mommy.
👉 Top tips
- Uniform Veggie Cuts: Cut your sweet potatoes and carrots into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. This way, you won’t end up with some bits mushy while others are undercooked.
- Mind the Sweetness: Tzimmes can become overly sweet if not balanced properly. Consider reducing added sugars or adding a splash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
- Choose the Right Bakeware: If you don’t have a big enough pyrex pan, use a heavy, ovenproof pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Even heat distribution and moisture retention ensures tender, flavorful tzimmes.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Tsimis, often spelled tzimmes, is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish sweet stew that typically consists of root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes cooked together with dried fruits such as prunes, apricots, and raisins. It's a sweet and savory stew, often flavored with warm spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and cooked slowly to allow the ingredients to come together into a rich, flavorful dish.
The dish is particularly popular during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, where its natural sweetness symbolizes hopes for a sweet year ahead. While classic tzimmes recipes sometimes include meat, vegan versions like this one focus entirely on the vegetables and fruits, making it lighter but still packed with tradition and flavor.
Tzimmes is pronounced "tsi-miss," with a soft "ts" sound at the beginning, similar to the "ts" in "tsunami." The word is a Yiddish expression and has been used metaphorically to describe a fuss or a big deal—likely because making tzimmes can feel like a bit of a production (but this recipe ensures it’s really not)!
Tzimmes is traditionally served warm, which allows the rich glaze and spices to be fully enjoyed. It’s most commonly presented as a side dish alongside main courses during festive meals, but it can also work as a stand-alone dish for a lighter option.
If you have leftovers, tzimmes can also be served at room temperature or even chilled, depending on your preference. The flavors tend to deepen as the dish sits, making it equally enjoyable the next day, whether reheated or served cold as part of a buffet-style spread.
❄️ Refrigeration:
Store leftover tzimmes in an airtight glass or ceramic container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Allow the dish to cool completely before transferring it to the container to maintain its flavor and texture.
🥶 Freezing:
tzimmes doesn’t freeze well—when thawed, the sweet potatoes and carrots tend to break down and become mushy. If you want to make it ahead, refrigeration is the best option.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Place the refrigerated tzimmes in a saucepan or pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through. If the glaze has thickened too much, add a splash of water or orange juice to loosen it up.
🥵 Oven reheating:
Place tzimmes in a covered, ovenproof dish and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes until heated through. If it looks dry, add a small splash of water before covering and reheating.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Transfer a portion of tzimmes to a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe lid or a damp, reusable cloth to prevent drying out. Heat on medium power in one-minute intervals, stirring in between, until the dish is fully warmed through. This should take about three to four minutes, depending on the quantity.
✌️You'll love these vegan Passover recipes too:
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Hate gluten with all of your heart? Learn how to make insanely good wheat-free vegan dishes in this hyper-fun masterclass with Chef Adam Sobel
Traditional Tzimmes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled, and cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
- 2 pounds carrots peeled, and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup prunes pitted
- ½ cup dried apricots California-style apricots are best
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 2 cup orange juice ideally fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Place the sweet potatoes and carrots in a large baking dish or ovenproof pot. Add the prunes, dried apricots, and golden raisins, spreading them evenly over the vegetables.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the orange juice and zest, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, salt, and olive oil. Whisk until the sugar and spices are fully dissolved.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the sweet potatoes, carrots, and dried fruits. Stir gently to ensure the ingredients are evenly coated. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or foil.
- Bake for 60 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has thickened slightly into a glaze.
- After one hour, remove the foil and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover, and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
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Susan Brackett says
This was super easy and tasty, but make sure you don’t cut your veggies bigger than the recipe calls for.