Kosher for Pesach foods

Food on Pesach - a new philosophy

In an ideal world, the laws of Pesach should encourage us to eat simply for a week. Chametz is a symbol of puffed-up, complicated food, while matza is a symbol of honest simplicity. It’s an invitation to embrace fresh fruit and veg, fish and eggs, soups, salads and jacket potatoes, herbs and lemon juice. None of these need to be bought at kosher shops, 

Of course, we want to make the Chag special and eat delicious food, some of which will be processed and need a hechsher. But shopping for Pesach should not break the bank, and many items which we’ve been told all our lives need supervision for Pesach, do not. 

Bittul

As an added precaution, before buying one of the items listed below, we employ the laws of “bittul”. “Bittul” is the nullification statement we make erev Pesach, “kol chamira” in which we say:  

“All hametz in my possession which I have not seen or removed, or of which I am unaware, is hereby nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth.”

Therefore halacha (Jewish law) gives us an added leniency before Pesach. In the highly unlikely event that a tiny fragment of chametz did make its way into the oil, salt or butter bought from a regular shop, it is covered by our declaration and becomes “as the dust of the earth”. From the point of “kol chamira” onwards, we rule that chametz “in any quantity” is forbidden. So during Pesach I would be more stringent and opt to buy supervised products. 

Therefore in the chart below, food with some level of processing bought without a hechsher (dairy products, dried fruit and nuts) should be bought before Pesach starts. See the column on the right for details.

However eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables can be bought during Pesach because they are whole, unprocessed products. As can anything with a Kosher for Pesach hechsher.

Kitniyot and Ashkenazim  

Kitniyot (literally "small things") refers to legumes, seeds, and grains, such as rice, corn, beans, and lentils. These are traditionally avoided by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover. While not technically chametz (leavened grain), they were restricted due to similarities to grain or fear of contamination. 

There are very established traditions that שמן קטניות - the oils of kitniyot, are acceptable for Pesach (canola and sunflower oils are good examples). And anecdotally many Ashkenazim in Israel these days will eat kitniyot "derivatives" - that is products labelled "for kitniyot eaters" which don't have obvious kitniyot. So they wouldn't eat hummus or rice cakes for example, as the kitniyot product is visible and can be tasted. But they'd eat, say, chocolates labelled "for kitniyot eaters" which have some derivative buried in the ingredients. This is established Ashkenazi practice in Israel, and something I'm comfortable with too.

Quinoa, while it has the characteristics of kitniyot, is generally not considered kitniyot by most modern kashrut authorities, making it a popular alternative to grain-based foods for Ashkenazi Jews on Pesach. This is because it is a "new world" food that was not part of the original medieval Ashkenazi prohibition.

I hope this list makes Pesach shopping and preparation a bit simpler and more affordable. B’teavon! 

Rabbi Miriam Lorie

Food group	Food item	Hechsher needed?	Notes	Buy before Pesach? (Relevant only for non-hechshered products)
Single ingredient foods	E.g. Oil, sugar, salt, milk, butter, pure spices, nuts, dried fruit	NO	These are fine to buy if 100% that ingredient with no additives. Use unopened bottles / packages for Pesach unless previously only used for pouring onto cold food.	Yes
Dried fruit	Raisins, sultanas, apricots, cranberries etc.	NO	If 100% fruit or in sunflower oil	Yes
Nuts	Any tree nuts	NO	Most Ashkenazim consider peanuts kitniyot	Yes
	Ground almonds (if 100% almonds)	NO	Also OK for ground walnuts & hazelnuts but tricky to find in non-kosher shops	Yes
Drinks	Grape juice	YES	OK if already opened and used before Pesach if only poured out into cold glasses.
	Wine	YES
Spices	Whole or ground	NO	If 100% that spice. OK if previously used as long as not been poured over something hot.	Yes
Dairy	Milk, Butter, Cream, Plain or Greek yoghurt, Sour cream	NO	OK without hechsher if single ingredient (i.e. only milk).	Yes
	Lactose-free milk, lactose-free yoghurt	NO	OK without hechsher if contains only milk and lactase.	Yes
	Cream / cottage cheese	YES	SKA approves the Longley Farm brand
Oil	Olive oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil - any pure oil	NO	But only unopened bottles unless previously only used for pouring onto cold food.	Yes
Coffee	100% ground coffee / Plain coffee pods	NO		Yes
	Plain instant coffee	NO	KLBD approves Nescafe and many other brands. SKA approves any plain coffee.	Yes if buying a non-approved brand
	Decaffeinate coffee	YES	Clipper Organic are approved kosher for Pesach & all year by SKA and many brands are approved by KLBD.
Tea	100% tea; herbal teas; roibos; fruit teas	NO	If multiple ingredients, need a hechsher	Yes
	Decaffeinate tea	YES	The decaffeination process can be problematic
Cocoa powder	100% pure	NO		Yes
Frozen fruit	100% frozen fruit	NO	If no additives	Yes if buying a non-approved brand
Tinned tomatoes	Tinned tomatoes & passata WITHOUT citric acid	NO	But most contain citric acid	Yes
Fish	Fresh	NO	If bought, and ideally rinsed, before Pesach	Yes
	Frozen	NO	If contains only fish & water
	Tinned tuna, salmon,	NO	In any oil, brine, or water
Maple syrup	Even if labelled as 100% maple syrup	YES	Often has additives and undergone processes
Tofu	Even if plain	YES	Often has additives and undergone processes
Chia seeds	100% pure chia seeds	NO		Yes
Flax seeds	100% pure flax seeds	NO		Yes

For our guide to pesach cleaning and kashering, please click here: https://www.kehillatnashira.org/post/pesach-cleaning-and-kashring-checklist-5786-2026