Noodle kugel is a sweet, baked noodle casserole with egg noodles, cream cheese, sugar, apples, and cinnamon. I use a cast-iron pan for an extra crispy outer layer! This recipe is a top contender for the most delicious Jewish dessert. It’s rich with a soft creamy texture on the inside and crispy outside.
Kugel (in its many forms) is a dish traditionally eaten in Ashkenazi Jewish households. Jewish egg noodles, also known as lokshen, are the main ingredient in kugel. The word kugel itself actually has German origins, and you can see variations this dish throughout eastern European countries like Hungary and Croatia.
My version of noodle kugel is made in a cast iron pan to get an incredible crispiness comes out perfect every time just like I do with my potato kugel. Plus, it’s kosher for Passover and all year round!
🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
🧾 Ingredients in This Recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳 How to Make This Recipe
🥣 Optional Additions
Add 1/2 cup of dried fruit soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and then strained. Raisins are a classic in this recipe, but chopped apricots, currants, cranberries, and other dried fruits are also delicious.
🏆 Tips for The Best Noodle Kugel
- Prevent a soggy kugel: Your kugel will have the right texture if you only boil the egg noodles until al dente. Noodles cooked too long during this initial cooking will become soggy and mushy.
- Mix thoroughly and coat every noodle: You want the filling to be as evenly dispersed as possible.
🍽️ Storing and Reheating your Noodle Kugel
- Refrigerate: Kugel is just as good cold as it is warm. You can keep it fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, but I wouldn’t go any longer.
- Freeze: Kugel freezes very well. Allow the casserole to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container for freezer storage. It will keep for up to 1 month.
- Reheat your kugel: I recommend reheating it in the oven at a low temp, like 350F, until warmed to serve.
🍰 Sweet & Satisfying Jewish Recipes
I have a whole host of Jewish recipes for you to try next! And if it’s Passover, be sure to check out what’s kosher for Passover or a whole collection of these Passover recipes. A great place to start is one of these classic Jewish desserts:
Cast-Iron Noodle Kugel
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Ingredients
- 12 oz. wide egg noodles
- 5 eggs beaten
- 12 oz. non-fat small curd cottage cheese room temperature, 2 cups, full fat also works
- 8 oz. sour cream room temperature, 1 cup, non-fat or full fat works
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature, non-fat or full fat works
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and diced
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cook the noodles for 5 minutes in a pot of boiling water until al dente. Strain and set aside.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350F with the cast-iron pan in the oven.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla extract, sugar, butter, salt, milk, and diced apples. Mix in the cooked and drained noodles.
- Pour the mixture into the pre-heated cast iron pan.
- Mix together the cinnamon sugar ingredients in a small bowl. Top the noodle kugel with the entire cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 1 hour.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
I’m wondering if there is a particular egg replacer I can use for a vegan recipe
A friend of mine uses flax seed egg replacer in her kugel, but I’ve never tried it myself. For each egg, mix together 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 5 minutes. If you give it a try in this recipe, I’d love to hear if it comes out!
Kosher for Passover egg noodles?
If it’s Passover, then yes 🙂
Hi!! Any way to make this dairy free? Would love to update my old noodle kugle recipe!
Hi Jenna, I’ve never made this one dairy free so can’t say for sure, but here is what I would try: I would replace the cream cheese with Miyoko’s cream cheese, and the sour cream and cottage cheese with a vegan greek yogurt. If you give it a try or something else, I’d love to hear how it comes out. Good luck!
I absolutely love this. Perfect for a dessert and enough leftover for breakfast the next morning. Perfect balance of sweetness. I like it with the raisins.
Thank you for taking the time to share, James! We used a combination of golden and regular raisins this year and it was a hit. Happy Hannukah!