Hanukkalikimaka: A Hanukkah Dinner with Aloha Spirit

A Hanukkah dinner can bring together the traditions of everyone at your table. You might serve a dish your family enjoys every year, make a recipe from a relative, or invite friends to share a favorite from their own celebrations.

That’s what makes Hanukkalikimaka special to Kiki Aranita and her husband, Ari Miller. At their holiday dinner, they bring Hanukkah classics and aloha spirit together at the same table.⁠

Let the people at your table guide your menu. Start with a favorite dish, add something meaningful to your family or friends, and choose recipes you’ll have time to prepare and enjoy.

In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Pick an evening that works for your guests, then start planning your menu. ⁠

Partytrick helps you keep your guest list and tasks in one place, so you can see what’s planned and what still needs your attention.

Create a free Partytrick account and start planning your Hanukkah dinner.

Meet Hanukkalikimaka

Kiki Aranita and Ari Miller host Hanukkalikimaka, a holiday dinner that brings Hanukkah classics together with aloha spirit. Their gathering reminds us that a holiday meal can make room for more than one family tradition.

What makes the idea inviting is its starting point: a holiday table can honor the foods and customs people cherish while making room for the experiences they share. There’s no need to add a new element to every dish. One meaningful addition can make the meal feel like yours.

Start with the Classics

When you’re considering Hanukkah menu ideas, begin with the foods that matter to you and your guests. They give the meal a familiar center, even if you decide to bring something new alongside them.

Frying foods in oil is a Hanukkah custom associated with the story of the oil that burned for eight days. Latkes, or potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, filled doughnuts, are two foods often enjoyed during the holiday. ⁠

⁠Choose one or two favorites rather than feeling obliged to make everything. If latkes are the dish everyone anticipates, give them room on the menu and make the rest of dinner easier on yourself. If dessert is the family favorite, buy or make sufganiyot and choose a main course you already know how to prepare.

It’s also worth asking guests which dishes they remember from their own Hanukkah celebrations. Their favorites might be just what your table needs. 

Bring Your Own Traditions to the Table

Start with a Hanukkah dish you love, then add a food, flavor, or family recipe that means something to someone at your table. The meal can reflect the people joining you without needing an elaborate theme.

Perhaps your latkes sit alongside a vegetable dish a relative makes for gatherings. Or maybe a guest brings a dessert their family shares at celebrations. The dishes don’t have to be combined on the same plate to belong at the same dinner.

Ask guests what they enjoy and, if they’d like, invite them to share the story behind a dish. Keep the invitation open rather than treating anyone as a representative of a whole culture. People’s traditions differ, even within the same family.

A familiar serving bowl, a recipe written in a loved one’s handwriting, or a song your family associates with gathering can be enough to make the evening personal. None of it requires a shopping trip.

A Simple Menu Framework

A manageable dinner starts with one main, a couple of sides, and a dessert. Choose the version that suits your guests and your available time, then adjust the ingredients and preparation to meet their dietary needs and kosher practices.

The Classic

Familiar dishes with room to sit and linger.

Try roast chicken with latkes and roasted carrots, then finish with sufganiyot. Set out sparkling water and a pitcher of apple cider so guests can help themselves. If any guests keep kosher, check every dish with them first, including dessert, since a meat meal means everything served alongside it needs to be dairy-free. 

The Blended

A Hanukkah favorite alongside another meaningful family dish.

Build the meal around latkes and a main dish your household loves, such as baked fish. Add a vegetable or salad connected to another family tradition, then finish with fruit and a dessert chosen by someone at the table. A pitcher of tea or a favorite nonalcoholic drink makes an easy addition.

The Make-Ahead

A comforting dinner with fewer last-minute jobs.

Make a pot of vegetable soup ahead of time and serve it with warm bread, a green salad, and latkes. For dessert, pick up sufganiyot from a bakery and add a bowl of fresh fruit, checking ingredients with guests who have dietary needs. Set out water and a chilled drink before anyone arrives, so the stovetop stays free for that last batch of latkes. 

For another way to balance a main course, sides, and dessert, explore The First Dinner Party of Fall Menu: An Easy Seasonal Meal Guests Will Love, then adapt the approach to your own table.

Frying in Batches

Set up your latke station. Before you start frying, clear the space around the stove. Have a plate or rack waiting for the cooked batches and a serving dish close by. If you’d rather not miss the fun, ask someone to greet guests and pour drinks or to keep you company in the kitchen.

Fry in small batches. Cook only as many latkes as fit comfortably in the pan, rather than crowding it all at once. Follow your recipe for heat and cooking time, and give yourself a moment between batches to check the oil and move the finished latkes off the heat.

Keep food safe. If you’re holding latkes or other dishes warm, keep hot food hot. If you’re cooking ahead, refrigerate dishes promptly instead of leaving them out for the afternoon, and check your recipe for reheating instructions.

Save the stove for the star. You don’t have to cook the whole dinner at the last minute. Make your sides ahead of time, and let the latkes be the one dish that gets your attention right before dinner.

Cooking for Everyone at the Table

Ask early. Check in about dietary needs when you send the invitation, before you plan the menu. A simple question does the trick: “Is there anything you don’t eat, or anything I should know about how your food is prepared?”

Let kosher guests guide you. If a guest keeps kosher, ask what would help them feel comfortable eating at your home. Practices vary, and a vegetarian dish or an ingredient list won’t meet everyone’s needs. Some guests may prefer food from a certain kosher-certified source, and others may feel most at ease bringing their own meal. Follow their lead.

Check the whole meal. For guests who keep meat and dairy separate, think beyond the main dish to sauces, toppings, dessert and even how food is prepared and served. Ask before assuming a substitution will work. The goal is to make a plan together ahead of time, so no one is put on the spot at dinner.

Make it easy to check. Label each dish and keep ingredient packaging handy for anyone who wants a look. If allergies are involved, talk with that guest directly about ingredients and cross-contamination.

Looking for inspiration? The Hanukkalikimaka Playbook by Kiki Aranita, part of Partytrick’s Expert Collection, gives you a ready-made plan to build on, so you’re never starting from a blank page. Make it your own, keep your guest list and details in one place, and let nothing slip through the cracks. It’s free with a Partytrick account.

Make-Ahead Tips and Shortcuts

The most useful shortcut is the one that gives you time back when you need it. Look at your menu and circle the dishes that need to be cooked or finished just before dinner. If there are several, consider making one ahead or buying it instead.

A soup can be prepared in advance and refrigerated; salad greens can be washed and dried; and a dressing can wait in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Set out plates, serving utensils and glasses earlier in the day so you’re not looking for them while dinner comes together.

Buying dessert is a good choice, too. A bakery box of sufganiyot can be every bit as welcome as something you make yourself. Just check that the bakery’s ingredients and preparation work for the people you’re serving.

If a guest offers to help, give them a specific task that fits their needs and yours: bring a suitable drink, set out glasses, or pick up an agreed-upon dessert. For more ways to spread out the work, see 10 Secrets to Entertaining with Ease.

Plan Your Hanukkah Gathering with Partytrick

You bring the traditions and the people you want around your table; Partytrick gives you a place to organize the plan. Create a free account, open the Hanukkalikimaka Playbook, choose a date, and invite your guests. From there, you can make the menu and task list your own.

Get your free account and start planning your Hanukkah gathering.

Want more ideas like these? Get hosting tips and gathering inspiration in your inbox.

FAQ

How do you blend traditions at a Hanukkah dinner?

To blend traditions at a Hanukkah dinner, start with one Hanukkah dish that matters to your family, like latkes, and pair it with a recipe from another tradition. Ask guests which foods they love to share, and let their favorites shape the menu so everyone sees a piece of their own celebration.

What do you serve with latkes?

Latkes are traditionally served with applesauce and sour cream. For a full Hanukkah dinner, pair them with roast chicken or brisket, roasted vegetables, and a green salad. For a meat meal where guests keep kosher, skip the sour cream and offer applesauce or a dairy-free topping instead. 

What can you make ahead for Hanukkah dinner?

For Hanukkah dinner, you can make soup, salad dressing, and many roasted vegetable dishes a day or two ahead. Refrigerate them promptly, then reheat them according to your recipe. Save the latkes for last, since they’re best fried right before serving.

How do you plan a Hanukkah menu for guests with dietary needs?

To plan a Hanukkah menu for guests with dietary needs, ask about restrictions when you send invitations, before choosing dishes. Ask how food should be prepared and served, too. For guests who keep kosher, ask them what works for their practice rather than assuming an ingredient or substitution is fine.