Jewish Meat Knishes

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/5/22
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Jewish Meat Knishes in a bowl and on a plate, with mustard in a bowl

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati
Prep: 65 mins
Cook: 43 mins
Rest: 2 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 48 mins
Servings: 22 to 23 servings
Yield: 22 to 23 knishes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
297 Calories
20g Fat
16g Carbs
13g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22 to 23
Amount per serving
Calories 297
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 25%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 89mg 30%
Sodium 321mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 187mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A Jewish meat knish (kuh-NISH) is a baked dumpling filled with meat, potatoes, kasha, sauerkraut, onions or cheese (and lately spinach, sweet potatoes, and other ingredients), that is traditionally baked but sometimes fried. It's similar to a British pasty, Mexican empanada, Russian pirozhki, and an Italian calzone. Since this dough recipe is made with butter, cream cheese, and sour cream, and filled with beef, it would not be considered kosher.

The recipe for the filling was provided by Lloyd Weinstein of Benjie's Deli in Santa Ana, Calif. The knishes can be individually quick frozen on baking sheets and transferred to freezer bags for storage if desired.

Here is a potato knish recipe you might like to try.

“I thought I preferred potato knishes, but that was before I tasted this particular meat version. The addition of pastrami as one of the filling ingredients was absolutely brilliant. It kicked the flavor up to another level. I didn’t have access to a meat grinder, so I pulsed the ingredients in a food processor instead.” —Diana Andrews

Jewish Meat Knishes/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Knish Dough:

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Meat Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably 80/20

  • 5 ounces pastrami, coarsely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon water

Steps to Make It

Make the Knish Dough

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Knish Dough ingredients

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add flour and salt and pulse to blend.

    Butter, cream cheese, and sour cream in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.

    Knish dough on plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Using floured hands, form into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

    Knish dough wrapped in plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Make the Meat Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Knish filling ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

    Chopped onions in a pan on a burner, with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 9 minutes.

    Onions and ground beef in a pan on a burner, with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Drain the mixture of excess fat. Add the pastrami and mix well.

    Pastrami added to the ground beef in a pan on a burner, with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Pass meat through a grinder with the small hole setting. Alternatively, pulse then process the mixture in batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until finely chopped, taking care not to over process.

    Pastrami and ground beef mixture in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Transfer meat to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Add the salt, garlic powder, and white pepper and mix to combine. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the eggs and mix well to combine.

    Ground meat mixture, egg, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper in a bowl with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Assemble the Knishes

  1. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let come to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.

    Knish dough on a floured surface, covered with plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Meanwhile, position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

    Parchment paper lined baking sheets

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.

    Rolled out dough, next to a rolling pin

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Re-roll any dough scraps until all the dough is used.

    Rolled out dough cut into pieces

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Make the egg wash by combining the beaten egg with the water. Brush each square with the egg wash.

    Dough squares on top of parchment paper, brushed with egg wash

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one of the dough squares.

    Dough piece with meat mixture on top, on a plate

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  7. Stretch the dough over the filling and fold the points to meet in the center, similar to an envelope, pinching the edges closed. Continue with the rest of the dough and filling. (You might not use all the filling.)

    Knish dough sealed around the filling, on a plate

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  8. Place knishes on the prepared baking sheets and brush with the egg wash.

    Knishes brushed with egg wash, on baking sheets

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  9. Bake until knishes are golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays in the oven halfway through baking, about 30 minutes total.

    Jewish Meat Knishes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tips

  • Serve these meat knishes with some sharp deli-style mustard, which pairs especially well with the pastrami in the filling.
  • Any leftover filling can be used in omelets and stuffed baked vegetables, stirred into a chili, or eaten in a burrito or taco. Just be sure to cook the filling thoroughly again as it contains raw eggs.

Recipe Variations

Before baking, sprinkle the tops of the knishes with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or even a little flaky salt for a subtle crunch.