This creamy Vanilla Noodle Kugel is sweet and aromatic, a slightly different take on a traditional lokshen kugel. Made with vanilla pudding, cream cheese and a crunchy wafer cookie topping, it’s a dessert-style kugel that is just perfect for brunches, potlucks and holiday gatherings.
There is nothing better than pulling a cold slice of noodle kugel out of the refrigerator as a midnight snack. Or for breakfast. Or whenever, really! If you’ve enjoyed a good traditional lokshen kugel before, you understand. This Vanilla Noodle Kugel is a simple yet luscious twist on the basic noodle kugel concept.
A kugel is a quintessentially Jewish dish that is best described as a baked pudding. The dish originated over 800 years ago in Germany. It quickly became popular with Jewish families throughout Eastern Europe. Usually kugel is served as a side dish. For families who keep kosher, either dairy or parve (neutral) kugels are prepared to suit kosher dairy or meat meals. This Vanilla Noodle Kugel, is a dairy kugel.
Dairy kugels are enjoyed on dairy meal holidays like Shavuot, Hannukah, and for the break-fast meal after Yom Kippur.
Today, you can order a slice of noodle kugel in almost any American Jewish deli… but why buy, when it’s so simple to make yourself? Kugel is actually one of the easiest Jewish dishes to cook. Once you know the basic components (starch, eggs, and dairy or non-dairy fat), there are endless possibilities. You can even get creative by adding fruit, flavorings, and different toppings to create your own “signature” kugel.
I’ve come up with many variations on kugel over the years. The one I’m sharing today will be a favorite with people who like vanilla. The addition of pudding makes it extra creamy, and the crunchy vanilla cookie topping adds texture. It’s a sweet, fun, unique dish for a potluck or family gathering.
I try to use organic ingredients whenever possible to cut down on our exposure to unhealthy additives and preservatives. To make this kugel, I bought organic kosher-certified vanilla wafers at Whole Foods (365 brand) and kosher organic vanilla pudding, too (Dr. Oetker brand). If you prefer to use more standard store brands, Nilla Wafers and Jello vanilla pudding mix are both kosher certified… they’ll work great. Feel free to cut down on calories by using lowfat ingredients, but I wouldn’t use the nonfat stuff. Fat = flavor. Enjoy!
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Vanilla Noodle Kugel
Ingredients
Kugel Ingredients
- 1 cup prepared vanilla pudding (homemade or from a mix)
- 1 pound egg noodles
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk (any percentage is fine, except nonfat)
- 3/4 cup lowfat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping Ingredients
- 8 ounces vanilla wafer cookies (makes about 2 cups of crumbs)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
NOTES
Instructions
- Take cream cheese out of the refrigerator to let it soften. Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until soft set (thickened, but it doesn't need to be completely firm).Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Boil the egg noodles according to package directions until they reach an al dente texture (cooked, but not too soft or limp). Drain and rinse with cold water until noodles are cool. Drain again.
- Use an electric mixer to cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the eggs and mix again until blended.
- Add pudding, milk, sour cream, vanilla and salt. Mix on medium high until all ingredients are well blended.
- Pour noodles into the liquid mixture. Stir to combine noodles and liquid, making sure all noodles are covered in liquid and no noodle clumps have formed.
- Pour noodle mixture into a greased casserole or baking dish.
- Crush vanilla wafer cookies to a crumbly texture using a food processor, or by placing the cookies into a sealed plastic bag and pounding them with a mallet. You want them crushed fine, but not to a powder-- a little texture is good. Place crumbs into a small mixing bowl.Add sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter to the crumbs. Mix with a fork for a couple of minutes until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened by the butter.
- Evenly sprinkle the crumbly topping across the top of the kugel.
- Bake kugel uncovered on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, turning the dish once during baking to make sure it bakes evenly. Kugel is done when the topping lightly browns all the way across. Remove from the oven.
- You can serve this kugel warm or cold. Store it in the refrigerator to avoid spoilage. The topping won't be as crunchy the second day, but it will still taste delicious. Enjoy!
Joy says
What a cool recipe.
Magic of Spice says
Oh, this is so wonderful…simple but creamy and luxurious!
Aliza says
Thanks!!!! I will do that……..Aliza…..:)
Aliza says
I made this today and it came out a little taste less, I usualy make it with cottage cheese and minus the pudding and it turns out AMAZING. But I just love the idea of putting in pudding….Will try again…..thanks, Aliza…..
Tori Avey says
Hi Aliza– you might want to try my Creamy Noodle Kugel instead, it uses cottage cheese in the mix and has some more interesting add-ins like pineapple and raisins. Here’s the link! http://theshiksa.com/2010/04/07/creamy-noodle-kugel/
Natalie says
Noodle kugel sounds amazing! I’m can seriously see myself eating straight out of the fridge at midnight too!!
kt says
I made this for my cousin’s graduation party this past weekend. it was a huge hit, with some relatives saying it was the best kugel they’ve ever had (and it was my first time making kugel!). Thanks for an amazing recipe. I will definitely be making this again. It was very easy to make and was very flavorful. The noodles soaked up all of the vanilla-y goodness from the pudding; it really makes the difference. And the wafer topping with the little bit of cinnamon and sugar was perfect. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone!
Tori Avey says
Hey kt, thanks so much for letting me know how the kugel turned out for you! I really appreciate the feedback, and I’m thrilled that your family enjoyed the kugel. Congrats to your cousin! 🙂
Kim Beaulieu says
I’ve never had this before. It looks amazing. You always do such great posts. It’s a joy to stop by. Kim
Ilke says
Never heard of this before and I went back and forth between the pictures and your article “is there pasta in it? But she said vanilla pudding? How come?”
I think I will like this dish, combining vanilla pudding and egg noodles! What is not to love? 🙂
Amy says
I have yet to try a kugel, but yours sounds delicious! I love the cookie topping on this and all of the lovely vanilla flavor!
Terri @ that's some good cookin' says
I can practically smell this cooking!
Kristy says
I love anything that makes a great midnight snack and/or breakfast and I really like that this recipe is so adaptable for different flavors. Yum!
Damon's Wife says
Looks so good! I am so going to make this tomorrow. Yummy!!
Alice K. says
A note about noodle kugel: Our favorite is Aunt Mickey’s Noodle Kugel, made with cottage cheese. But the best thing is that you DO NOT boil the noodles first! Super simple. Throw everything into the baking dish and bake. But your recipe sounds so good I’ll try it (though not with cream cheese; my husband has heart issues so cream cheese is a no-no).
Tori Avey says
Hi Alice! I’ve tried a few of the kugel recipes without pre-cooked noodles over the years. A few of them turned out great, others not so much. I’d love to hear your Aunt Mickey’s method!
Re: the cream cheese, you could sub lowfat cream cheese, or a light ricotta which will give it a slightly different texture (but it will be more heart-healthy). Let me know how you like it!
laura says
Shiska
You can substitue non fat greek yogart for cream cheese. I have done that for years.
I have also drained low fat yogart when greek was not available.
Laura
Heleen says
I love kugels! I also have made it with cornflake crumbs with cinna sugar; but the idea of nilla wafers is a great touch… i have also added crushed pineapple as well.. thanks for all your great healthy Jewish food..schmalz may taste great but not so healthy for us…and happy belated birthday to me as well..i hit the big 60 , but will always be 39….
Kelly says
I have never heard of Kugel before but I do believe I may have found my new favorite recipe!! You had me at vanilla pudding 🙂
sarah says
Well now I’m craving Kugel- bookmarking this for the weekend!
cookinglady says
You mentioned different types of kugel and said lucshen was one type. Lucshen means noodle, so how does it differ?
Do you have a savory recipe that you can share?
Tori Avey says
Hi cookinglady! Lokshen kugel is Yiddish noodle kugel. It can be made a variety of ways, but it is most commonly prepared with noodles, cheese, sour cream, butter, raisins and spices. There is usually no or very little topping used (sometimes sugar and/or cinnamon is sprinkled on top). The lack of a crumb or streusel-style topping allows the noodles to bake to a brown, crunchy texture on top of the kugel. However lokshen kugel, like other kugels, vary greatly from family to family, so there are no real rules… kugel is an adaptable dish that can be made in a variety of ways.
For a more savory recipe, try my Passover Potato Kugel. Here’s the link: http://theshiksa.com/?p=1038
I’ll be posting more savory kugels later this year!
Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan says
I’ve never had kugel before, it looks AMAZING!
Kate@Diethood says
I can eat this day in and day out! In Macedonia we make something very similar… sweet or savory (includes feta cheese), and it’s called “Gibanica” (Ghee-bah-knee-tsah) 🙂
Tori Avey says
Oh Kate, I must have that recipe! My husband is nuts over feta cheese, he adores it. Maybe we can do a recipe swap!