How to Prep Seder Essentials in Advance

Are you typically frazzled on erev Pesach because the Seder items were left until the end? It doesn’t have to be that way.

First of all, before we start, we want to say that if your family has a minhag to prepare seder items on erev Pesach, we don’t want to mess! Perhaps it’s simply the way your mother and grandmother did it, and you just want to do things the way you always remember. And that’s totally fine. 

One of our grandmothers once told us in jest (this was totally reality and not a joke at all) that women stayed up all night after bedikas chametz preparing for Pesach…and then they always fell asleep right after mah nishtanah. 

Baruch Hashem, today we have freezers and it doesn’t have to be that way. 

So, if you don’t want to have any last minute things on your list, most Seder items can be made ahead, and we’ll go through all the ways you can accomplish that below.

Ideally, your erev Pesach list should be very short. You’ll have enough to do in the kitchen while feeding everyone breakfast and lunch (for some, it’s a day that we’re an ala carte chef more than any other). And, really, you should get in a nap for yourself. Perhaps preparing Seder items in advance will help you accomplish that!

Here’s more resources that you will need if you want to be organized:
The Complete Pesach Planning Guide (even if your house is already clean, there’s still tons of good resources in here)

The Erev Pesach/Seder Night Checklist
How to Set Up the Seder Plate (what you’ll need; great for first timers, includes most minhagim)
How to Prepare Pesach Basics & Seder Plate Essentials (they’re all rounded up here)

The Day Before

Zeroa/Lamb Shank

Set the table.
Depending on how Pesach falls out in relation to Shabbos, you can even do this a couple of days before. 

– Lamb shank can be made as far in advance as you like and frozen with or without the braising liquid. For those who roast the chicken neck/wing that will be on the Seder Plate (this one would not be eaten), that can also be done in advance and frozen. 

– If you use a chicken wing/neck, add the wings when preparing your soup to cook it. When it’s done, simply remove it from the soup, grill and freeze.

Marror

– You can make horseradish-based marror because your kitchen is turned over–all your need is your food processor. Once processed, horseradish can be frozen. 

– Save the root of the horseradish for your Seder plate. This can also be frozen weeks ahead  or, store it with a little water in a container in the refrigerator up to a few days before. 

– Whole leaf Romaine that is very dry can last for up to a week. It all depends on how it has been stored. See this post for more information on keeping Romaine crisp if you will be cleaning and checking Romaine by yourself. Store-bought kosher Romaine is typically dry and last long–be sure to choose fresh, crisp leaves that are not limp. Once Romaine is chopped (i.e. if you’ll also be using it for salads), the shelf life is much much shorter. 

Karpas

– Although many prepare potatoes at the last minute because they like them to be warm, there’s no reason why you can’t prepare 3-4 days in advance (warm them up covered with a bit of liquid so they maintain their soft texture and don’t get crispy).

– If you don’t need your potatoes to be warm, simply prepare as usual 3-4 days ahead and store in a closed container in the refrigerator. Take them out midday on erev Pesach so they come to room temperature. 

– Celery can be cut off the stalk, cleaned, and checked a few days before. Leave them in large stalks. Wait until the day before to chop into the smaller pieces. 

Charoses

– How far in advance you can prepare charoses really depends on the type of charoses. One of us commented, “My mother was always chop, chop, chop on erev Pesach, I do it that way, and I want my kids to do it that way!” 

– Still, charoses can be made in advance, no problem. How far in advance depends on the ingredients. A chunky-style charoses that is apple-based will only last 1-2 days. Charoses that has taken on a paste-like texture will last a couple days more. 

– A Syrian charoset, or one that is date-based will last weeks and weeks in the fridge. 

Eggs

– Although eggs can be boiled the day before, it’s easiest to peel them when they’ve been boiled fresh. Many people do this during the Seder. If your family really likes them warm, then save this for Yom Tov itself for quicker peeling. This may not be feasible if you have a big crowd.  

– If you do want to prep this ahead, although eggs cannot be peeled the day before and left overnight, there is another solution: you can peel after you’ve boiled them and store in saltwater. The salt also makes the eggs tastier this way. 

Chazeret

– This is on the Seder plate and not eaten. If you use an endive, no prep is needed. If you use ground marror as your chazeret, then you’ve already prepared it above.