Traditional Cholent Recipe: The Sabbath Stew That Cooks Itself Overnight

Active time: ~30 minutes | Total time: ~13–17 hours, plus soaking the beans | Serves: 8 | Difficulty: Easy

---

Quick Overview

1. Soak pinto and white beans overnight
2. Brown the beef and onions in a heavy pot
3. Layer potatoes, onions, meat, beans and barley
4. Season the broth with paprika, pepper and salt and pour it over
5. Bring to a boil before Shabbat, then cook overnight in a low oven or slow cooker
6. Serve hot at the Saturday midday meal

---

What Cholent Is

Cholent is the Ashkenazi Jewish Sabbath stew: meat, potatoes, barley and beans in one heavy pot.¹ It’s put on the heat on Friday, before sundown, and left to cook through the night for the midday meal on Saturday. The stew exists because of the Sabbath itself. Work is traditionally forbidden from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, and under some interpretations that includes turning on an oven or stove, so the meal has to be set up in advance and finish cooking on its own.² Sephardic Jews make their own version, called hamin, from the Hebrew word for “hot.”³

---

History and Cultural Roots

A food historian quoted by NPR traced the dish to the Middle East, from where it spread to North Africa and, by the ninth century, to Spain.² The name is generally believed to come from the medieval French chault, “hot,” and lent, “slow.” Jews had lived in Languedoc since early times, and when they were expelled in 1394, many of them went to Germany.¹ A popular story links the word to the Yiddish shul ende, “end of synagogue,” but that historian rejected it, since the word was in use in France before Yiddish developed.³

Before home ovens, the pot was sealed with a paste of flour and water and taken to the baker’s oven on Friday. On Saturday the men and children collected it on their way home from synagogue.¹ Families who could not afford meat made cholent from beans and grain alone.¹ The seasoning changed from region to region: Hungarian cholent with paprika, peppery Lithuanian versions, and Polish ones flavored with little more than onions and garlic.²

Cholent even led to a kitchen appliance. The inventor Irving Naxon grew up on his mother’s stories of carrying her cholent to the village bakery in Lithuania, where it cooked in the slow heat of the oven over the Sabbath. His daughter recalls that this gave him the idea for an electric crock with slow, even heat. It was first sold as the Naxon Beanery; today it is better known as the Crock-Pot.²

On the Shabbat Table

Cholent is served at the Saturday midday meal, after synagogue services. By then the flavors have blended, the beans are soft and the tough cuts of meat have turned tender.² My Jewish Learning describes how the smell when the lid is lifted is the one that once filled the wooden houses of the shtetl.¹ The recipe below is part of our Shabbat table.

---

Traditional Cholent Recipe

This recipe was compiled by Heritage Healthy Kitchen from a comparison of published recipes; the sources are listed at the end of this article. Figures that are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s own estimates rather than taken from a published source are marked as such.

Published recipes for 2–3 lb (about 0.9–1.4kg) of beef use ½–1 cup of dried beans, ½–1 cup of pearl barley, potatoes and onions, and 1½ teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of paprika.^3,4,5 Some bring the pot to a boil before the Sabbath and then leave it in an oven at about 95–100°C (200–212°F) for 10–16 hours; others go into a slow cooker on low overnight.^3,4,5,6 The amounts below are for 900g (2 lb) of beef and sit inside those proportions. The weights of the potatoes and onions and the number of servings are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimates.

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 900g (2 lb) beef chuck or brisket, cut into large chunks
• 200g (1 cup) dried beans, half pinto and half white beans
• 100g (½ cup) pearl barley
• 700g (about 4 medium) potatoes, peeled and halved
• 2 large onions (about 300g), chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) neutral vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon (about 7g) sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons (about 9g) fine salt
• About 1 liter (4 cups) low-sodium beef broth or water, plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Soak the beans. The day before, rinse the beans, pick out any stones and soak them in plenty of cold water for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.⁵
2. Brown the meat and onions. Heat the oil in a large, heavy ovenproof pot. Brown the beef on all sides, then add the onions and cook until they soften.⁵
3. Layer the pot. Lift out the meat and onions. Lay the potatoes over the bottom of the pot in a single layer, spread the onions over them and put the meat on top. Scatter the beans and barley over the meat and tuck in the garlic.³
4. Season and add the liquid. Stir the paprika, pepper and salt into the broth and pour it over. Add water until everything is covered.^3,5
5. Bring to a boil. Before Shabbat begins, set the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil.^5,6
6. Cook overnight. Cover tightly and move the pot to an oven heated to 95–100°C (200–212°F), or transfer everything to a slow cooker set to low. Leave it for 12–16 hours. Stir as little as possible; if it looks dry, add a little water.^3,4,5,6
7. Serve. Take the lid off carefully, since the pot will be very hot, and serve straight from it at the midday meal.

---

Kitchen Tips

Cholent is made for tough cuts of meat such as chuck or brisket, which turn tender over a long night in the pot.²

Barley soaks up a lot of liquid. If you add more grain than the recipe calls for, add more water as well, or the stew can dry out.³

Many published recipes tuck raw eggs, still in their shells, in among the meat. They cook in the pot overnight and are peeled before serving.^3,5

Some recipes add about 2 tablespoons of honey; one caramelizes it in the pot before the other ingredients go in.^4,5

---

Looking for a Lighter Version?

Our Healthy Cholent recipe keeps the beans, barley, paprika and the overnight method and gives two lighter versions: one with skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks, and a vegetarian one with mushrooms, chickpeas and tomatoes.

---

Nutritional Information

Per serving (one-eighth of the pot):

• Calories: approximately 475–580 kcal
• Protein: 28–35g
• Total fat: 22–27g, of which saturated 8–9g
• Carbohydrates: 41–50g
• Fiber: 8–9g
• Cholesterol: 90–115mg
• Sodium: 530–650mg

Nutritional values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases (USDA FoodData Central). They vary with the cut of beef and with broth or water.

---

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of serving, in shallow covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.⁸

Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until the stew reaches 74°C (165°F), with a splash of water if it has thickened.⁸ Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.⁷

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is cholent cooked for so many hours?
Work is traditionally forbidden from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, and under some interpretations that includes turning on an oven or stove. The stew is set up on Friday, before sunset, and keeps cooking on its own until the Saturday meal.²

What is the difference between cholent and hamin?
Both are overnight Sabbath stews. Cholent is the Ashkenazi version of Central and Eastern Europe; hamin, from the Hebrew word for “hot,” is the Sephardic one, and it is often made with chicken and eggs.³

Which beans work best?
Published recipes use pinto, white, lima or red beans and chickpeas, often in a mix.^3,5,6 This recipe uses pinto and white beans. Red kidney beans are better left out: at least one published recipe notes that slow-cooking them is not recommended.³

Can cholent be made without meat?
Yes. Families who could not afford meat made cholent from beans and grain alone, and today vegetarians make meatless cholent.¹ One published recipe suggests replacing the meat with a large can of tomatoes.⁵ Our vegetarian cholent with mushrooms and chickpeas is one way to do it.

Is it safe to cook cholent overnight in a slow cooker?
Yes, as long as the meat is fully thawed before it goes in and the lid stays on. The direct heat, the long cooking and the steam trapped in the covered pot together destroy bacteria, and the food stays safe for as long as the cooker is running. If you can, set it on high for the first hour; cooking on low the whole time is also safe.⁷

What is kishke, and does it go in the pot?
Kishke is a sausage casing filled with a flour-and-onion stuffing. It is one of the traditional additions that cook in the pot with the cholent, along with various dumplings.¹ Some published recipes add one to the pot.^3,4

---

Further Reading & Sources

The recipe is a compilation based on the published recipes listed here; these links are provided for readers who want to explore further.

1. Claudia Roden. Cholent: The Sabbath Stew. My Jewish Learning (no date printed on the page). The name from medieval French chault and lent; Jews in Languedoc and the expulsion of 1394, after which many went to Germany; the pot sealed with a flour-and-water paste and taken to the baker’s oven, fetched on the way home from synagogue; the basic cholent of meat, potatoes, barley and beans; families who could not afford meat made it with beans and grain only; kishke and dumplings; versions with chicken; vegetarians who make meatless cholent; the smell that filled the wooden houses of the shtetl.
2. Deena Prichep. (22 February 2014). Cholent: The Original Slow-Cooked Dish. The Salt, NPR. The Sabbath rest and the stew set up on Friday; food historian Gil Marks on the path from the Middle East to Spain by the 9th century and on Hungarian, Lithuanian and Polish seasoning; Irving Naxon, his mother’s cholent taken to the village bakery in Lithuania, as recalled by his daughter, the Naxon Beanery and the Crock-Pot. Published recipe from Devora Wilhelm: chicken pieces with pinto beans, barley, potatoes and onions, cooked on high for 3–5 hours, then on low until the next day.
3. Tori Avey. (8 April 2016, updated 8 May 2023). Cholent. toriavey.com. Published recipe: 2½ lb beef stew meat or brisket, 1 cup dried beans (lima, pinto, chickpeas or red beans, with the note that slow-cooking kidney beans is not recommended), ½ cup pearl barley, potatoes on the bottom of the pot, 1½ teaspoons paprika, 1 quart low-sodium broth plus water to cover, more liquid when using grains; 16 hours on low in a slow cooker or 12–16 hours at 200°F in the oven; optional eggs, peeled before serving; 12 servings. Hamin as the Sephardic version, from the Hebrew word for “hot,” often made with chicken and eggs; Gil Marks on the word shul ende.
4. Melinda Strauss. (24 January 2024, updated 28 October 2025). Classic Cholent. Jamie Geller. Published recipe: 2 lb beef stew meat, 1 cup pearl barley, ½ cup beans, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 tablespoons honey; on low in a slow cooker for at least 8 hours or overnight; 8 servings.
5. Jewish Museum Berlin. Tscholent, recipe sheet from the exhibition Kosher & Co (no author printed). Published recipe: 3 lb short ribs or beef shoulder, 1 cup mixed dried beans soaked 6 hours, ¾ cup barley, potatoes, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 tablespoons honey caramelized in the pot, raw eggs in their shells; brought to a boil before Shabbat, then covered and left overnight in the oven at 210°F (100°C) without stirring; 10 servings. Notes: poultry can replace the beef; for a vegetarian version, replace the meat with a large can of tomatoes.
6. ANU – Museum of the Jewish People. Cholent (Ashkenazi Chamin). Foodish (no author named). Published recipe: beef neck or short ribs, soaked white beans, red beans and chickpeas, potatoes, eggs in their shells; brought to a boil and boiled for about 5 minutes, then sealed with foil and baked at 100°C (212°F) for 10–14 hours.
7. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Slow Cookers and Food Safety (last updated 8 August 2013). Direct heat, lengthy cooking and steam in the covered pot combine to destroy bacteria; always thaw meat or poultry first; vegetables go in first; keep the lid in place; high for the first hour if possible, though low the whole time is safe; food stays safe while the cooker is operating; leftovers are not reheated in a slow cooker.
8. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety. Refrigerate within 2 hours in shallow covered containers; leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer; reheat to 165°F (74°C).

---

Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Heritage Healthy Kitchen makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content on this site. Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on the specific ingredients, brands, and measurements used. This content is not intended as dietary, medical, or professional nutritional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any dietary needs or health conditions. Heritage Healthy Kitchen is not responsible for any outcomes resulting from the use of recipes or information published on this site.

You Might Also Like

More heritage recipes from our kitchen

Jewish

Healthy Cholent

Jewish

Traditional Gefilte Fish

Jewish

Traditional Challah

Jewish

Traditional Matzo Ball Soup