18 Foods That Don’t Require Special Kosher for Passover Certification (2017 UPDATE)

18 Food Items that Don't Need Special Passover Certification

Want the most updated version of this list? Head over here!

Today I’m sharing 18 food products that do not require a special kosher for Passover certification (hechsher). This is not an exhaustive list, so be sure to consult the various Passover guides for more products.

Save, pin, or print this post, so you will have easy access to it the next time you’re shopping for Passover and wondering, “Does this product really need a Passover hechsher?”.

18 Foods That Don’t Need Kosher for Passover Certification

Disclaimer: I am sharing information that was found primarily in the OU 2017 Guide to Passover. If a different source was used, I note it below. As always, I’m not a rabbi, nor do I play one on the Internet. If you have any questions, the best person to ask is your rabbi!

Baking Soda — OU- and Star-K-certified baking soda is permissible without special KLP certification.

Cocoa Powder — Hershey’s OU-certified, regular (not special dark) cocoa powder does not need a special Pesach hechsher. (Star-K says that all domestically produced cocoa can be used. Consult your rabbi if you have questions.)

Coconut Oil — Virgin Coconut Oil from Spectrum is acceptable for Passover when bearing the regular OU symbol. Special KLP certification is not required. You can also purchase the Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Oil when certified by the BCK, without a special P.

Coffee — Unflavored, ground coffee that has a hechsher year-round is acceptable for Passover without special certification. In addition:

  • K-cups, Vue cupss, Bolt packs and Single Serve Coffee that is unflavored and not decaffeinated is also acceptable when bearing and OU symbol.
  • Folger’s and Nescafe Taster’s Choice Instant coffee are acceptable without special Passover certification.
  • Folger’s Decaffeinated Instant coffee is also acceptable without special certification.
  • All other brands, types and flavors require special certification.

Eggs — Whole and raw eggs, including pasteurized eggs, do not require a KLP hechsher. Eggs should be purchased before yomtov begins.

Frozen Fruit — Frozen, unsweetened, additive-free (without syrup, citric acid, ascorbic acid, or vitamin C), whole, sliced or formed fruit may be used without any certification, KLP or otherwise. However, fruit that may be infested (e.g., strawberries) may only be used year-round, including on Pesach, when bearing an approved symbol. No additional Passover symbol is required for frozen fruit on Pesach.

Juice Concentrate — OU-supervised unsweetened orange and white grapefruit juice concentrate may be used without special Passover certification. No additives or enrichments (eg. calcium) may be present. Bottled juices, on the other hand, require a KLP hechsher.

Lemon & Lime Juice — ReaLemon and ReaLime Juice (reconstituted) certified regularly by the OU is acceptable without a special KLP hechsher.

Meat & Poultry — Kosher-certified meat and poultry (fresh or frozen) in its original manufacturer packaging are inherently chametz-free year-round, and should not require any additional special supervision for Passover. This does not apply to ground meat and poultry, which may have additives. Meat and poultry should be purchased before yomtov begins.

Milk — Milk does not require a special KLP hechsher (nor a regular hechsher year-round). However, since milk contains added vitamins, which have a slight chametz risk, it is recommended to purchase your milk before Pesach.

Nuts — Raw whole, pieces or chopped nuts or nutmeal, with no preservatives or additives such as BHT or BHA, do not require a special KLP certification. Whole and half pecans also do not require KLP certification, but pieces do, per the Star-K. Peanuts are considered kitniyot by many.

Olive Oil — All extra virgin olive oils are Kosher for Passover, as long as they have a regular OU hechsher. Regular olive oil does require a KLP certification.

Quinoa — Per the Star-K, quinoa is Kosher L’Pesach and is not related to the five types of chometz grains, millet or rice. However, this is a possibility that it will be processed in a plant that has chometz in it.  Therefore, only purchase the following brands to ensure that chometz was not processed in the same plant when bearing “Best By” date of 2/01/19 through 2/28/19:: Ancient Harvest (a/No P Required) White Grains Traditional Quinoa, Organic (12 oz. box, 27 oz. pouch) Inca Red Grains Quinoa, Organic (12 oz. box) Tricolor Grains Harmony Blend Quinoa, Organic (12 oz. box) (Page 13, Star-K Guide to Passover, 2017)

Raisins — OU- and Star-K-certified raisins are kosher year round, including on Passover, without special KLP certification as long as they do not contain oil in their ingredients.

Salmon — OU-certified Kirkland-brand Frozen Atlantic, no special KLP certification required. The OU-certified Kirkland-brand Wild Salmon is also acceptable with no special KLP certification, after rinsing with water.

Salt — Non-iodized salt does not require special Passover certification, nor does sea salt. Regular, iodinized table salt does require KLP certification.

Sugar — All white, granulated sugar is acceptable for Passover without special certification. Powdered sugar and brown sugar, on the other hand, do require a Passover hechsher. (During the rest of the year, brown sugar and powdered sugar — like white sugar — can be purchased without a hechsher.)

Tea Bags — Unflavored and not decaffeinated black, white and green regular tea bags that are regularly certified by the OU are acceptable for Pesach without special supervision.

Water — All unflavored bottled water is Kosher for Passover, even without any kosher supervision.

Looking for more information about products that don’t require special Kosher for Passover certification? See 43 Non-Food Items that Don’t Need a Hechsher on Passover.

43 Non-Food Items That Don't Need Passover Certification

Comments

  1. I was told any xtra virgin unrefined pure coconut oil is fine as well

  2. Larry Lennhoff says

    Is there a difference between Spectrum Organic Virgin coconut oil (Unrefined) and Spectrum extra virgin coconut oil? I can’t find the latter either on the web or in stores.

  3. another good resource: Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz’s website, kosherquest.org. he has lists of products that don’t require a special hechsher year-round, *and* products that don’t require a special hechsher for Pesach. and if you have a specific question, you can write to him via the website and get a personal answer! he is a great guy!

  4. Judy Dubac says

    A lot of this is the minhag of your family as well. To be safe ask your local Orthodox Rabbi to interpret all of this. Remember all the years the only available oil was peanut oil but could not eat peanuts? That was hard for me as a child to understand. Now we have all these choices. Choose well! Chag Someach!

  5. The Chicago Rabbinical Council website reads that frozen raspberries and strawberries (examples of fruit that may be infested) are acceptable without hashgacha as long as there are no added kosher sensitive ingredients.

    • Mara Strom says

      Very good! Thanks!

      • Hannah Braune-Friedman says

        Hi Mara–
        For the Quinoa I haven’t been able to find the best buy dates you refernced does not mean The quinoa is not KLP? I have foubd ancient harvest but with the wrong date

  6. mashgiach says

    there are imported sugars from south America that are not acceptable for pesach

  7. Pinchos Woolstone says

    Which Hechsharim have declared quinoa not kitniyos?

    • Mara Strom says

      Quoting from the post above: “Per the Star-K, quinoa is Kosher L’Pesach and is not related to the five types of chometz grains, millet or rice. However, this is a possibility that it will be processed in a plant that has chometz in it. Therefore, only the Ancient Harvest brand, grown in Peru and certified by the Star-K year-round, does not require additional special KLP certification. This includes the Inca Red Grains Quinoa, Tricolor Grains Harmony Blend Qyinoa, White Grains Traditional Quinoa and the White Quinoa 50lb Bulk Bag. The OU Guide this year, however, says that all quinoa requires KLP certification. If you have questions, consult your local rav.”

      • That comment is outdated and does not hold at the current time. Currently, you have to check with Star-K as to which ones are considered KLP, because even a small box of quinoa might have been “contaminated”. Star-K 2018 web site says barley is sometimes laid on top of drying quinoa and flour is sometimes used in the bags to carry quinoa. A big problem for not only Ashkenazi Jews, but people worldwide with celiac disease.

  8. Does unflavored unsweetened coconut milk need OUP???

  9. I emailed the ou to clarify if OU spectrum coconut oil could still be used this year. They did not yet get back to me, but tonight I saw this tweet.

    COR
    COR – ‏@CORKosher

    From the OU:While Spectrum Coconut Oil with an OU-P is preferable, if not easily obtainable, the standard OU product is perfectly acceptable

  10. Can we buy almond milk before Passover or is it not kosher for Passover?

  11. I found the Spectrum Passover coconut oil at the Vitamin Shoppe (Maryland).

  12. Question for clarification- my read of the ou guide was that the nuts brands in their list didn’t need additional pesach certification not all nuts. Is there another source you have for any brand/hashgacha being ok for use? Thanks!

  13. I read that trader joes coconut oil , coconut flour and coconut milk(triple filtered) are all ok with special pesach hechsher- koshercheck..

  14. My big question is about almond flour and almond butter

  15. unfortunately the quinoa information for the star K is not correct – the star K says ancient harvest is fine without a special hechsher ” a long as it is from the lot that says “best by feb 2019 “

  16. What about half and half? Is it considered milk, so if you guy before its hametz sheavar alav hapesach?

  17. Amy pollak says

    Is almond flour considered the same type of product as nutmeal? Thanks!

  18. Is joyva sesame crunch kosher for passover and permissable. Rabbi D>I>Sheinkoph gives the haskokah

  19. Speak to your rabbi about the pills done versions like caplets may be ok, depending on medical need.

  20. Speak to your rabbi about the lactaid pills some versions like caplets may be ok, depending on medical need.

  21. Stevia, Truvia?

  22. does anyone know about acidopholus , castor oil , wheatgrass pills , listerine

  23. Joshua Mcgee9mm says

    Motzah mill is made with all purpose flour,water and olive oil. Motzah mill is ground up motzah. Passover cookies resapie calls for finely ground motza mill insted of flower. Why not just use flower?

  24. Has this list been updated to reflect any possible changes in the 2019 OU guide?

  25. You can not use flour at all on for pesach! The only flour you can have is the one already baked into matza. Please speak to a Rabbi, you seem to be missing a lot i info..:(

  26. Tally Bursztyn says

    is raw unpasteurized honey kosher for passover

  27. Hi. I see that the comments above are not from this year, 2021. I didn’t realize that until I had finished reading them and I’m suggesting that they be removed because what was true one year is not necessarily true the next. And PS – Thank you for all of this Passover help:)

Trackbacks

  1. […] to Shop for Passover on a Budget Part 1 from 2011 (Kosher on a Budget) 18 Foods That Don’t Require Special Kosher for Passover Certification (Kosher on a […]

Leave a Comment

*