Items that don’t require a Kosher for Pesach hechsher

Is your Passover shopping bill spiralling out of control? Save your pennies (and your sanity!) with this list of items that DON’T require a special Pesach hechsher!

When I was a kid, my grandparents would order a small amount of goods especially for Pesach (Passover). The list included matza, wine, potato starch and so on, but much of what they used on Pesach was identical to our regular ‘year round’ food and drink.

However over the years, as the range of kosher foods has expanded and become more widely available, more and more items have been certified for Pesach use. Consumers have been buying these items – often paying well over the year round rate – believing that a KforP hechsher is necessary.

No Pesach hechsher required!

A few years ago I started to research this in more depth, and discovered that there are numerous items that don’t actually require Passover certification! In many cases, simply buying a new unopened bottle/package/jar ahead of Pesach is all that’s necessary. Keep the lid on until the festival starts to avoid any crumbs falling into the package!

There was much discussion of these issues a few years ago, as global events and economic upsets meant that some items that were typically bought for Pesach were unavailable or were prohibitively expensive. As a result, some halachic authorities found that they were able to take a slightly more relaxed view to enable people to properly celebrate and enjoy the festival. They were also more transparent in their explanations of why some items are acceptable and others not. This has enabled shoppers to make more informed choices regarding their Passover purchases.

Items that don’t require a Pesach hechsher or special supervision

Fresh produce

• Whole fruits and vegetables
  You can happily eat as many whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables as you like during Pesach. However pre-cut fruits and vegetables should be avoided as additives to prevent discolouration are often added, and these can be chametz-derived.

Fresh eggs and fish

• Fresh eggs 
  Eggs do not require a Passover hechsher. This includes both brown and white eggs, and any other colour they might come in. KLBD also reassures us that there is no issue with chametz in the ink used to date stamp British eggs!
• Fresh fish
  Raw, fresh, kosher fish does not require a special Pesach hechsher. Ensure you buy it with a piece of the skin still attached and rinse well in cold water before using. You can also use frozen fish with the same guidelines.
• Tinned fish
  Some authorities permit kosher tinned salmon, sardines and tuna, in oil, water or brine, to be used without extra Pesach certification.

Fats and oils

• Extra virgin olive oil
  This does not include regular olive oil or olive oil blends, but only pure extra virgin olive oil.
• Pure sunflower oil
  If you use it on Pesach. Sunflower seeds are considered kitniot, although there is an argument as to whether derivative oils are also classed as kitniot. If you use sunflower oil, then you may buy any pure variety without a special Passover hechsher.
• Extra virgin coconut oil
  Again, only the extra virgin variety and not the ‘odourless’ or heat treated kinds.

Baking ingredients

• White sugar
  I’m pretty sure that Tate and Lyle has a KLBD Pesach hechsher year round anyway. Regardless, any pure white sugar from any brand is fine.
• Pure icing sugar
  The important word here is PURE, as many icing sugars include anti-caking agents which are often chametz or kitniot-based. This also does not cover fondant or royal icing sugar which have additives and other ingredients. Be sure to read the packaging carefully before buying.
• Whole nuts in their shells
  Including walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts etc. A Pesach tradition of cracking and shelling your nuts for snacking is quite fun!
• Shelled, blanched, chopped or ground nuts
  This does not include roasted nuts, which require a Pesach hechsher. Nut butters also require Pesach certification. I strongly recommend the KforP roasted nuts and nut butters from Nutural World, which are absolutely delicious and a real Pesach treat! Use code FFF15 to get 15% off your order. (This discount is available once per customer.)
• Desiccated coconut
  It’s preferable to buy one with a KforP hechsher, but not essential.
• Pure cocoa powder
  Check there are no other ingredients or additives.
• Pure honey
  In recent years, there has been some issue with adulteration of honey, so you may wish to buy a kosher certified honey to ensure that it has no unwanted additives. However, any pure honey should be acceptable for use on Pesach.

Drinks

• Unflavoured mineral water or naturally sparkling water
  Any plain or naturally sparkling water is fine, however carbonated water requires a Pesach hechsher. If you usually make your own fizzy water, the OU 2025 Passover guide stated that SodaStream CO2 canisters are acceptable when bearing a standard OU symbol and without special Passover certification, however I cannot find a mention in the 2026 guide.
• Tea bags or loose black tea
  Unflavoured tea, either loose or in bags, is acceptable. However decaffeinated teas are not acceptable due to the way they are processed. Note that herbal teas and flavoured teas such as Earl Grey DO require a hechsher for Passover use.
• Unflavoured coffee beans or ground coffee
  Agagin, NOT decaf due to processing methods. SKA also permits unflavoured instant coffee. Clipper Organic Decaffeinated Instant Coffee is included on the SKA 2026 Pesach list.

Some authorities say that pure orange and grapefruit juice from concentrate is acceptable, and some disagree. In either case freshly squeezed juices, and fruit juices other than orange and grapefruit (e.g. apple, cranberry, pineapple etc) require a Pesach hechsher. This is due to processing methods and potential additives.

Frozen produce

• Frozen fruit
  Frozen fruits with NO additives are considered acceptable by some authorities. Check the ingredients, especially for citric or ascorbic acid which are potentially from chametz sources.
• Frozen vegetables
  As above, frozen vegetables with NO additives are considered acceptable by some authorities.

Some authorities extend this guidance to also include tinned vegetables such as tinned tomatoes. However in my experience finding tinned tomatoes without added citric or ascorbic acid can be difficult!

The SKA produces an annual Pesach guide which includes a list of frozen vegetable products that can be bought and used on Pesach. This includes items from numerous high street supermarkets’ own brands, including Aldi, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose. You can find the 2026 guide here.

Dairy products

• Milk
  If your custom is to buy unhechshered milk year round, you can also use it for Pesach. However ideally you should buy it before the festival starts.
• Pure or salted butter
  As above for milk.
• Plain yogurt
  Check carefully that there are no additives such as stabilisers etc. Pure natural plain yogurt is acceptable without a Pesach hechsher if you do not typically buy supervised dairy products year round.
• Soft cheeses
  The 2026 SKA guide lists a number of soft cheeses, including cream cheese and cottage cheese, which are acceptable if you typically eat non-hechshered soft cheeses year round. You can find the full list here.

Seasonings

• Salt
  All pure, additive-free salts are acceptable. However iodised table salt is not considered Kosher for Pesach due to the way it is processed.
• Ground spices
  Opinions differ, but some authorities say that garlic powder, cinnamon and ginger may be used without a Pesach hechsher. Others permit these only if a KforP product is unavailable.
• Whole spices
  CRC states that all whole spices are acceptable for Pesach. This includes cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, chilis, and peppercorns. (Note that if you avoid kitniot, many whole spices fall into this category, including anise, caraway, coriander, cumin, dill seeds, fennel seeds, and mustard.)
• Fresh herbs and spices
  Cut fresh herbs and growing herbs in pots are both fine to use on Pesach, as are fresh spices including fresh root ginger, turmeric, and fresh chilis. Dried herbs require a Pesach hechsher. This is because of the way they are processed and the potential for cross-contamination.

Household items

Household products such as cleaning materials, aluminium foil and foil containers, plastic wrap, soaps and shampoos etc. do not need a hechsher for Pesach.

There is some debate over paper plates and other paper products as they may be dusted with starch to prevent them sticking together, and this may be chametz. If you’d rather find reusable crockery that doesn’t break the bank, check out the Oftast range from Ikea, which is only 75p for a dinner plate, bowl or dish and just £1 for a large serving bowl. A set of 8 plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery + 2 serving dishes comes in at under £30! A bargain, and better for the environment too.

Enjoy your Pesach shopping!

I hope you’ve found this list to be helpful for planning and doing your Pesach shopping. While you can buy almost everything you need from this list, certain items will always require a Pesach hechsher, including matzo and matzo products (of course!), hard cheeses, jams and preserves, chocolate and confectionary, and ready-made baked goods such as cakes or macaroons.

However with this information in hand, you should be able to direct your finances and hopefully save some money without sacrificing kashrut or the joy of the festival.

Happy Pesach!

If you found this information useful, you might also enjoy:

• Secrets of a stress-free Pesach
• Vegan Pesach survival guide
• Pesach food trivia quiz

You can browse all of my Pesach articles and recipes here.

My Pesach recipe ebook, containing 40 simple and delicious meat-free recipes for everything from breakfasts and lunches to mains, sides, desserts and cakes, is available as an instant download! Just click here

This article was originally published in March 2025. It was updated with new information in March 2026.