rugelach

R1U1G2E1L1A1C3H4
/ˈruːɡələx/

noun

A type of Jewish pastry, which may be filled with various fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.

Similar
rugulahruggelach
Scrabble 14

Meanings

nounrugelach (countable and uncountable, plural rugelachs or rugelach)

plural rugelachs · alternative rugulach · alternative rugalach · alternative ruggalach · alternative ruggelach · alternative rogelach · alternative rugalah · alternative rugala · alternative rugula

  1. countableuncountableA type of Jewish pastry, which may be filled with various fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.

    Then he ambles to his dressing room, where rugelach and carrot sticks sit on a coffee table for a postshow nosh.

    2007 April 1, Jane Wollman Rusoff, “Funny Things Happened on the Way to the Condo”, in New York Times
    3 more examples

    And while you’re there, you can pick up a babka, which you’ve heard about (a twisted, sweet chocolate loaf) and a bag of rugelach which you might not have (crescent-shaped chocolate pastries).

    2022, Laura Goodman, “A schmear campaign”, in The Joy of Snacks […], London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN

    Rugelach is thought to have the same origin—this staple of Ashkenazi Jewish baking spread across the world and became popular, especially in the US, but not quite to the extent of its French half-brother.

    2024 April 27, Itamar Srulovich, “The croissant, but better”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22

    Tiny and pretty, these little rose jam–stuffed rugelach are found in Poland with or without an almond paste filling. The flavor combination is one I was surprised to find in Poland and one that I’d never seen in American rugelach.

    2025 October 14, Laurel Kratochvila, “Rose and Almond Jewel Rugelach: Rogaliki z Różą i Migdałami”, in Dobre Dobre: Baking from Poland and Beyond, San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

nounpastry made with a cream cheese dough and different fillings (as raisins and walnuts and cinnamon or chocolate and walnut and apricot preserves)

Similar
rugulahruggelach
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Polishrogal“crescent roll”
  2. Yiddishראָגאַל
  3. Englishrugelach

From Yiddish ראָגאַל (rogal) with plural suffix ־לעך (-lekh), from Polish rogal (“crescent roll”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hebrew רוגעלך
  • רוגעלךpastry
Polish rugelach
  • rugelachpastry
Yiddish ראָגאַל
  • ראָגאַל (rogal)pastry
Cite this entry
APA

rugelach. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugelach

MLA

“rugelach.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugelach. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rugelach,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rugelach.

Source: rugelach on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.