What Bracha Do I Make? הלכות ברכות

Bread, challah, bagels, rolls, matzah. Bread of the five grains — white, whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel, French, raisin bread, a bagel, a roll, an English muffin, matzah, toast — is HaMotzi, with Birkas HaMazon after. A “mezonos roll” is listed the same way: HaMotzi and bentching.

Soft pretzels. HaMotzi and Birkas HaMazon — the OU’s table rules a soft pretzel meets all the criteria of bread.

Wraps — a live machlokes. The OU’s table: a plain, unfilled wrap is Mezonos; filled with tuna, cheese and the like — HaMotzi. The cRc’s treatment records the underlying machlokes: some contemporary Poskim hold today’s wraps are too thin for tzuras hapas and are surely Mezonos, others that they are HaMotzi.

Pizza, eaten as a meal. Pizza is pas haba’ah b’kisnin. Two slices eaten alone is kevias seudah — HaMotzi and Birkas HaMazon; eaten with other foods (fries, salad), whatever amount of bread you would normally eat at such a meal already makes it HaMotzi, even under two slices. The general custom for a small amount is Mezonos, and a pizza whose dough was fully baked before the cheese went on (some frozen pizzas) is HaMotzi regardless. The cRc’s database lists pizza plainly as HaMotzi with Birkas HaMazon.

Ezekiel bread (sprouted grain). HaMotzi — the sprouted grain keeps its status as wheat, since portions of the kernel remain.

Gluten-free bread. It depends on the flour: oat bread (oats are one of the five grains) is HaMotzi; rice-flour bread is Mezonos with Borei Nefashos after; bean, corn or millet flour is Shehakol. A mixture follows the majority flour. Oat flour added for taste can make the whole loaf HaMotzi — bentching then requires eating a kezayis of the oat content.

Until when can you bentch? Birkas HaMazon should be said before you begin to feel hungry again; after a small, non-satiating amount the guides give a minimum of 72 minutes.

Cake, cookies, crackers, pretzels, doughnuts. Mezonos, with Al Hamichya after — provided a kezayis of the grain content was eaten within the time-frame (see the bracha achrona section below). This covers cake of every kind, cookies, brownies, crackers, graham crackers, hard pretzels, muffins, pastry, hamantaschen and waffles.

Pizza, a slice as a snack. Mezonos and Al Hamichya when eaten as a snack rather than a meal.

Pie and cheesecake — the crust rules. Fruit and cream pies, and cheesecake, are Mezonos: the dough is the primary ingredient even when there is less dough than filling. Al Hamichya only if a kezayis of the cake part was eaten within the time-frame; otherwise Borei Nefashos. If there is merely a thin strip of dough holding the filling, only the filling’s bracha is said.

Pasta, noodles, oatmeal, farina. Mezonos and Al Hamichya — noodles, lokshen, spaghetti, macaroni, farfel, kreplach, kneidlach, pancakes and cooked oatmeal all appear on the OU’s Mezonos list. Overnight oats that were soaked but never cooked are recorded as a machlokes: Rav Schachter — HaAdamah (the bracha upgrades to Mezonos only when the oats stick together through cooking); Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach is cited for Mezonos.

Matzah brei. Mezonos with Al Hamichya, provided no piece of matzah remained the size of a kezayis — if even one piece is that large, HaMotzi. Star-K’s chart draws the same line by process: boiled or no longer recognizable — Mezonos; pan-fried without oil with the pieces intact — HaMotzi.

Kishke, blintzes, lokshen kugel, knishes. Mezonos with Al Hamichya, since the ingredients include flour of the five grains — stuffed kishke, cheese or potato blintzes, lokshen kugel, and knishes (for a meat knish, Al Hamichya requires a kezayis of the dough within the time-frame).

Corn muffins and corn bread. A corn muffin made with wheat flour is Mezonos with Al Hamichya; with no wheat, Shehakol with Borei Nefashos. Corn bread appears on the OU’s HaMotzi list.

Four rules decide the box. Wheat and oat cereals are Mezonos with Al Hamichya. Corn cereal made from recognizable grits (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes) is HaAdamah; made from corn flour (Kemach Corn Flakes, Corn Chex) it is Shehakol — the same food, different brands, different brachos. Rice cereals are Mezonos but their bracha achrona is Borei Nefashos. And a minor grain added l’taam (for taste — Apple Jacks, Froot Loops) makes the cereal Mezonos, while grain added only l’davek (as a binder — Cap’N Crunch, licorice) does not.

Cheerios, Wheaties, Life, Special K, Raisin Bran. Mezonos, Al Hamichya — the oat and wheat staples: Cheerios (all listed varieties), Wheaties, Grape Nuts, Quaker Life and Oatmeal Squares, Special K, Raisin Bran, Bran Flakes, Shredded Wheat, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Total.

Rice Krispies, Cocoa Pebbles, Rice Chex. Mezonos — but the bracha achrona is Borei Nefashos, rice’s unique status: Rice Krispies, Cocoa Krispies, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, Rice Chex, puffed rice.

Corn Flakes, Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes — check the brand. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes are HaAdamah with Borei Nefashos (recognizable grits); Kemach’s corn flakes are Shehakol (corn flour). Kellogg’s Corn Pops — HaAdamah; Corn Chex, Kix, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Cap’N Crunch — Shehakol.

Crispix — two brachos on one box. Half rice, half corn: the Star-K list has you split a Crispix — Mezonos on the darker rice half, eaten first, then HaAdamah on the lighter corn half. Borei Nefashos after.

All Bran and bran cereals. Kellogg’s All Bran Original and Buds — Shehakol with Borei Nefashos (bran alone, not the grain’s endosperm); All Bran Complete Wheat Flakes — Mezonos with Al Hamichya.

Puffed wheat. Either Mezonos or HaAdamah is acceptable — the listing cites Rav Moshe Feinstein that both work for puffed whole kernels; the OU’s table gives HaAdamah with the same teshuva.

Granola bars and clusters — the orgs differ. The OU rules HaAdamah: the oats are merely stuck together with syrup, which is not cooking. Star-K’s list gives Nature Valley bars as Mezonos. On the bracha achrona the OU rules Borei Nefashos, and advises lechatchila avoiding a kezayis of the oats within the time-frame (up to 1½ Nature Valley bars per 4½ minutes satisfies all opinions).

The milk in the bowl. Milk eaten with cereal is tafel — the cereal’s bracha covers it, and no separate Shehakol is made. The same for raisins, bananas or strawberries mixed into the bowl.

Rice. Mezonos — but the bracha achrona is Borei Nefashos, not Al Hamichya. Rice pudding, rice soup and rice kugel follow the same pattern.

Rice cakes. Mezonos with Borei Nefashos: the puffed rice fuses together like cooked rice. The OU records Rav Belsky in the name of Rav Moshe favoring Mezonos, noting some make HaAdamah.

Sushi. Star-K: Mezonos on the rice plus the appropriate bracha on the filling — both are primary; the nori wrapper is secondary. The cRc’s database has you recite Mezonos on the rice, eat some rice, then make the majority ingredient’s bracha (fish — Shehakol; vegetables — HaAdamah); their article adds that one-bracha-or-two turns on a machlokes of the Poskim, and sends the question to your own Rav.

Quinoa. Cooked quinoa is HaAdamah with Borei Nefashos. Products made from quinoa flour — cakes, cookies, pancakes — are Shehakol.

Buckwheat (kashe). HaAdamah — buckwheat is a legume, not one of the five grains. Buckwheat pancakes made with five-grain flour become Mezonos; without it, Shehakol (the groats lose their form).

Tree fruit and nuts. HaEitz with Borei Nefashos: apples, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, mangoes, kiwis, avocados, coconut — and almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios.

Grapes, dates, figs, pomegranates, olives. HaEitz — but the bracha achrona is Al HaEitz (“al ha’aretz v’al hapeiros”), the mei’ein shalosh of the shivas haminim. Raisins too.

Bananas, pineapple, melons, strawberries. HaAdamah with Borei Nefashos: banana, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon — and strawberries, wild or cultivated. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, by contrast, are HaEitz.

Cranberries and craisins. HaAdamah — they grow on low uprights in a bog, within the shiur of the ground. Both organizations publish the same ruling.

Peanuts and pumpkin seeds. HaAdamah with Borei Nefashos. Peanut butter is listed Shehakol on the OU’s table; their Halacha Yomis records Rav Soloveitchik’s approach of HaAdamah — a recorded difference, not ours to resolve.

Hearts of palm — the orgs differ. Star-K rules HaEitz: commercial peach palms are planted specifically for their hearts, making the heart the tree’s fruit. The OU’s table lists hearts of palm with the HaAdamah vegetables. Both positions as published.

Applesauce. Commercial, fully-pureed applesauce is Shehakol; chunky homemade applesauce keeps HaEitz.

Sugar-coated almonds. HaEitz — the coating is subordinate to the nut, even when there is more sugar than almond.

Chocolate-covered raisins and nuts. Two brachos — Rav Moshe rules neither part is subordinate: Shehakol on the chocolate and the fruit’s bracha too. The OU adds that the best practice is to make HaEitz or HaAdamah on something else first, then Shehakol on the chocolate snack. The cRc’s database turns it on the eater: Shehakol alone if you wouldn’t eat the nuts uncovered; if you want both parts equally, cover each bracha on other foods first.

Vegetables. HaAdamah with Borei Nefashos: potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, corn on the cob, peas, beans, chickpeas, squash, and the salads made from them.

Potato chips, fries — and the Pringles machlokes. Potato chips and french fries are HaAdamah. On Pringles the organizations publish differently: the OU rules HaAdamah even for chips pressed from potato flour (Rav Belsky — most potatoes today are processed into flakes and flour), while Star-K’s guide gives Shehakol because the ground potato is unrecognizable.

Potato latkes and potato kugel. The OU records Rav Belsky: HaAdamah in all instances, even from potato flour (noting others say Shehakol, or distinguish hand-grated from processed). Star-K’s chart splits by recognizability: shredded and still nikkar — HaAdamah; ground to a pudding-like consistency — Shehakol.

Popcorn. HaAdamah — popped, not ground; both organizations agree. Corn chips and tortillas made from corn flour, by contrast, are Shehakol.

Mushrooms. Shehakol — a mushroom does not draw nourishment from the ground like a plant. HaAdamah works bidieved.

Raw onion, garlic, parsley. The bracha follows how the item is normally eaten: red onions normally eaten raw — HaAdamah; a cooking onion eaten raw — Shehakol; fried onions — HaAdamah. Raw garlic or boiled garlic — Shehakol; fried in oil — HaAdamah. Raw parsley — Shehakol; cooked — HaAdamah.

Soups. Vegetable, tomato, pea, lentil and bean soups are HaAdamah — even the broth alone, with the vegetables removed. Plain chicken soup, broth and bouillon are Shehakol. Chicken soup with kneidlach or noodles takes two brachos: Mezonos on them, Shehakol on the soup — and Al Hamichya plus Borei Nefashos after.

Barley soup. Mezonos — and Al Hamichya only if a kezayis of barley was eaten within the time-frame; otherwise Borei Nefashos.

Falafel and hummus. Falafel balls on their own are Shehakol (the chickpeas are ground past recognition), and hummus is Shehakol; falafel eaten in a pita is HaMotzi with Birkas HaMazon.

Hydroponic and vertically-farmed vegetables. A modern machlokes both organizations treat at length: the prevalent ruling the cRc records is Shehakol on produce grown without soil (following the Chayei Adam), with HaAdamah valid bidieved — and if you don’t know how it was grown, assume soil and make HaAdamah. The OU presents the same dispute, citing Rav Ovadya for Shehakol and Rav Wosner, Rav Sternbuch and others for HaAdamah.

Chocolate. Shehakol — the widespread practice, as both the OU’s and the cRc’s treatments record, each noting that Rav Shlomo Zalman held HaEitz would be the “right” bracha while acknowledging the custom.

Ice cream — and the cone. Shehakol; the cone is subordinate — unless you specifically enjoy the sugar cone, in which case Mezonos is also said on it. The cRc’s database draws the same line: Mezonos (and Al Hamichya) on a sugar cone, nothing separate on a tasteless wafer cone. For the bracha achrona the OU presents the food-or-drink discussion: Borei Nefashos if a revi’is of softened ice cream within 3–4 minutes per Piskei Teshuvos, with Rav Wosner measuring it as food and Rav Ovadya as drink.

Candy, gum, marshmallows. Shehakol — hard candy, chocolate fudge, gum drops, marshmallows, halva, jelly, sugar. Hard candy usually gets no Borei Nefashos (a kezayis is rarely eaten within the time-frame), and gum never does; the cRc’s database likewise marks honey, ices and sugar as taking no bracha achrona.

Coconut macaroons. From shredded coconut that is still recognizable — HaEitz; from ground coconut or paste — Shehakol; and if made with flour of the five grains, Mezonos.

Drinks: water, soda, juice, milk, coffee, tea, beer. Shehakol with Borei Nefashos — water, seltzer, soda, milk, coffee, tea, cocoa, beer, whiskey, and fruit juices including orange and apple (most orchards’ fruit is not grown for juicing). Brandy too: distilled from wine, it leaves HaGafen behind.

A bracha achrona on hot coffee or tea? The common practice is no bracha achrona on a hot drink sipped slowly — Borei Nefashos needs a revi’is drunk the way one drinks, within a short span. The scrupulous cool a revi’is and drink it quickly.

Wine and grape juice. HaGafen, with Al HaGefen after a revi’is (Star-K: drunk within about 30 seconds; between 1.0 and 3.8 fl oz — no bracha achrona). Wine’s bracha covers other drinks: after a revi’is of wine, Al HaGefen exempts the soda too. Grape juice cut with water keeps HaGafen while it is the rov — past that, the guides send you to a Rav.

The map. HaMotzi → Birkas HaMazon. Mezonos of the five grains → Al Hamichya. HaGafen → Al HaGefen. The shivas haminim fruits → Al HaEitz. Everything else — including rice — → Borei Nefashos.

The shiur: a kezayis, eaten in time. A bracha achrona needs a kezayis eaten within kedei achilas pras. Star-K’s mei’ein shalosh guide gives a kezayis as 0.95 fl oz with about 2 minutes (up to 4 when eating is difficult); their breakfast guide uses 1.27 fl oz; the OU’s table states 2–9 minutes. Each figure as its guide published it.

Drinks: a revi’is, drunk like a drink. Borei Nefashos on a beverage needs a revi’is (3.8 fl oz per Star-K; 3.3 oz appears in the OU’s wine discussion), and the custom follows the Rambam that it be drunk in one short span — a few seconds, not sipped.

How long do you have? A bracha achrona is said within 72 minutes of eating; for an apple or a small amount, the sources give 30 minutes.

Combining Al Hamichya, Al HaGefen and Al HaEitz. One mei’ein shalosh covers all that apply, in order: the grain, then the wine, then the fruit — after cake and grapes, one bracha of “Al Hamichya… v’al HaEitz.”

Gluten-free and low-flour cakes. A cake that is less than 51% five-grain flour gets Borei Nefashos; 51% or more — Al Hamichya with the usual shiur. A mixed cake (their example: 35% oat flour) requires roughly three kezeisim of cake to reach a kezayis of the grain.