I kind of wore myself out this past weekend with long days and lots of exciting activities. So when I finally made it home to New Orleans, I was feeling tired, achy, and in need of a warm cozy meal. Matzo ball soup has been on my “to do” list for a looooong time, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.
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What Is Matzo Ball Soup?
Matzo or Matzah Ball Soup is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish that is often served during Passover. It’s a chicken soup filled with delicious dumplings made out of matzah meal (crushed unleavened bread), eggs, chicken fat (or another fat or oil), and broth. The dumplings cook in the soup and soak up all the delicious flavor of the soup as they cook. This soup is absolutely delicious and soul-warming, and there’s just nothing in the world like it.
I’m a Newbie
I’ll readily admit, I’ve never made matzo ball soup before this week, but part of this blog is sharing with you as I learn how to make new things. I read through some fantastic tutorials and myth busters about matzo balls over at Serious Eats, looked through a bazillion matzo ball soup recipes, and then I finally felt confident trying it myself. I created a hybrid recipe between what was on the package of my matzo meal and the tips given by Serious Eats. They were surprisingly simple to make and the final soup was like a big, warm hug. Success!
Try These Authentic Matzo Ball Soup Recipes
Before you try the version I made below, make sure you check out some of these authentic Matzo Ball Soup Recipes to see what it’s really all about. And hopefully, you’ll get to learn some more about the rich culture and history behind this awesome soup in the process.
Matzo Ball Soup
Servings 5 (2 cups soup, 3 matzo balls each)Ingredients
SOUP
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 3 carrots ($0.32)
- 3 stalks celery ($0.56)
- 1 chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.)* ($1.33)
- 6 cups chicken broth** ($0.76)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- Few sprigs fresh dill ($1.19)
MATZO BALLS
- 3 large eggs ($1.13)
- 3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil ($0.12)
- 3/4 cup matzo meal ($0.80)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 3 Tbsp water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots with the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about five minutes).
- Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, 2 cups water, some freshly cracked pepper, and one or two sprigs of dill to the pot. Place a lid on the pot and let it come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, mix the matzo ball dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vegetable oil. Add the matzo meal, salt, baking powder, and a little freshly cracked pepper to the eggs and oil. Stir until well combined. Finally, add 3 Tbsp water and stir until smooth again. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to allow the matzo meal time to absorb the moisture.
- After the chicken soup has simmered, carefully remove the chicken breast and shred it with a fork. Return the shredded chicken to the soup. Taste the broth and adjust the salt if needed.
- Once the matzo ball mix has refrigerated and stiffened up, begin to form it into ping pong sized balls. Drop the balls into the simmering soup as they are formed, returning the lid to the pot after each one. Once all the matzo balls are in the soup, let them simmer for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Make sure the soup is gently simmering the entire time.
- Add a couple sprigs of fresh dill just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Matzo Ball Soup – Step by Step Photos
I made a very simple/quick chicken soup as a vehicle for my matzo balls. It begins with 2 cloves of garlic, one yellow onion, three carrots, and three stalks of celery. Mince the garlic and dice the onion, carrots, and celery.
Sauté the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery with 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil in a large pot over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about five minutes). Once the onions are soft, add one chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.). You can buy skin on and bone in chicken, just be sure to remove the skin first. The bones can be removed when you shred the chicken and will give the soup great flavor.
Also Add six cups of chicken broth and two cups of water (or all chicken broth, if you prefer). Also, add a couple of sprigs of dill and a little freshly cracked pepper. Place a lid on the pot, let it come up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes. I use Better Than Bouillon to make broth because it has great flavor, is quite inexpensive compared to boxed or canned broths, and it keeps in the refrigerator for just about forever.
While the soup is simmering, mix the matzo ball dough. Add 3 large eggs and 3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil to a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Add 3/4 cup matzo meal, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, a little freshly cracked pepper, and 3 Tbsp of water to the bowl. Stir until smooth. Let the mix refrigerate for 30 minutes so the matzo has time to absorb water and plump up.
This is what the matzo meal looks like, BTW. Kind of like bread crumbs, but it’s cracker crumbs. Take note, this is plain matzo meal, not matzo ball “mix”.
Once the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes, remove the chicken breast and use two forks to shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the soup. Taste the broth and adjust the salt if needed.
After the matzo ball mix has been refrigerated, it should be more stiff and dry.
Start forming the matzo ball dough into small balls, about the size of ping pong balls. Keep in mind that they’ll puff up a little as they cook. I got about 15 balls out of my mix. Drop the balls into the simmering soup one by one as they’re formed, making sure to return the lid after each one (to keep the broth simmering).
Once all the matzo balls are in the broth, let them simmer for about 20 minutes. Make sure the broth is simmering the whole time and the lid is not removed.
Once the matzo balls are puffed and cooked through, add a few more sprigs of fresh dill, then serve!
Mmmm, so warm and delicious!
You can’t go wrong with chicken and dumplings… in any form!
This is great and much faster and easier than a lot of recipes that use a whole chicken. I love making matzo ball soup that way for holidays but now I have a six month old baby and just don’t have time to skim the fat, etc with a whole chicken recipe. For this recipe, I also just used manischewitz matzo ball mix because it’s easier and they always turn out good. I also used more carrots and celery and I used low sodium broth instead of bullion cubes (for those who felt it was too salty, try low sodium broth instead?). I also used two chicken breasts because I like more meat. And then because I had more celery and carrots taking up more room I made the matzo balls separately in a pot of water and then added them. They still soak up the flavor but this way the soup stays soupier. So those were my tweaks, and I also added a lot more dill. I guess I made the non budget version …
Excellent Recipe!! Loved the flavor!! Only change I made was a trick my mother used to do was to put a beef bouillon cube in the broth, Yes I know it is chicken noodle but I doubled the recipe and used 3 bouillon cubes and WOW!!! I have to say this is my new Go to Soup recipe!! My 21 year old actually said Mom I think this is the best soup you have ever made!!! I give you 5 thumbs up!! Thank you soooo much for sharing!!! Big Hugs!!!
I came up with a slight tweak to the recipe I wanted to share. Usually when I make your matzo ball soup, I use schmaltz (chicken fat) instead of the vegetable oil. I didn’t have any this time, so when I added the oil, I added a little bit of the Better than Boullion base to the matzo ball mix. It really made up for the missing schmaltz!
K be Matzo ball soup. My good friebd, Gail , who was Jewish,, made it when I visited to her. She has since passed, every time I make it, it’s like having a meal with het! I used to use the mix, but none of our stores carry it. Tried another recipe and it was awful. Hoping this turns out!
Hi Beth!
Thank You for this easy Matzo Ball Soup recipe…My Family have been asking me to make Matzo Ball soup forever…I have never heard of it until a Jewish friend mentioned it. I have been looking for Matzo Meal in the grocery stores in my area….but no luck!…I was wondering if you could recommend a substitute?…I was thinking something like bread crumbs!, given that the matzo balls are made from bread crackers that have been baked at a very temperature and grounded into crumbs, any idea if regular bread crumbs would work?.
Looking forward to your reply I hope to try on Sunday!
Hmm, if anything I think saltine crackers (unsalted) would be much closer than breadcrumbs, but I honestly don’t know if that would work here. It’s hard to say without having tried any substitutes for matzo meal. Have you checked the International food aisles in your grocery stores? That’s where it usually is, and it’s one of the more common “international” foods that grocery stores carry. You can probably order online, as well, if you’re really desperate. :)
If you can’t find it you should try Amazon. They have Matzo meal. I don’t think you can substitute it for anything. A matzo ball would just not be the same.
I LOVE this recipe and make it frequently! It’s delicious just as it is. The only change I ever make is to add more celery and carrots, which is merely a personal preference. I truly don’t understand any of complaint reviews, as it was never claimed to be the “world’s most authentic matzo ball soup recipe.” Take it for what it is, a wonderful and easy-to-make spin on a classic soup recipe.
Beth, thank you for making cooking accessible! Your recipes always turn out extremely well and are easy to follow. As a person trying my best to become a better cook and prepare more meals at home, I use your website frequently and so appreciate what you do. :)
I really loved the flavors when i tasted the broth, however, when i served it the whole thing was salty. Not sure what happened. :-(
Also, my balls came out soft, I’m not sure where i went wrong but i see the beautiful potential of this recipe
Thanks just made this for my wife who is under the weather and she loved it. The only problem I had was in using bullion cubes it made it a bit salty but I’ll fix
Can’t go wrong using Better Than Bullion. But my matzoh balls came out very dense, hard and dry though still edible. I used water not seltzer. Do you think that’s the reason? Others I’ve tried weren’t hard like mine. They were nice and soft but didn’t fall apart. Could you give me some tips to make them soft? Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve seen recipes that use seltzer, but I’ve never tried that myself. I think that would definitely give you a softer effect because it will add more leavening action. Other than that, I’m not sure. I’d need to do some more research to find out what other techniques people use. :) Unfortunately I’m not a matzoh expert.
The first time I made this soup, the matzo balls turned out perfect…But the second time I made it, I had this same problem happen as you did – hard dense matzo balls – the worst!
I just made it today for the third time and the one thing I made especially sure NOT to do was to overmix/overwork the matzo ball mixture! I did a lot of googling after the bad batch and that was the advice I kept hitting on. I mixed the matzo meal in after mixing everything else (except the water), and only stirred/folded it JUST ENOUGH to mix it thoroughly. Then, after adding the water, again only just gently mixed/folded it until it was mixed.
I also made sure to follow Beth’s advice about ensuring the pot was gently simmering the whole time that the matzo balls are in the pot.
This seemed to do the trick because the matzo balls came out perfectly tender and cooked through at the 30 minute mark!
I made this today in my cooking class (for kids on autism spectrum). It was absolutely delicious and the kids enjoyed peeling and cutting the vegetables as well as cracking eggs and measuring the dry ingredients. Most of the kids had a big bowl ( we doubled the recipe) and the assisting staff enjoyed it as well! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Oh, and it was my first attempt at making this soup.
That is so awesome!! ❤️
This soup is amazing and simple to make. I doubled the amount of chicken, and it was even better. Freezing the soup and reheating it at a later date made it incredibly flavorful!
I didn’t actually interpret any comments to be “hateful”. The invitation started out saying that, like any cultural dish, nearly every cook has their own take on the theme. Y’know, just like there are a dozen different ways to spell “matzah” in English lol.
That said, here’s mine.
1) Matzah ball dough is generally sticky. Mom and Grandmom kept oiling their hands. I just use water. A bowl of tepid water next to the bowl of dough, alongside the stove. Simply dip hands into the water after every few matza balls.
2) I use plain seltzer instead of regular water.
3) Sometimes I add a little nutmeg to the dough.
4) Before refrigerating the dough, cover it with a piece of plastic wrap, placing it against the surface of the dough. (Also, the dough can stay in the fridge up to several hours.)
I give the recipe 4 stars bc I prefer my chicken diced, rather than shredded.
I made this recipe last night and it was amazing. I did not put garlic (my great grandmother would kill me) but i’m intrigued to try it next time. You inspired me to make the the Chunky Lentil and Vegetable tonight. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. Another Jewish girl here. I have been making matzoh ball soup since I was young. I basically make mine the same way as you except for using schmaltz. The rendered chicken fat just add another depth of flavor. I prefer to make my own matzoh balls from matzo meal as the store-bought ones are never as good.
We are Chinese, so to add a little Asian twist, we use sesame oil instead of schmaltz to our matzoh ball recipe. The nutty flavor of sesame pumps up the flavor volume! We also add ginger to the broth and top the soup off with chopped green onions. If you are feeling under the weather, you can add more ginger and fresh black pepper to relieve congestion.
Yum, I love the personal twist!