Matzo Ball Soup Recipe for Passover [Vegan] (2024)

FAQs

Is matzo ball soup okay for Passover? ›

Matzo ball soup is Jewish comfort food in a bowl. Traditionally served on Passover, it's absolutely delicious any time of year.

A proper matzo ball would never be made with milk. Matzo balls are most often made to be served in chicken soup. As a Jewish dish, to be kosher, none of the meal elements can have meat and milk at the same meal, so no milk would be used in any part of the meal that included chicken.

The egg and the matzo meal should do the binding for you if you allow your batter to rest properly. Be careful when handling the matzo balls—from the shaping to the cooking and even while they're cooling—because they will break or fall apart if you handle them too much.

Turns out, baking powder is key to creating the fluffiest, lightest “floater” matzo balls. Using carbonated water or seltzer in combination with whipped egg whites will help get you fluffy floaters. But baking powder makes the biggest difference.

The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

According to the Torah, we are supposed to eat matzo and abstain from eating wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats for the eight days of Passover. The category of foods called kitniyot (corn, rice, and beans) have also been off limits for many Ashkenazi families.

Add to that the benefits of vitamins A, C, and D in the broth, the anti-inflammatory properties of the soup vegetables, and a boost of energy from the carbohydrates in the matzo balls, and you've got a recipe for feeling better!

German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations. An early recipe for matzoh ball soup, made with beef stock, is found in The Jewish manual, or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery (1846).

Although matzo ball soup is linked to Judaism in general, it is most often eaten by Jews during Passover, as part of the Passover meal (or Seder). “The Jewish holiday of Passover celebrates the Biblical story of the Exodus, or the freeing of Hebrew slaves from Egypt. . .

We give you the choice: Using schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) produces the most flavorful matzo balls, while vegetable or canola oil offer convenience. Optional seltzer helps to aerate the matzo balls so that they're light and tender, while optional baking powder allows you to make insanely light and fluffy ones.

Should matzo balls float or sink? ›

One thing is for sure though, every matzo ball floats right out of the pot, then sinks. Even the dense and chewy version sunk after soaking in broth overnight. All in all, there's no correct way to make a matzo ball. You can make them any way you like them!

If you overcook them, they'll become tough and rubbery. The best way to cook matzo balls is to simmer them in a pot of salted water for 30-40 minutes. Season the soup well. Chicken soup is a blank canvas, so you can season it however you like.

If a recipe calls for schmaltz and you don't have any, you can substitute melted butter, ghee, or your choice of cooking oil. You may miss the full-flavored goodness of schmaltz, but you can easily substitute any cooking fat in its place.

Rendered chicken fat, called schmaltz, is traditional, but you could substitute oil or butter (though butter conflicts with kosher dietary restrictions prohibiting combining meat with dairy). Fat gives matzo balls a smooth texture, a silky mouthfeel and also adds tenderness and flavor, especially schmaltz.

Next, carefully drop the chopped carrots and matzo balls into the simmering broth. Cook until the carrots are cooked and the matzo balls are hot throughout. You'll know everything is ready when the carrots are tender and the matzo balls float to the top.

Matzo represents the unleavened bread the Jews ate while fleeing Egypt. Nothing says Passover like a good bowl of matzo ball soup. That's according to Joan Nathan, chef and grande-dame of Jewish cooking, who spoke to Steve Inskeep of NPR's Morning Edition about the importance of the tradition.

Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah (Hebrew: מַצָּה, romanized: maṣṣā, pl. : matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz (leaven and five grains that, per Jewish law, are self-leavening) is forbidden.

Passover matzah is made with only flour and water. They make matzah that has other things such as salt or herbs which may taste good and be kosher during the year, but not for Passover. Some people like to eat matzah throughout the year.

Traditionally, matzo ball soup was a Passover meal, consumed in remembrance of the unleavened bread that Jews ate when they were fleeing Egypt. During Passover, Jewish people would buy Matzo bread from their local bakery and use day-old leftover crumbs to make the balls.