As far as I’m concerned, matzo ball soup is a staple for any Jewish family. It’s primarily eaten on the major Jewish holiday of Passover, but is also sometimes enjoyed during Hanukkah, other holidays, or any other normal day of the year (because it’s delicious). It’s a fairly simple soup: a classic chick’n soup base with carrots, onion, and celery with some matzo balls plopped in there.
I was craving a vegan matzo ball soup so I asked Sarah if she could make it. She tried making the matzo balls with a few different egg substitutes to no avail. Luckily, a follower was kind enough to share their family’s go-to recipe with us, so Sarah adapted it into this recipe!
Table of Contents
What Are Matzo Balls?
Matzo balls are a variety of soup dumpling traditionally made of matzo meal (crushed matzo), egg, and chicken fat (schmaltz). For our vegan matzo balls, we obviously need to make a few changes.
The fun part about matzo balls is that everyone makes them differently! Some families like light, fluffy matzo balls that float to the top of the bowl and others enjoy heavy, dense ones that sink to the bottom. Some people like a few medium sized matzo balls in their bowl and others prefer one gigantic matzo ball in there.
For this recipe, we’re aiming for medium sized matzah balls that are on the fluffier side.
Why Do Jews Eat Matzo Ball Soup on Passover?
Passover is a holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites fleeing and escaping slavery in Egypt. When Jews gather on Passover, we have a meal called a seder in which we eat foods that are emblematic of different parts of the story.
For example, we eat matzo because it is said that while the Jews were fleeing Egypt, they didn’t have time to let their bread leaven, resulting in flat, unleavened bread (matzo).
Nobody knows for sure how matzo ball soup became such a staple of Passover meals, but there has been much speculation! People believe that around the time Eastern European cuisine started incorporating dumplings in their foods, Jews tried their hand at it by using crushed up matzo to make their own variety of soup dumpling.
Ingredients for Vegan Matzo Balls
- Matzo meal. Make sure it’s just the matzo meal — not matzo ball mix, which comes pre-seasoned.
- Potato starch (or cornstarch). To help bind the ingredients in place of eggs.
- Baking powder. To add a little lightness to the egg-free matzo balls.
- Garlic powder. Optional, but adds a little extra flavor to the matzo balls.
- Salt & black pepper.
- Water (or chick’n style broth). To hydrate the mixture. Traditional matzo balls are often made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, which contributes a lot of flavor. You can use chick’n style broth in your matzo balls to add some of those extra savory notes.
- Olive oil. Again, traditionally the fat in matzo balls comes from schmaltz and egg yolks.
- Unsweetened applesauce. An unconventional ingredient, but it works! Applesauce is commonly used in vegan baking as a binder in place of eggs, and it serves the same purpose in this vegan matzo ball recipe. (Don’t worry; you won’t taste it.)
How to Make Vegan Matzo Balls
- Mix the matzah ball ingredients. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
- Chill the mixture. Cover and place the matzo ball mixture in the fridge for at least an hour. The matzo meal needs time to absorb all the liquids, and the mixture will thicken considerably during this time! Please don’t skip this step, or the texture of the matzo balls won’t be correct.
- Make the soup. While the matzo ball mix chills, you can prepare the chick’n soup.
- Form the matzo balls. Scoop the matzo balls out and roll them into roughly golf ball sizes. (Keep in mind they will almost double when cooked.)
- Cook the matzo balls. Simmer the matzo balls in generously salted water or broth. Again, because these do not contain egg as a binder, they are more fragile than traditional matzo balls. It’s important to keep them at a very gentle simmer, as they’ll start to fall apart at a full rolling boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve the vegan matzo ball soup. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked matzo balls. Transfer them to the soup to serve immediately, or to a tray if holding till later. Add fresh parsley, dill and lemon juice to the soup as a finishing touch and serve.
Vegan Matzo Ball Soup Ingredients
- Veggies. Onion, celery, and carrots are used to make this traditionally flavored chicken-style soup.
- Chick’n style bouillon or broth. This ingredient is key! Make sure to choose a broth with a lot of flavor. Our favorite varieties are listed in the next section.
- Herbs. Bay leaves and fresh parsley and dill add a bit of freshness and nuance to the flavor of our soup.
- Lemon. A touch of lemon at the end of the cooking process gives the soup a little pizzazz. Just trust us.
- Oil or vegan butter. For sautéing the veggies.
The Best Bouillon for Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
There are a few options when it comes to vegan chicken-style bouillon or broth. Our favorite are the Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubes. They’re extremely easy to use and packed with that classic chicken broth flavor.
We also like the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base, which is a paste that comes in a jar.
You can also use a carton of standard vegetable broth, but just be aware that these don’t pack as much flavor as the vegan chick’n broths. If this is your only option, you may need to add a touch extra of salt to your soup to balance it out (especially if you use a low-sodium variety…but that’s not recommended).
Recipe FAQ
Can I cook the matzo balls directly in the soup?
Yes, you can technically simmer the matzah balls directly in the soup, but it will make the soup cloudy and starchy, so I personally don’t recommend it. I prefer to cook the matzo balls separately in their own pot of generously salted water or broth to maintain the clarity of your vegan matzo ball soup.
Can I use an egg replacer like Just Egg?
I actually tested this last year. I followed a traditional matzah ball recipe and simply substituted in Just Egg for the real eggs. It was a disaster for me; the matzo balls completely disintegrated when I simmered them. Just Egg doesn’t provide the same level of binding as real eggs.
Can these vegan matzo balls be made gluten-free?
Unfortunately, it seems that all of the gluten-free matzo meal options have egg in them (to act as a binder). I’m very curious how this recipe would work with gluten-free matzo meal, but I guess we’ll just have to wait to test that out until they stop putting egg in all of them!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
Video
Ingredients
Matzo Balls
- 2 cups matzo meal (not matzo ball mix)
- 1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Matzo Ball Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
- 1 medium white or yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery sliced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 8 cups chick'n style vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups shredded vegan chicken optional; see notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from about half a small lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
Instructions
Mix and Shape the Matzo Balls
- Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together matzo meal, potato starch, baking powder, (optional) garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add wet ingredients: Pour in water, oil, and applesauce. Mix everything together until evenly combined.
- Chill the dough: Cover the matzo ball mixture and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Don't skip this step; the matzo meal needs time to hydrate.
Prepare the Soup
- Sauté aromatics: While the matzo ball mixture chills, you can get the soup started. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat until it glistens. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add celery and carrot and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Simmer the soup: Pour in chick'n style vegetable broth, add in bay leaves and (optional) shredded vegan chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 20 minutes — but you can keep it at a low simmer for as long as you like until ready to serve.
Cook the Matzo Balls
- Roll the matzo balls: Bring a separate pot of water to a gentle boil. While the water heats, roll out the matzo balls, roughly the size of golf balls (about 2 tablespoons). Lightly grease your hands or dip them in water to keep the mixture from sticking. The matzo balls will get expand when cooked so don't make them too big at this stage.
- Cook matzo balls: Once the water is boiling, reduce to medium-low to establish a bare simmer. A rolling boil will make the matzo balls fall apart, so keep adjusting the heat as needed to keep the simmer nice and gentle. Add the matzo balls and simmer for 15 minutes. When done, use a slotted spoon to lift the matzo balls out of the water and transfer them to the soup pot.
Serve the Matzo Ball Soup
- Give the soup broth a taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Stir in fresh chopped herbs just prior to serving, along with fresh lemon juice.
- To serve, garnish each individual bowl with fresh chopped dill, parsley and/or chives. Enjoy!
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Unfortunately it’s not kosher for Passover due to the cornstarch and baking powder. Has this recipe been tried with psyllium husk as the binder? Or tapioca starch? Maybe lightened up with seltzer?
I made them with gluten free matzoh meal for someone who can’t eat either gluten or eggs. They worked! You can taste the apple, but once they go into the soup they are fine. This recipe isn’t kosher for Passover, but I used potato starch instead of cornstarch and mixed 2 parts baking soda with 1 part cream of tartar and one part potato starch in place of the baking powder. Thanks so much for this!
You can eat baking powder on passover – Gefen makes a KLP one if you don’t do kitniyot. Also, just substitute potato starch or tapioca starch. Texture may be a bit different but I’ve tried both with success. Though why you’re trying to avoid kitniyot during Pesach as a vegan is a bit beyond me, considering that *every* single protein source that isn’t seitan is kitniyot, and seitan is totally off limits because it’s chametz.
I just embrace the kitniyot. It isn’t chametz and it’s an extra stringency for observance of Pesach that makes it even harder and way, way more stressful to cook for – unnecessarily so, in my opinion. I always have beans or soy products on my table. Nobody is confusing them for actual chametz.
How many balls in a serving?
This recipe is fantastic. love it!
Can I make ahead and freeze ?
If so , any tips?
Flavor was good, but as they cooked they just fell apart like every vegan matzo ball I’ve tried to make.
Hey Guzman, sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with this recipe. When making vegan matzo balls, you have to be especially careful that your cooking water is only gently simmering, not boiling. The force of boiling water will make the matzo balls fall apart before they can cook and bind.
I made your Matzo Ball Soup today and it turned out incredible! I didn’t have apple puree so I used boiled potatoes instead and added only 1 cup of water to the matzo balls. I followed the instructions and everything turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing!
I made the recipe exactly as described. I even let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight to really set. They looked great, but when I checked on them, they had disintegrated, like every other vegan matzo ball recipe. I think perhaps the directions should suggest not to even simmer, because these can’t tolerate even the most minor agitation of water. Just say poach, and no more. I’ll try that next time. Thanks anyway. Bummer.
This turned out great for me. I heeded the warning to simmer very gently, only letting a few bubbles populate in the water and nothing more. Ten minutes at this temp was enough for solid balls that firmed up nicely after cooling. Even though I forgot to add lemon juice, the flavor was very good. I would make this again.
Where can I get vegan matzos or matzos meal?
Hello can I make this 2 days in advance and then reheat ?