Matzo Ball Soup
Jewish chicken soup with light, fluffy matzo balls: a clear golden broth simmered with vegetables and dill, served with shredded chicken and sliced carrots.
Make Ahead and Storage
Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, with the matzo balls stored in a little of the broth. Freezes for 3 months, and the matzo balls freeze well.
Matzo Ball Soup: The Method
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Put the chicken, onion, 1 carrot, celery, parsnip, dill, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaf and 2 tsp salt in a large pot. Cover with the cold water, bring slowly to the boil, skim off any scum, then simmer very gently for 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the schmaltz, sparkling water, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp dill. Stir in the matzo meal, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm enough to shape.
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Strain the soup into a clean pot and discard the vegetables and herbs. Pull the chicken from the bones, discard the skin and shred the meat. Slice the remaining 2 carrots, add them to the soup and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Bring the 3 litres of salted water to a gentle boil. With wet hands, roll the chilled mixture into 12 loose balls about 4 cm across and drop them in. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, without lifting the lid, until puffed and cooked through.
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Add the shredded chicken to the soup and reheat. Lift the matzo balls into bowls with a slotted spoon, ladle over the hot soup and scatter with dill.
Tips for Success
- Shape the balls loosely with wet hands and do not press them. Packed tightly, they cook into hard sinkers.
- Cook the matzo balls in salted water and not in the soup. They cloud the broth, and they take up its salt and fat as they swell.
- Keep the lid on while they simmer. Steam is what puffs them up, and lifting the lid lets it out.
Why the Method Is What It Is
Matzo ball soup is the best-known dish of the Ashkenazi Jewish kitchen: a clear, golden chicken soup with dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs and fat. It is served for Friday night dinner, at the Passover seder, when the ordinary flour of the year is set aside, and at any time when somebody needs comforting, which is why it is called Jewish penicillin. The matzo balls, or kneidlach, are the subject of an old argument. Some families like them light and fluffy, which are known as floaters, and others like them dense and firm, known as sinkers. Light ones need a gentle hand. The mixture is chilled for an hour so that the matzo meal takes up the liquid and can be shaped, the balls are rolled loosely, without pressing, and they are cooked in a covered pot at a slow simmer. Sparkling water helps, and schmaltz, the rendered chicken fat, gives the balls their traditional flavour, though vegetable oil works well too. Cooking the balls in a separate pot of salted water, rather than in the soup itself, keeps the broth clear. The soup is a plain, generous one: a chicken, some vegetables and a bunch of dill, simmered gently for an hour.
What to Put Next to It
Challah · Pickled cucumbers · Green salad
Matzo Ball Soup FAQ
How long does Matzo Ball Soup take to make?
About 2 hours 10 minutes of hands-on work — 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 40 minutes of cooking — plus 1 hour of Chilling, so allow 3 hours 10 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
What are the key tips for making Matzo Ball Soup?
Shape the balls loosely with wet hands and do not press them. Packed tightly, they cook into hard sinkers. Cook the matzo balls in salted water and not in the soup. They cloud the broth, and they take up its salt and fat as they swell. Keep the lid on while they simmer. Steam is what puffs them up, and lifting the lid lets it out.
What should I serve with Matzo Ball Soup?
Challah; Pickled cucumbers; Green salad.
Can Matzo Ball Soup be made ahead or frozen?
Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, with the matzo balls stored in a little of the broth. Freezes for 3 months, and the matzo balls freeze well.
Is Matzo Ball Soup suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is dairy-free, low-carb and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Matzo Ball Soup?
About 329 kcal per serving, with 26 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate and 17 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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