Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings (about 20 matzo balls)
- 1cup matzo meal
- ¼cup potato starch
- 2tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 2tablespoons grated fresh ginger, or to taste
- 1teaspoon minced fresh dill
- ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ¼cup olive oil
- ¾ to 1cup chickpea cooking liquid (from home-cooked chickpeas or about two 15-ounce cans, preferably low-sodium)
- 8cups vegetable broth
- 2medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2stalks celery, diced
- ½kohlrabi, peeled and diced
- 1leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and diced
- 1yellow or white onion, peeled and diced
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 3garlic cloves, chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Lots of chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, cilantro, parsley or basil), for serving
- Zhug or harissa, for serving (optional)
For the Matzo Balls
For the Broth
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
226 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 1078 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the matzo balls: In a medium bowl, mix the matzo meal, potato starch, parsley, cilantro, ginger, dill, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the olive oil and enough chickpea liquid to make a slightly sticky mixture that’s not too wet or loose, about the texture of oatmeal. (The matzo meal will absorb lots of the liquid.) Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Make the broth: In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the carrots, celery, kohlrabi, leek, onion, olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Step 3
When the matzo mix is cold, return the broth to a low simmer. Dip your hands in cold water and form 1½-inch matzo balls, about the size of a large walnut. You should have about 20 matzo balls.
- Step 4
Carefully drop the matzo balls into the broth, cover and simmer without disturbing them until tender but firm, about 20 minutes. Divide among bowls. Garnish with lots of fresh herbs, and, if you want more punch to your soup, serve with some zhug or harissa.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Gabriella
This recipe was a hit last night, adding it to my repoirtoire. Added aquafaba to the matzo mixture until it formed into a sticky ball. Refrigerated mixture for about four hours due to prepping early, matzo balls kept their form in the soup when the time came.
Amy S
This did not work AT ALL. They fell apart in the water and it just ended up as a goo at the bottom of the pot. I think if you added only the fluid in the chickpeas it might work but I added more water in order to make it the texture of oatmeal as the recipe says, but in reality it should be the texture of concrete before cooking. So maybe try only adding no more than 1 cup of fluid and see what happens, even if it feels like dry concrete before cooking.
Rose Thomas
Excellent flavor. Loved the ginger. I found the aguafaba thickened the broth slightly, a little like a Chinese egg drop soup. I liked this, but I imagine the matzo balls could be cooked separately and then dropped in to keep the broth clear. If you subbing a gluten free matzo meal that contains starch, I'd drop the potato starch in the recipe to avoid a gummy texture.
Rebecca
Love this super simple recipe! De-lish. I like my soup slightly thicker so I cook the onions, celery, leek and kohlrabi in olive oil first then add just under a 1/4 cup flour before adding in the garlic, broth, etc. Also, I made this twice in the same week (couldn't get enough) but, the second time, I didn't have aquafaba. I subbed it out for an egg replacer -- the Red Mill brand, but I imagine flax would also work -- and that worked, too!
Miriam
I was nervous these would disintegrate but they didn’t! Took the suggestion of another recipe and baked them for 12 min at 350 before simmering in the broth for 20 min. A little dense - will experiment with adding some seltzer next time.
Sophie
Can you use cornstarch instead of potato? Does it yield similar results?
Gabi
This was amazing! It made my vegan partner very happy
sharona ruttner
You can buy it in the kosher section of the supermarket, or put matzoh in a food processor. xx
Jane
I have made yummy gluten free matzo balls by taking organic quinoa and whizzing it up in our Braun coffee grinder (we don't use for coffee anymore) until it is the consistency of matzo meal. Then you can take it forward using the recipe above. Always good to let it sit and thicken in the refrig. I also like to saute a bunch of onion and mix in to impart that "shmaltzy" taste in the matzo balls without the actual schmaltz. Yum!
KiwiSoph
My first time making matzo ball soup and it turned out great! Chilled the balls for a second time after rolling them and they stayed together perfectly. Served with a shake of Trader Joe's In a Pickle seasoning - it complements the fresh dill beautifully. So delicious!
Dvora
The balls stayed together (even though some of it dissolved into the soup, but the part that stayed together was really chewy. Still wondering if I'll be able to make a matzah ball as fluffy as my non-vegan ones.
michelle
Can you successfully make these matzo balls ahead a freeze them as other types?
Lynne
This was horrible. I followed the directions implicitly. The Matzoh balls disintegrated from large walnuts to small marbles. Hard and rocks. Luckily I had only cooked one in separate broth. I mixed some chick pea flour into the rest and tried another couple. Slimy on the outside, dense bricks in the middle after 25’. I baked the rest and salvaged them as falafel!!! Froze them for future use. Then I made another batch with tahini. Disgusting. I’ll keep searching for vegan fluffy light Matzoh Ball
erin AH
This was so good! Best vegetarian recipe I’ve ever made. I’ve tried several and this was the best by far
ag
To eat with matzo ball recipe from Matzo Ball Soup by Joan Nathan 15-20 balls use 3 veggie broths low sodium 2 medium onions or 3 small chopped 8carrots chopped 5 celery chopped Box spinach 2 generous tsp garlic from jar Sauté onion garlic then celery carrots Add broth and salt & pepper to taste Add matzo balls (Al dente) and cook together till matzo balls done 10-15”
Martha Wagner
Did anyone make a gluten-free version you can report on?
VA
Flavorful balls, loved the nutmeg, but they didn't hold and turned to mush. Tasty disaster for a family meal but I wouldn't attempt for guests.
Mike M
Made according to the recipe and I didn’t have a problem with the balls falling apart. They are very dense, no fluffy at all (duh, no eggs!). I used aquafaba from canned chickpeas and just enough to get the mixture to a thick oatmeal consistency…a little less than a cup but more than 3/4. I will make this again and maybe use a “no chicken” style broth. The flavor heavy balls and the veggie broth I used was kind of A LOT but it did make for a nice hardy meal on a cool fall evening.
David
These turned out a little doughy and raw-tasting, very unlike the fluffy, non-vegan matzoh balls I'm used to eating. I think next time I make these, I will bake the matzoh balls before putting them in the soup to hopefully get rid of that super chewy texture.
JML brooklyn
This worked really well! For stock I used the stock from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, the one-hour version with browned vegetables. And for the matzo meal, Yehuda's gluten free matzo. Didn't have the all the vegetables the recipe calls for, so just used carrots and a half an onion. Lots of depth of flavor and the matzo balls were more the weighty kind rather than the fluffy kind, which I prefer.
johanna goldfarb
Instead of boiling the matzah balls, bake them on an oiled sheet for 20 minutes. Turn over for another 10 minutes. They are now firm not mushy (often a problem with vegan versions) and delicious! Spice is great and holds up to soup. Maybe a little less salt. Will make these again!
@cookingwithclaire
helpful, thanks! Any idea if this baking method means you could successfully freeze the matzo balls for future use?
Beth
Leave out the oil. I followed the recipe and questioned the oil. Very tasty but gooey on the middle. Matzah balls should be light and fluffy. The usually do not have oil. Deciding whether to scrap and start over.
Storing Leftovers
What’s a good way to make sure they matzo balls don’t meld together when your storing the leftovers? I stored about half a batch last year, and overnight they all became a mass-o-matzo.
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