Matzo Ball Soup
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Light, fluffy matzo balls in rich, golden chicken broth—this matzo ball soup recipe is perfect for holidays, chilly nights, or whenever you need a little comfort.
Chicken soup with matzo balls, affectionately known as Jewish penicillin or “matzo ball soup” for short, is a traditional Jewish comfort food. This soup is traditionally served on Passover, but Jewish mothers and grandmothers think of it as a year-round cure-all for everything. Got a cold? Matzo ball soup! Feeling blue? Matzo ball soup! It’s also a beloved Jewish deli staple.
This recipe comes from my dear friend Dana Kaminsky, who is known in my family for making the world’s best matzo ball soup. Holiday gatherings at Dana’s are never complete without a matzo ball eating contest—my daughter proudly holds the record for six (impressive or concerning, we’re not entirely sure)—and we’ve yet to find another matzo ball soup recipe that rivals Dana’s. If you can, make a double batch and freeze some; you’ll thank yourself later.
“I made this recipe for my family, and we all loved it! I was a little nervous at first because I had never made matzah ball soup from scratch before…My family even thought it was better than Bubbie’s.”
The Essentials OF Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo ball soup is a two-part recipe that includes from-scratch chicken broth and matzo balls. Making the broth is a bit of a potschke, as my mother would say—a Yiddish term for something that requires a little fussing. It’s not difficult; most of the cooking is hands-off, but it’s a two-day process, so you’ll need to plan ahead.
The matzo balls, or knaydelach in Yiddish, are much easier to prepare. A quintessential Jewish dish, especially in Ashkenazi households, they’re made from matzo meal, eggs, water, and fat, and can vary in texture from light “floaters” to dense “sinkers.” This version consistently yields perfect floaters using Streit’s Matzo Ball Mix (don’t knock it—it’s genuinely good!)
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls
- Whole chicken: Provides the base for the broth, contributing rich flavor and nutrients. The meat can be used in the soup or for other dishes, like chicken salad, so make sure to save it when you remove it from the bones.
- Onions, turnips, carrots, celery: These vegetables add depth and sweetness to the broth.
- Bay leaves and parsley sprigs: Herbs that infuse the broth with aromatic flavors.
- Celery seed: Adds a slightly bitter, earthy flavor that complements the other vegetables and enriches the overall taste of the broth.
- Chicken bouillon powder: Boosts the chicken flavor of the broth, making it more robust and savory.
- Vegetable oil: Used in the matzo ball mixture to add moisture and help bind the ingredients together.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent in the matzo balls, helping them hold together while cooking and providing a light, fluffy texture.
- Streit’s Matzo Ball Mix: The primary ingredient for the matzo balls, providing the specific flavor and texture associated with traditional matzo balls. This mix simplifies the preparation process and ensures consistent results.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to make matzo ball Soup
Step 1: Make the chicken broth. Combine the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the herbs and seasonings, then cover and simmer until the broth is rich and flavorful. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2: Skim and strain the broth. The next day, skim off most of the fat from the surface. Remove the chicken and vegetables, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. At this point, the broth can be refrigerated or frozen until you’re ready to finish the soup.
Step 3: Make the matzo balls. Mix the eggs, oil, and matzo ball mix and let the mixture rest. With wet hands, gently roll it into golf ball-sized balls. Keep a light touch here—packing them too tightly will make them dense.
Step 4: Cook the matzo balls. Gently lower the matzo balls into boiling water, cover, and simmer until cooked through and noticeably puffed. Cooking them separately keeps the broth clear and prevents the matzo balls from soaking up too much of it. Remove with a slotted spoon and refrigerate until ready to use, or add them directly to the soup if serving right away.
Step 5: Finish the soup. Bring the broth to a simmer and season with bouillon, salt, and pepper. Don’t be shy with the seasoning—a well-seasoned broth makes all the difference. Add the fresh carrots and matzo balls and simmer until the carrots are tender and the matzo balls are heated through.
Step 6: Serve. Ladle into bowls and finish with fresh parsley or dill.
Pro tips
- Plan ahead. This is a two-day recipe, but most of the time is hands-off. Make the broth on the first day and refrigerate it overnight; the next day, skim off the fat, strain the broth, and finish the soup.
- Wet your hands before shaping the matzo balls. The mixture is quite sticky, so damp hands make it much easier to roll. Shape the matzo balls gently—don’t compact them—or they can turn out dense.
- No large stockpot? Divide the soup ingredients between two smaller pots and use a cut-up chicken, dividing the pieces evenly between the pots.
- Store the broth and matzo balls separately. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, bring the broth to a simmer, add the matzo balls, and heat until warmed through.
What To Serve With Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo ball soup is a classic starter for a Passover meal. Follow it with brisket or chicken Marbella, and round out your Seder table with charoset. For more ideas, see my collection of Passover recipes.
Video Tutorial
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Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 (4 to 5-lb/1.8 to 2.3-kg) chicken, giblets removed, whole or cut into pieces (see note)
- 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 3 turnips, peeled and quartered, optional
- 6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (or substitute 1 lb/454 g baby carrots)
- 5 stalks celery with greens, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- About 10 fresh parsley sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- Salt
- White pepper
- About 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder, preferably kosher, such as Osem Chicken Style Consommé Instant Soup and Seasoning Mix
For the Matzo Balls
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 box Streit's Matzo Ball Mix (2 bags of matzo ball mix)
For Serving
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces
- ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley or dill
Instructions
For the Soup
- Place the chicken, onions, turnips (if using), carrots, and celery in a large 12-qt (11-L) stock pot. Add about 6 qt (6 L) of water to fill the pot, and bring to boil. Let the soup boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, skimming off any froth or scum as it forms. Reduce the heat to low and add the bay leaves, parsley, celery seed, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Cover and simmer 3½ hours more. Let the soup cool on the stovetop until the pot is no longer hot, a few hours, then place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the pot from the refrigerator and skim most – but not all – of the fat from the surface of the soup. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and large vegetables from the soup and discard (they will be too mushy to serve). Place a fine mesh strainer over a very large bowl or clean soup pot, and pour the soup through the strainer to strain out all the remaining solids. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.
For the Matzo Balls
- Combine the oil and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in both bags of matzo ball mix and and sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wet your hands and gently roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls (do not compact!). Carefully drop the matzo balls into the boiling water. Bring back to a boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the matzo balls to a large plate or plastic container. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Note: if you're making the matzo balls at the last minute, you can transfer them right from the boiling water into the chicken soup.)
For Serving
- Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the chicken bouillon powder, along with more salt and pepper to taste. The amount of seasoning you add will depend on your personal preference and how much water you used. I like a well-seasoned soup, so I add at least 2 tablespoons of bouillon powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper (in addition to the salt and pepper already added); just add the seasoning gradually, tasting as you go, until the soup tastes flavorful.
- Add the carrots and cooked matzo balls to the pot and simmer until the carrots are tender and the matzo balls are hot throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. You'll know the matzo balls are heated through when they float to the surface. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley or dill.
Notes
- If you don't have a large stock pot, use two smaller pots and a cut-up chicken, divided between the two pots.
- If you'd like to use the meat from the chicken in the soup or other dishes, use a cut-up chicken and pull out the chicken breasts after simmering for 20 to 30 minutes; let them cool slightly, pull the meat and reserve, then return the bones to the simmering broth. This will prevent the meat from drying out.
- Freezing Instructions: The soup and the matzo balls can be frozen separately for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup and the matzo balls in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat the soup on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. Once the soup is hot, add the matzo balls and simmer until the matzo balls are soft in the center and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes and have been very successful with them. I love fluffy light matzoh balls but my tried and true have been AWFUL. I want to try yours tomorrow for the holidays. I’ve always used seltzer. Thoughts???
Do you have a recipe for kreplach?
Hi Ellen, I don’t use seltzer, just plain ol’ water. I swear by the Streit’s matzo ball mix – it’s so easy and has never failed me!
You are SO right. I bought the Streit’s matzo ball mix and followed it. No more seltzer for me. My biggest critic, my 8 year old granddaughter, loved these. Her comment: these are a keeper.
I also made my grandmother’s kreplach… but had the butcher ground it up for me.
L’Shanovah Tovah
I have tried many matzo ball recipes. And they sink. This is the best recipe ever!! Not sure why but it’s a keeper. I also like using carrots. I think it make the broth a little sweeter. Thank you
The soup is good, but I still prefer my grandma’s/mother’s. Im my opinion, matzoh balls REQUIRE schmaltz to be good. I save fat and skin whenever I clean chicken and keep it in a container in the freezer. That way I always have enough to render for the holidays.
OMG Jenn, this recipe is so much like the soup my grandmother made for the family. She added celery root instead of turnips and made her own matzo balls. Personally I go for the mix too, less fuss.
I love chicken-matzo ball soup, and the results from this recipe definitely met my expectations. After making chicken stock from scratch for the first time, I do have a question though; With the powdered bouillon seeming to be the “Star” seasoning for the soup, how sacrilegious would it be to use pre-made stock? Thanks for sharing …
Sure, Scott, it’s totally fine to use pre-made stock. Because the bouillon contains a fair amount of salt, you may need to add a little salt to the stock, but taste it first as it may not be necessary.
I did not use the recommended amount of salt because the chicken cubes are loaded with salt and I added two parsnips for sweetness. Everyone loved it.
I’m very good with making g chicken soup i suggest to put the chicken “only” when the water is boiling this prevents the foam and scum .
I tried this method and it worked great!
No foam or scum. Thx 🙂
Made homemade matzo ball floaters and used schmaltz I got from skimming fat off of the stock (adds more flavor), and since I am not Jewish, used baking powder to make them light and tender. Simmered mine in broth I was serving them in (I used low sodium baking powder and made my own matzo meal by putting no salt matzo in a food processor ) so they were not too salty and the broth gave them a wonderful rich chicken flavor. Family loved them! So keep your chicken fat you skim off the stock and cook with it…it will give you a better flavor!
Hmm, turnips, that’s a new idea. I occasionally add parsnips, but I’ll have to try turnips.
My new favorite way for rendering the heartiest chicken broth from bones/carcass, is just to leave it all overnight in a slow cooker/crock pot and forget about it for 12 hours, or more. Easy peasey.
Soup was excellent! My fridge would never hold a heavy large pot like that! Just set out and let cool with or without chicken. Skim with a spoon or fat mop. I kept some of the broth for the soup and added other veggies and some greens. The rest went for broth to freeze and some was made into gravy for the extra chicken I had.