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. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the matzo meal, eggs, vegetable oil, salt, dill, seltzer and baking powder.

The recipe is quite simple: It's made by combining matzo meal with beaten eggs, water, and fat – chicken fat (called schmaltz) is usually used, but oil or margarine is also common (butter is usually avoided as it results in un-kosher matzo balls due to the mixing of dairy and animal products).

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.

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!

Traditionally, the category of forbidden foods on Passover — known as hametz — was defined as the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats and rye.

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.

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. . .

Regular cow's milk, therefore, is acceptable for consumption on Passover. Like all unadulterated agricultural products (save for those derived from one of the five prohibited grains), regular unflavored milk is kosher for Passover by definition and does not require any special certification.

Get schmaltzy: Schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, is like gold. And you deserve nothing but the best. The flavor and texture that schmaltz gives a matzo ball is nothing that vegetable oil can really compare to, which is why if you can get it (or make it!), use the good stuff.

What is the best oil for matzo balls? ›

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.

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.

Place them both in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing – If you are going to save the soup for longer than 5 days I recommend freezing the soup and matzo balls separately.

"Certain ingredients, like carrots and dill, are incredibly healthy. However, the matzo ball itself can be very high in carbohydrates, and so I recommend making the matzo ball from almond flour to increase your fibre intake, for better blood sugar and cholesterol management."

Eating matzo.

The box of matzo has the nutritional facts on it, so I either bolus accordingly or choose to limit the amount of matzo I eat. If my glucose levels are higher, I may make a choice to not eat the full amount of matzo that tradition says you should eat.

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.

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.

Matzo. For reasons that are unknown to most Jews, some people willingly eat matzo at other times of the year. These matzo boxes are labeled “not kosher for Passover” and should not be eaten as a part of observing the holiday.

Obviously matzo meal, matzo cake meal, matzo farfel and any other form of matzo is also considered kosher for Passover. The consumption of matzo is encouraged since it is a symbolic food. Beyond that, there are many food options available.