Matzo Brei Recipe – Classic Jewish Comfort Food for Breakfast, Brunch or Brinner
A few years ago, my hubby and I drove over to one of our favorite Los Angeles breakfast spots, Factor’s Famous Deli on Pico Boulevard. Factor’s is a quintessential deli with a big menu full of American-style Jewish delicacies. Usually, when we go to a deli, I order the same delicious breakfast—toasted egg bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and tomatoes. It’s sinfully yummy. But for some reason, on this occasion, I felt like trying something different. One dish stuck out to me, one I’d never tried before but had always been curious about…
Matzo Brei.
Now, I’ve been cooking Jewish food for several years, but because of my husband’s ancestry and birthplace I’ve focused more on the Sephardic side of the cuisine. Certain Ashkenazi dishes are foreign to me. While this dish is made by both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, it’s more of an Ashkenazi favorite. The only thing I knew about matzo brei was that it contained eggs and matzo. I like both eggs and matzo—the idea of the two being scrambled together was intriguing.
Not knowing any better, I’d always thought the dish was pronounced matzo bree. My hubby corrected me.
“It’s pronounced matzo brigh,” he said. “And it’s delicious. You should try it. It’s Stephen Spielberg’s favorite breakfast.”
How my husband knew that, I don’t know. So brei rhymes with try, huh? Feeling adventurous, I decided to try it and see what I was missing. The waitress came to take our order.
“I’ll have the matzo brei,” I said proudly, my pronunciation pitch-perfect.
“Would you like it salty or sweet?” she asked.
Yikes! I was caught off guard. “People eat it sweet?”
“Sure,” she said. “Some people like it with sugar. And some like it salty. It’s up to you.”
I was totally confused, but the thought of sweet eggs made me a little queasy. “Uhh, I guess I’ll have it salty?”
“Great,” she replied. “I’ll bring you a side of sour cream and applesauce, too.”
Sour cream and applesauce? With eggs? Maybe this breakfast experiment wasn’t such a great idea. But I wasn’t about to chicken out. I was in it to win it.
After about ten minutes, the waitress brought me a plate of matzo brei. It looked harmless enough, and it smelled good. I decided to dig in.
With my first bite, I tried the eggs and matzo on their own. Yum, I thought. Second bite, I tasted the eggs and matzo with a dab of sour cream on top. Double yum. Finally, I tried a bite with everything… eggs, matzo, sour cream, and applesauce.
Have mercy. I’m in matzo brei heaven.
Now I understand why some people like this dish sweet. After that first taste, I ended up piling on the applesauce. There’s something about that added sweetness that really enhances the egg/matzo mixture. I cleaned my plate. It’s the perfect comfort food, and it stuck with me all day… I skipped lunch.
What does matzo brei mean?
Matzo brei aka matzah brei, pronounce matzo brigh, as my husband so lovingly told me, translates to fried matzo since it’s fried in butter.
What is a typical Jewish breakfast?
While there isn’t a “typical” Jewish breakfast, there are some things that come to mind when you think of Jewish breakfast.. bagels and lox, matzo brei, french toast, blintzes – all of the Jewish daily staples. In Israel it’s also common to eat shakshuka and salads made from fresh produce and a simple olive oil dressing.
Fast forward to now. Matzo brei has become a regular part of our kosher for Passover meal rotation. It’s a great way to use up the extra matzo from the Seder. We eat it for breakfast, brunch and brinner. It’s so adaptable and tasty, we actually look forward to it all year!
How do you like your matzo brei?
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Matzo Brei
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 sheet matzo or egg matzo
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper
Optional Extras
- Applesauce, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, apples, nuts… you can even get creative and add grated cheese or diced veggies.
NOTES
Instructions
- Add eggs to a bowl and scramble with a whisk along with 1 tbsp milk or water until the eggs are nice and fluffy.Run a sheet of matzo under running hot water for 20-60 seconds until it just begins to soften. The amount of time you'll need to keep it under the water depends on the type of matzo you're using. Let it get soft, but don’t let it turn mushy! Shake off the excess water and reserve the matzo.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
- Break the matzo into small pieces and place them in the skillet. Sauté the matzo pieces over medium heat for about a minute, until they are evenly coated with butter.
- Pour the scrambled egg mixture over the matzo pieces. Stir the eggs with a spatula until they are well combined with the matzo. Cook the eggs for about 2 minutes over medium, flipping and stirring continuously—don’t let the eggs sit, or they will overcook. You want the eggs to be cooked soft- not runny, but just barely cooked. Overcooked or browned eggs ruin the flavor entirely. As you are cooking, sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. This would also be the time to add sugar, if you want a sweeter matzo brei.
- Serve the matzo brei immediately with a small side of applesauce and sour cream, or maple syrup if you like.
Pamela Prizant says
Love it!! My father used to make it when we were kids, we didn’t want to eat it then – did not appreciate it. Wish he were still here to make it I would live to eat with him again!! 🙂 I make it now!
Elaine Lea Goldstein Bilk says
I eat mine with salt and my husband ate his with sugar. I guess it’s how you are raised.
Linda Pollack Martin says
Had it this morning…we like it scrambled. And we had potato kugel hashbrowns 🙂 Oh and I made your coconut macaroons-they were amazingly good! Thank you for the recipe 😀
Natasha Motola says
My dad always made it with feta cheese and a little Parmesan. He also added a little water to the pan with the butter.
Rita Gordon says
Whatever happened to matza Brie with 1. Matza. 2. Eggs. 3. And diced spring onions. Never heard of no diced spring onions , browned slightly and then matza soaked in milk and the eggs. You will never eat it without the browned , diced spring onions again.
Tammy says
I always eat my fried matza with some butter and grape jelly on it. Its so good!!
Karen Spitalnik says
My parents couldn’t agree whether it should be with salt…like scrambled eggs…or with sugar like French toast. As a result, I ave to have it with both salt and sugar.
Arlene Pommiss says
Add some blueberries to it for breakfast.
Jodi Cohen says
LOVE matzo brei. Haven’t had it in a long time and need to make myself some
Elina Kishinevsky-Stern says
We always soak in milk and then drain and cook with scrambled eggs…
Jennifer Plate Johnson says
Scrambled with onion. Reminds me of my Nana feeding 5 grandkids on a summer’s night!
Rhona Steinfeld says
A great use for leftover charoset!
Erik Somoroff says
love it………….lightly browned……….I want ! ! !
Cee Eileen Duckett says
I like caramelized onion, spinach & mushrooms with swiss!
Bill capozzoli says
Awesome, I worked as a cook in a Jewish restaurant years ago and haven’t had this dish since then. We just made it for Easter breakfast and it was delicious. I used gee instead of butter and the clarified concentrate butter gave an excellent flavor addition!
Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Ghee is a great idea!
QuinnCreative says
This is the first-Saturday during Passover dish I make every year. My son now makes it, too. As an aside, the word “Brei” means “porridge” or “mas” in German and Yiddish. In both languages, the letter combination “ei” is always pronounced “eye.” In fact, “ei” is the German word for “egg.” TMI, can’t help myself, I’m a writer.
Charles Voudouris says
Great recipe! For a different texture, cook the eggs and matzo desperately and add together at end. This makes for a crunchier texture.
Jennifer Griffithe says
Thank you so much for this website. I am not Jewish, am trying to learn more about it, and hope to one day convert, but till then am trying to keep a Kosher kitchen.
Mazel tov,
Jennifer
Issaquah, Washington
Tori Avey says
So happy you’re enjoying it Jennifer!
Marva says
I like this recipe very much. I usually use mushy matzo, but I also like this texture. Our family sprinkles with cinnamon & sugar mixed together. The savory Brie with onions sound good, too. Just discovered this site in time for Passover. Made the roasted asparagus, arugula & avocado salad & the orange rosemary medley (sans nuts or dates). Both were excellent & Seder hits! Going to try out some desserts over the next year! Thank-you!
Ps/ My Aunt Rose was a long-time Factor’s waitress, a real institution there!
Tori Avey says
Marva, welcome to the site! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes. How great that your aunt was a Factor’s waitress!
sandy says
i enjoy your posts
Tori Avey says
Thanks Sandy!