What is a matzo ball?
Matzo balls, also known as matzah balls, are a traditional Jewish food that can be likened to a Kosher for Passover soup dumpling. In order to be considered kosher for passover, it cannot contain any leavened, grain. The leavened grains are replaces with matzo meal and combined with eggs, water, fat, and any additional herbs or spices you may like.
Baking powder is the secret to really fluffy, light matzo balls. Before you jump on me about baking powder not being kosher for Passover, please read the full post.
For many years, I used Manischewitz matzo ball mix to make my matzo balls. It always cooked up so fluffy and light, and I really couldn’t replicate the texture when making it from scratch. One day, I studied the ingredients, and noticed sodium bicarbonate and monocalcium phosphate– both are the active ingredients in baking powder.
So, I started doing a little research. Turns out, baking powder is key to creating fluffy, light, “floater” style matzo balls. I’ve tried the carbonated water trick (some people say seltzer will help make a lighter matzo ball), but I never noticed a big different in texture. Baking powder makes all the difference.
Curious about how baking powder could be kosher for Passover? Baking powder is mineral based, not grain based, and therefore it does not fall under the banner of “chametz,” the group of foods that are banned for Passover. This issue has been discussed at length on kosher websites across the web. Joan Nathan wrote an article about it for the New York Times in April 2006. In her article, Rabbi Moshe Elefant, executive rabbinic coordinator and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union’s kosher division, says: “There is nothing wrong about a raised product at Passover per se.” The Orthodox Union is the oldest and most widely accepted certifier of kosher foods.
If the OU doesn’t have a problem with certifying baking powder for Passover, neither do I. There are, in fact, several brands of kosher for Passover baking powder (like this one). Some choose not to use baking powder because they feel it doesn’t jibe with the spirit of the Passover holiday, since it is an artificial, non-grain-based form of leavening. Others have no problem using baking powder, as long as it has a kosher hechsher. No judgement here, every family is different.
Suffice it to say, the choice to use baking powder is a matter of tradition and preference. One thing is for sure, it definitely makes for lighter, fluffier matzo balls. If you’d rather not use it, try my Sinker Matzo Balls recipe– it’s also super yummy, producing tender matzo balls with a lovely texture and the same flavor as these floaters.
Can you freeze matzo balls?
Matzo balls actually freeze well and retain their flavor and texture. Simply place them on a sheet tray in the freezer, then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container once frozen. When ready to use they can be added directly to your soup and reheated, no defrosting necessary.
If you need a good chicken soup recipe to cook matzo balls in, click here.
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Floater Matzo Balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup matzo meal
- 1 tsp baking powder, if making for Passover use a Passover-certified kosher baking powder (see notes for details)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tbsp melted schmaltz (or substitute grapeseed oil)
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill (optional)
- 3-4 quarts soup broth or salted water
Notes
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.
- In another bowl, use another fork to mix together the eggs and schmaltz.
- Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill. Mix all ingredients together with a fork till just combined. Do not overmix.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Bring your 3-4 quarts of soup broth or salted water to a boil over medium heat.While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1 inch balls. Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
- When your broth or water boils, reduce heat and simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.
- Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for 30-35 minutes till fluffy and soft. Keep the pot covered-- no peeking till 30 minutes have gone by! If you've followed instructions carefully, the balls should be floating on the surface of the water like billowy clouds of deliciousness.
- Serve two or three matzo balls per bowl with hot chicken soup ladled over them. If you don’t plan on serving the whole pot of soup at one sitting, make sure you remove the matzo balls from the broth and let them come to room temperature before storing them in a separate container. If left to sit in the broth, they'll become mushy.
Josh says
Hey,great recipe. On the question about whether baking powder is kosher for passover or not, I’m looking at my can of “Davis Baking Powder” and the first ingredient is Cornstarch. Looking fwd to enjoying your site! Josh
Tori Avey says
Hi Josh! Yes, if you were to use baking powder during Passover you should first make sure that the brand you are using is certified for Passover use (which would mean no cornstarch). Welcome!
Maureen R says
Years ago, my late husband found out that I Hop used club soda to make their pancakes fluffy….bet it would work in the matzo balls? Would it be kosher?
Amy K says
I recently had one of my “bucket list” wishes come true; going to New York! Although I am not Jewish, and never had matzo ball soup, I just felt like it would be a sin not to have it while there! Well, Katz’s deli was the place we chose and I was blown away! Before seeing your recipe, I used what was supposedly their recipe, and they turned out awful! Recipe didn’t say to keep the lid on and didn’t call for baking powder. I even tried cooking them longer, but that didn’t help. Hard rubbery consistency and I was so disappointed. But seeing all the positive comments here, I am trying it again today with your recipe. I have a feeling they will be a winner and am so excited!
Jill says
Finally – fluffy matzoh balls without separating eggs, letting it sit overnight, etc. etc. I just threw out a whole batch of balls that had separated eggs and all of my chicken fat – (Ina Garten complicated and didnt work) and had to remake a fresh batch with your recipie. I was thrilled that it was so easy – and it worked!!
Thank you Tori – I love your recipes (the salmon with pesto rocked)! And I love the way you present with pictures. I will visit your site often!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Jill! So happy to hear that. I aim to please. 😉
Peggy says
My Mom, who will be ninety next week and has always been the “Queen of floaters”, recently made two attempts at matzo balls, and both were failures. The first batch was made with matzo meal from my kitchen which she complained had a different texture than hers. When I looked at it, she was right! It looked and felt more like cake flour to me – it didn’t have that nice cornmeal texture that I was familiar with, and it made serious “sinkers”. We checked the box and it was Manischewitz matzo meal, not cake meal. I recently went to buy new matzo meal and it has that same fine texture as what I had on my shelf. I used to use my matzo meal to bread things with instead of bread crumbs, but this new stuff does not have the right consistency to do that. My Mom tried making matzo balls with it today and had the same thing happen. They poof up while cooking, but are very dense inside. She is ready to give up and move to the matzo ball mix in the box. I, however, am going to try your baking powder tip. Are we the only ones in the world who think that the texture of the matzo meal has changed recently????? THANKS!!
Tori Avey says
I haven’t noticed a difference with the matzo meal… that’s really interesting! I wonder if it would be better to simply make your own meal by pulsing matzo in a food processor till it has the consistency you’re used to? The dense texture in the center means you’re not cooking the matzo balls long enough, they may look cooked on the outside but if they’re hard/dense inside it means they haven’t simmered long enough. Try this recipe and make sure you give them plenty of time to simmer. The Manischewitz matzo ball mix is very fluffy, too, but this recipe replicates that texture as long as it’s fully cooked. Good luck!
Rich Price says
I like the recipe, everything makes great sense especially the baking powder and spices. The only thing I will do differently is use coconut oil instead of the shmaltz. It has rich flavor like the shmaltz and is the healthiest oil on the planet. I use it for almost everything.
Ruth Okon says
I saw a similar recipe in Newsday this year, thought about trying it, but my family is *stuck* in their ways. My matzo balls had been inconsistant for a while, usually sinkers. What works for me is I make them ahead, beat the eggs frothy, add very cold water. Rest the mix at least 30 min in the fridge (like my mom taught me), I do the lidded pot-don’t lift it. BUT I freeze them immediately in muffin cups (kitchen aide silpats) then bag them up in a ziplock. I defrost them and reheat them in soup. That seemed to do the trick for me, but one day I will try your recipe.
Best, Ruth
sharon says
I have always made my matzo balls the same day I serve them. Do they really stay fluffly and “floaters” if I make them a day before and store in refrigerator? Does freezing them change their “floating” power??!!
P.S. Just made your chicken soup recipe and it was Excellant!
Tori Avey says
So glad you liked the soup Sharon! To be honest, I’m not a big fan of making the matzo balls ahead. It can be done, but they won’t be quite as fluffy as they would be fresh. As for freezing, and if that will change their floating powers, it’s a great question… I’m not really sure!
Mr Klein says
I have been freezing my matzoh balls for Passover every year for at least the last 10 years. We are floater fans and have not had any problems with lightness.
The matzoh balls do shrivel a little when I remove them from the water but regain their shape when I reheat them in the soup.
However I do separate the eggs and food in the whites last instead of using baking powder (which I didn’t think was K4P).
jim says
thanks for the schmaltz and matzo-ball recipes, i enjoy the site and comments.
Bernadette says
How much to these expand by (to?). If they start off at 1 inch how large are they when they are cooked. I have seen some huge ones…like baseball size. Is there any problems when making them that big?
Tori Avey says
Hi Bernadette, they expand to about 2.5 times the original size. Definitely not baseball sized, but if you cook them for longer than the suggested time they will expand more. You can make larger ones if you prefer, but I wouldn’t start any bigger than 2 inches– this will give you a nice, large matzo ball. You may need to cook a bit longer with the larger size to make sure it’s cooked all the way, through. Starting any larger than 2 inches may leave you with an uncooked middle, and they’ll be more difficult to handle and manage without falling apart (plus they’ll soak up a lot of the broth in the pot). Good luck!
Suzi says
Hi, I saw your post on Google+ and then I found these. I am going for the floaters. Look scrumptious. Happy Sunday!
H.H. says
Thank you for your website and recipes. I will certainly try both your sinker and floater matzo ball recipes to please the differing tastes of my family, but let me tell you about the time I made bouncers! My guess is too many eggs and too fast a boil (?). The matzo balls started out large enough but then shrunk down. Some of us went to dig into them and the balls jumped out of our shallow soup bowls and bounced across the table. Others chased their balls around the soup bowl with their spoons. We finally used forks to spear them, then cut them with knives before using our spoons. I was mortified, but the children had such fun! I’ve made many mistakes learning to cook unfamiliar jewish foods.Your website should help those new to kosher cooking since your amounts are measured and the steps are clear. Over the years, this shiksa has made some doozies. My stepchildren and now-grown grandchildren continue to tease me about the amazing matzo superballs . . . and my blue chicken is another failed recipe which still gets guffaws.
Yocheved Loebel says
will walnut oil work instead of grapeseed oil? that’s what we use on pesach.
Waldo Hammersmith says
Wlanut oil is heavily flavored. Grapeseed oil is neutral and does not add any discernable flavor. I think the walnut oil would be a msitske from a taste perspective.
Josh Levine says
As I recall — Arthur Schwartz also suggests Corn Oil — not b/c of its lightness but because of its flavor, which he purports to agree with or even mimic that of meat.
Suzanne K. says
I love the subtle nuttiness it adds to kneidlach as shmaltz (chicken fat) has flavor that’s not far from nuts and seeds. The big issue with using nut oils is that though tasty, they often triggers allergies. If you know for sure that all the diners are fine with nuts, I say go for it or for hazelnuts or others with a similar taste. Healthy, too!
Kim Bee says
I hate to admit I’ve never had matzo balls. I must try them. Or I could come visit you and you can make them for me. *grins*
Anita at Hungry Couple says
Huh. Baking powder, you say? Matzoh ball lightness is a point of…um…discussion with the mom-in-law. She says Crisco as the shortening and her matzo balls are better than mine (ooh, that was painful). But maybe there’s more to her story? I’m going to try the baking powder before the holiday to make sure I can back up a new claim 🙂 Thanks.
Fran says
Anita
shrug off the MIL’S comment – most MIL’s – I said MOST- not all -are on an ego trip as far as I am concerned. Facts don’t lie – point out to her that the shortening she’s been using all these years hasn’t been doing her health/ organs any good – look up TBHQ and also remind her anything hydrogenated is – you fill in the blank. Also, if she knew anything about flavor ( I am backing you up on this one ) she would know that using even the soup’s schmaltz would create a most delectable matzoh ball – hands down winner ( puts her shortenin’ ones in a corner, for sure.). Tori’s recipe here is a WINNER in my books….now take all this on over to MIL’s house….
Kristy says
Always learning something here! I’m especially enjoying all of this new knowledge about Passover and Passover foods. 🙂
Sandi says
So that’s how the Manichewitz gets the matzo balls from that mix to be light and fluffy!!! I never knew and I have been using the stuff for years. Thanks for letting us know.
Laurie Collins says
Hi Tori,
Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda, not baking powder as far as I know.
Tori Avey says
Hi Laurie– in the mix, the sodium bicarbonate is combined with monocalcium phosphate– when the two are combined, it creates baking powder. I will clarify the post. 🙂
Marcia Minsky says
I was taught by my mother-in-law B’H that once you put the lid on the pot, DO NOT LIFT THE LID. You let the steam out, and cool air in. This makes for what my husband B’H called *Golf* balls. You know, the ones with the hard center.
To this day, any time I make matzo balls, I make *mama’s*. Light, fluffy, and so yummy.
Adrienne D'Agostino says
I use a “splash” of sparkling water… in my mix as I am beating the eggs… San Pelligrino sparkling water and it does make them light and fluffy !!!! enjoy !!