Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

By Joan Nathan

Updated Sept. 9, 2020

Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1¼ hours, plus chilling
Rating
4(524)
Comments
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The actress Natalie Portman was seeking a good vegan matzo ball soup, and the result is this recipe: soft matzo balls that hold together thanks to a little help from chickpeas. Matzo meal, potato starch, a little olive oil and lots of ginger, dill and cilantro lend plenty of flavor, while chickpea water (known as aquafaba) provides binding that would otherwise come from eggs. You can use the liquid from canned chickpeas, but the liquid from dry chickpeas soaked, then cooked in water works best. Ginger and nutmeg are characteristics of German-Jewish matzo balls, while the Yemenite addition of cilantro and dill adds even more brightness and flavor. Natalie is right: “It’s a very sad world without good matzo balls.” 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (about 20 matzo balls)

    For the 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)

    For the Broth

    • 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)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

208 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 1067 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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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
524 user ratings
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Comments

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.

NM

I really was excited about this recipe when I saw it and it did not disappoint at all. I appreciate the suggestions of refrigerating the matzo meal mixture longer than 30 minutes (I did 2 hours) and baking the matzo balls for about 20 minutes prior to serving in the soup. I followed the matzo ball recipe closely, but, for the soup I actually added the chick peas that were not used, some shitake mushrooms, and loose-leaf spinach, as well as a dollop of miso paste. This is going to be a regular

Cicely

The soup itself was far tastier than I had expected of a vegetable broth. I used 50/50 Edward’s garden veggie/not chik’n bouillon. The matzo balls were decent, a bit glutinous. I had seen the tip to bake the balls so I tried that with half — I just did about 10 mins at 350 before adding them to the soup at the same time as the other ones, to simmer for 20 mins. The first bowl was really good. I couldn’t tell any difference with the pre baked ones but I noted the texture and thought letting them simmer a bit more might help. Nope — they fell apart! A few were intact, which I suspect were the baked ones. Now I have a sludgy but tasty soup, and I guess I know better for next time.

Hope

Looks great, but, being Ashkenazi, I don't use chickpeas, or, other legumes, or most brands of packaged ground flax seed, during Passover.

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