There's nothing quite like a traditional Matzo Ball Soup recipe made with homemade chicken broth, matzo balls, and plenty of veggies. It's healthy and flavorful and easy to prep ahead.
Nothing beats truly homemade Matzo Ball Soup
Nothing beats truly homemade Matzo Ball SoupSome people say Matzo Ball soup can cure any cold! My recipe starts with a whole, raw chicken, for the broth, which is so easy and makes a big difference in terms of flavor. (If you're in a rush, I have included instructions for store-bought chicken broth as well). My kids love helping me make the matzo balls since they are quick, hands-on, and so fun. The matzo dough and broth can be made ahead so that it's easy to finish for dinner one night, without sacrificing the taste you can only get from a traditional and authentic matzo soup, like this. Worth the effort, every time!
How to make Matzo Ball Soup:
Make Broth: Place chicken in a large stock pot then add celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, and salt. Add 3.5 quarts cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook on medium low for about 2 hours. Skim off any foam that rises then remove chicken and set aside. When cool enough to handle, strain stock through a fine mesh strainer, discarding all vegetables and seasonings. You want at least 10 cups of broth, so add more water + bouillon if needed.
Refrigerate broth for a few hours or overnight (if time allows) so you can skim off any fat (schmaltz) to use in the matzo ball dough. Return broth to the pot and add carrots and celery. Taste broth and add more chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper, as needed.
Make Matzo Ball dough: Combine eggs and schmaltz (chicken fat) together with a fork. Stir in matzo meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour in seltzer water then mix until combined. Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Scoop matzo mixture into 15 1 ½ Tablespoon balls with a scoop (about the size of a golf ball). Use wet hands to roll them into balls then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Finish Soup: Fill a pot with hot water and bring to a boil. Carefully drop matzo balls into boiling water and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to flip the matzo balls once or twice while they cook. When matzo balls are halfway done, heat the chicken broth. Add chicken and cooked matzo balls to the hot broth. Serve chicken matzo ball soup in bowls garnished with fresh dill and cracked black pepper.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: I love prepping this soup a day in advance. The first day I make the broth and the matzo ball dough and keep both in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The second day, cook the matzo balls, finish the soup, and serve.
To Freeze: Pour the broth (without matzo balls) into a freezer safe container or bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze the matzo balls, spread (cooked or uncooked) matzo balls into a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to “flash freeze”. Transfer to a freezer safe container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can add the frozen matzo balls straight to the soup and simmer until cooked and warm.
More Soup Recipes:
- Pho
- Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
- Autumn Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
- Lentil Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
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Recipe
Matzo Ball Soup
Equipment
- 1.5 Tbsp Scoop , optional
Ingredients
Broth:
- 1 whole chicken* , cut into pieces
- 3 ribs celery , with leaves, cut into chunks
- 3 large carrots , cut into chunks
- 2 medium onions , cut into chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 bunch fresh chopped parsley , about 10 sprigs
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- better than bouillon chicken flavor , to taste, as needed
Matzo Balls:
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup schmaltz* (115g), or use vegetable oil or melted butter
- 1 cup matzo meal* (116g), Manischewitz brand
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup seltzer water or club soda (60g)* , or Chicken Broth or water
Soup:
- 2 ribs celery , diced
- 2 medium carrots , diagonally sliced
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill , for garnish
Instructions
- Make Broth: (Can be made ahead) Add chicken to an 8-quart or larger stock pot. Add celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, and salt. Cover the ingredients with about 3.5 quarts (14 cups) cold water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low and cook, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Skim off foam that rises to the surface.
- Remove chicken pieces to a large bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle and remove the meat from the bones.
- Strain stock through a fine sieve strainer, discarding all vegetables and seasonings so you are only left with the stock. (You want at least 10 cups of broth, so if the broth reduced more than that, add additional water + bouillon, to the soup). Return hot broth to the pot and add carrots and celery.
- If time permits, refrigerate the stock for a few hours or overnight, until you can skim off any fat (schmaltz) that rises to the top. We use the schmaltz in the matzo balls, but oil or melted butter could be substituted.
- Taste and season broth, as needed, with chicken bouillon base, salt, and pepper to make a flavorful broth.
- Matzo Ball Dough: (can be made ahead). In a medium mixing bowl, mix eggs and schmaltz/chicken fat (or oil or melted butter) together with a fork. Add Matzo Meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder then mix until combined. Mix in seltzer water (or broth or water) until well combined. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Form Matzo Balls: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop matzo mixture into 15 golf-ball sized portions (about 1 1/2-tablespoon size) and gently/loosely roll into balls (don’t densely roll them). Place on baking sheet. (Tip: wet hands will help keep the batter from sticking to them).
- Cook Matzo Balls: Heat a large pot of boiling water. Drop matzo balls into boiling water, cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, flipping balls once or twice during cooking.
- Finish and Serve: When matzo balls are halfway through cooking, warm the pot of chicken broth. Add cooked matzo balls and shredded chicken to the soup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill and cracked black pepper.
Notes
Macros Recipe Adaptation
Instead of making homemade broth: 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 lb. cooked chicken breastsPer Serving Amount
3 cooked Matzo Balls, 415 grams – soup (without matzo balls)Macros
402 kcal, Fat: 16g, Carbs: 23g, Protein 36gNutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2024. Updated March 2025.
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Can you cook the matzo balls directly in the chicken stock?
Yes, they will just soak up pressure liquid from the stock in order to cook… you’d need to add more stock at the end.
I don’t know why I’ve been intimidated to make this from home but it was simple and incredible! Perfect on a cold day. Thanks for another winner!