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Whether it's for your Passover Seder or if you're like my daughter, who could happily pack a thermos of vegan matzo ball soup for lunch every day, this recipe has it all dialed in. Cloudlike, tender matzo balls, and a flavor-packed, herb-loaded veggie broth. Unbeatable for Pesach gatherings, chilly nights, or f'real, any darn day ending in either "y" or "over."
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
16 ounces of matzo meal is what a matzo ball is, so there's no wheat-free version here. Sorry- it's a miracle these work without eggs and chicken fat, but no wheat makes these downright crazy to make.
This is a 3 hour project, most of it unattended. Chill the dough while the stock reduces, or fall back on a store-bought unsalted broth outside Passover.
16 ounces of Just Egg is the single biggest cost here. Make my mung bean egg from scratch instead if you've got the time.
There's a full tablespoon of salt in the soup base. Start with half and season at the end, since the stock reduces by half and concentrates everything.
No parsnips? Turnips or extra carrots work. And poultry seasoning is just sage, thyme and rosemary, so mix your own from what's already in the cabinet.
After mixing your matzo ball dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, or overnight. This allows the matzo meal to hydrate fully.
Maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil. Boiling vigorously can cause the matzo balls to disintegrate or become overly dense.
Overmixing the dough and applying too much pressure when shaping will result in dense matzo balls. Use wet hands and keep the balls slightly loose and shaggy.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
Like most Ashkenazi Jewish kitchens, mine growing up was full of the aroma of my grandmother's steaming matzo balls (or matzah balls - however you like spelling them), sweet tzimmes, and freshly chopped apples and toasted walnuts of my mom's charoset, all through April (and sometimes March), in the days leading up to Passover. Now, I've veganized every single classic from that spread-down to the vegan flourless chocolate cake that my fam goes nuts for after my goofy uncle loudly bangs on the table with his fists while we sing Dayenu.
This matzo ball soup? All the nostalgia, none of the eggs or chicken fat, and 100% Passover-ready. It's also the solution to most of life's problems. Feeling blah? Make this soup. Need to wow your in-laws? Make this soup. Craving that cozy, soul-warming vibe? You know what to do.
I've always been curious about Matzo soup so it was the perfect time to try it when I found this recipe. Such comfort food! We thought the soup was delicious and it was easy and fun to make. Love the addition of parsnip in the broth, and fresh dill in the matzo balls themselves. A new favorite!
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🥰 Why you'll love this Vegan matzo ball soup recipe
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my Vegan Jewish recipes, these kneidlach went through the ultimate trial run with my incredible team of hundreds of recipe testers across the globe.
🛒 Easy-to-Find Ingredients: No need to hunt down specialty items-everything here can be found at your local grocery store. It's straightforward cooking with maximum flavor.
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan soup recipes, this one is made without eggs, chicken fat, or compromises. It's completely pareve and cholesterol free.
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🍲 Vegan Matzo Ball Soup Ingredients
Parsnip
This was one of the secrets my wife Joey figured out about our vegan version of the traditional matzo ball soup recipe. Having a wee little bit of extra musky sweetness from parsnip really brings out a more dynamic flavor in the broth. For serious, try it! I'm being serial right now.
If you can't find 'em, turnips or extra carrots work in their place.
Poultry Seasoning
No-despite the name, poultry seasoning are for seasoning poultry, not made out of birds. That's why I rock the stuff in my tofu turkey, vegan sausage gravy, and my vegan fried chicken too. It's basically a mix of herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary. So if you can't find a premade one, you can make your own by mixing these dried herbs together.
Fresh Herbs
Known as "shamir" in Hebrew, dill's bright and tangy flavor lifts the soup. Parsley contributes a fresh, herbaceous vibe that in my mind, delicious vegan matzo ball soup just can't be without. My grandma (Miriam Weber, AKA "Nana"- who I dedicated my cookbook to) used SO MUCH in hers. For the parsley, flat-leaf parsley is best, but curly works too if that's what you have.
Like when making vegan borscht, these herbs are NOT optional, and there's kinda no great substitute. Even the dried versions of them just don't have enough flavor to suffice. Sorry.
Matzo Meal
Made from ground unleavened matzo bread, this is the star ingredient for the perfect matzo balls. Growing up, my dad would take my sister and I every year to the Streit's matzo factory in the Lower East Side to stock up for Passover. My memories of the ancient matzomeal crusted machinery, and being handed a warm slice from the conveyor belt at the matzos cooled, dangling in the air are some of my earliest and warmest Passover memories. That's probably why I'll always love Streit's best.
I mean, I am sure you could make these with Yehuda or Manischewitz, but my heart belongs to Streit's. Either way, use up any leftover matzo meal to make these absurdly-yummy vegan matzo meal pancakes, ok?
Just Egg
Just Egg, a plant-based egg substitute, binds everything together and keeps these egg free matzo balls light and fluffy. I normally don't cook much with pre-made vegan products like this, but it works pretty miraculously for matzo ball soup, and for vegan matzo brei too!
In any case, if you want to make it more naturally, just follow my Just Egg recipe to easily and cheaply make your own from scratch!
We've done a lot of experimentation over the years with everything from flax egg, to Follow Your Heart's vegan egg, and even products which are no longer available. With extensive trials, the Just Egg liquid stuff is what I felt gave the best results and would be most fool-proof for folks to replicate at home.
Club Soda
The carbonation in club soda makes the matzo balls light and fluffy. Seltzer and tonic water are both fine to use too as an alternative.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Sephardic Vegan Matzo Ball Soup:
Sephardic-style matzo balls are smaller, and a whole bunch of fresh lemon juice and saffron are added to the broth. Outside of pesach, I love this traditional recipe with some bolani and zhug, the spicy herbal sauce from Yemen.
Nooch
Listen, nutritional yeast isn't strictly kosher for Passover, which is why I didn't put any in this recipe. However, if you aren't that strict with your adherence to Kosher law, a couple spoonfuls of the stuff added to the broth really adds some important chicken broth-like umami (without the animal products, obvi) and makes the soup even better.
📖 How to make vegan Matzo Ball Soup
Crush this kneidlach soup on your first attempt with these step-by-step photos with handy tips. Want the easy-to-print recipe card? Scroll to the bottom!
Step One
All About That Base, No Treble:
Pour 16 cups of water into a large pot and toss in the diced onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring it all to a rolling boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 90 minutes until the liquid reduces by half.
Step Two
In Strain in the Membrane:
Strain out the vegetables, and you'll have around 8 cups of rich, golden, savory stock.
Step Three
Sautebraham Lincoln:
In a separate pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the diced onions and sliced carrots, and cook for 5-7 minutes until the carrots soften and the onions turn translucent.
Step Four
Simmer Down For What?
Stir in turmeric, coriander, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Let the seasonings bloom for 2 minutes.
Pour in your homemade stock. Add chopped dill and parsley, and let it simmer gently for 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender.
Step Five
Dough Cry For Me Argentina:
In a large bowl, combine the matzo meal, Just Egg, olive oil, club soda, minced dill, and salt. Mix just until everything comes together, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
This sitting time will let the matzo meal hydrate and allow the dough to become more firm.
Try not to overmix the dough to prevent the balls from being dense when cooked.
Step Six
Coulda Been a Baller:
Bring 12 cups (2.8 liters) of water with ½ teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Roll the chilled matzo mixture into 1-inch balls.
Use wet hands to get the outside smooth, but do not use too much pressure when rolling the balls. If the balls are a little loose, these will be more tender when cooked.
Step Seven
Stew Tang Clan:
Carefully drop the formed matzo balls into the boiling water. Cover the pot, and immediately reduce the heat to low and let the matzo balls simmer for 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow them to steam in the covered pot for an additional 30 minutes, so they're fluffy and tender.
Step Eight
Herb Your Enthusiasm:
To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and add 3-4 cooked matzo balls to each one. Garnish with fresh dill and parsley.
💡 Serving Ideas
WTF do you serve matzo ball soup with when it's not Pesach?
Who says matzo ball soup is only for Passover? For Rosh Hashanah, there's nothing like pairing this soul-warming eggless matzo ball soup with a soft, golden round vegan challah-a perfect symbol of the cycle of the year (and honestly, a great vehicle for sopping up every last drop of that herby broth). Any other time of the year, a long braided vegan challah works just as beautifully, adding a touch of sweet, pillowy goodness to your meal.
Want to make it a feast? Serve this soup alongside tender vegan pierogies or a vibrant plate of Turkish green beans any time of the year for a hearty, comforting spread. And for dessert, you can't go wrong with a slice of gooey vegan babka or a swirl of sticky vegan cinnamon babka.
👉 Top tips
- Chill for Perfect Matzo Balls: After mixing your matzo ball dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, or overnight. This rest period allows the matzo meal to hydrate fully, resulting in a better texture and helping the balls hold together during cooking.
- Mind the Simmer: Once the matzo balls hit the water, maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil. Boiling vigorously can cause the matzo balls to disintegrate or become overly dense.
- Test for Doneness: To ensure your matzo balls are cooked through, remove one and cut it in half. The interior should be uniform in color and texture, without any raw or doughy spots.
- Maximum Fluff: Overmixing the dough, skipping at least 1 hour of chilling, and applying too much pressure when shaping will result in dense matzo balls. To achieve a fluffier, softer texture, use wet hands when forming them and keep the balls slightly loose and shaggy.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, unflavored club soda is kosher for Passover. This is because club soda is technically a type of seltzer, and plain seltzers without additives are kosher for Passover without needing special certification.
So, club soda, seltzer water, and tonic water (as long as they're unflavored and additive-free) are all kosher for Passover. Some kashrus agencies even check that the carbon dioxide used isn't derived from chametz, but others are more lenient. So grab that fizz and let your matzo balls be their fluffiest selves.
Yes, you can prepare this vegan matzo ball soup recipe for Passover, but keep in mind, everyone has different standards for what is considered to be kosher for Passover. That's one of the reasons we make a stock from scratch for this recipe. Because many store bought vegetable stocks contain yeast extract and other additives that might be considered kitniyot, which some Jewish communities avoid during Passover.
Achieving light and fluffy dumplings in this vegan matzo ball recipe involves a few key steps. First, incorporating some kind of carbonated water into your matzo meal mixture is an easy way to introduce airiness (this was a game changer when I started doing it).
Second, after mixing, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 60 minutes; this allows the matzo meal to fully hydrate, resulting in a better texture. Finally, when cooking, maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil to prevent the matzo balls from becoming dense or falling apart.
The best broth for this matzo ball soup vegan recipe is the one you make yourself! This recipe includes a rich, homemade vegetable stock simmered with onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, garlic, and bay leaves for maximum flavor.
To save time, you can use a high-quality store-bought unsalted vegetable broth, or vegan chicken stock, like Better Than Bouillon's No Chicken Base, but that will likely not be strictly Kosher for Passover, so proceed with caution if that's your thing.
❄️ Refrigeration:
Store the soup and matzo balls separately for the best results. Transfer the cooled broth to an airtight glass or metal container, and place the matzo balls in a covered bowl or another airtight container. Refrigerate both for up to four days.
🧊 Freezing:
To freeze, place the cooled matzo balls in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe, reusable container. Store the broth in a freezer-safe glass jar or container, leaving some space at the top for expansion. Both can be frozen for up to two months, but will not have quite as nice of a texture as fresh matzoballs when thawed.
🌬️ Thawing Frozen Matzo Ball Soup:
To thaw, transfer the matzo balls and broth to the refrigerator and let them defrost overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw the broth on the stovetop over low heat and add the frozen matzo balls directly while reheating.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the matzo balls and cook for five to seven minutes until heated through. Be careful not to boil vigorously, as this will negatively impact the texture of the matzo balls.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Place a portion of the soup in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it loosely with a microwave-safe plate or lid. Heat on medium power in one-minute increments, stirring gently between each interval, until the soup and matzo balls are evenly heated.
✌️You'll love these vegan soups too:
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Vegan Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the stock:
- 16 cups water
- 2 cups onion diced
- 2 cups celery chopped
- 1 ½ cup carrot diced
- 1 cup parsnip diced
- ¼ cup garlic chopped
- 3 bay leaves
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cup onions diced
- 1 ½ cup carrots peeled and sliced 1 cm.
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons mushroom powder
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup fresh dill chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley chopped
For the Matzo Balls:
- 16 oz matzo meal
- 16 oz just egg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup club soda
- 3 tablespoons dill minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For Simmering the Matzo Balls:
- 12 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
To Garnish:
- Fresh dill
- Fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
Make the Stock:
- In a large pot, combine water, diced onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and cook for 90 minutes, or until the stock has reduced by half.
- Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and set the liquid aside. There should be about 8 cups of stock if you are making a single batch.
Make the Soup:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and sliced carrots, cooking until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in turmeric, ground coriander, thyme, nutritional yeast (if using), salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes to bloom the spices.
- Add the prepared stock, dill and parsley to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender.
Prepare the Matzo Balls:
- In a large bowl, mix matzo meal, Just Egg, olive oil, club soda, minced dill, and salt. Cover and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls.
- Carefully place the balls into the boiling water. Immediately cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the matzo balls steam for an additional 30 minutes. The balls should be tender and fluffy.
Serve the Soup:
- Place 3-4 matzo balls in the center of each bowl and ladle the soup into the bowl to cover. Garnish with fresh dill and parsley.
Video
Notes
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Willa Richards says
The broth is to die for! Waiting for my matzo ball cook. They seem very heavy, but I did use whole wheat matzo crackers.... I am still optimistic based on all the reviews.
Ilene Ungerleider says
This was the first year since becoming a vegan that my matzo balls were delicious and held together, thanks so much, Adam. I changed them a bit by adding lemon zest and thyme to them, but that's just a personal preference. I had many left over and they have been wonderful for lunch during this Passover week.
Adam Sobel says
I love the idea of some lemon zest in them! I will have to give that a shot next time I make them for my daughter (which is like a once a month thing all year round)
Dietmar says
I am not Jewish, but married into a Jewish family. My impression is always that matzoball soup was a very joyless experience- something you just did because it’s part of a Seder (like drinking red wine from that company - you know which).
I made this soup the last couple of Passovers for my wife, and it’s anything but joyless. Adam’s matzo ball soup is very tasty. Preparing the matzo takes a while, but you get fluffy, tasty matzo balls. And this comes in a soup which is equally tasty. My wife and I both were very happy about this!
Paige Davis says
I’ve always been curious about Matzo soup so it was the perfect time to try it when I found this recipe. Such comfort food! We thought the soup was delicious and it was easy and fun to make. Love the addition of parsnip in the broth, and fresh dill in the matzo balls themselves. A new favorite!
Dave Horner says
I think the recipe needs to be adjusted? Seems like 60 matzo balls are a lot for1/2 gallon of stock?
Adam Sobel says
Not sure where you are seeing 60 matzo balls or ½ gallon of stock. The yield of the base recipe is 26 balls.
Shawna S. says
The stock/broth recipe is gold! Totally will change my veggie soup game from here on out! Amazing and perfectly balanced flavors. Thank you, Adam!
Nancy says
Oh Adam!
My matzo balls look like they will be a disaster! :(. I followed the recipe precisely. I left the mixture in the refrigerator overnight which maybe dried the mixture out? Anyway, I'm sad but I will have other things and will have to try again some other time. Happy Passover and thanks for all your great recipes and what you do to add vegans to our world
Adam Sobel says
Did you form the balls and simmer and steam them? The uncooked mix in my recipe is a wee bit dryer than some, but trust in the process! I just cooked some last night in a cooking class I taught and they came out fluffy and dreamy
hg says
I've been hounding Adam for years on this one. It's one of the things I've missed most since going vegan. Finally I wont feel like I'm missing out during Passover anymore. ( They freeze/ and thaw out well too. Just freeze them separated on a tray, once frozen, can put them all together in a bag or container). They also are a great addition to the ' Chicken' Soup recipe too, in addition or to replace the noodles.
Ilene says
Thanks so much for mentioning freezing, as I am going a bit nuts getting ready for my Seder and trying to figure out what can be frozen.