I think that matzah ball soup has to be one of the most traditional foods around. I couldn’t imagine a Passover Seder without them. That’s why I went on a mission to figure out how to make them egg-free. These babies are also kitniyot free (no legumes). When I first thought about making them, I thought that using flaxseeds would make sense. It would have made sense if I were still Sefardic (as I was before I got married. My husband holds the Ashkenazi trump card.) Unfortunately, if I want it to be something that the whole family can eat, it also can’t have needs to flaxseed and kitniyot free.
I started trying to figure out what I could use to fluff matzah balls up and keep them together. Eggs are a very important part of the original recipe. By adding baking soda and potato starch I was able to come pretty close t the original. They are more delicate, but they taste the same.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Vegan Matzo Balls (aka Kneidlach)
It's important to me that my kids don't feel like they are missing out being egg free. With these matzo balls, they don't.
Ingredients
- matzo meal - 1 cup
- potato starch - 3 tablespoons
- oil - 1/4 cup
- water - 1 cup
- baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
- salt - 1/4 teaspoon
- garlic - 1/4 teaspoon
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together
- Refrigerate for 1/2 hour
- Roll into balls and place in boiling soup
- Simmer in soup until they grow (about 20 minutes)
- Take out of soup with a slotted spoon and let harden for 30 minutes to 1 hour(or longer) in the fridge
- Put the balls back in the soup about 1/2 hour before it's ready to be served to heat up
- Serve
Allergens
If you don’t take the balls out of the soup, they will fall apart. Taking them out gives them a chance to get firm. Once they have firmed up, you can put them back in the soup without any fears.
I actually figured out the part about taking them out to let them harden by accident. In one of my attempts, I decided to get rid of a batch because they were falling apart. They tasted good, so I just put them on the side to try to figure out what to do with them. When I had a chance to get back to them, they were the perfect consistency. I love a story with a happy ending.
While testing out this recipe, on one of the rounds I used olive oil. I personally feel that olive oil has too strong a flavor. I use canola oil, but any light oil should do.
I wish everyone a very happy and healthy Passover.
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I want to wish you and your family a healthy, happy passover also, Rena! May we all meet in Israel next year, and may we all live to see peace in the Middle East…
Regards,
Marsha
Hi Marsha!
Sorry that I miss your comment. Thank you so much! We had a wonderful Passover. I hope you did as well. It would be wonderful for us all to meet in Jerusalem next year! Amen to peace in the Middle East!
Best,
Rena
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Have you tried Quinoa flakes? You can use quinoa which can be used on Passover. Also, use the very light olive oil. That had no flavor in it. But the baking soda is an interesting idea! The quinoa flakes are supposed to be a binding agent. Maybe you can use one half cup quinoa and one half matzo meal. Also, you can even try baking them in a 275 degree oven for like 25 minutes and make sure you don’t brown them. It’s worth a try…
I never thought about Quinoa flakes. It’s an interesting idea. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen them in Israel. I’ll keep a look out for them. Thanks!
I was looking for a recipe for egg-free (because of allergies) matza balls, not necessarily vegan.
I made these for second seder night – used schmaltz (chicken fat rendered with onion) in place of most of the oil, so these tasted almost like the “real thing” (next time I’ll save up enough schmaltz to leave out oil entirely). Also, they were not at all fall-apart-y after 20 minutes cooking. I’m guessing the use of the solider fat had something to do with that.
Thank you for this recipe. I did lose quite a bit of my batch during the actual cooking process (they DID fall apart sadly) but the ones who survived the heat DID taste lovely. Anyone have any other ideas for keeping them bound together? I think i will try baking next time instead of boiling. Thank you again.
It never occurred to be to bake them. Let me know how it comes out.
It’s very important to let them set out of the water and make sure that they harden before you put them back in. You should only loose a little bit.
Check out my reply!
Would they be ok to freeze? If I cook them then take them out and freeze them ?
Hi Julie, I don’t think that these will freeze well. If you decide to try it, let me know how it comes out. Best, Rena
I baked them (the second time) and they turned out perfectly with nothing lost!!!
275 degrees for 25 mins as recommended above!
Excellent! I’m so glad it worked out. Did you put them in the soup or eat them as is? I’m going to try baking them as well. I make so many batches over Passover, it will be nice to try a new way for a change.
Did you add them to the soup after baking?
I have been looking for a vegan matzo ball recipe for a long time and had hopes for this one. Sadly, I ended up with small and slimy little matzo balls – they never expanded and the consistency was not appealing. The search goes on….
Sorry it didn’t work for you. I’ve been making them for years and I’ve had good experiences with them. You can’t leave them in the soup – they must be taken out so they can firm up after they rise to the top. Let me know if you find something that works better. I’d love to know about it.
No potato starch. Could I use cornstarch or even garbanzo flours?
I use potato starch because we are Ashkenazi and can’t eat cornstarch on Passover. I’ve never tried using garbanzo flour. Cornstarch will definitely work. If you try with garbanzo flour, let me know how it comes out.
How many balls does this recipe make? Thanks!
Depending on the size of the matzo balls, it can make between 15-20. Depending on how many people are coming over, I often double the recipe.
Hi, has anyone tried making these ahead of time and freezing them?
I do that with my regular matzo balls …
I’ve never tried to freeze them, but since they are taken out of the soup to firm up, I can’t imagine that it would be a problem. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
FYI. Ashkenazi can eat kitniyot during Passover now. Since 2016, I believe.
I guess that depends on your Rabbi. We are Orthodox and our Rabbi doesn’t approve.
My grandchildren are sick so I thought I would try your recipe. I did make one change and that is I added some parve chicken powder to the matzah ball mixture. They came out wonderful. I tried one batch without covering the pan while they cooked and one batch I covered it. The ones that cooked without covering came out better. Thank you for your recipe.
My pleasure. I hope that everyone is well by you now!
This was my first attempt at making them egg free and sadly I ended up with mush. They looked so beautiful and then I walked away for a short time and came back to what looked like oatmeal. I am not giving up! I am going to try the baking method.
It’s very important to take them out of the soup to harden up and only put them back in after that. Once they’ve hardened, they won’t turn into mush. Good luck! Let me know how it goes! Chag Sameach!
Hi Rena, I’ve been trying a few different recipes with the usual suspects to replace eggs (mashed potatoes, corn/potato starch, etc) and I’m decided to try again with this recipe.
Should I cool them off (on the fridge) in order to hardener them?
Hi Fernanda! Yes. I’ve updated the recipe to make it more clear. Let me know how it goes. Chag Sameach!