Easy Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

Matzo balls (aka matzah balls) are dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs, water, and oil (fat). They are traditionally served in broth (typically chicken soup) during the Jewish holiday of Passover. In this post, I’ll show you how I make my gluten-free matzo balls soft and fluffy. No dense balls here! This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Passover is a Jewish holiday marking the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt.

Jews are prohibited from eating leavened bread for the seven-day duration of the holiday to symbolize that Jews left Egypt in haste when they were freed from bondage and therefore didn’t have time for the bread to rise (leaven).

During the Passover seder, a dinner with a strict order and where the story of Passover is recited, matzo ball soup is all the rage.

Matzo ball soup is typically made from matzo meal, which contains wheat. However, you can purchase gluten-free matzo meal and make gluten-free matzo balls with little fuss or change in taste.

In fact, the gluten-free matzo balls will taste exactly like the gluten-y matzo balls, so no one even needs to know you made the GF swap.

I’ve had a lot of matzo balls in my lifetime, and most Jews will agree that the best matzo balls are fluffy and light in texture. I’ve had some dense matzo balls in my lifetime, and they aren’t that fun to eat.

In this post, I’ll share the secret to getting a light and fluffy matzo ball every time, whether you use gluten-free or gluten-y matzo meal or matzo ball mix.

The Key to a Fluffy Matzo Ball

The key to a light and fluffy matzo ball is the addition of baking powder, which contains sodium bicarbonate, a leavening agent.

Baking powder, in general, is known for lightening the texture of baked goods because it releases carbon dioxide gas into the food, resulting in the formation of bubbles that expand (leaven) the mixture.

Adding a little baking powder will fluff up those matzo balls, making them perfectly palatable for Passover.

Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats experimented with various ways to make matzo balls, and he tested various techniques to see what netted the best matzo balls. He found that baking powder goes a long way in fluffing up those matzo balls.

You might be wondering, is baking powder even Kosher for Passover? This article in the New York Times will set your mind at ease. According to prominent, orthodox rabbis, the prohibition against leavening bread differs from the prohibition against using leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda.

Perhaps the most observant Jews won’t touch my matzo balls. Still, for my family and most Jewish families across the U.S., baking powder enables us to enjoy this meaningful ritual deliciously.

How to Make Chicken Broth

Before we talk about how to make those fluffy and light gluten-free matzo balls, you’ll want first to get your broth cooking.

To make a basic but delicious chicken broth, gather up the following ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks or thighs
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt plus more for the broth to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery sticks, chopped
• 8 cups water
• 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes optional, to taste (make sure it’s Kosher for Passover)

Add salt to your chicken and set it aside. Adjust the salt to taste, keeping in mind that if you use kosher chicken, it will already be salted, so go easy on how much you add.

Heat vegetable oil in a large stock pot, add the chicken and cook until it’s lightly browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

Add the carrots and celery to your pot and cook until slightly softened. Add the lightly browned chicken to the pot with 8 cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer the broth for 2 or more hours. Skim the fat off the top, if any, as you go along. The broth will have a stronger chicken taste the longer you simmer it with the chicken pieces.

Once the broth is finished cooking, remove the chicken from the broth and separate the meat from the skin, bones, and fat. Add the meat back to the broth and discard the rest.

Season your soup with additional salt and/or bouillon cubes to taste, and keep your broth warm until you’re ready to serve it.

How to Make Matzo Balls

Now you’re ready to make your matzo balls, which come together fast!

Start by gathering up the following ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 package of gluten-free matzo ball soup mix*
• Water or chicken stock

*I enjoy working with a gluten-free matzo ball soup mix as the sodium bicarbonate (aka, baking powder) is already in the mix, and the balls taste amazing every time.

However, if you’re working with gluten-free matzo meal, add 1/2 to 1 tsp of baking powder per cup of gluten-free matzo meal.

To assemble your matzo balls, combine eggs and oil in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Add matzo ball soup mix (or matzo meal + baking powder) and mix with your fork until well combined.

Cover the mixture and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or longer to stiffen up the dough and make it easier to work with.

Before assembling your matzo balls, bring a large pot of water or chicken broth to a boil. If you use water, add some Kosher salt for flavor. Make sure your chicken broth is not only Kosher for Passover but also gluten free. Many Kosher for Passover bouillon cubes and broths contain gluten and questionable ingredients like yeast extract and maltodextrin.

Using lightly wet hands, roll about 15-16 small balls. The balls will be tiny but don’t worry, they will fluff up in the boiling water. Don’t make your balls too big. You’ve been warned.

When the water is boiling and all your balls have been rolled, add the matzo balls to the water. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and allow matzo balls to cook for 30 minutes undisturbed. The balls are ready when they float to the top and are cooked through.

Remove matzo balls from broth (remember, the balls are like sponges; do not leave them in the water or they’ll overcook). Tap each ball over the broth to drain as much of the liquid as possible before placing them in a rimmed glass dish until you’re ready to serve your soup.

Ready to Serve Your Soup?

When it’s time for soup, place 1-2 matzo balls in a soup bowl, then top with hot chicken soup broth mixture (including chicken, carrots, and celery), then top with your favorite toppings (optional).

Soup Toppings

Many people will enjoy the soup as is, or they add crushed matzah to the top. My family loves when I buy Passover-friendly gluten-free soup nuts and croutons. They eat these soup nuts like candy!

I also like to top my soup with chopped scallions and/or fresh dill for added color and flavor.

Matzo Ball FAQs

Here are answers to some of your most frequently asked questions. I will add to this list as more questions come in:

Prepare Balls Ahead of Time: If preparing the matzo balls ahead of time, allow the hot balls to cool to room temperature. Cover them with plastic wrap and place them in your fridge. About an hour before serving, place them on your countertop, so they come to room temperature before adding them to individual portions of hot soup. Alternatively, add the cold balls to your hot broth and allow them to heat through before serving.

Add More Vegetables: Want to make it a more hearty soup? Add more carrots and celery.

Is There an Egg-Free Version? I’m sure you could find an egg-free version of matzo balls somewhere on Google, or you could try using a flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2 tablespoons water per egg). However, eggs are essential to getting light and fluffy matzo balls. For my egg-free guests, I serve them a hearty portion of soup with lots of vegetables and chicken.

Other Passover Recipes

Try these gluten-free Passover recipes to make your Passover seder a bit tastier:

• Passover Charoset
• Homemade Gluten-Free Oat Matzah
• Easy Beef Brisket
• Sweet BBQ Cola Chicken
• Chocolate Quinoa Cake
• No-Bake Gluten-Free Chocolate Matzah Cake
• Lemon Crinkle Cookies
• Overnight Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
• Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Torte