Vegan Matzo Ball Soup – Connoisseurus Veg

Whether you’re celebrating Passover in the coming days or not, you need this vegan matzo ball soup in your life! No eggs, no animal products, just all the deliciousness made with cozy matzo balls and veggies in scrumptious savory broth.

Okay, before I start, confession: I’ve never had non-vegan matzo ball soup. So I’m far from being an expert on matzo ball soup. I always wanted to try it, but traditional versions are made with eggs and chicken fat, so that wasn’t happening.

But I have experimented with creating vegan versions over the years. Well, I finally think I perfected it! With Passover coming up, now seemed like a great time to share my results.

While I can’t say I’m sure what matzo ball soup with chicken fat and eggs is supposed to taste like, I can tell you that this vegan matzo ball soup is freaking delicious.

In place of chicken fat, I used plain old olive oil in my matzo balls. And instead of egg, I used potato starch. With these swaps I found it tricky (not impossible though) to get the balls to hold together while simmering in the soup.

So I tried another approach: I steamed my matzo balls, and it worked great! These matzo balls held together like champions, and the soup was absolutely wonderful.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Matzo meal.
• Potato starch. This is the binder for your matzo balls, so it’s important. You may be able to find it in the baking or natural foods aisle of your supermarket. If not, buy it online.
• Salt.
• Baking powder.
• Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that’s unsweetened and unflavored. Try almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk.
• Olive oil. Another neutral oil can be substituted if needed. Just avoid using coconut oil, which can solidify while you chill your matzo ball mixture.
• Carrots.
• Leeks.
• Garlic.
• Vegetable broth. Use a vegan chicken style broth if you can find one! This will give your matzo ball soup an authentic flavor. King Arthur and Better than Bouillon both make products what will work. If not, simply use your favorite veggie broth.
• Frozen peas.
• Fresh dill.
• Black pepper.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Start by combining matzo meal, potato starch, salt, baking powder, non-dairy milk and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir the mixture up well, cover the bowl, and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Tip: Don’t skip the step of chilling your matzo mixture! This is when the matzo meal becomes saturated with the milk and oil, giving the matzo balls the perfect texture.

To make the soup, heat some olive oil in a pot, then sweat the carrots and leeks (pale green and white parts only) until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook it with the veggies for about a minute.

Add your broth, raise the heat, and bring it to boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 45 minutes.

Tip: If your soup reduces too much while simmering (which can happen if it boils too rapidly), feel free to add some water.

Prepare a steamer while the soup simmers. I like to use a wok and bamboo steamer, which has plenty of room to accommodate all of the matzo balls. If you have a smaller device you can steam them in batches.

Roll the matzo meal mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange them in the steamer so they’re not touching. Steam them for 10 minutes.

Let the matzo balls sit for a few minutes when they’re done steaming, then add them to the soup and simmer them for a bit.

Take the soup off of heat when it’s done, then stir in some thawed frozen peas, fresh dill, salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle your vegan matzo ball soup into bowls and dig in!

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

Whether you’re celebrating Passover in the coming days or not, you need this vegan matzo ball soup in your life! No eggs, no animal products, just all the deliciousness made with cozy matzo balls and veggies in scrumptious savory broth.

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Matzo Balls

• ¾
  cup
  matzo meal
• 3
  tablespoons
  potato starch
• ¾
  teaspoon
  salt
• ½
  teaspoon
  baking powder
• ¾
  cup
  unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2
  tablespoons
  olive oil
  (or another neutral flavored cooking oil)

For the Soup

• 1
  tablespoon
  olive oil
• 1
  medium leek,
  white and pale green parts only, chopped
• 2
  medium carrots,
  diced
• 3
  garlic cloves,
  minced
• 6
  cups
  vegetable broth
• ½
  cup
  frozen peas,
  thawed
• ¼
  cup
  chopped fresh dill
• Salt and pepper,
  to taste

Instructions

1. To make the matzo balls, stir the matzo meal, potato starch, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk and oil until thoroughly mixed.

2. Cover the bowl and chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes, while you begin the soup.

3. To make the soup, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the leek and carrot. Sweat the veggies for 5 minutes, until the carrot just begins to soften.

4. Add the garlic and sauté with the carrots and leek for 1 minute, until very fragrant.

5. Stir in the broth. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow the soup to cook for about 45 minutes.

6. While the soup simmers, prepare a steaming device. (Note 1)

7. Shape the matzo mix into 1-inch balls and arrange them in the steamer so they aren’t touching. (Note 2)

8. Steam the matzo balls for 10 minutes. Remove them from the steamer when done, then allow them to sit for 5 minutes before adding them to the soup. Let the matzo balls simmer in the soup for 5 to 10 minutes. (Note 3)

9. Carefully stir in the peas and cook the soup for about 2 minutes more.

10. When the soup is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the dill.

11. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Recipe Notes

1. I like to use a wok fitted with a bamboo steamer, but a simple vegetable steamer and saucepan will work just fine.
2. You can steam your matzo balls in batches if necessary.
3. The simmer times aren’t super critical in this recipe. If the soup has longer than 10 minutes to go when you add the balls, let them simmer longer. If the soup has less than 5 minutes to go, let it simmer a little longer so that the balls have enough simmer time.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314
Calories from Fat 101

% Daily Value*

Fat 11.2g17%

Saturated Fat 1.5g8%

Sodium 1400mg58%

Potassium 338mg10%

Carbohydrates 36.7g12%

Fiber 3.7g15%

Sugar 9.9g11%

Protein 4.8g10%

Calcium 197mg20%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.