Perfect Matzo Balls

These perfect matzo balls are simple to make and come out light and fluffy. They are everything one dreams of from “floater matzo balls” and more.

I don’t think there is any more iconic Jewish or Passover (Pesach) food than matzo ball soup. 

My whole family waits all year for it and have started making it on occasion when it isn’t Pesach.

When my brother was spending his gap year in Israel, the hardest part for him was missing the matzo ball soup. 

He even made my Mom promise she’d make it when he got back in the summer, and she did.

This was many years ago, but to this day it is still his favorite food. 

In fact, since moving to Israel, our Mom now promises to make it for him when he comes to visit from the States where he chose to stay.

Since the rest of the family moved to Israel, my mom decided to start making matzo ball soup herself because she didn’t like the prices on the packages. 

We tried a number of popular recipes but none compared to the box stuff we used in the States.

This caused every Pesach meal to start out disappointing with grumbles and comments from my younger brothers.

So, after a while, I became determined to create the perfect recipe. 

I looked at the recipes we had tried and gotten disappointing results from to see where I could improve. 

I decided to keep everything the same except the leavener.

Trail and Error

First, I raised the baking powder to one teaspoon.  It wasn’t much better than before.  

Next, I tried ½ a teaspoon of baking soda.  I did this because while every recipe I saw used baking powder, baking soda was listed in the ingredients on the box. 

This gave me matzo balls that were fluffy on the outside and firm on the inside.

I liked them, but my goal was to get the fluffy box stuff so I kept on.

Finally, I tried 2 teaspoons of baking powder.  These came out perfect!

However… they were a little boring since they didn’t have any seasoning. 

So, looking at the box again, I saw that it included onion powder and garlic powder.

This made all the difference.

CAN YOU USE BAKING POWDER ON PASSOVER?

Absolutely! As long as the box is marked kosher for Passover with a “P” next to the kosher symbol.

I get this question a lot because of the fact that it is a leavener.

The truth is though, while laws regarding Passover are complex, the focus is on wheat flour rather than the leavener itself.

In fact, there wasn’t anything to leaven bread in ancient times except wild yeast.

So, the bread they were making was something of a sour dough bread.

This is the reason it took so long to rise.

BAKING SODA VS BAKING POWDER

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means that they help baked goods rise. However, they’re not the same thing and they are not interchangeable.

Using baking soda instead of baking powder can give your recipe a terrible metallic taste, while using baking powder instead of baking soda leaves your baked goods looking flat.

BAKING SODA

When baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) is combined with acidic ingredients and exposed to heat, it causes batter or dough rise and contributes to their light and fluffy texture.

However, baking soda is a versatile ingredient. It can be sprinkled over meat to tenderize it and it can be added to tomato sauce to neutralize the acidity.

Baking soda, when combined with an acid – such as cream of tartar, lemon juice, buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar – creates carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide is released, it causes the familiar texture and crumb in pancakes, cakes, quick breads, soda bread, and other baked and fried foods.

A good rule of thumb is to use around 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup of flour.

BAKING POWDER

Baking powder is created by combining baking soda, cream of tartar, and sometimes cornstarch.

Since baking powder already contains an acid, it’s most often used when a recipe does not call for an additional acidic ingredient or calls for too little of one.

There are two types of baking powder. Single-acting baking powder and double-acting baking power.

Single-acting baking powder gets activated only once – when it gets wet.

Most baking powder sold is double-acting. This means that the leavening occurs in two steps.

The first is when the baking powder gets wet, which is why you cannot prepare some batters ahead of time to bake later. The second step is when the baking powder is exposed to heat, which happens when the batter is baked or fried.

A good rule of thumb is to use around 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 cup of flour.

WHY SOME RECIPES CALL FOR BOTH

Some recipes use both baking soda and baking powder because they need extra leavening that the baking soda alone cannot provide.

In these cases, baking soda provides an initial lift, while baking powder provides additional rise.

WHICH ONE IS STRONGER?

You may have already guessed the answer since baking soda is used to make baking powder and you need more baking powder per cup of flour. But I’ll tell you anyway.

Baking soda is four times stronger than baking powder. 

That’s why you will, more often than not, see recipes that only call for baking soda rather than recipes that only call for baking powder.

HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?

BAKING SODA

Baking soda is good indefinitely past its best by date, although it can lose potency over time.

A good rule of thumb is two years for an unopened package and six months for an opened package.   

However, to be honest, I’ve used very old baking soda with good results.

BAKING POWDER

Like baking soda, baking powder is good indefinitely past its best by date, and can lose its potency over time. 

For both opened and unopened, it’s ideal to use it within nine months to a year.

While storing it, make sure to keep it in a dry place and away from humidity.

HOW TO TEST IF IT’S STILL GOOD

BAKING POWDER

To test baking powder, pour 3 tablespoons of warm water into a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and stir.

If the baking powder is good to use, it should fizz a little.

BAKING SODA

To test baking soda, pour 3 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar into a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and stir.  

The mixture should rapidly bubble if the soda is fresh.

What is the difference between matzo balls and dumplings?

Matzo balls are a specific type of dumpling in that they are made using matzo meal.

The box doesn’t have liquid in the recipe. Why does yours?

I tried making it without the liquid, but it came out way too dry.

I think it’s because the box matzo mix meal is very fine whereas regular matzo meal is coarse.

My guess is, the fine matzo meal doesn’t need as much liquid.

Schmaltz vs Oil

Schmaltz is the traditional fat used in matzo balls. However, in recent decades, oil has become at least as common.

While I usually use oil for convenience, many say that schmaltz elevates the flavor of the matzo ball.

Chilling

You can chill the matzo balls for anywhere between 15 minutes and overnight.

However, this will make your matzo balls firmer than they would be if you didn’t chill them.

I don’t chill mine because I like them fluffy on the outside and to have some substance on the inside but not firm.

Make Ahead

Matzo balls can be made ahead of time.

Just cook them, remove them from the liquid, and refrigerate them in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container.

Refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.

Freeze

You can freeze matzo balls on a tray and then move them to a resealable plastic bag or airtight container.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

After three months, they are still safe to eat, but their quality begins to degrade.