How to Make Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

Create a vegan matzo ball soup better than one with animal products.

Whether you have vegan family members, vegan Passover guests or are avoiding animal products yourself for environmental, health or ethical reasons, the good news is that you won't have to pass up a matzo ball soup. It is possible to make this soup, traditionally made with eggs and chicken, completely vegan while keeping it kosher for Passover. The keys are adding starch as a substitute for the eggs and lots of savory ingredients to make up for the lack of chicken flavor.

Things You'll Need

• Standard ingredients and recipe for matzo ball soup
• Starch, such as potato starch or arrowroot powder
• Herbs, dried or freshly chopped (your choice)
• Carrots, chopped
• Celery, chopped
• Onions, chopped
• Vegetable broth
• 1 head of garlic, chopped

Instructions

1. 

   Potato starch is a good egg substitute.

   Substitute starch for the eggs in the matzo balls. Use 1 heaping tbsp. of starch for every 2 eggs in your recipe. Starches will take on the binding duty of the eggs, giving the matzo balls the structural integrity to survive cooking. You can use potato starch, corn starch, arrowroot powder or another kind of starch but keep in mind that corn starch and other starches derived from grains and beans are not kosher for Passover.

2. 

   Use freshly chopped herbs in the matzo balls.

   Use herbs to add a savory flavor to the matzo balls. Because you will not be using the traditional chicken broth to flavor the soup and the matzo balls, add extra flavor to the matzo balls themselves. Either dried herbs or finely chopped fresh herbs will work well in the matzo meal mixture.

3. 

   Plenty of garlic will make your vegan dish savory indeed.

   Cook the matzo balls in a vegetable soup broth with lots of garlic. To approximate the savory flavor of chicken soup, add plenty of carrots, celery and onion to the soup. Add a can or container of vegetable broth as well as an entire head of chopped garlic or more. The garlic will become milder as it cooks into the broth but it will provide a superb savory flavor.

4. Cook the matzo ball soup gently once you add the matzo balls or else the balls will crumble apart. Set your stove burner on low to create a simmer rather than a boil. The balls will need to simmer for about 45 minutes.

5. 

   Use a ladle to gently serve the matzo ball soup.

   Serve the matzo ball soup promptly after cooking. A vegan matzo ball will begin to dissolve if it is left soaking in the soup for too long.

Tips & Warnings

• You can adjust the firmness or lightness of the matzo balls by adjusting the amount of time the batter sits in the refrigerator before the balls are formed and dropped into the soup. For firmer dumplings, let them sit for only 15 minutes; for fluffier dumplings, let the batter sit for up to 45 minutes.

• Avoid most vegetable bullion cubes and instant egg replacements if you are making the soup for Passover, as most vegetable bullion cubes and instant egg replacements contain nutritional yeast or another ingredient that isn't kosher for Passover.

• If you get a matzo ball mix instead of matzo meal, check to see that there are no animal products in the mix.

References

• Baltimore Jewish TImes: In Pursuit of the Vegan Matzo Ball

Resources

• The Cook's Thesaurus: Stocks, Broths and Gravies