Everyone should have a good homemade matzo ball (kneidel) recipe in their repertoire. It’s no harder (and significantly more cost-effective) than using the packet mix.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp seltzer or 2 tbsp water + 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or chicken schmaltz
  • ½ cup matzo meal
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Pinch of garlic powder
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Optional: ¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill

Directions

  1. Whisk together the eggs, seltzer, oil, salt, and spices. Stir in the matzo meal, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (If not using seltzer, add the baking powder with the matzah meal).
  2. Optional: mix in the dill.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 2 tbsp salt. Wet your hands and roll the mixture into evenly sized balls. Drop into the boiling water.
  4. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and let cook for approximately 40 minutes. (If you’re not sure, cut one open, and check that it’s cooked all the way through).
  5. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to chicken soup.

NOTE: Matzo balls will become soggy and start to fall apart if you reheat them too many times. If you plan to reheat the chicken soup more than once, store the matzo balls separately in a container in the fridge.

Yields: 8-10 matzo balls