Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup + VIDEO

Slow cooker matzo ball soup is comforting soup recipe that’s made from homemade matzo balls. Perfect for the holidays, or knocking out a cold, this fuss-free version frees up your stove-top. You can also cook this Jewish soup in the Instant Pot. 

Ingredients For Matzo Ball Soup

There are 2 sets of ingredients for this matzo ball soup: ingredients for the matzo balls and ingredients for the soup. 

• Matzo Meal: ground up unleavened flatbread
• Eggs: 2 eggs for the matzo balls
• Oil: vegetable oil or something similar for the matzo balls
• Water: for the matzo balls & soup
• Broth: for the soup
• Garlic: for the soup
• Mirepoix: diced onion, carrots, and celery for the soup
• Seasonings: salt, pepper & dried herbs for the matzo balls & the soup
• Chicken (optional): for the soup

What Is Matzo Ball Soup?

Matzo ball soup is an Ashkenazi Jewish soup made with matzo meal dumplings. While matzo ball soup is a staple during Passover, it can be eaten year round. 

What Are Matzo Balls?

The main ingredient in matzo ball soup are matzo balls. Matzo [matza, matzah] is unleavened flatbread. Ground up, it’s matzo meal. Matzo meal is used to make matzo balls. I use Manischewitz matzo meal. This is not a sponsored post. It’s a popular brand and that’s easy to find at a lot of local grocery stores.

Schmaltz aka chicken fat is traditionally used when making matzo balls however it’s okay to substitute oil instead. I used vegetable oil because I didn’t have schmaltz. If you can get your hands on schmaltz, definitely use it because it will add a bit of extra flavor to your matzo balls.

How To Make Matzo Ball Soup In The Slow Cooker

Prepare the Matzo Balls:

1. In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the oil, matzo meal, salt, and dill if using. Mix in water until blended. Cover and refrigerate (minimum for 20-30 minutes).

Slow Cooker

1. Add SOUP ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
2. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
3. When the soup is done cooking, turn your slow cooker to HIGH if not already on.
4. Remove matzo meal batter from the frig. Wet your hands. Form the matzo meal batter into 1-inch balls. Drop the balls into the soup. Cover and cook 30-40 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Instant Pot

1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot, add the oil to the pot.
2. Add the celery, carrots, and onions and cook for a 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.
3. Add broth & water. If needed, deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
4. Stir in salt, pepper and thyme. Add the chicken if using. 
5. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20 minutes.
6. When cooking time, is complete, manually release the pressure.
7. Remove chicken from the pressure cooker. Shred the meat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot.
8. Turn the Instant Pot to low sauté. 
9. Remove matzo meal batter from the frig. Wet your hands. Form the matzo meal batter into 1-inch balls. Drop the balls into the soup. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
10. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Homemade Soup

The key to a good matzo ball soup is not just the actual matzo balls but the soup as well. To make my soup in the slow cooker, I like to use a combination of chicken broth and water. You can add chicken to this matzo ball soup recipe without a lot of extra work. For both the slow cooker and Instant Pot, add up to 1 pound of skinless chicken breasts or thighs along with the rest of the soup ingredients. Once cook time is up, remove the chicken, shred and place it back in the soup. You can then add your matzo balls and continue cooking.

Passover Seder Soup

Matzo ball soup is a stable at Passover seders around the world. Matzo in represents the unleavened bread the Jews ate while fleeing Egypt. Passover (or “Pesach,” which is the Hebrew word for it) is the annual holiday during which Jewish people celebrate the emancipation of their ancestors from 400 years of slavery in ancient Egypt, an episode of Jewish history that is described in the bible, according to Rabbi Norman Patz (via Reader’s Digest). Central to the celebration is a ritualistic retelling of the story of how the Jewish people came to escape their bonds, according to My Jewish Learning, which points out that the storytelling is an actual biblical command from the Book of Exodus and that the story must always feature God as the hero – which is to say that it was God who arranged for it and made it possible. 

 

Storing Leftover Matzo Ball Soup

Leftover matzo ball soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I suggest you remove the matzo balls from the soup and store them in a separate airtight container. After 5 days, freeze any remaining leftovers. The matzo balls can be frozen directly in the soup. 

Jewish Inspired Recipes

• Beef Cholent
• Chicken With Apples & Honey
• Chopped Liver
• Apples & Honey Challah Bread Pudding
• Noodle Kugel

FAQs & Tips 

• Try to form the matzo balls into the same size balls.
• Note that matzo balls swell to almost double their size during their cooking time so don’t make them too large.
• Make the matzo balls ahead of time! Cook a large batch & freeze them separately for later use.
• Matzo ball soup is jokingly referred to as Jewish penicillin because it’s known to help fight colds. 
• You will need a large 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.

 

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[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”PJpfHyaX” upload-date=”2019-04-18T19:56:45.000Z” name=”Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup” description=”Matzo balls soup is a simple soup using matzo balls made from matzo meal, eggs, fat/oil, and water. Make this recipe in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.”]