Quick and Easy Fluffy Matzo Ball Recipe with Grandma’s Secrets

Grandma’s quick and easy fluffy matzo ball recipe is a family favorite. It’s also been a family secret until now. A meeting with Grandam on matzo ball soup day, and now I can make her fabulous light and fluffy matzo balls. With only a few ingredients, it doesn’t take much to reach perfection.

I don’t know how your family operates, but here, every year, it’s the same debate. Should the matzo balls be small or large, solid or airy? Everyone has an opinion.

But regardless of who wanted what, in our family, for Passover, Grandma was in charge. Our family matriarch liked her matzo balls soft and fluffy, and that is the matzo ball recipe that we share today.

Lucky for me, soft, airy, and light is exactly the way I like my matzo balls. As a result, I am on the winning side of the debate every year.

Once I was old enough, I wanted to make my own food, at least some of the time.

It took years of pleading with her, but eventually, Grandma agreed to share the secret of her light and airy matzo ball recipe.

Thankfully, I have family to fill in the gaps …

Grandma’s fluffy matzo ball recipe

Grandma’s matzo ball soup was perfect … every time. She knew the secret.

Being a classic bubbe, she loved her grandkids as much as she loved to kibitz. It seemed she would happily share her fluffy matzo ball recipe. And after years of pleading, she happily agreed.

However, every holiday conversation was the same. “Grandma, call me before you make the matzo balls so I can come over and learn how to do it. “

“Of course, dear.”

“Do you promise this time?” This would be followed by another, “Of course, dear.“

And then the day would come to make the soup. As promised, the phone would ring, and grandma would tell us she was going to make matzo balls. She lived about 45 minutes in traffic but would promise to wait for us. 

Year after year, we arrived to find matzo balls already in the simmering soup.

“The secret is to let it simmer for hours.” – No, that wasn’t it, the secret was something else. And she never told us.

And the final secret of her fluffy matzo balls left this world with grandma.

What you need to make light and airy matzo balls

While Esther’s complete recipe is below, here is a list of what you will need for her delicious matzo ball recipe.

Supplies

• Stockpot
• 2 Mixing bowls

Ingredients

• Eggs
• Oil (light tasting type)
• Matzo meal – or crush your own
• Salt
• Soup stock or salted water

Tips for a successful fluffy matzo ball recipe

Here are a few tips for light and fluffy results every time. While some of these are grandma’s tips, others we have discovered over time.

• Before rolling the balls, place your mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Keep your balls small before you boil them.
• Don’t fondle your balls. Form them, put them aside, and when the water is boiling, drop them in. And to keep them light and fluffy, according to Chef Eric Feltman, “Simmer, don’t boil – A gentle simmer ensures they cook through without getting dense.”
• Cook soup and matzo balls separately.
• Make sure the water is vigorously boiling before you add the matzo balls.

Here are more tips from this discussion in the Facebook Kibitz Spot group:

• Eric added that “you don’t want to rush. Too much pressure, and they turn out dense and unsatisfying.”
• Zena shared her tips: I beat the eggs and oil until they’re fluffed to create a “foam”. That’s when I add the matzoh meal. When I put them in the soup, I put the stove on low and leave it.
• You can add a bit of baking powder, club soda, or seltzer water. (KosherCooking.com offers an interesting discussion on the use of baking powder during Passover.)
• If you use a recipe that includes water (ours does not), you can substitute the water with seltzer water.
• Separate the eggs. Then beat the egg whites before slowly re-adding yolks, oil, and then matzo meal. 
• Several group members suggested just getting the Manishewitz Matzo Ball mix, which now even comes in a gluten-free version.
• You can make your own matzo with our easy recipe.

Make your matzo balls gluten-free

Thanks Eric for these gluten-free matzo ball guidelines:

For gluten-free matzo balls, the secret is swapping out the matzo meal with a mix of almond flour or gluten-free panko and a little potato starch for binding, then follow the same process.

Best Fluffy Matzo Ball Recipe

Did you know it’s aslo served at other holidays? Check out: Rosh Hashanah Food Symbolism: 15 Traditional Foods Explained

How do you like your matzo balls?

More for your Passover