Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup

Instant Pot, Recipes, Soups
4.5 from 10 votes

This easy Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup has all the hearty comforting flavors of a homemade chicken broth coupled with effortless, light and fluffy matzo balls from 👀 boxed mix ::gasp::

4.5 from 10 votes

DETAILS

Servings

5 Bowls

Prep time

10 mins

Cooking time

80 mins

Calories

412

Two white bowls with matzo ball soup. Bouquet of flowers in top left corner. Glass of water. Small bowl of parsley garnish. White and yellow linen napkin and a spoon.

Yep. I said it. I’m not making Matzo balls from scratch. Well, one day I will because I do want to know the difference and I will be sure to report back. But until then, I will continue making matzo balls as I learned from my mother-in-law. And that’s using plain old easy-peasy boxed mix. Besides, semi-homemade is my jam.

Close up of a spoon with a bite of matzo ball soup with carrot, parsley and chicken. Background of table with flower vase, two bowls of soup, parsley garnish, and a cup of water.

My husband is Jewish and when we first started dating I was introduced to matzo ball soup. As we continued to have matzo ball soup over the years, those fluffy little dumplings really grew on me. It’s a comforting soup that signifies a family gathering. Years later at my job, I was sick one day and my boss brought me her matzo ball soup. It had dill. I fell in love. She then brought me matzo ball soup to cure me anytime I was sick! 😁❤️

I’ve come to learn that matzo ball soup, like most things, comes in many varieties. Some people like “floaters” that are light and airy so they float in the broth. Others like “sinkers” which are denser and have more bite to them. Once, my sister-in-law made some sinkers, albeit by accident, and my husband will forever remind us of the time he bit into those. We like our floaters!! Some soups are pure with broth and matzo balls only while others are loaded with chicken and vegetables. I prefer soups with more “stuff” in them so that’s exactly why I include chicken and veggies in my Instant Pot matzo ball soup.

What Is Matzo Ball Soup Anyways?

Simply put, matzo ball soup is a chicken broth base with dumplings made from matzo meal. It’s a staple of the Jewish holiday of Passover, but is often eaten year-round and can be found on the menu of many Jewish delis.

Passover is a significant holiday in the Jewish religion and celebrates the story of the Exodus, which was when Hebrew slaves fled Egypt. The Passover meal is known as a Seder and many of the foods eaten are historically symbolic. Matzo, for example, represents the unleavened bread that the Jews ate when they fled Egypt.

white bowl of matzo ball soup with carrots, parsley, dill and chicken. Spoon cutting into a matzo ball in the bowl. Glass of water and parsley garnish in the background.

How To Make Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup

The full recipe card is below, but for some additional info:

Display of soup ingredients. White rectangular plate with two raw chicken breasts, small white bowl of chopped carrots and celery, small white bowl of halved onion and chopped garlic, jar of chicken bullion base, box of streit's matzo ball mix, stems of parsley and dill.
  • I use my Instant Pot for this meal because I love how the chicken becomes super tender and easy to shred. The cook time in comparison to a regular pot is about the same if you take into consideration that you need to let the Instant Pot pressurize prior to the actual cook time starting. However, I still find the chicken far easier to shred when cooked in the “IP.”
  • You’ll always have a richer chicken broth using bone-in chicken. Keeping the skin on will add more flavor but also more fat (which can always be skimmed off if you feel the need.) Feel free to use chicken breasts, quartered chicken, or even a whole chicken if your instant pot is large enough. The cook time will not change! You may notice in my photo I used a boneless chicken breast because that is what I happened to have and it works just as well. The use of the chicken base helps to even out the flavors of the chicken despite which cut you use.
  • I cook 2 chicken breasts but only add half of it back into the soup. I do this because I like the added flavor to the broth, but I don’t want my bowl of soup to be filled with too much chicken. Instead, I save the other half to be used for lunch or another night’s dinner. Feel free to use only 1 chicken breast, or use more if you’d like to have more shredded chicken ready.
  • I remove and discard the onion and celery for the sheer fact that I don’t like soggy vegetables. The carrots are soft, but not mushy and they have a better flavor and consistency in my opinion. If you like to keep all your veggies in, then simply dice your onions and celery instead of halving them. Similarly, I throw in whole stems of parsley and dill to flavor the broth, but then discard those, adding in freshly chopped parsley and dill at the end to give the soup that fresh herby flavor.
  • Cooking the matzo balls in the broth rather than salted water gives them so much more depth of flavor. The broth does become a little more cloudy, but it’s totally worth it. One thing I realized is to season with additional salt AFTER boiling the matzo balls. When I added in salt beforehand and thought the broth was to my liking, I ended up with very salty broth after the matzo balls soaked up the liquid while cooking. However, if you run into a similar situation, it’s an easy enough fix. Just add more water to dilute the broth, about 1 cup at a time
Two white bowls with matzo ball soup. Bouquet of flowers in top left corner. Glass of water. Small bowl of parsley garnish. White and yellow linen napkin and a spoon.

FAQ

What are matzo balls made out of?

The basic ingredients for scratch-made matzo balls are matzo meal, eggs, water, and schmaltz (chicken fat.) You’ll find variations on recipes that call for seltzer or baking powder to make them lighter u0022floatersu0022, vegetable oil instead of the chicken fat, as well as a variety of optional spices or herbs.

Can you make matzo balls ahead of time?

Yes you can make the matzo balls up to 24 hours in advance of cooking them. Just store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

How to store matzo ball soup:

Store the balls in a separate container from the broth to keep them from soaking up too much liquid and becoming mushy. Matzo ball soup will keep in the fridge up to 5 days.

How to reheat matzo ball soup:

Ideally, soup is reheated in a pot on the stove by bringing it to a simmer. This allows the soup to warm uniformly. But out of convenience, I’ve microwaved soup plenty of times, including matzo ball soup. I would advise stirring occasionally and depending on your microwave (like mine which heats extremely unevenly) it might be best to cut your matzo balls in half before heating.

Can matzo ball soup be frozen?

Yes. You can either freeze the whole thing in plastic freezer bags/containers or freeze the broth and balls separately. If you freeze it all combined the matzo balls may be not be as perfect once reheated (the outside can disintegrate a tad) but still acceptable. If you have the space, you can place the balls on a baking sheet to freeze and once completely frozen, throw them all into a freezer bag. Reheat by bringing your broth to a boil and then add in your matzo balls (frozen or thawed works) until heated through.

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Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup

4.5 from 10 votes
Course: SoupsCuisine: JewishDifficulty: Easy
Servings

5

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

50

minutes
Calories

412

kcal
Pressurize time

30

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

An effortless one-pot Matzo Ball Soup filled with the delicious flavors of homemade broth and the fluffy texture of “floater” matzo balls.

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Ingredients

  • [FYI – Click “Cook Mode” above to prevent your screen from going dark while making this recipe. Click the ingredient buttons below to cross them to keep track.]
  • Broth
  • 12 cups Water

  • 3 teaspoons Chicken Base (I use Better Than Bouillon)

  • 2 Chicken Breasts, Bone-in is better, Boneless is fine *(SEE NOTE BELOW)

  • 4 Carrots, peeled & sliced *(SEE NOTE BELOW)

  • 1 Small Onion, cut in half

  • 4 Cloves Garlic, minced

  • 2 Stalks Celery, halved or quartered

  • 2 Sprigs Dill

  • 2 Sprigs Parsley

  • Matzo Balls
  • 1 Packet Streit’s Matzo Ball Mix (not the ball & soup mix) (*SEE NOTE BELOW)

  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

  • 2 Large Eggs

  • Finishing
  • 2 Tbsp Parsley, rough chop

  • 1 Tbsp Dill, rough chop

  • 1/4 tsp Salt (or more, to taste)

  • 1/4 tsp Pepper

Directions

  • Fill your instant pot with water, add chicken base and stir to dissolve most of the base.
  • Add in chicken breasts, then veggies and herbs.Top down view into Instant Pot showing water with herbs and veggies ready to cook.
  • Cover and lock the lid, making sure the vent is set to SEALING. Select “Pressure Cook”, set to High, and adjust time to 10 minutes.
  • While the broth cooks, make your matzo balls according to the package directions. Using the Streit’s mix: Use a fork to whisk your vegetable oil and egg in a medium bowl. Add 1 packet of matzo mix and stir gently, just until incorporated. Don’t over mix. Set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes (it’s fine if it’s longer.)
  • Once the time is up on your Instant Pot, natural release for 5 minutes and then Quick Release. *TIP IN NOTES*
  • Remove herbs, celery, and onion and discard; leave the carrots.
  • Remove chicken breasts and set aside to cool.
  • Set your Instant Pot to the Saute function. This will allow the broth to come up to a boil.
  • Take your matzo mix out. Using a small spoon or cookie scoop, scoop some mixture into your hands and gently roll into balls about the size of walnuts. A little pressure is fine but don’t squeeze them too hard. You should end up with about 10-12 matzo balls. palm of hand holding one rolled matzo ball about the size of a walnut. Bowl of mix and plate of rolled balls in the background.
  • Carefully drop the balls into the boiling broth and let cook for 40 minutes, leaving the lid off. Gently stir the balls once in a while to make sure they are getting cooked on all sides. Top down view into Instant Pot with matzo balls boiling in broth with carrots.
  • While the matzo balls cook, shred your chicken. It should come apart really easily using two forks.
  • When the matzo balls are cooked, add HALF*(see note below) of your shredded chicken back into the soup along with half of the chopped parsley and dill. Top down view into Instant Pot with completed soup, having just added the parsley and dill on top.
  • Add your salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix together. Taste your broth! Add more salt or dilute with some water to your preference. *TIP ABOUT OVER-SALTING IN NOTES*
  • Serve, garnishing your soup with additional parsley and dill if desired.

Notes

  • CHICKEN – I only add HALF of the chicken back into the broth, saving the other half for lunch or another night’s dinner. You can boil only 1 chicken breast instead of 2 but I think it helps add more flavor and also serves double duty. You could also boil 3 or 4 chicken breasts if you wanted more shredded chicken ready for additional meals (as long as your IP has a large enough capacity.)
  • CARROTS – If you prefer to strain your soup to have a clearer broth, don’t slice the carrots, leave them whole instead to make it easier. Once the broth is cooked, you can strain the liquid and then slice your carrots and add them back in.
  • STREIT’S MATZO BALL MIX – The box includes 2 packets, you only need 1 for this recipe unless you’re doubling it. Ingredients listed above are per the box. If you use a different brand, follow their instructions.
  • IP VENTING TIP – place a dishtowel over the vent when you turn it so the steam doesn’t sputter all over you. This freaked me out the first couple times I used my IP. I recently saw someone else mention the dishtowel trick and I will appreciate that person for the rest of time.
  • SALT TIP – if you over-salt your soup, this dish is an easy fix! Simply add more water, 1 cup at a time until it’s just right for your taste.

Nutrition Facts

  • Calories: 412kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 18.2g
  • Protein: 26.1g
  • Fat: 14.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.8g
  • Cholesterol: 147mg
  • Sodium: 1368mg
  • Potassium: 245mg
  • Fiber: 1.7g
  • Sugar: 3.3g

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6 Comments

  1. Best Matzo ball soup ever! So easy and tasty. I added some peas and extra celery just because we love peas. My husband also loved it. Thank you!

  2. It was my first time eating Matzo Ball soup and I loved it 😋

  3. This soup was delicious. It was the best I have had in the 43 years I have been married to my Jewish husband.

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