During the Jewish holiday of Passover, some people love to make sinker matzo balls. There is an ongoing debate in the Jewish community at this time of year – which are better, floaters or sinkers? It really comes down to what style of matzo ball you enjoyed growing up. And of course, a delicious matzo ball soup recipe is key – matzo balls and chicken soup are made for each other. If you’re looking for a hearty, pleasantly chewy, flavorful sinker matzo ball recipe, this is the one for you!
![Overhead shot - sinker matzo ball soup on a white marble surface. Soup includes dense sinker matzo balls, chicken, carrots, celery, and golden broth in a white soup bowl with spoon, cloth napkin, cracked matzo and fresh green herbs beside the bowl. Classic Jewish soup.](https://toriavey.com/images/2012/03/IMG_1282-740x555.jpeg)
Just because a matzo ball sinks doesn’t mean it has to be tough or leaden. My sinker matzo ball recipe produces lovely sinkers with terrific texture. They’ve got bite to them, but they’re not overly heavy. Pleasantly chewy might be the best way to describe them. Some people prefer this style of matzo balls, because they are heartier and tend to have a flavor that lingers. If your bubbe made this style growing up, chances are you love it, too!
If you’re looking for a sinker that you can sink your teeth into, read on. I used to be a floater girl, but after enjoying these beauties, I am on the fence. They are less likely to fall apart than fragile floater matzo balls, so you can cook them for longer periods of time. I can imagine these would also be wonderful in slow cooked stews, or as a substitute for chicken and dumplings.
If you need an irresistible chicken soup recipe to cook your sinker matzo balls in, check out my homemade matzo ball soup recipe.
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![Floater matzo balls in a shallow bowl of Jewish chicken soup with carrot slices, pieces of celery, and golden broth. A spoon, fresh herbs, three small sheets matzo and two yellow large canisters in background.](https://toriavey.com/images/2012/03/IMG_1291-2-500x500.jpeg)
Sinker Matzo Balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup matzo meal
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 tablespoons melted schmaltz (you may substitute avocado oil or safflower oil)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 3-4 quarts soup broth or salted water (broth will give the matzo balls more flavor)
NOTES
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the matzo meal, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.
- In another bowl, use another fork to mix together the eggs and schmaltz.
- Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the minced dill. Mix all ingredients together with a fork until just combined. Do not over-mix. The batter may feel thicker and drier than you're used to – this is intentional, and part of achieving the right sinker texture. However, the mixture should not be too crumbly (especially if you use two large eggs, as described in the directions). The mixture will continue to moisten and come together in the refrigerator. If you feel it is overly dry and crumbly, you may add a bit of water by the teaspoonful – only add enough until the mixture comes together.Put the bowl of matzo ball mixture into the refrigerator and let it rest for 45 minutes.
- There are two ways to cook your matzo balls– in boiling salted water, or in the soup broth. You may wish to cook them in boiling salted water if you are feeding a large crowd; the matzo balls will soak up some of the broth, which will make for less servings of soup. I prefer to cook them straight in the broth so they soak up the chicken flavor. You may end up with less broth, but your matzo balls will taste amazing. You can also use boxed chicken broth, or water and bouillon, if you're worried about reducing the broth in your soup. Or you can use my quick saffron stock, which is outlined in the notes section of this recipe.For my favorite chicken soup recipe for these matzo balls, click here. Bring your 3-4 quarts of soup broth or salted water to a boil over medium heat.
- While your broth or water is warming, form the chilled matzo ball mixture into 1 inch balls. Don't overwork the mixture when you roll the balls.
- When your broth or water boils, lower it to an even bubbling simmer and drop the matzo balls gently into the liquid.Cover the pot with a lid and let the balls cook for about 35 minutes, until cooked through.Remove the pot lid.
- Serve two or three matzo balls per bowl with hot chicken soup ladled over them.If you don’t plan on serving the whole pot of soup at one sitting, make sure you remove the matzo balls from the broth and let them come to room temperature before storing them in a separate container. If left to sit in the broth, they may become mushy. It's less likely to happen with sinkers – but to maintain that just-cooked texture, it's best to store them separately.
Can you make these in advance and freeze them?