A knaidel (plural knaidelach) is an Ashkenazi Jewish dumpling added to soups or stews. The most common form of knaidel, known as the matzo ball, is made from unleavened matzo meal and served in chicken soup for Passover. Matzo meal contains wheat, making it unsuitable for those on a gluten free diet. I developed this potato knaidel recipe as a delicious and gluten free alternative to matzo balls. It creates a firm yet fluffy dumpling that goes quite nicely in a bowl of piping hot Chicken Soup for Knaidelach (click for recipe).
I came up with this recipe after a LOT of experimentation. I used a German potato dumpling recipe as a starting point, then modified from there to make it flavorful and completely free of gluten. Follow the recipe instructions carefully; making modifications, substitutions, or skipping steps will lead to a pot full of mush, rather than nicely textured knaidelach. It’s worth the effort; these potato dumplings are truly delightful. In fact, some members of my family actually prefer them to matzo balls!
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Gluten Free Matzo Balls - Potato Knaidelach
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large red potatoes
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1 1/2-2 cups blanched almond meal
- Salt and white pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Scrub the unpeeled potatoes till clean. Boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender—it will take about 45 minutes.
- Drain. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature. Peel the skin from the potatoes and discard. Chop the peeled potatoes into large chunks.Place in the refrigerator and chill until they are cold all the way through (at least 2 hours). You can refrigerate them overnight, if you need to.Place a fresh pot of salted water on the stove to boil. From this point on, work quickly, or refrigerate the ingredients between steps. The potato mixture works best when it’s cold.
- Remove potatoes from refrigerator and pat them dry if any moisture has accumulated. Place potatoes in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or run them through a ricer. Mash again with a fork to get out as many lumps as possible.Mix in the egg, potato starch, 1 1/2 cups of almond meal, 1 ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of white pepper to form a dough. If the dough seems sticky, or if you prefer a denser and heavier dumpling, you can add more almond meal.
- By now your water should be boiling. Turn the stove heat down until the water is nearly boiling—the water should be “shivering” slightly, just on the verge of a boil.Form potato dough into balls using ¼ cup of dough for each.
- Gently place the knaidelach into the hot water.
- The dumplings will sink to the bottom of the pot and slowly rise as they cook.Cook knaidelach in batches of 4-5 at a time; do not cook more than that or they will stick together and fall apart in the pot. The dumplings will lose a little bit of their potato coating as they cook, but should retain their shape.
- Let the knaidelach cook for 10-15 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish.Keep the dumplings covered with a clean, damp towel until ready to serve.
- Serve 1 or 2 knaidelach per bowl of soup. They go great in chicken soup as an alternative to matzo balls (if you need a recipe, check out my Chicken Soup for Knaidelach). They can also be added to vegetarian soup or cholent.
Nutrition
Hello! Thanks for the recipe which I’ll be making for my daughter who is having her wisdom teeth taken out. Question: When I make traditional matzoh balls I boil them in vegetable broth (not just water) to give them more flavor. Any reason I can’t do that with these?
I have not tested it that way, but I do plan to next week… 🙂 I think it will work, but if it doesn’t I’ll comment back.
Thank you. Just … thank you. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family is having Zoom Passover Seder in Isolation. I will have these knaidelach in chicken soup and be very happy with my family remotely joining in for the Seder. The knaidelach are super tasty and are not at all difficult to make!! 🙂 I’m sure I will have them again; they are a great comfort food!
Good golly, I think I hit the jackpot. Some comments said the potatoes needed more flavor, so I sautéed and onion and added it. Had a hard time not devouring the dough before I plopped it into the water!
Great recipe; this is the first time I will ever enjoy the taste of matza balls. Thank you!
I know you said no substitutions, but I’m wondering if Yukon gold potatoes will work just a well as red potatoes since that’s what I have on hand.
Looking forward to trying these!
Thanks, Sheri
Hi Sheri, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Yukon gold potatoes should work fine for this recipe.
Made these today as a trial since I have Celiac and the GF matzo products just don’t sit well with my belly. The recipe looks more intimidating than it really is. I followed the instructions exactly and my potato kneidlach turned out great! Admittedly they tasted a little boring – but it’s potatoes! I’m thinking the next time I make it I may try to do something to give the kneidlach a bit more flavor…ginger? Sumac? Hmmm…..but these were an EXCELLENT option!
Hi, Tori:
The recipe sounds great and I am going to try it today. One question: Do you think it would be OK to add 1 tablespoon of chicken schmalz to a double recipe? I thought it might add something to the flavor, considering that the knaidlach are cooked in water, not in soup.
Best,
Joel
Absolutely! I’m a big fan of schmaltz. 🙂
I’ve made this several times, and they are delish! BUT – When I’ve made them ahead and had them in the fridge – They didn’t seem to warm enough by plopping them into the soup. How do you do it? How do you time everything? Do you make them right before the seder?
Hi Stephanie, it’s been quite a while since I developed this recipe. I want to revisit it before Seder this year, but not sure I will have time. What I could suggest is taking them out of the fridge an hour or so before you rewarm them, so that you are rewarming them from room temperature rather than from the fridge. If I am able to retest it I’ll post any updates here. Glad you like them!
Haven’t tested this with the GF recipe, but my mom always set the matzoh balls in a glass dish in a single layer with about half an inch of water at the bottom, covered the dish with plastic wrap (leaving a bit of a vent) and microwaved at 15 second intervals until warm. I don’t have a microwave, but I imagine the same method, covered in foil would work in a preheated oven for a few minutes…
Looking forward to making these tonight to get ready for Seder- thank you so much for the recipe!
Question about gf :matzo balls” recipe…when you say it makes 12 servings, does that mean 1 or 2 per person????
Hi Susan, it’s been several years since I tested this recipe. If memory serves, it makes about 15 matzo balls… but I could be wrong on that. I will try to test it again before Passover this year, if I have a chance to I’ll report back here.
I need to make Matzoh balls for a gluten-free, vegan. Any suggestions for what to use instead of the egg?
Hi California Cook, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. So far we have not found a good replacement for eggs in matzo balls, so I am unable to suggest an alternative option here. Perhaps someone else reading this thread might have one?
If your family eats legumes during Passover, you could try using aquafaba (chickpea broth) and xantham gum, to replace the eggs, and par-bake the matzoh balls before baking to help them keep their structure. I found this recipe through Tablet:
Egg-Free Matzo Balls
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp oil
7 Tbsp aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas or other white beans)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix batter and refrigerate 10-15 minutes. Put at least 6 cups of broth (or salted water) to a boil if planning to make soup right away.
Roll the batter into balls about an inch in diameter. You should be able to make 12-15 matzo balls. Bake them in the oven on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, until set and just very, very slightly turning golden.
You may refrigerate to use later or make soup now. Drop them into the soup and cook covered for at least 25 minutes, on a low simmer.
It’s not gluten free, but the method might be valuable. Perhaps a combination of the two could create vegan, gluten-free matzoh balls? Good luck!!
I’m a matzoh ball fan though not of the Jewish faith [much love & respect to my “elder Sisters & Brothers” in faith!]. I’m also following a Paleo/Keto diet and your recipe is just what I was looking for. I often use flax seeds, grounded, which acts as a binder. Don’t leave them sit too long in liquid, though. Another option is white chia seeds, hemp hearts or even some tahini. Look to AIP diet; and Google substitutions for eggs, you’ll find options.
Another choice, controversial under Paleo–okay for Keto, is your choice of potatoes. I choose Yukon Golds or other yellow waxy potato instead of red skinned. You won’t be able to see the color in the broth. Too, try actually giving them a layer of egg white wash w/water or water alone & a dip into some arrowroot or potato starch, chill 2 hours & par bake in muffin tins. You’ll lose the starch but keep the matzoh. Hope these help!
i sub in a flax egg every year and it works perfectly! way less hassle that aquafaba in my opinion.
Hi. I linked to this recipe from your vegetarian matzo ball soup one, and am wondering about whether you recommend the saffron for these.
Thanks!
Hi Jamie, yes these will go nicely in the saffron broth. Just be sure to cook them in salted water as indicated, then transfer to the broth. Enjoy!