Here's a nut-free, grain-free, gluten-free version of matzo ball soup. It's fairly simple and easy to make, given that it's made up of chicken broth, herbs, and matzo balls. And it's easy to make it vegetarian-just swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and the butter for oil.
Matzo balls are traditionally made with matzo meal, which is not grain-free when it's made with all purpose flour. There are some brands of gluten-free matzo to be had, but it's pretty challenging to find a source of matzo that is both grain-free and gluten-free.
To give you more options, here's two more dumpling recipes I've published that are also grain-free and gluten-free:
I've added some great tips in the recipe headnotes, so don't forget to read them before you dive in.
This recipe originally appeared in my cookbook, The Healthy Coconut Flour Cookbook.
Pam says
I followed the recipe to the letter but wasn’t able to create balls. The ingredients made more of a liquid mess. So they were flat. Taste was good though.
Erica says
Hi Pam. Did you bake them before adding them to the soup? And did you simmer then in the soup or just add them? Maybe they need to bake a bit longer. I've never had these fall apart when I bake them. They are finicky if you cook them in the broth. I mentioned this in the head notes to the recipe.
Hi Pam. I retested this recipe and it worked well for me (see the photo I added of the baked matzo balls on the baking tray. I did have a typo and fixed it, since it should be 1/3 cup of coconut flour and not 1/4 cup.
susan says
i wanted to try the soup method cause i thought that would be as close to what i'm used to. but i didn't want to ruin the soup in case it didn't work out. usually i cook matza balls (made with matza) in water that's very salted. so i tried that with these. first i forgot about your instruction to gently place them in the water. so the 1st 2 "exploded". then i reread your instruction and gently placed them. i covered them and brought the water to simmer. i wasn't sure how long to cook them. what do you suggest?
Erica says
Hi Susan, I just added the time of 5 minutes if you want to simmer the matzo balls in the soup. Make sure the soup has been simmering so it is hot, and then gently drop the matzo balls in. Best wishes!
tash says
can i use normal flour instead of coconut flour?
Erica says
Coconut flour behaves very differently than AP flour so I'd use a recipe that calls for AP flour.
Carol Ann says
Oh my gosh so pumped for this! I miss matzo ball soup so much!! Thank you.
Erica says
You're welcome 🙂