What Is Matzo Meal? Uses in Matzo Balls and Latkes

Part of our Heritage Kitchen Glossary – short guides to the ingredients and techniques behind Eastern European cooking.

What it is

Matzo is unleavened bread made only from flour and water and baked, by Jewish tradition, within 18 minutes of mixing, before the dough can rise; it is eaten on Passover. Matzo meal is that bread ground fine. It used to be made from leftover matzo crumbs; today whole matzos are pulverized to make it. In Ashkenazi cooking it makes the dough for matzo balls and binds latkes and gefilte fish.

Matzo balls

In kneidlach, matzo meal is the dumpling itself. It is stirred into eggs beaten with a fat such as schmaltz or oil and a little broth or seltzer, chilled for 30–60 minutes, rolled into balls and simmered. The balls swell to about twice their size as they cook.

How old the dumpling is depends on whom you ask. Tablet’s list of the 100 most Jewish foods traces it to the German Knödel and to medieval Sabbath soups; an article on Chabad.org calls it a relatively new invention, probably from the 19th century, and says its exact origins aren’t clear. Our Traditional Matzo Ball Soup has the full method.

Latkes and gefilte fish

For latkes, our recipe uses 3–4 tablespoons of matzo meal for 900g (about 2lb) of potatoes. The batter then rests for about 10 minutes so the matzo meal can absorb moisture and swell. Flour or potato starch can stand in; potato starch makes a lighter, crisper latke and keeps it gluten-free.

In gefilte fish, published recipes use about 2 eggs and ⅓ to ½ cup of matzo meal for every 900g (2lb) of fillets. The mixture should hold its shape; if it doesn’t, a little more matzo meal goes in, a tablespoon at a time.

Matzo meal on Passover

Some communities, by custom, avoid matzo that has come into contact with liquid for most of Passover, matzo meal in a mixture included. Others eat matzo balls throughout the festival.

Whole-wheat matzo meal

Whole-wheat matzo meal keeps the bran and germ that milling removes, and whole-wheat matzo has about four times the fiber of plain matzo. The lighter section of our matzo ball soup recipe uses it. Our lighter latkes go another way and replace the matzo meal with a couple of tablespoons of whole wheat flour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is matzo meal made of?

Matzo, the unleavened bread of flour and water, ground fine. It was once made from matzo crumbs; today it is produced by pulverizing whole matzos.

How much matzo meal goes into latkes?

Our recipe uses 3–4 tablespoons for 900g (about 2lb) of potatoes. Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes before frying so the matzo meal can absorb moisture and swell.

Can I use flour or potato starch instead of matzo meal?

In latkes, yes; any of the three binds the batter. Potato starch gives a lighter, crisper latke and keeps it gluten-free.

Why do some families avoid matzo balls during Passover?

Some communities, by custom, avoid matzo that has come into contact with liquid for most of Passover. Others eat matzo balls throughout the festival.

Is whole-wheat matzo meal more nutritious?

It keeps the bran and germ that milling removes, and whole-wheat matzo has about four times the fiber of plain matzo: 11.8g against 3g per 100g.

What Is Matzo Meal? The Ground Cracker Behind Matzo Balls and Latkes