Matzoh is one of those things that a lot of people don’t understand. And I feel you – it’s totally weird. But it’s also technically the original cracker.
You see, back in the day when the Jews were escaping the Pharaoh and following Moses through the desert and stuff, they didn’t have time to throw some yeast in their dough and so the hot desert sun baked it into a crispy, unleavened thing we know now as matzoh! (Did I get that right? If not, I’ll just re-write history).
And there are MANY things you can do to make matzoh taste great: spread some butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, horseradish, chopped liver, make matzoh balls…the sky’s the limit. But my FAVORITE thing to do? MAKE MATZOH BREI!
Matzoh Brei is essentially a jewish kugel/stuffing that is both sweet AND savory and you can have it for breakfast or a s a great dinner side. Some like it with some maple syrup and others like sopping up some sauce from a main dish (like my Jewish Brisket) or just on its own. Anyway you choose, THIS recipe (which I’ve created for the Instant Pot) is enough to make even Oprah forget about regular bread. Light & fluffy on the inside with a wonderful crisp on the outside!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Let’s start with some cardboard crackers matzoh (but seriously, I actually really love the stuff)…
…and break it up into a bowl…
…cover completely with water…
…and let soak for a few minutes.
In the meantime, take a Vidalia (sweet) and yellow onion…
…and dice ’em up.
Now go back to your soaked (and now soggy) matzoh and dump it into a colander to strain the water.
With clean hands (obvi), press down on the matzoh to get as much of the water out as possible (it’s fine if some is still in there – just try to press most of it out)…
…and let it hang out there for a few.
Now take a bunch of eggs and crack ’em into a large bowl…
…and add in some heavy cream (or half & half or milk), pepper, dried parsley flakes, kosher salt, seasoned salt and sugar. Whisk together…
…until totally combined. Set aside.
Now go to the Instant Pot, add in some butter…
…and olive oil and give it some heat.
Once the butter’s melted and sizzlin’, add in the onion.
Cook for a good ten minutes, stirring occasionally…
..until they achieve a color that looks just like this (it’s going to smell amazing too by the way). Note: DO NOT skimp out on this step. Really let them brown for a solid ten minutes as the onion is a key flavor into making a successful and awesome matzoh brei.
When done, transfer every last onion and drop of butter and oil from the pot to a bowl.
Remove the liner pot where the onion just cooked…
…rinse, lightly scrub & dry it and then return it to the Instant Pot…
…along with the trivet (with the side handles folded down and under it)…
…and some water. We’ll get back to that in a moment.
Now go back to the soaked and pressed matzoh that’s been patiently waiting for your attention once again. Add it to the egg mixture…
…along with the onions.
Stir everything up together until nice and combined.
Now take a pan that’s 7.5″ in diameter (that will fit a 6qt or 8qt Instant Pot). I personally like using my stackable pans…
…and we’ll only need one of those stackable pans (don’t worry about the other one).
Generously slick it up with some butter (don’t forget the sides)…
…as well as some non-stick cooking spray.
Spoon the matzoh mixture into the pan….
…secure the lid (or use foil if the pan you have doesn’t come with one) and lock the caddy (see? this is why I love these pans. They come with everything).
Use the caddy handle to lower it into the Instant Pot and rest on the trivet. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, use that SUPER handy handle to remove the pan from the Instant Pot and rest on the counter and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Now, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Unlock the caddy and remove the lid from the pan. Ah! Looka that! Our matzoh brei is looking (and smelling) great!
Flip it onto a foil-lined baking sheet slicked with non-stick cooking spray and tap it with a wooden spoon to loosen the matzoh brei from the pan’s edges. Now, even though we greased it up well, it MAY want to still stick a bit – and that’s totally fine! Matzoh brei knows no shape. It’s always served in sort of a flaked/crumbled fashion.
So feel free to simply spoon the matzoh brei from the pan…
…and place it on the baking sheet. Just try to re-form it into a mound when you do because…
…we’re going to pop this into the oven for the edges to crisp up for a few minutes.
When done, remove from the oven, transfer to a serving dish…
…and spoon some onto a plate! (See? I told you it looks crumbly/flaky when served).
Some (raises hand) like to sweeten things up by adding a little maple syrup…
…and just a dash of cinnamon (Fuller, go easy on the cinnamon. You don’t want to destroy your taste buds).
Grab a fork…
…raise to mouth. Fall in love…with matzoh brei!
AMAZING for breakfast OR as a side at any dinner! It’s truly like a sweet & savory Jewish kugel/stuffing! If you don’t add any syrup & cinnamon, let the sauce from some Jewish Brisket sop into it or eat it totally on it’s own. It’s already full of wonderful flavor as is!
Instant Pot Matzoh Brei
Matzo Brei is a Jewish dish that takes matzo and pan-fries (or pressure cooks) it with onions and egg. It's delicious and be served savory (as is) or sweet (topped with some maple syrup).
Ingredients
- 1 Vidalia (sweet) onion, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) salted butter (and more to very generously grease the bundt pan)
- 8 sheets of matzoh from a 10-11 oz box (if you wish to keep kosher for Passover, make sure the matzoh you use fits the bill)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (or half & half or milk)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
Optional toppings when serving:
- A pinch of cinammon for dusting
- Maple syrup for drizzling
Instructions
- Crack the matzoh into a bowl and completely submerge in cold water for 3 minutes until soggy. Then, transfer the soaked matzoh to a colander and press as much of the water out of it as possible and set aside
- Create the egg mixture by whisking together the eggs, parsley, pepper, kosher salt, seasoned salt and sugar and set aside
- Add the butter and olive oil to the Instant Pot, hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and once the butter’s melted, add in the onions. Allow to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until a nice, light-brown color is achieved. Turn the Instant Pot off by hitting “Keep Warm/Cancel” and remove ALL the onions from the pot (get every last once as the onions are key here for the flavor) and place in a bowl. Clean and dry the liner pot and return to the Instant Pot
- Add the strained, soggy and now clumpy matzoh to the egg mixture as well as the onions and mix together well
- Generously butter and then coat a 7.5″ pan using non-stick cooking spray (I used only ONE of my stackable pans for this as it’s the perfect size, has a lid AND has that GREAT handle in the caddy to easily remove from the Instant Pot when done) and pour the matzoh mixture into it, smoothing out the top and placing the pan’s lid on top (or foil if you don’t have a lid for your pan)
- Place the trivet (with the handles folded down) and 1.5 cups of water in the Instant Pot and rest the sealed pan with the matzoh brei on it. Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 60 minutes. Quick release when done and remove the pan the matzoh brei cooked in (this is where the caddy on the stackable pans come in super handy for removing). Pre-heat your oven to 450.
- Allow the matzoh brei to cool in the pan for a few minutes and once the oven’s pre-heated, flip the pan onto a foil-lined baking sheet slicked with non-stick cooking spray and tap the pan with a spoon a few times to loosen the matzoh brei and then wiggle the pan so the matzoh brei falls onto the baking sheet. (Note: If it’s stubborn and wants to stay/stick in the pan or if it falls apart during the transfer, not to worry! Just use a serving spoon and scoop it out and place on the baking sheet. Matzoh brei is about the flavor, NOT the presentation as it just looks like thin layers of stuffing. So don’t worry about it not transferring to the sheet in a perfect circular formation at all!
- Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes until the matzoh brei is lightly browned and the edges get lightly crisped
- Place the matzoh brei in a serving dish and then feel free to top each individual serving with some maple syrup and a light sprinkling of cinnamon OR just serve it as is – there’s plenty of oniony, eggy, sweet & savory flavor as is. It’s also great to sop up any brisket sauce if serving as a side!
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
While I’m filled with pride to be born a Jewish New Yawka, I’m not the best at observing the laws of the Kosher world. If you want to make sure this is Kosher for Passover, do your proper homework in making sure all of the ingredients pass the test.
To make cook this, I used only ONE of my stackable pans (click here to buy) as it’s the perfect size, has a lid AND has that GREAT handle in the caddy to easily remove from the Instant Pot when done. But you can use any 7.5″ pan and cover the top with tin foil if you don’t have a lid.
Do you have to make this in an Instant Pot? No. You can do it in a frying pan or just bake it in the oven (and this version takes longer than just throwing it in the frying pan for sure.) HOWEVER, you won’t end up with a matzoh brei as light and fluffy in the center as this one (it’s like the best kugel or Jewish stuffing ever). This is my new favorite way of preparing a matzoh brei!
This dish can be served for breakfast or as an amazing dinner side making it quite versatile. It tastes amazing whether you add the maple syrup and cinnamon when serving OR if you use the sauce from my SUPER POPULAR Jewish Brisket to mix in with it.
Brian Grossman
I LOVE your recipes !
Is it ok, or can I use the Instant Pot air fryer top to brown matzah brie instead of using the oven?