Our Albondigas was recreated based on the famous soup our Great Grandma would make!! After decades of trying to recreate it, we used our mom and aunts together to fine tune it and make it just like she did. The result? PERFECTION!
Albondigas is Spanish for “meatballs”. It’s also known as Caldo de Albóndigas but its origin goes back to Spain and has some Arabic influences. Great Grandma’s traditional Mexican meatball soup has a flavorful broth base and is filled with tomatoes, veggies, and homemade meatballs (filled with spices and rice).
Our hearty Mexican-spiced soup has been enjoyed for generations, and we guarantee you’ll enjoy it as well. We also love my grandma’s Sopa de Fideo and Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Yummy + hearty. Just like Great Grandma made – delicious and hearty with meatballs and veggies.
- Perfectly spiced! The flavors are perfection, but you can easily adjust the spice level to your liking or make it even more filling by adding more veggies!
- Perfect with so many dishes. We love to have this soup with so many recipes, including our Chicken Tacos, Flour Tortillas, Chips + Salsa.
Albondigas Ingredients
Albondigas (meatballs)
- Ground beef (1 pound): The hearty base for juicy, flavorful meatballs that hold together in the broth. For more flavor use fattier meats (80/20 or 70/30). Lean ground beef tends to fall apart more easily.
- Substitute half of the ground beef with pork sausage. Or use ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- Egg, beaten (1): Binds the mixture so meatballs stay tender yet cohesive.
- Minced garlic (2 teaspoon): Adds savory depth to both meatballs and soup. 4-6 fresh garlic cloves make 2 teaspoons, see How to Mince Garlic
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (½ cup): Bright, herby flavor through every bite of the meatballs.
- Ground cumin (1 teaspoon in meatballs): Warm, earthy spice that defines classic albondigas.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Seasons the meatball mixture so it does not taste flat.
- Pepper (¼ teaspoon): Gentle heat that balances the herbs and aromatics.
- Cooked rice, optional (½ cup): Traditional addition that makes meatballs tender and satisfying.
- Olive oil (1–2 tablespoons): Helps brown the meatballs for extra flavor (or vegetable oil). Browning the meatballs first will help them keep their shape.
Soup Ingredients
- Low sodium chicken broth (4 cups): Light, savory base that lets the meatball flavors shine. Or use chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth.
- Carrot, sliced (½): Sweetness and color that round out the broth. (1 – 2 large carrots)
- Celery stalk, chunks (1): Aromatic backbone and a bit of texture.
- Diced tomatoes, undrained (1, 16-ounce can): Adds body, acidity, and a gentle tomato richness. Or 2 cups of peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes.
- Ground cumin for soup (½ teaspoon): Echoes the meatball spice and ties the pot together.
- Oregano (1 teaspoon): Herbal note that complements the cilantro and cumin.
- Fresh cilantro (½ cup): Brightens the broth near the end of cooking. Mint can be used as well.
- Potato, diced (1): Makes the soup heartier with creamy, tender bites. Red and white potatoes tend to hold their shape while russets are softer and create a creamier soup. Yukon Golds are in between. See our Types of Potatoes and When to Use Them post.
- Salt and pepper to taste: Final seasoning to balance the broth before serving.
- extra veggies (optional) – chopped onions, diced zucchini, green beans, or peas
- toppings (optional) – a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocados, or lime wedges
- additional vegetables – zucchini, corn, green beans and even kale are also great additions to albondigas soup.
How to Make Albondigas Soup
MEATBALLS. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, beaten egg, minced garlic, chopped cilantro , cumin, salt, pepper, and cooked rice.
- Form 20-24 tight meatballs by rolling between your palms (we made ours about 1-inch – 1½ inches wide and used a cookie scoop to make sure the meatballs were the same size and cooked evenly). Brown on all sides in a hot pan over medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside.
SOUP. In a large pot, combine chicken broth, sliced carrots, chopped celery stalk, diced tomatoes, cumin, oregano, and fresh cilantro leaves.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce heat to a mild simmer for 10 minutes. Drop meatballs and 1 diced potato in the soup and slightly boil so that the meatballs cook quickly. Return to simmer and cook another 20 minutes.
SERVE. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm topped with some fresh parsley (if desired). We also love to serve this with fresh warm corn tortillas or flour tortillas.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Use 80/20 ground beef for the most flavorful meatballs. You could use frozen or pre-made meatballs as well.
- Roll meatballs tight and uniform for even cooking; chill 10 minutes if the mix feels soft.
- To keep the meatballs from falling apart be sure to brown them in a skillet first. Caramelized edges add flavor and help them hold their shape.
- Cut all the vegetables about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer so meatballs stay tender, not tough.
- Add potatoes with the meatballs so both finish at the same time.
Crock Pot Directions:
- Add all of your ingredients (except for the cilantro) to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- Add cilantro at the very end and salt and pepper if needed.
Albondigas Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup cooked rice, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Soup
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ carrot, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
- 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 potato, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 beaten egg, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup cooked rice.
- Form 20-24 tight meatballs by rolling between your palms (we made ours about 1½ inches wide). Brown on all sides in a hot pan over medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside.
Soup
- In a large pot, combine 4 cups chicken broth, ½ carrot sliced, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, and ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a mild simmer for 10 minutes.
- Drop meatballs and 1 diced potato in the soup and slightly boil so that the meatballs cook quickly. Return to simmer and cook another 20 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm topped with some fresh parsley (if desired).
Notes
- Use 80/20 ground beef for the most flavorful meatballs. You could use frozen or pre-made meatballs.
- Traditional albondigas soup has fresh mint in the meatballs, feel free to add instead of cilantro.
- To keep the meatballs from falling apart be sure to brown them in skillet first.
- Cut all the vegetables about the same size so they cook evenly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
> Additional vegetables: zucchini, corn, green beans and kale are also great additions to the soup
> Fresh herbs can be substituted for dry herbs and vice versa; 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon of dry herbs.
> While authentic soup isn’t spicy, you can add heat to the soup using hot sauce, chili powder, sliced jalapeños, or red chili flakes.
> Thicken the soup with tomato sauce or tomato paste, or by adding white rice. Use russet potatoes and then mash a few once they’re cooked through.
Let cool, and store in an airtight container(s) in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or place in a freeze bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, let thaw in the fridge overnight and return to the stove. Cook until heated through. You can microwave it as well.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Mexican Cornbread
50 mins
Mexican Wontons
18 mins
Homemade Tortilla Chips
30 mins
Flour Tortilla Recipe
45 mins
Desserts
Mexican Wedding Cookies
1 hr 26 mins
Sopapilla
40 mins
Easy Tres Leches Cake
4 hrs 32 mins
How to Make Flan
9 hrs 10 mins
Mexican Soups
Taco Soup
20 mins
Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 hrs 10 mins
Caldo de Pollo Recipe
1 hr 10 mins
Chicken Enchilada Soup
4 hrs 10 mins
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This recipe was originally published October 2018.
Recipe is really good, added a couple of others spices and it was amazing
So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Absolutely delicious. Super flavorful. Tastes like I bought it from a high end Mexican restaurant. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
I’m so happy to hear you liked the soup and to have you here trying out recipes. Hope you enjoy the others you will try!
I know this may sound silly, but could you use frozen meatballs instead just to make it super simple for us inept chefs out here? Thanks.
Then that would not be an albondiga soup, that is more of a meatball soup sir
!
You could! You won’t quite get the same flavors and texture as these homemade ones, but if you needed to simplify or were in a rush, you could use frozen.
Yummy to the tummy
Yummy yummy in my tummy. I made the albondigas a couple weeks ago after seeing this very delicious recipe, it was really easy for me to follow along and get it just right! It was exactly what I had been craving soup I grew up eating that my naniera used to cook for me.( I hope I spelled that word right I was trying to say babysitter in Spanish LOL. Everybody loved what I had cooked, it was like a big giant warm hug for everyone. I try to make my homemade flour tortillas with it but they didn’t come out so well I’m recovering from a hand surgery so I think I didn’t roll them out thin enough! My hand is healing so next time I make this delicious albondigas I’ll try lil Lunas tortillas again!! Thank you for taking me back to my childhood.
I did not receive the receipt for abondigas but just needed a refresher on the receipt my mom made it all the time and I have made it before and today I want to make it. My last name from my father is Luna. I have always love this Mexican soup. Thanks for the refresher I be making it today.
Oh that’s awesome! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
If I make the soup in a crockpot, do I add the meatballs uncooked? Thanks!
I would still brown the meatballs like the recipe calls for, but then can add to the crockpot. That should help them not fall apart in the crock pot too as they cook.
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
Yes!
Good
Great flavor very authentic and really simple and easy. No cap!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for giving it a try!
Bet!
Delicious! Thank you for sharing.