Caldo de Albóndigas (a.k.a. Albondigas en Caldo, Sopa con Albóndigas, or Albóndigas con Caldo) is a traditional Mexican meatball soup, served in a light and healthy broth full of vegetables. My grandma’s authentic albóndigas soup recipe is downright perfect for the winter. It’s hearty, filling, cozy, and delicious, but still healthy enough to help you meet all of your New Year’s resolutions.

flat lay shot of a bowl of caldo de albondigas topped with extra roasted green chiles.

Now that the holidays are over, it’s cold outside and it feels like spring is forever away. Rather than simply tolerating the season, let’s celebrate winter with cozy meals with our familia! To start, make this delicious and authentic Mexican soup for dinner tonight — everyone is sure to love it.

What are Albóndigas?

Albóndigas (al·BUHN·dee·guhz), doesn’t that word just sound majestic? Albóndigas is Spanish for “meatballs,” and in my opinion, they are most at home in a bowl of soup rather than pasta or a sandwich. This delicious albondigas soup recipe is popular in the states of Northern Mexico, where there are as many variations as there are cooks.

In this Mexican meatball soup recipe, beef albondigas mexicanas are bound together with rice and masa harina, making them tender enough to cut with a dull spoon. While I happen to love just about all things I can eat from a bowl, albóndigas con caldo (literally “meatballs with soup”) is the ultimate comfort food.

Each bite gives you the opportunity to build a perfect spoonful — a little bit of meat, a few chunks of veggies, and an oh-so-light broth…it’s heaven! The balance of fresh herbs, tomato broth, and unique spices gives this recipe its delicate and irresistible flavor.

When I make this albondigas con caldo soup I am flooded with memories of being in my grandma’s kitchen and being a little kid again. One of my fondest memories is of my grandma rolling out miniature, perfectly sized Mexican meatballs for this delectable soup. This special memory and recipe is also published in the first Muy Bueno cookbook

I always wondered how she managed to make every meatball the exact same size. Every time I make this caldo de albóndigas recipe, I can’t help but feel a little of my abuela’s magic running through me. But aside from being a recipe that connects me to my heritage, this gorgeous soup feels nearly universal.

With a beautiful blend of hearty veggies, tender meatballs, and rice, this is a soup that always earns me praise whether I’m serving it to kids or adults. Who wouldn’t want a bowl of this deeply nourishing and comforting goodness?

Luckily, caldo de albóndigas is economical and pretty darn simple to make at home, so you can try it for yourself. Made with just 15 ingredients (most of which are inexpensive pantry staples) and only about 30 minutes of active time in the kitchen, this authentic albondigas soup recipe is bound to become a family favorite.

Ingredients & Substitutions

With the exception of the last ingredient on this list, everything for caldo de albondigas is easy to find at just about any grocery store and might already be in your kitchen. The complete measurements are in the recipe card below.

Flat lay shot of the ingredients needed to make Mexican albondigas.

Albondigas Ingredients

  • Ground Beef: If possible, opt for grass-fed (preferably organic) meat for the fullest flavor. I typically reach for an 85/15 blend, but you can go as low as 80/20.
  • Garlic Powder: For seasoning the albondigas Mexicanas with sweet goodness.
  • Salt & Peppercorns: Basic table or kosher salt will work. If possible, I suggest using peppercorns that you crush in a mortar for the most potent flavor. If not, ground pepper will work.
  • Masa Harina: This nixtamalized corn flour is used for binding the meatballs together, but can also be used to make empanadas, tamales, corn tortillas, cookies, and champurrado. If you end up buying a bag specifically for this recipe, rest assured you’ll have plenty of ways to use up the rest.
  • Onions: I typically reach for white onions in this recipe, but sweet yellow onions will also work just fine.
  • Long-Grain Rice: Any variety of long-grain white rice can be used here. Be sure to avoid brown rice varieties (unless they are quick-cooking), as they take too long to cook to become tender here.
flat lay shot of all the ingredients for making Mexican caldo de albondigas soup measured out on a grey table.

Soup Ingredients

  • Water & Chicken Broth: The combination of chicken broth and water adds lots of flavor. Feel free to use beef broth instead.
  • Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic is almost always preferred, but you’re welcome to use jarred minced garlic, frozen garlic paste, or even garlic powder here if you need to.
  • Olive Oil: Just your regular cooking oil is perfect.
  • Roma Tomatoes & Large Tomatoes: You’ll roast some of the tomatoes and use the others for chunks in the vegetable-heavy soup. In a pinch, you can swap in whole canned tomatoes and chop or purée them as directed — no need to roast them first.
  • Russet Potatoes: I love the starchiness of Russet potatoes, but Idaho potatoes or Yukon Golds can also be used here.
  • Carrot: For sweetness, color, and texture.
  • Celery Stalks: For earthiness and texture.
  • Coriander: If possible, I suggest using whole coriander seed that you crush in a mortar and pestle to get the best, most potent flavor. If not, ground coriander powder will work too!
  • Chopped Cilantro: For bright, herby goodness. If you don’t love cilantro, feel free to use parsley instead.
  • Whole Safflower: Azafran gives this soup warmth, a deep orange color, and a lovely flavor that’s hard to pinpoint. This herb is closely related to saffron, so feel free to use them interchangeably in this recipe. If you don’t have safflower or saffron, you can simply omit it.

How to Make Albóndigas Soup

This easy albondigas soup recipe comes together in just a few simple steps.

grid-style process shot - albondigas ingredients added to an earthenware mixing bowl in the first photo, then a photo of raw Mexican albondigas on a painted plate.

Step 1: Make Meatball Mix. In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef with garlic powder, salt, crushed peppercorns, onions, masa harina, and uncooked rice. Combine all the ingredients well.

Step 2: Roll Albondigas. This recipe should yield about 30 to 40 1-inch meatballs. Feel free to scoop them out with a spoon and roll them between lightly dampened palms, or use a cookie scoop. 

grid style process shot showing the sauteed tomatoes and onions being added to the pot with the broth, raw potatoes going into the soup, carrots and celery being added, and the puréed broiled tomatoes getting added to the caldo de albondigas soup pot.

Step 3: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, boil water, chicken broth, and minced garlic. Lower the heat to medium and carefully add meatballs to the liquid. Cook albóndigas for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meatballs float to the surface. When they are done, lower the heat to simmer.

Meanwhile, sauté the remaining onions and diced Roma tomatoes in olive oil in a medium skillet.

Add the sautéed onions and chopped tomatoes and remaining rice into soup.

Step 4 & 5: Add potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Step 6: Add puréed roasted tomatoes, crushed coriander, cilantro, and safflower (azafran) to the pot with the broth and meatballs. Cook over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes.

hero shot of a bowl of Mexican caldo de albondigas soup on a lace doily with a pewter spoon.

Step 7: Garnish & Serve. Ladle soup with albóndigas into a bowl and garnish with cilantro, and serve with warm corn tortillas and lime wedges. If you prefer your soup spicy like I do, add a spoonful of salsa casera or your favorite homemade salsa. Enjoy!

If you’re more of a visual person, you can watch this very popular video on YouTube to see how my family makes our favorite caldo de albóndigas.

Optional Variations

While I love my abuela’s sopa de albondigas recipe just the way she made it, there is always room for you to make adjustments to fit your needs and preferences. Here are a few of the ways you can customize this traditional Mexican albondiga soup recipe:

  • Swap The Meat: Use ground turkey (albondigas de pavo), ground chicken (albondigas de pollo), ground pork, or ground bison in place of ground beef.
  • Spicy Albondigas Soup Recipe: Kick up the heat a few notches by adding diced jalapeños or serranos to the mix when you sauté the onions.

Expert Tips & Tricks

  • The delectable spice in this soup comes from an exotic trio of fresh cilantro, freshly crushed coriander seed, and whole safflower petals. If possible, don’t leave any of them out! If needed, you can substitute saffron threads for the safflower and/or ground coriander for the whole seeds.
  • If the roasted tomato skins are being stubborn, simply place the hot tomatoes on a plate and cover them with a plastic bag or plastic wrap to sit for about 5 minutes. The steam will help to loosen the skin from the tomatoes, and it should slide right off!
  • While my grandma had the knack for getting the meatballs to look darn near identical just by feel, you can shape these Mexican meatballs with a cookie scoop. It might sound strange, but they’ll come out the same size, every time! And if you’re a little grossed out by the idea of touching raw meat with your hands, the cookie scoop also does a nice job of shaping them. 
two bowls of caldo de albondigas soup on a colorful striped tablecloth with a plate of warmed tortillas to the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my albondigas soup so greasy?

I like to use 85/15 ground beef to make this recipe for the best albondigas soup, which means there’s 85% lean meat and 15% fat. If you follow my lead, there will be some pockets of liquified fat at the top of your soup, but it’s far from greasy. The fat adds the perfect amount of beefy flavor!

If, however, you swap in an 80/20 beef (which has 20% fat), there will be a bit more floating fat to contend with. You are welcome to skim the top of the soup as it cooks, or, for a more thorough removal of fat, let the soup chill overnight in the fridge where the fat will float to the top and congeal, making it easier to remove.

How do you keep the meatballs from falling apart?

By using a gentle hand. Over-mixing the meat mixture and over-cooking the meatballs can cause them to fall apart. Make sure to gently lower the meatballs into the soup using a slotted spoon and keep the simmer from becoming too vigorous. You should see some bubbles, but not too many. Keep in mind that meatballs made using lean ground beef tend to fall apart easier.

Additionally, keep your meatballs on the smaller side — too big and they lose some of their structural integrity. That said, using both masa harina and rice as binders should help them hold together nicely.

Can this caldo de albondigas soup be made in a slow cooker?

I have not tried it, but I’m pretty sure it’s quite possible! If you are looking for this option, add all of your ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.

What are safflower petals? 

When my grandmother made this soup I remember staring at the vibrant red specks of the safflower in the broth and wondering what they were. It turns out, they are very special indeed.

Azafran (the Spanish word for saffron) is very similar to saffron. While azafran is the stamen of the safflower, saffron is the stamen of the crocus. A thistle-like herb with an orange-red color, it gives food an orange tinge and a heavenly, intoxicating aroma.

What should I serve with albondigas soup?

We had a lot of soup growing up and my grandmother and mother always made sure it was kid-friendly. Beautiful bowls of salsa casera always graced the table and adults took the liberty of adding spice to their individual bowls of albóndigas con caldo. I like to serve mine with extra rice, a squeeze of lime, and chopped cilantro. This soup is hearty enough to stand as a complete meal, but I often serve it with corn tortillas.

What size should my meatballs be?

Since we’re making soup, I like to keep them relatively small — around 1 inch in diameter. That way you’re able to get some of the broth and veggies on the spoon with each one! The smaller size also makes them less likely to fall apart while cooking. 

hero shot of a spoonful of caldo de albondigas soup with a hand dunking a warm tortilla in the broth.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

  • Albóndiga soup will last for up to a week in the fridge. Like most soups, it tastes better after a day of rest.
  • Since this is a brothy soup, it is also perfect for freezing. It freezes well in these plastic containers. It should keep well for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat, allow to defrost overnight in the fridge if needed (or using the microwave defrost function), then heat on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or using the microwave. 
  • If you’re looking for other shortcuts, feel free to make and roll the homemade meatballs ahead of time. Place them on a parchment-lined tray with just a bit of space between each, then freeze. Once the albóndigas are frozen through, put them into a zip-top container and use them within six months. You can use them directly from frozen, adding just a few minutes onto the simmer time as needed.

More Cozy Dinner Recipes

You may also like these recipes:

If you made my Albóndigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup) recipe, please let me know how it turned out! I love hearing from you in the comments and reviews.

flat lay shot of a bowl of caldo de albondigas topped with extra roasted green chiles.

Albondigas Soup Recipe (Caldo de Albóndigas)

4.57 (72 ratings)
This cozy and comforting soup is filled with veggies and tender miniature meatballs known as albóndigas in a delicate and intoxicating broth. Its perfect for warming you up AND helping you achieve all those New Year's resolutions.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons masa harina
  • 1 cup onions, diced and divided
  • ¼ cup long-grain rice, divided
  • 7 cups water
  • 32 ounces chicken broth
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 3 large tomatoes, roasted and blended
  • 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon whole coriander, crushed or ground
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon azafran (saffron)

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef with garlic powder, salt, crushed peppercorns, 2 tablespoons of onions, masa harina, and 1/8 cup of rice. Mix all ingredients together and roll out about 30-40 1-inch meatballs.
  • Arrange three tomatoes on a baking sheet. Place your oven rack as close to the broiler as possible. Broil the tomatoes for about 20 minutes until softened, turning over after 10 minutes. If the skin has blackened remove it.
  • In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large pot boil water, chicken broth, and minced garlic. Lower heat to medium and carefully add meatballs to the liquid. Cook meatballs for about 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs float to the surface and lower heat to simmer.
  • In a medium skillet sauté the remaining onions and diced roma tomatoes in olive oil.
  • To the pot of broth add the sautéed onions, tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce, remaining rice, potatoes, carrots, celery, coriander, cilantro, and safflower.
  • Cook over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes. Ladle soup with about 5 albondigas per bowl. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, and serve with warn corn tortillas. If you would like your soup spicy add a spoonful of your favorite homemade salsa.

Video

Notes

  • The delectable spice in this soup comes from an exotic trio of fresh cilantro, freshly crushed coriander seed, and whole safflower petals. If possible, don’t leave any of them out! If needed, you can substitute saffron threads for the safflower and/or ground coriander for the whole seeds.
  • If the roasted tomato skins are being stubborn, simply place the hot tomatoes on a plate and cover them with a plastic bag or plastic wrap to sit for about 5 minutes. The steam will help to loosen the skin from the tomatoes, and it should slide right off!
  • While my grandma had the knack for getting the meatballs to look darn near identical just by feel, you can shape these Mexican meatballs with a cookie scoop. It might sound strange, but they’ll come out the same size, every time! And if you’re a little grossed out by the idea of touching raw meat with your hands, the cookie scoop also does a nice job of shaping them. 
Storage & Reheating Instructions
  • Albóndiga soup will last for up to a week in the fridge. Like most soups, it tastes better after a day of rest.
  • Since this is a brothy soup, it is also perfect for freezing. It freezes well in these plastic containers. It should keep well for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat, allow to defrost overnight in the fridge if needed (or using the microwave defrost function), then heat on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or using the microwave. If you’re looking for other shortcuts, feel free to make and roll the homemade meatballs ahead of time. Place them on a parchment-lined tray with just a bit of space between each, then freeze. Once the albóndigas are frozen through, put them into a zip-top container and use them within six months. You can use them directly from frozen, adding just a few minutes onto the simmer time as needed.
Calories: 354kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 1024mg, Potassium: 929mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2396IU, Vitamin C: 29mg, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 3mg

Photography by Jenna Sparks 
Originally published: February 2011. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.