This is a Czech recipe for simple egg dumplings that match perfectly with clear soups. Czechs most often serve them with chicken or beef soup. These dumplings are soft and taste fantastic!
Clear broth soups made from beef or vegetables are very popular in the Czech Republic. Various additions to soups increase their taste and nutritional value.
Egg dumplings are cooked directly in the soup at the very end. It only takes 4-5 minutes before they're done.
Czechs call these soup dumplings "knedlíčky" or "noky".
MY TIP: Also, try these Czech celestýnské nudle or easy chicken liver dumplings for soups!
Ingredients
To make egg dumplings, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature
- All-purpose flour; for the dough, plus for dusting the work surface when working
- Milk
- Baking powder
- Salt
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
How to Make Soup Dumplings
- Mix the softened butter using a spoon with the egg in a bowl.
- Gradually add the flour mixed with baking powder and salt, then add the milk.
- Working with a spoon or fork, work the ingredients together into a soft dough.
- On a floured work surface, form the dough into a cylinder shape about 1 inch (2,5 cm) thick.
- Cut it into equal-sized pieces with a knife.
- Drop them into the soup and let them simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
- Once the dumplings float to the surface in the soup, they are done.
Useful Tips
- Add the dumplings only when you're finished cooking the soup; otherwise, they risk falling apart.
- The exact amount of flour depends on the size of the egg and the amount of butter and milk. Add the flour gradually, in small amounts at the end. Finally, knead the dough for about a minute on a floured work surface.
- Test cook one dumpling first. If it falls apart, work a little flour into the dough.
More tasty recipes:
Recipe Card
Egg Dumplings for Soup
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 medium egg
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons milk lukewarm
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a spoon, mix 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (softened to room temperature) with 1 medium egg in a bowl.
- Combine ¾ cup all-purpose flour with ¼ teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Gradually add this dry mixture and 2 Tablespoons milk to the creamed butter, stirring continuously.
- Using a spoon or fork, combine the ingredients until they form a soft dough.
- Use a knife to cut the dough into small dumplings.
- Drop them into the soup and let them simmer for about 4-5 minutes. The dumplings are done when they float to the surface.
Notes
- Add the dumplings only at the end of cooking the soup to prevent them from falling apart.
- The exact amount of flour needed depends on the size of the egg and the amount of butter and milk. Gradually add the flour in small amounts towards the end. Finally, knead the dough for about a minute on a floured work surface.
- Test-cook one dumpling first. If it falls apart, knead a bit more flour into the dough.
Tania Fox says
In my family we make a dumpling similar to this. My grandmother called it Drobetchka. It is only made with egg and flour and is a runnier consistency and we drop the mixture into boiling soup with a spoonful, and cutting it off into the hot broth with a knife. Have you ever heard of this? We have been looking for years for the correct spelling and origin and haven't been able to find anything. It is a family favorite.
Petra Kupská says
Hi Tania, multiple soup inserts are made in the Czech Republic. Your grandmother may have used "drobení," which is a stiff dough of flour and egg that is grated into the soup. A more runny version is called "kapání" and could be translated as dripping. It is a mixture of beaten flour, egg, and liquid (milk or water). It is poured into the soup through a fork; it only solidifies after a short simmer. All soup inserts can be further seasoned with salt, pepper, green spices, and more. Hope this helps!
James Van Oort says
My Grandma made these and called them (and I'm butchering this, but trying to write it as she pronounced it) "drabanky." She was fourth generation Bohemian American, but Czech was her first language. I've never encountered this word anywhere else--perhaps her pronunciation of the word had become different from the original over the years. Thanks for sharing your insights!!!
Petra Kupská says
Czechs have always loved soups. From clear meat broths to thick soups. They added various inserts to the broths to make the soups richer. Probably the two most famous types of these soup liners are "drobení" and "kapání". From the name "drabaky" your Grandma used, it could be that Czech "drobení". This soup insert is made of flour and an egg. Both ingredients are worked into a stiff dough. Using a hand grater, it is roughly grated into the soup and left to simmer briefly. Could this be what are you looking for? 🙂
Charlotte says
How much baking powder should be added?
Petra Kupská says
Oh, I just realized that I forgot to list the baking powder in the recipe card. I'll correct that right now and note that 1/4 tsp of baking powder is needed. Thank you for your sharp eye!
Lee says
my mother has always used these dumplings in her chicken noodle soup. They were the "noodles". She only ever used flour and egg. Just add flour to beaten egg until it's stiff enough, then she just drops spoonfuls into the boiling soup. I've always loved them.
Her grandmother was either Czech Texan or maybe Polish? I never really realized these were a traditional Czech food. I feel a little more connected to my lost heritage now. Cool..
Do you know the word "Gookumpucky?"
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment, Lee. I am happy the recipe reminded you of your mother´s cooking. Cool indeed!
I believe it's the word "gnocci", from Italian, Czech nocky. Could it be?
Debi says
I love chicken and dumplings, it’s a comfort food and my family. Doing genealogy, I am learning I have deep roots in Czechoslovakia on my Moms side. Because of that, I have been interested in making Czechoslovakian recipes. This morning I made Kolache for the first time.
Jozella says
Can the dumpling dough be cut and then the dumplings frozen uncooked and dropped into hot soup as needed, perhaps adding a few seconds to the simmering time?
I want to make some for a dumpling-loving friend to use when she is ready.
Thank you.
Petra Kupská says
Hi Jozella, thank you for your comment. In this case, I would cook the dumplings separately in lightly salted water, let them cool, and then store them in the freezer. I would defrost the dumplings on the kitchen counter before using them, and then heat them in the soup. I hope this helps, and I wish you happy cooking!
Richard Straka says
my mom used to make egg drop dumplings on a cutting board then cut off small dumpling size pieces into the soup. She called them Skubanky, but I think according to my research, that is the name for a desert dumpling. They were the best part of the soup.
Petra Kupská says
Hi Richard, thank you for your comment! What you describe is one of the traditional ways Czechs used to make soup dumplings. The word "škubat" can be translated as "tear off" and is a nice Czech term when used in recipes. It refers to tearing off smaller pieces of dough (or other mass) from a larger whole. This is also the origin of "škubánky" - small dumplings scooped out of potato dough and sprinkled with sweet poppy seeds. They are very tasty, by the way. Greetings from Bohemia, Petra