This white sauce is exceptionally delicious. It combines a sweet and sour taste, complemented with aromatic fresh dill flavor. Koprová omáčka is one of the traditional recipes I can recommend to anyone interested in Czech cuisine.
➜ What is Czech koprova omacka?
Czech koprová omáčka is a bright, sweet-sour sauce with a creamy texture. Fresh dill is added to the sauce at the end of cooking. The short name for koprová omáčka is koprovka.
Koprová omáčka is served warm, often with boiled beef. If you prefer a meatless variant, hard-boiled eggs are a good option instead. You have to add some sliced bread dumplings (knedlíky) or boiled potatoes.
So – koprová omáčka means three components: dill sauce, bread dumplings OR potatoes, and cooked beef OR boiled eggs.
In this recipe, I present the sauce-dumplings-egg combo.
➜ Ingredients
- Beef broth; for a rich flavor
- Fresh dill; chopped; use only feathery dill leaves, without stems
- Butter; unsalted, for making a roux
- All-purpose flour; for roux, which thickens this sauce
- Heavy cream; in the Czech, we use heavy cream with a fat content of about 30 % (not a light version of cream)
- Vinegar; for a sour taste
- Granulated sugar; to sweeten the sauce
- Salt
You’ll also need: bread dumplings – 4-6 slices per portion, hard-boiled eggs – 1-2 eggs per portion
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Here is the recipe for bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky)
➜ Instructions with photos
Let me assure you – making koprová omáčka is very easy; just follow the steps below for a perfect result!
STEP 1: Let’s begin with making a roux. Melt butter over medium heat in a pot with a thicker bottom (I’m using my dutch oven). Add all-purpose flour and stir well for 1 minute. The flour should start bubbling, and the resulting color must be lightly golden.
STEP 2: Start adding beef broth in batches. Add about ½ cup while stirring; a thick floury mash will be created. Add more broth, stir. Continue until you used up all broth. Thickening the sauce with roux like this will prevent unpleasant lumps from forming.
STEP 3: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes.
STEP 4: In the meantime, chop the dill.
STEP 5: Add salt, sugar, and heavy cream to the sauce. Set aside, stir with a spoon, and stop cooking!
STEP 6: Add vinegar and chopped dill. Mix, and you can season it with more salt/sugar to your liking.
STEP 7: Let it sit for 5 minutes, and koprová omáčka is ready to go on the table!
➜ Serving
Serve warm with sliced bread dumplings arranged along the edge of a plate. Pour koprovka into the middle of the plate; you can partly pour the sauce over the dumplings. Lay a halved hard-boiled egg yellow side up in the sauce, and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill. Dobrou chuť!
TIP: If you are a dill lover, try this iconic Czech kulajda soup!
➜ Useful tips
- Koprovka is a white sauce; the roux you make at the beginning can’t get brown, just lightly golden. Fry the roux for 1 minute at most, no longer.
- Add the dill only at the end of cooking to the koprová sauce for the best achievement. The longer you cook the fresh dill, the more flavor and vivid color it loses!
➜ FAQs
The best sides for koprovka dill sauce are raised bread dumplings or boiled potatoes. Add a slice of cooked beef or a halved hardboiled egg, too.
The secret of a silky and creamy sauce is a well-made roux. After adding roux into a sauce, it needs to simmer for about 20 minutes. The roux brings the sauce together perfectly, and its texture will be smooth and velvety.
Roux-based sauces tend to become thicker each time they are cooled. Add a spoonful of water while heating up the sauce. I suggest reheating the sauce on a stove over medium heat while occasionally stirring to get back to a nice gravy consistency.
More Czech sauces
- Svíčková na smetaně – an iconic sauce made with root vegetables and cream
- Rajská omáčka – sweet tomato gravy
- Kuře na paprice – Czech chicken paprikash
- Warm horseradish sauce – křenová omáčka
Or browse the category with Czech cherished recipes
Tried this recipe?
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Koprová omáčka – Czech Dill Sauce
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable broth lukewarm
- 3 Tablespoons fresh dill leaves chopped, without stems
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup heavy cream at least 30% fat content
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make roux: Melt ½ stick unsalted butter over medium heat in a thick-bottomed pot (I use my Dutch oven). Add 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and stir well for 1 minute, until the flour starts bubbling and turns a light golden color.
- Gradually add 3 cups vegetable broth in batches. Begin by adding about ½ cup while stirring, creating a thick floury mash. Continue adding broth and stirring until all the broth is incorporated. This method of making a roux-thickened sauce will prevent lumps from forming.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and ¾ cup heavy cream to the sauce. Stir well, then set aside without cooking any further.
- Add 2 Tablespoons vinegar and 3 Tablespoons fresh dill leaves, then mix well. Adjust the seasoning with more salt or sugar to taste, if necessary.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes, and Koprová omáčka is ready to serve!
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 3 servings.
- Serve warm with sliced bread dumplings arranged along the edge of a plate. Pour Koprovka into the middle of the plate, allowing some of the sauce to partially cover the dumplings. Place a halved hard-boiled egg, yellow side up, in the sauce and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.
- Koprovka is a white sauce, so the roux you make at the beginning should only be lightly golden, not brown. Fry the roux for a maximum of 1 minute.
- For the best flavor, add the dill only at the end of cooking. Fresh dill loses its flavor and vivid color the longer it is cooked.
Sandy Riha says
My mother used to make this with chicken broth, and the whole family loved it! We would request 'grass gravy' frequently. She would serve it with potatoes, dumplings, or over steamed green beans. I'm eager to try your recipe, and am happy I found your blog.
Petra Kupská says
"Grass gravy" sounds perfect to me! 🙂 That basically describes the look of dill sauce, but I think the taste is even better than anyone can imagine. In our house, we like the sauce with boiled eggs and dumplings, when there is time I also make it with a slice of beef. Your other ideas on what to serve the dill sauce with sound beautifully Czech. If you try the recipe, be sure to let me know how it turned out!
Sarah says
I am a second generation American, but all of my Czech relatives were gone before I was born. My mom, however, has fond memories of the delicious dishes that her aunties made. I'm so glad that I found this blog - I just made the dill gravy, boiled eggs, and bread dumplings for my mom, and she loved them! I can't wait to try more recipes. Thank you!
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Sarah, thank you very much for your lovely comment! I'm so glad your mom liked the Czech dill gravy you made for her. Sometimes I make the sauce with a slice of beef (I can warmly recommend this combination). If you need advice with any Czech recipe, don't hesitate to contact me, I'll be happy to help!
Kim says
So easy to make and delicious! I have been searching for a great dill gravy and have found it. Can't wait to make it again!
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Kim, thank you for your nice feedback; I am happy you like the recipe a hope you enjoyed it!
Katerina says
Absolutely delicious! I missed home a bit so I've decided to cook koprovka. Came across this recipe and it tasted exactly how I remember 🙂 mom used to make it with boiled eggs and hot dogs. But anyway, thank you <3
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Katerina, thank you for your nice words! I'm glad the koprovka dill sauce turned out well and you liked it! I enjoy it best with a boiled egg, I don't even have to have meat with it 🙂
Jan says
We have had a bohemian restaurant in our area for 41 years and just loved the food there. So sad to hear they are retiring at the end of this month which breaks our hearts. My favorite dish there was the boiled beef with dill gravy. I know I can’t get the recipe from them but I will try your dill gravy. Do you have a recipe for the boiled beef that goes with it. If so please let me know thank you so much
Petra Kupská says
Hi Jan, thank you for your nice comment. It's a pity that a new generation hasn't taken over the running of that Czech restaurant, and the owners have to close it down 🙁 Czech dill sauce is basically a very simple dish; the only hitch might be the preparation of the roux (flour fried in butter), which thickens the sauce. How to cook beef that goes well with Czech sauces I describe in this recipe for Czech rajska (tomato) sauce. My best experience has been with beef top blade cooked whole in slightly salted water with root vegetables. The meat needs to be simmered gently for quite a long time, perhaps two to three hours. Use the beef and vegetable stock to make the sauce! Then slice the cooked beef, put it on a plate, and pour the gravy over it. I hope this helps! Petra
Ed Pentis says
That's Bohemian Crystal! Devastating loss. Probaby the greatest Czech place in the USA. Our only Czech restaurant in Omaha here closed a few years ago. Same as yours, nobody bought it.
Florence Darst says
I grew up on koprova macka!!! We would have fresh boiled potatoes in it! Oh so good!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
That sounds very nice, Florence, thank you for the kind comment! I am glad you like the recipe!
Ajka says
Dekuji moc za recept na koprovku, v UK se mi styska po ceske kuchyni a jsem moc rada,ze jsem nasla vas block.zkusim vas recept - jen knedliky neriskuju,protoze se mi nikdy nepovedly tak jak mely, takze zkusim anglicke mufiny misto knedliku,jak mi poradila kamaradka z Bostonu.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Moc Vam dekuji za komentar, Ajko, jsem moc rada, ze se Vam recepty libi. Pani, urcite pak dejte vedet, jak Vam koprovka s anglickym muffinem chutnala - pro me zatim jedna velka neznama! 🙂 Moje babicka ji vzdy delala bud s houskovymi knedliky nebo bramborem.
Srdecne zdravim z Ceske republiky.
Karen S. says
What kind of vinegar do you recommend for this recipe? I’m thinking maybe white wine vinegar, but wanted to check to be authentic. Thanks.