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    Home » Desserts

    Poppy Seed Filling Recipe

    Published: Mar 13, 2020 · Modified: Jan 12, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    Learn how to make homemade poppy seed filling for kolache, kolacky cookies, buchty buns, or yeast breads! These are all traditional Czech pastries that traditionally call for poppy seeds. Let's dive into the recipe!

    poppyseed filling recipe Czech
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ How to grind poppy seeds
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ Cook’s Tips
    FAQs
    Maková Náplň - Czech Poppyseed Filling

    Czechs are the world's largest producers of poppies, so it is not surprising that poppyseeds have become a staple of Czech cuisine. The Czech name for the filling made with poppyseed is "makova napln".

    The poppy seed filling is based on ground poppy seeds cooked in milk. It is sweetened with sugar and flavored with various ingredients. Here are some of them: spicy jam, freshly grated lemon zest, spiced rum, or perhaps crushed cloves.

    MY TIP: Try this poppy seed roll (it tastes fantastic!)

    ➜ How to grind poppy seeds

    In the Czech Republic, we buy blue poppies either whole or already ground.

    If you are based in the US, you can get poppies in European deli stores (Polish, German). The downside is that you can only get whole poppy seeds, which you need to grind before making the filling.

    The first way to grind poppy seeds is with a special manual poppy seed grinder. It’s available on Amazon in the US if you want one (I saw a few when I did some quick research).

    The other method uses a clean coffee grinder and grinds the poppyseed in small batches.

    I recently debated whether poppy seeds could be crushed in a food processor. Unfortunately, the results of those who tried it indicate that a food processor is not an appropriate tool for grinding poppy seeds.

    ➜ Ingredients

    Ingredients for homemade poppyseed filling.

    To make poppy seed filling from scratch, you’ll need:

    • Poppyseed, ground in a mill or coffee grinder
    • Whole milk, avoid using low-fat milk because there is no further fat added in this filling, and this is not a low-calorie recipe 🙂
    • Granulated sugar
    • Jam, the best variant is prune jam (Czech favorite); however, grab any solid jam you’ll find in your pantry
    • Lemon zest, freshly ground

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Combine ground poppyseed and milk in a medium saucepan.

    STEP 2: Bring the milk mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent the hot milk and poppy seeds from burning. Add sugar, jam, and lemon zest.

    poppyseed filling preparation

    STEP 3: Set the stove on medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the poppy seeds soften; it takes about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to stir.

    Czech maková náplň prep

    STEP 4: When finished, transfer the poppy seed filling to a bowl, set it aside, and allow it to cool down completely:

    poppyseed filling Czech maková náplň

    Important: This poppy seed filling thickens while cooling down. Make sure it’s cold before using it.

    ➜ Cook’s Tips

    • Add a few biscuit crumbs and stir if the filling is too thin.
    • If the filling is too thick, add a spoon or two of milk.
    • Let the filling cool down before using it!

    More poppy seed recipes:

    • Kolache – authentic recipe for Czech kolace
    • Škubánky s mákem – sweet treat with poppy seed topping
    • Makovec – poppy seed coffee cake
    • Poppy seed bundt cake – Czech makova babovka
    poppyseed puff pastry hřebeny
    Puff pastry with poppy seed filling (Czech kohoutí hřebeny)

    FAQs

    How to grind poppy seeds?

    A simple way to grind poppy seeds is by using a particular mill. It’s a mainstay in Czech kitchens; try to find one from Tescoma (a Czech brand). Another method is to grind poppy seeds in a clean coffee grinder.

    How to spice up poppy seed filling?

    Add some vanilla, crushed cloves (spice), rum-soaked raisins, or a tablespoon of spiced rum to the cooled filling for more flavor.

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    maková nádivka poppy seed filling recipe

    Maková Náplň - Czech Poppyseed Filling

    Traditional Czech poppy filling for „buchty“ and „koláče“ and other sweet pastry.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Calories: 1640kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech mák, maková náplň, poppy seed filling

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cup poppy seed (220 g) whole
    • 1 cup milk (240 ml)
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
    • ⅓ cup jam (110 g) any solid jam: eg, plum, strawberry, apricot
    • ½ Tablespoon lemon zest freshly ground

    Instructions

    • If you have whole poppyseed, grind it first.
    • In a pot with a thick bottom, combine ground poppyseed and milk.
    • Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent milk from burning. Add sugar, jam, and lemon zest.
    • Lower the heat and cook until the poppyseeds soften; it takes about 10 minutes. Don’t forget stirring.
    • When finished, transfer the poppyseed filling to a bowl, set it aside, and allow it to cool down completely.

    Notes

    1. Makes about 1 ½ cup of filling.
    2. If you’re filling smaller spaces (for instance Czech kolache or kolacky), put the filling in a decorating bag first and spray it over the pastry.
    3. Make sure the filling cooled down completely before using it.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 1640kcal | Carbohydrates: 232g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 43g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 1495mg | Fiber: 31g | Sugar: 172g | Vitamin A: 397IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 2460mg | Iron: 15mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.

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    • Sweet Cabbage Filling
    • Yeast Bundt Cake with Poppy Seed Filling
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    • Puff Pastry with Cream Cheese Filling

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. David

      August 10, 2021 at 11:22 am

      5 stars
      Poppies are really hard to get here (Michigan), so I got to make this only once when my cousin sent a packet full of poppy seeds from the Czech Republic. Even then, this tasted fantastic! I think that poppies are really underrated in the US.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        August 10, 2021 at 4:59 pm

        Ahoj David, poppy seeds are one of the most commonly used ingredients in the Czech Republic when it comes to making filling for kolache and buchty buns. Always a great choice!

        Reply
      • Marlyss

        January 28, 2022 at 6:52 pm

        FYI, canned poppyseed filling is available in grocery stores. Is on the baking isle with pie filling.

        Reply
        • jesk

          December 25, 2022 at 3:49 am

          5 stars
          Be forewarned, store-bought canned filling is hardly worth it; it's overly sweet and lacks a depth of flavor. Once, my grandma switched to canned in a pinch and that batch lost a certain specialness of homemade. It's worth it to go homemade, since you're already fussing with kolacy or buchty anyway.

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská

            December 29, 2022 at 8:13 am

            I couldn't agree with you more! However, I also take into account that poppy seeds are not as widely available around the world as they are in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, there is the issue of how to grind it.

            Reply
    2. Diana Chandler

      May 09, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      If I were to make a big batch of this.. what is your recommendation for storing leftovers? Fridge? Freezer? Canning?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        May 16, 2022 at 6:57 am

        Ahoj Diana,
        I usually only make the amount I use. Maybe it's because poppy seeds are widely available in the Czech Republic, both whole and ground. If you make a big batch of poppy seed filling, probably the easiest way to preserve it is to divide the chilled filling into smaller portions and freeze it. Hope it helps at least a bit!
        Best wishes, Petra

        Reply
    3. Bonbon

      September 22, 2022 at 11:16 am

      Why do you add jam? I've never heard of doing this. Wouldn't it take away the taste from the poppy seed?

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        September 25, 2022 at 9:39 am

        I add jam to the poppy seed filling to make it juicier, if I may say so. In the Czech Republic, we usually add plum jam (povidla), but I know that's not as easily available in the US.

        Reply
        • jesk

          December 24, 2022 at 11:18 pm

          5 stars
          My Czech grandma occasionally used to put some cut-up prune plums for flavor, too. Or, also, often raisins.

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská

            December 29, 2022 at 9:07 am

            Yes, the Czechs often add raisins to poppy seed filling! Sometimes I add a little jam to make the filling juicier.

            Reply
    4. Sheila Keim

      December 03, 2022 at 9:45 am

      5 stars
      Love these recipes!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        December 03, 2022 at 11:19 am

        Thank you very much for your nice words, Sheila!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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