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    Home » Recipes » Main Courses

    Plum Dumplings with Poppy Seeds

    Published: Oct 18, 2021 · Modified: Sep 5, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This is a Czech recipe for delicious plum dumplings with poppy seed topping. Czechs most often enjoy them as a sweet lunch. Curious? Let's make the dumplings together!

    Plum dumplings with poppyseed topping.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Kitchen Equipment
    ➜ Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Useful Tips
    Plum dumplings with poppyseed topping

    These plum dumplings are made with soft potato cheese dough. Inside comes a pitted fresh plum. The dumplings are boiled in water, cut in half on a plate, and sprinkled with ground poppy seeds mixed with icing sugar. As a final touch, the butter poured over the dumplings enhances their divine flavor.

    ➤ In the Czech language, plum dumplings are called "švestkové knedlíky".

    Czechs most often make these dumplings during the plum season, which begins in August and peaks at the end of October.

    MY TIP: Try also these strawberry dumplings made with cheese dough (they taste fantastic!)

    ➜ Ingredients

    Plum dumplings ingredients.

    For plum dumplings, you'll need:

    DOUGH:

    • Potatoes; boiled in their skin ideally a day ahead. To prepare the dough, the potatoes must be thoroughly cooled.
    • Cream cheese; use any neutral-tasting cream cheese with a higher fat content (do not use the light version).
    • All-purpose flour; I give approximate quantities in the recipe card. The exact amount will always depend on the creaminess of the cheese used.
    • Egg
    • Salt

    POPPYSEED TOPPING:

    • Poppy seeds; ground. The poppy seeds can easily be ground in a clean coffee grinder. Grind the poppy seeds briefly and in smaller batches.
    • Icing sugar
    • Unsalted butter; melted in a small pot or in a microwave

    You also need smaller fresh plums, preferably of the Italian type.

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

    ➜ Kitchen Equipment

    I cooked the dumplings in an 11-inch (28 cm) pan with a lowered rim. You will also need a hand grater to grate the cooked potatoes and a flat slotted spoon to remove the boiled dumplings from the water.

    ➜ Instructions with Photos

    MAKE AHEAD: First, boil the potatoes in their skins in advance. Let them cool completely.

    STEP 1: Peel the cooked, cooled potatoes and grate them finely.

    STEP 2: Add the flour, eggs, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt to the bowl.

    Making dough for plum dumplings.

    STEP 3: Work into a smooth, non-sticky dough. Add a little flour if necessary.

    STEP 4: Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut it into equal-sized pieces on a floured surface.

    STEP 5: Lightly press each piece of dough into the flour on both cut sides and shape it into a patty.

    Making plum potato dumplings.

    STEP 6: Wrap the halved plum in the dough and shape it into a round dumpling.

    STEP 7: Cook the plum dumplings in gently boiling water for 8-10 minutes. There is no need to flip the dumplings while cooking them.

    Cooking dumplings in a pan.

    ➜ Serving

    Serve the dumplings warm, cut them in half on the plate. Sprinkle with ground poppy seeds mixed with icing sugar and top with melted butter.

    Plum dumplings topped with poppyseed.

    ➜ Useful Tips

    • The exact amount of flour in the dough depends on the consistency of the cream cheese. Thinner, creamier cheese will need more flour and vice versa.
    • The plums need to be perfectly dry when processing the dumplings, as do your hands. Water causes erosion of the dough, it will fall apart, and you won't be able to close the dumplings.
    • Halve the plums for the dumplings. If they are sour, add a little granulated sugar between the plum halves.

    TIP: If the dumplings stick to the bottom while cooking, loosen them with a fork so they can float to the surface.

    More Czech dumplings:

    • Fruit dumplings – made with yeast dough
    • Potato dumplings – a perfect side for roasted meat
    • Bread dumplings – ideal for sauces
    • Plum compote – Czech klevela recipe
    Plum dumplings with poppyseed topping.

    Plum dumplings with poppyseed topping

    This is a Czech recipe for delicious plum dumplings with poppy seed topping. Czechs most often enjoy them as a sweet lunch. Curious? Let's make the dumplings together!
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Calories: 644kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: fruit dumplings

    Ingredients

    Dough:

    • 3 potatoes mid-sized
    • 7 oz (200 g) cream cheese
    • 1 and ½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 egg
    • ⅛ tsp salt

    Poppyseed topping:

    • 4 Tbsp poppy seeds ground
    • 3 Tbsp icing sugar
    • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter

    Next, you need:

    • 10-12 pieces fresh plums preferably Italian prune plums

    Instructions

    • MAKE AHEAD: First, boil the potatoes in their skins in advance. Let them cool down completely.
    • Peel the cooked, cooled potatoes and grate them finely. Add the flour, eggs, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt to the bowl.
    • Work into a smooth, non-sticky dough. Add a little flour if necessary.
    • Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut it into equal-sized pieces on a floured surface.
    • Lightly press each piece of dough into the flour on both cut sides and shape it into a flat patty.
    • Wrap the halved plum in the dough and shape it into a round dumpling.
    • Cook the plum dumplings in gently boiling water for 8-10 minutes. There is no need to flip the dumplings during cooking.

    Notes

    • SERVING: Serve the dumplings warm, cut them in half on the plate. Sprinkle with ground poppy seeds mixed with icing sugar and top with melted butter.
    • The exact amount of flour in the dough depends on the consistency of the cream cheese. Thinner, creamier cheese will need more flour and vice versa.
    • The plums need to be perfectly dry when processing the dumplings, as do your hands. Water causes erosion of the dough, it will fall apart, and you won't be able to close the dumplings.
    • Halve the plums for the dumplings. If they are sour, add a little granulated sugar between the plum halves.
    • If the dumplings stick to the bottom while cooking, loosen them with a fork so they can float to the surface.

    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: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 119g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 2807mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 454IU | Vitamin C: 127mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 6mg
    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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    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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