Dumplings are a staple in Czech cuisine. While bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) made from yeast dough are the most famous, potato dumplings are equally popular. This recipe features one of the most popular variants, known as "Chlupaté knedlíky" or hairy dumplings.
What are Chlupaté knedlíky
Chlupaté knedlíky dumplings are a Czech type of dumplings whose main ingredient is raw potatoes. Flour, egg, and salt are added to the grated potatoes. The resulting dough is then shaped out with a spoon small dumplings, which are then boiled in water.
The chupaté knedlíky dumplings are usually served as a side dish with meat dishes. However, they can also form a separate dish when cut in half and served with braised sauerkraut.
GOOD TO KNOW: The literal translation of the Czech phrase "chlupaté knedlíky" is "fluffy dumplings".
Other purely Czech poetic names for these dumplings are "frncouchaté knedlíky", "chlupaté buchty" or "chlupáčky".
TIP: Here is also a recipe for classic Czech potato dumplings made with cooked potatoes. And for all of you who love a bit of fun in the kitchen: Czech dumplings steamed right in a cup!
Ingredients
- Raw potatoes; any all-purpose potatoes will work well, e.g., Yukon Gold potatoes in the U.S.
- All-purpose flour; 2 cups or a bit less - the more flour, the denser are the dumplings; however, too little flour will cause the dumplings to fall apart when cooked. In my opinion, a bit less than two fully loaded cups of flour are just right.
- Egg
- Salt; for dough + extra to salt the water in which the dumplings are cooked
- Pork lard; or unsalted butter, to fat the dumplings after cooking
✅ You'll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instruction with Photos
STEP 1: Peel the potatoes and grate them finely.
TIP: Learn, how to shred potatoes
STEP 2: Put the grated potatoes in a sifter and press them to squeeze out the excess fluid.
STEP 3: Transfer the squeezed potatoes to a bowl, add an egg, salt, and flour. Mix the ingredients until you have a thicker dough.
STEP 4: Using two spoons dipped in cold water, shape out small dumplings.
STEP 5: Cook them in simmering salted water for about 10-15 minutes (depends on their size). The dumplings will stick to the bottom after you put them in a pot. Use a fork to peel them off so they can float to the surface.
STEP 6: Take out the cooked dumplings using a sieve or a slotted spoon. Place them in a bowl and brush with lard. Keep them in a warm place until you serve them.
Serving
Serve the "chlupaté knedlíky" warm as a side dish instead of the classic potato dumplings. You can take a look below at our weekend lunch: smoked meat with red cabbage and these chlupaté potato dumplings.
As a separate dish, serve chlupaté dumplings with chopped onions fried in lard. Another option is to slice them, cover them with sauerkraut, and top them with fried bacon pieces.
Chlupaté knedlíky replace the classic potato dumplings and can be a welcome change in your kitchen.
MY TIP: Chlupaté potato dumplings pair great with this pork roast belly!
Cook's Tips
- To be sure that the cooking itself will be up to par, cook one piece of chlupatý knedlík first as a test. If it falls apart, work additional flour into the dough. If the dumpling is too hard for your taste, add a little butter to the dough.
- Either all-purpose potatoes or those with more starch are suitable for making dumplings. Waxy potatoes are less appropriate.
How to Prevent Grated Potatoes from Turning Brown
The fact that grated potatoes start to turn brown is a natural enzymatic process. Don't worry; the potatoes are perfectly edible, the browning is no blemish.
You can grate the potatoes in cold water with a tablespoon of vinegar to slow the browning. But then they will require special treatment - you must squeeze the water out very thoroughly and then pour a little hot milk over them and squeeze one more time.
This way, the grated potatoes will retain their light color.
More Czech potato recipes:
- Bramboráky - fried potato pancakes
- Baked smashed potatoes - Czech "brambory v troubě"
- Šťouchané brambory - crushed potatoes
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📖 Recipe
Potato Dumplings Czech Chlupaté knedlíky
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pounds raw potatoes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pork lard or unsalted butter
Instructions
- Peel 1 ¾ pounds raw potatoes and finely grate them. Place the grated potatoes in a sieve and press them to remove the excess liquid.
- Transfer the squeezed potatoes to a bowl. Add 1 egg, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 cups all-purpose flour, then mix until a thick dough forms.
- Using two spoons dipped in cold water, shape the mixture into small dumplings.
- Cook the dumplings in simmering salted water for about 10-15 minutes, depending on their size. They will initially stick to the bottom of the pot, so use a fork to gently lift them so they can float to the surface.
- Remove the cooked dumplings using a sieve or a slotted spoon. Place them in a bowl and brush with 1 Tablespoon pork lard. Keep them warm until ready to serve.
Notes
- Makes about 24-30 potato dumplings (depending on their size).
- Serve the "chlupaté knedlíky" dumplings warm as a side dish, in place of classic potato dumplings.
- To ensure the cooking meets your satisfaction, first cook one "chlupatý knedlík" dumpling as a test. If it falls apart, work in additional flour. If the dumpling is too hard for your taste, add a little butter to the dough.
- Both all-purpose potatoes and those with more starch are suitable for making dumplings. Waxy potatoes are less appropriate.
Daniela says
I love love love Chlupate Knedliky. I left Czechoslovakia in 1982 and this is one meal I have always made by heart because I remembered it so well. Many of my friends here (in Canada and USA) always want me to give them a recipe but I just tell them to come and watch me make them and take notes...haha...but NOW I can send them your recipe!!! Thank you for posting it. I grew up in Praha but spent all of my childhood summers in Polubny Hory...I think you live close to that area. I have sweet memories from there...so many memories :). I love your site, photos and recipes.
Petra Kupská says
Oh, Daniela! Horní Polubný is a village in the Jizera Mountains! I live only about 30 km (18 miles) away! In the Kořenov area, that's where I often go on trips with my kids 🙂 Nature here is simply magical; the Czech mountains have a unique charm, and I love them very much.
About the chlupaté knedlíky dumplings – you are right, they are a typical Czech side dish. In the mountains, people often ate potato dumplings because potatoes thrived there. Some people make chlupaté knedlíky with raw potatoes, others with boiled potatoes, or half and half. In our house, the dumplings are usually made with raw potatoes and taste great!
Daniela says
Yes, we always make them with raw potatoes also 🙂 You cook all the recipes exactly the way my mom did, that is why I love following you. It's like my mom's cooking!
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Daniela! ????
LeAnn says
Yesss, this is exactly how my grandmother made them except she would drain the potatoes in a flour sack towel after grating them. By draining them you don't have to use as much flour for binding and the potato really shines through.
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj LeAnn, you're right, this is a very interesting tip, thank you for it!
Christine Emard says
my mother used to make these for our family when I was young, that's many years ago we are polish and we called them potato bullets, after the dumplings, bullets would float to the top she would saute them in butter and onions they were so good now as I am an adult I love making them also
Mary Alyce says
I make something similar (my husband's Mother's way), but put in a greased 7x11" glass dish and bake at 350º for about 35-45 minutes.
Then we just cut them in squares to serve. Love, love, love them!!
Mary Alyce says
I forgot to add. . .she called them TOC and pronounced that as "thutch".
Petra Kupská says
That's an interesting tip, thank you very much! In our house, we make polenta on a baking sheet, a cornmeal porridge that solidifies as it cools. We then cut it into pieces/squares and serve it as you write, like dumplings! 🙂
Diane Delkettie says
My mom taught me how to make these dumplings, but she served them with halusky's? Can wait to make them again.
Petra Kupská says
Hi Diane, thank you for your comment. Halusky, as they are known in modern Czech gastronomy, are tiny water-cooked dumplings. They are formed with potato dough that has been made of grated raw potatoes. The traditional recipe for halusky comes from Slovakia, a country with which the Czech Republic shares a border and with which we Czechs were united as one state from 1918 until 1992.
Haluski (with the letter "i" at the end of the word), for example, is a dish of boiled pasta served with stewed white cabbage and bacon strips in Poland.
Mk says
Mom recipe was in her head. Grandparents from Kutna Hora region. She made dumpling log cut up with knife before adding to boiling water.
Petra Kupská says
Kutna Hora is one of the most beautiful Czech cities, I have been there a few times. As for the potato dumplings, there are several ways to prepare them. From boiled or raw potatoes. Made as a whole log or pre-cut pieces just as you describe. I think our mothers and grandmothers each had a recipe they had tried over years of kitchen practice that worked for them and their loved ones liked it!
S brickman says
Can these be made a day in advance? How would you recommend reheating?
Petra Kupská says
For sure you can make these potato dumplings a day in advance. To reheat, I recommend slicing and steaming them; just a regular pot with a suitable steaming insert (not a big investment). Alternatively, I put the sliced dumplings in a plastic bag, splashed them with a few drops of water, and put them to reheat in the microwave. Hope this helps and good luck making the dumplings!
Shelly Lightowler says
Thank you for the recipe. My mother used to make these and mix them in with fried bacon and home canned tomatoes, or fresh if in season. We all just loved this dish. Where it came from I don’t know just glad to see the recipe for the dumplings. Now can try to copy her dish.
Petra Kupská says
Thank you for your nice feedback, Shelly!
John says
Have you ever heard of a knedliky soup? My grandmother (100% Czech - USA-born to immigrant Czech parents) used to make a soup that she called knedliky soup. It was relatively clear with what seemed like a lot of garlic. And it had some kind of round dumplings in it. Growing up the only daughter of six children on a farm, she was a terrific cook and made everything from scratch.
Thanks for your site and sharing all these recipes!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Hello John, thank you for your comment and kind words! Yes, I believe that would be Knedlickova polevka, you can find a link to the recipe for knedlicky below: 🙂
https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/liver-dumplings/
Hope this helps!
Maureen says
I make these all the time ,I like to fry bacon and cabbage and fold the cooked dumplings into that mixture ,also my husband likes them with cheese I use colby jack and Monterey Jack grated and mix the cooked dumplings with the cheeses I’d like to try the bread dumplings thank you for sharing. These recipes
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you so much for your comment and feedback, Maureen!
Rob Harbach says
brought back so many memories. mom passed twenty years ago. she put her mixture on a plate, with a spoon would break off small pieces into the pot of boiling water. mixed them with many different things. going to make some soon
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Rob, for sharing your memories!
Davey Feela says
Wow, this is the first time I have ever found this recipe! This is a traditional recipe in my family. My Polish grandmother would make these, and the recipe was handed down to my mother, and then down to us kids, and now down to our children. Always thought this was a Polish recipe. However, I am 1/4 Czech so I am pleased to learn that this recipe is still part of my heritage !
This is a great basic recipe. Over the years my family has put its own spin on things, such as sautéed bacon and onions mixed in with the dumplings instead of just pork fat. Also some of us will grate a small carrot into the potato mixture as well...
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Davey, for your kind comment. I really enjoy the way you tweak the recipe; thanks for the new insight! For instance, I found out that my mom makes these dumplings with half-cooked and half-raw potatoes. She says the dumplings are more fluffy and not too dense.
Pat Toman says
i'm making my favorite czech dinner tomorrow for a group of friends..my family recipes for potato dumplings call for instant potatoes. and 1/4 cup of farina..my mom her recipe changed it at least 30 years ago..they taste very good and the texture is the same. and much less time consuming..i love your kraut recipe.