If there is one thing Czech cuisine is renowned for, it is dumplings! Whether bread dumplings, potato dumplings, or sweet fruit dumplings, they are a staple. In today's article, I am excited to share a delightful summer recipe for dumplings filled with fresh strawberries. It is quick, easy, and sure to be a hit with the whole family!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is how Maryna commented on the recipe: "This is simply amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I was in Prague a couple of weeks ago and was blown away with Czech food. I want to cook everything at home now 😀. Especially these dumplings! Your blog is a treasure!"
➜ About the recipe
Czech Jahodové knedlíky are small dumplings, each filled with a fresh strawberry. The strawberries are wrapped in a thin dough made from Tvaroh cheese or any other plain fresh or cream cheese, flour and eggs.
The dumplings are then boiled in water and served warm, halved, as a main dish or dessert. They are usually sprinkled with icing sugar, drizzled with melted butter, and topped with a dollop of sour cream or shredded Farmers cheese.
MY TIP: Looking for more ideas to satisfy your sweet tooth? These yeast dough fruit dumplings are a fantastic treat and one of the Czech national dishes!
➜ Pronunciation
This recipe is known as "Jahodové knedlíky" in Czech. I've recorded a short audio clip with the pronunciation so you can order these dumplings in a restaurant when you visit the Czech Republic!
➜ Ingredients
To make homemade strawberry dumplings from scratch, you will need the following:
Dumpling dough:
- All-purpose flour – alternatively, you can try replacing some of the flour with Wondra flour or Cream of Wheat. I will discuss more about the best flour for dumplings later in the article.
- Baking powder – for fluffier dumplings.
- Farmers' cheese – is a reasonable substitute for Czech Tvaroh cheese. You can find out more about other possible substitutes for this ingredient later in the article (Czech Tvaroh substitution).
- Egg
- Salt
- Strawberries – to fill the dumplings. The best ones are fresh from the farmers market or picked from your garden. Please do not use frozen or canned strawberries. Ensure the strawberries are about the same size for even cooking.
MY TIP: For best results, the cheese and eggs should be at room temperature. This will make them easier to combine with the flour when kneading the dough.
Topping:
- Powdered sugar – either mix the sugar with sour cream or sprinkle it separately over the dumplings.
- Unsalted butter – melted
- Sour cream – I buy sour cream with about 18% fat. It is thick, not runny, and tastes delicious.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ How to make strawberry dumplings
Cleaning strawberries
STEP 1: Remove the stalks from the strawberries, then wash and dry them well.
Preparing dumpling dough
STEP 2: Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl and whisk to combine. Then, add the cheese and eggs.
STEP 3: Mix quickly with a fork, then turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and work it into a non-sticky dough. Keep a small pile of flour on the side and add some to the dough if it is too sticky.
Shaping dumplings
STEP 4: Form the dough into a roll and cut it into equally sized pieces. Flatten each piece into a thin patty. Place a strawberry in the center of each patty. Wrap the dough around the strawberry and seal it tightly.
Roll the dumpling between your hands to give it a nice round shape. Each dumpling should be about 2 1/2 inches (6-7 cm) in diameter.
NOTE: Dry the strawberries thoroughly before filling the dumplings, and keep your hands dry when shaping them. Any water residue or wet hands can affect the consistency of the dough and cause it to tear.
Cooking the dumplings
STEP 5: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to about half. Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes, depending on their size.
You don't need to flip the dumplings. If they get stuck to the bottom of the saucepan, gently loosen them with a fork so they can float to the top.
STEP 6: Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked dumplings and transfer them to a bowl.
➜ How to serve
Cut the dumplings in half to reveal the strawberry inside. Arrange them on a plate and add about 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream per serving, along with an equal amount of powdered sugar.
Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted butter and serve as a sweet lunch or an afternoon dessert.
➜ More topping ideas for strawberry dumplings
- For the simplest option, just sprinkle the dumplings with powdered sugar and drizzle them with melted butter.
- Prefer to stick with cheese? Sprinkle the dumplings with farmer's cheese crumbles and powdered sugar, then top with melted butter.
- Another topping option is plain breadcrumbs fried in butter and mixed with granulated sugar. Our neighbors in Austria love strawberry dumplings generously coated with fried sweet breadcrumbs!
- For a fancier option, prepare a strawberry sauce to accompany the dumplings.
Last tip: You may have heard that one of the traditional Czech toppings for fruit dumplings is ground poppy seed with powdered sugar. This variant is most suitable for plum dumplings.
➜ Storage
First, let me assure you that you will almost certainly never have leftover strawberry dumplings! From personal experience, I can tell that these dumplings are so delicious, everyone will be lining up for more.
If you still accidentally have some leftovers or if you are making a large batch to stock up, let the dumplings cool completely. Then, place them in a deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge. They will keep for up to four days.
You can also freeze the dumplings in an airtight container for up to three months.
➜ How to reheat the strawberry dumplings
The best method I've found for reheating strawberry dumplings is steaming them. The cooked cheese dough tends to become stiffer as it cools, so reheating the dumplings in a humid environment helps maintain their texture.
A quicker option is to heat the dumplings in the microwave. To do this, place them in a plastic bag with a little water inside.
➜ A note about Czech flour for dumplings
You may have heard that we Czechs usually cook with three types of flour.
One is "Hladká", which is the equivalent of all-purpose flour in the US or plain flour in other countries. Then we have semi-coarse "Polohrubá" and coarse "Hrubá" flour.
Read more in my article All-purpose flour in the Czech Republic and how to replace it.
For cooked floury dishes, such as dumplings, Czechs most often use Hrubá coarse flour. This gives the dumplings a lighter texture and makes them fluffier. However, outside the Czech Republic, coarse flour can be harder to find. I recommend checking stores that sell Polish or German goods, as they might carry coarse flour.
If you can't find coarse flour, don't worry. After many discussions with Czechs in the US, I can assure you that you can make delicious dumplings with all-purpose flour. While the dough will be a bit stiffer, the dumplings will still turn out very good.
If you only have all-purpose flour, here are some tips to lighten the dough:
- Replace about a third of the all-purpose flour with fine semolina (farina, cream of wheat).
- If you are based in the USA, replace all-purpose flour with Wondra flour. It is coarser ground and more like Czech "Hrubá" flour.
- Add a little of baking powder, which makes the dough more soft and less dense.
➜ Czech Tvaroh substitution
While Tvaroh is a common ingredient in the Czech Republic, it is probably not so easy to find abroad.
Therefore, I offer some possible substitutes for making the dumplings without tvaroh: Farmers cheese (probably the best substitution), Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese or a common cream cheese with a neutral taste.
If you use ricotta, I recommend passing it through a sieve to get a fine cheese mass.
TIP: I also have a recipe here for making homemade Czech Tvaroh cheese!
If you have a grocery store nearby that sells European products, you might be able to find cottage cheese under different names: Quark (German), Topfen (Austrian), Twaróg (Polish), or Túró (Hungarian).
➜ Useful tips
- Important: The amount of flour listed for the dumpling dough in the recipe card assumes you are using Farmer's cheese. If you use a different type of cheese, add the flour gradually to ensure the dough holds together well and doesn't become too sticky.
- Cook the dumplings for no more than 6 minutes or the strawberry inside will overcook and lose its firm shape.
- In addition to strawberries, you can fill the cheesecake dumplings with other round fruits that are in season, such as pitted apricots or plums.
More sweet recipes:
- Strawberry Coffee Cake – Jahodový koláč
- Bublanina – Czech fruit cake with cherries
- Buchty – sweet-filled yeast buns
- Cold strawberry soup
- Cherry dumplings – třešňové knedlíky
For knedlíky dumpling lovers, there is a special category with different kinds of Czech dumplings.
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!
Strawberry Dumplings – Czech Jahodové knedlíky
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Dough
- 9 ounces Farmers cheese a substitution to Czech Tvaroh
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium egg
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 pieces strawberries fresh, large
Topping
- 1 cup sour cream 2-3 Tablespoons pro portion
- ½ cup powdered sugar 2-3 Tablespoons pro portion
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Remove the stalks from 12 pieces strawberries, then wash and dry them thoroughly.
- Combine 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, whisking to mix. Add 9 ounces Farmers cheese and 1 medium egg.
- Mix quickly with a fork, then turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Work it into a non-sticky dough. Keep a small pile of flour on the side, adding more to the dough if it becomes too sticky.
- Form the dough into a roll and cut it into equally sized pieces. Flatten each piece into a thin patty, then place a washed and thoroughly dried strawberry in the center. Wrap the dough around the strawberry and seal it tightly.
- Roll the dumpling between your hands to give it a nice round shape, making sure it is about 2 ½ inches (6-7 cm) in diameter. Continue in the same way until all the dough is used up.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to about half. Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes, depending on their size.
- You don't need to flip the dumplings. If they get stuck to the bottom of the saucepan, gently loosen them with a fork so they float to the top.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked dumplings and place them on a plate.
- In a bowl, mix 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Melt 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Arrange the warm dumplings on a plate and top each serving with 2-3 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture. Drizzle with melted butter and serve.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about 12 dumplings.
- STORAGE: Place the remaining dumplings in a bowl, carefully cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- REHEATING: Preferably, reheat the dumplings over steam. Alternatively, you can reheat them in the microwave by placing the dumplings in a plastic bag that has been sprayed with water.
- Only fresh strawberries are suitable for these dumplings, as frozen and canned strawberries contain too much liquid.
Karen
My husband is Croatian & Slovenian. Very similar food traditions. Anxious to try some of the recipes & see how they compare to his memories of "grandma's " cooking.
Petra Kupská
Hi Karen, thank you for your kind comment. Both Croatians and Slovenians are Slavs (just like Czechs). I firmly believe that their cuisines have a lot in common. I'll be glad if you give me feedback later if the "taste" of Czech food is similar to the memories you have of your grandma's cooking! Greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra
Ann
Where I live it's difficult to find farmers cheese, is there a substitute that would work well?
Joe
Super tasty just like my grandma made!
Petra Kupská
Thank you very much 🙂
Janet
Hi. I am planning to make this recipe. in the instructions it says eggs are part of the ingredients, but eggs aren't listed in the ingredients?
Holly
I have Czech roots and grew up with both my mom and my grandmother making fruit dumplings. Although I have Gram's recipe for "regular" fruit dumplings, I didn't have one for the strawberry variety with quark. We just recently returned from a quick visit to Prague, with strawberry season in full swing. The strawberry dumplings I had for dinner one night were amazing and inspired me to search for a comparable recipe. Thankfully I found yours. Made them last night - just divine. Thank you so much!
Maryna
This is simply amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I was in Prague a couple of weeks ago and was blown away with Czech food. I want to cook everything at home now 😀 Especially these dumplings! Your blog is a treasure!
Maryna
I am back to comment on the recipe. I've just made them! The recipe is perfect! It worked very well. The dish is absolutely amazing. Can't get enough 🙂 Thank you!
Patty Zeman
Thanks you are so perfectly to share your knowledge !
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you for your comment, Patty!
Janet
I am planning to make this recipe today. Did you use eggs? it mentions eggs in the instructions, but not the ingredient list. if you did use eggs, how many ? Thank you!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Hello Maryna, thank you so much for your comments and kind words! I am delighted the recipe was successful and you liked it!
Sandy
Looks so good, I really need to try this. I make plum dumplings in the fall when Italian plums are in season, but I have never tried strawberry.
Janet Dubyk
Growing up I only had the plum ones. These were delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Greetings from Canada.
Joye
This is so delicious! The recipe is so well-written and thorough. I used farmers cheese and they turned out perfectly. Sour cream and powdered sugar is my new favorite topping! And don’t forget the butter drizzle – that makes them even more decadent!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words, Joye!
Greetings from the Czech Republic.