Best Plum Dumplings (Zwetschgenknödel)

Fall into fall with deliciously juicy plum dumplings. Zwetschgenknödel as we call this dish in Germany and Austria. A warming and comforting dessert, a mix of tart and sweet flavours and juicy but crispy textures. These plum knödel are great for lunch, dinner or a sweet snack between meals. 

I am writing this post, while the German markets are blessed with an abundance of Zwetschgen. Zwetschgen is the name for Italian prune plums in German.  Plums are a favourite ingredient in Germany and are the star of many cakes, sauces and other desserts such as German Plum Cake and Plum Butter.

What are Plum Dumplings?

Plums (usually the Italian plum variety) are coated in a dough, formed into a dumpling shape, and then cooked in hot water. There are several different doughs used to make plum dumplings, there is no set rule. You will find plum dumpling recipes using yeast, quark or potato dough. Dumplings made with choux pastry are also common.

What is the origin of plum dumplings?

Plum Dumplings are a speciality of Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic (Bohemia) and southern Germany. You will also find it in Romania, Hungary the Balkans, and Slovakia. As history has shifted the borders of those regions, there is not one country that can claim this dish for itself.

What are plum dumplings called in German?

There are several different terms that describe this dish in Germany. Probably the most common name for this it is Zwetschgenknödel.
“Zwetschge” is the German name to for the Italian plums. “Knödel” means dumpling.

However, another term for plum is “Pflaume”. This word encompasses many plum varieties. So, you might hear the term “Pflaumenknödel” to describe this dumpling.
To make matters even more confusing, another word for dumpling in German is “Klöße”. So, you might also come across the term “Pflaumenklöße.”

No matter what you call these plum dough balls: Zwetschgenknödel, Pflaumenknödel or Pflaumenklöße – I can guarantee that these are super tasty.

How do you pronounce Zwetschgenknödel?

As an English speaker you would pronounce Zwedgenknödel as “TS-WED-CHEN-KNO-DEL”

About this Plum Dumpling Recipe

Having reviewed several of the dough options I decided to opt for quark dough. “No” – I hear you call. “We cannot get quark in my country”. Do not fret – I have adapted the recipe so you can replace the quark with Greek yoghurt. The yoghurt is more liquid than quark so I had to adjust the flour quantities accordingly.

I will give you two options in this recipe – to make the original dough with quark and my modified version with Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients

For the quark/yoghurt dough

• 100 g/ 3.5 oz butter (at room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg

either

• 250 g/ 8.8 oz quark
• 150 g/ 5.2 oz plain flour

OR

• 100 g/ 3.5 oz g Greek yoghurt (full fat at least 10% fat content)
• 200 g/ 7 oz flour

For the plum filling:

• 10 -15 Italian plums or use another variety will work well.  
• 50 g/ 1.7 granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (affiliate link)
• 100 g/ 3.5 oz breadcrumbs
• 100 g/ 3.5 oz butter

How to make Plum Dumplings (Step by Step)

1. Using a stand or handmixer, whisk together the butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Carefully mix in the egg and quark/yoghurt.
2. At last, add the flour to the bowl and combine to a homogenous dough. The dough should not be sticky. Add a little more flour if you find it sticks too much to your fingers.
3. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and place it in the fridge to rest for around 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon (affiliate link) in a little bowl and mix well.
5. Wash the plums.  Make a lengthwise incision on one side of the prune and remove the stone from the inside. Fill the core of the plums with a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside.
6. Once the dough finished resting in the fridge, remove it and divide the dough into 10 equal portions. (The exact quantity will depend on the size of your plums. The plums will not be equally sized. So not worry if your dumplings have different sizes as well.)
7. Take a portion of the dough and flatten it with your hands. Add the ready filled plum in the middle and wrap the dough around the fruit. Ensure that you close the seams of the dough well, as otherwise they might open in the water. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

1. Leave your raw dumplings to rest on a plate for a further 30 minutes at room temperature.  
2. In the meantime, heat water with ½ teaspoon of salt in a large pot. There should be enough water in the pot to coat the dumplings. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat, as the dumplings suppose to only “simmer” not “wildly boil”.
3. Place the dumplings into the water and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. You might have to do this in stages depending on the size of your pot.
4. In a separate frying pan melt the butter. Then add the breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown. Remove from the heat.
5. Once the dumplings are cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon. Add them to the pan with the breadcrumbs and roll them around until coated.
6. Serve warm. Before serving sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or serve with vanilla sauce.

Recipe Variations

Substitute the plums for another fruit

These dumplings can have different fillings according to the season. You can fill these with strawberries, blueberries, or apricots instead, using the same dough. Apricot dumplings are called “Marillenknödel” in Austria and Germany and are also very popular.

Alternative fillings of the plums.

Filling the plums with cinnamon and sugar is only one way you can make these dumplings. Some like to add a sugar cube in the middle. Others fill the plums with a little ball of marzipan or nougat. Try our different ingredients to make your perfect Zwetschgenknödel recipe!

Substitute the Breadcrumb Coating

You do not need to coat the dumplings with breadcrumbs. Instead try to serve it with hot, liquid butter and cinnamon sugar.

Another popular combination is these dumplings coated in ground poppy seeds (affiliate link) and butter. For this, melt 3 tablespoon of butter and mix in 4 tablespoons of ground poppy seeds (affiliate link). Then coat the knedel in the mixture.

What to serve with plum dumplings?

You can serve this dish as a hearty dessert or a sweet lunch. Some like to serve it as a sweet snack in the afternoon instead of cake.

There are a variety of condiments that go well with these sweet dough balls. Sauces or fruit compote compliment the crispy, doughy texture of the Knödel.

Here are some suggestions:

• Vanilla Sauce - see recipe
• Vanilla Pudding- see recipe
• Plum Sauce
• Vanilla Ic Cream
• Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
• Cherry sauce

Can I prepare this dish in advance?

If you want to make this dish in advance, I suggest making the dough and store it in the fridge overnight. Then simply fill the dumplings and cook them on the day it is served.

Another piece of advice would be to fully prepare the dumplings and then store them on a floured plate overnight. Make sure you cover the dumplings with cling film.

Can you freeze Plum Dumplings?

You can freeze the plum dumplings before cooking them. You can place them frozen in the simmering water, but up the cooking time by 5 minutes. Then coat the balls with breadcrumbs and serve.

More German Sweet Dishes

• Milchreis (German Rice Pudding)
• Heart Waffles - German Waffles
• Germknödel
• German Apple Pancakes (Apfelpfannkuchen)
• Plum Dumplings (Zwetschgenknödel)
• Semolina Pudding (Grießbrei)

Recipe