When plum season arrives in late summer, we Czechs make švestkové knedlíky: warm plum dumplings with a whole juicy plum hiding inside each one. Sweet, buttery, and comforting, they are the kind of dish that tastes like childhood. If your family ever called them prune dumplings, you know exactly what I mean.
This recipe has been completely reworked in August 2026. The dumplings are now made with an all-potato dough instead of the original quark and potato version.
What are plum dumplings? Czech plum dumplings are a sweet main dish, not a dessert: whole fresh plums wrapped in soft potato dough, boiled, and served under a generous layer of ground poppy seeds, powdered sugar, and melted butter.
Potato dough is the most common and traditional choice for sweet plum dumplings, and it is the one this recipe uses. The recipe is friendly to any confident home cook, with one step worth watching: the dough must be worked quickly, with dry hands. The potatoes must be completely cold before they go into the dough, so I recommend boiling them a day ahead. The dumplings themselves are about half an hour of hands-on work. A plate of these dumplings is a full lunch in the Czech Republic. After many plum seasons, I know very well where potato dough likes to misbehave, and I will show you how to stay ahead of it.
Jump to
➜ My best tips for perfect plum dumplings
- Boil the potatoes in their skins ahead of time, ideally a day before. Chilled overnight, they firm up, and the dough is much more likely to stay workable instead of turning loose and sticky.
- Work with dry hands, and work fast. Potato dough softens as it sits, and wet hands make it fall apart, so the dumplings will not seal.
- Add a spoonful of potato starch and a pinch of baking powder. The starch binds the dough, and the baking powder lightens all-purpose flour, which is denser than the coarse flour (hrubá mouka) we use for dumplings in the Czech Republic.
"My mother-in-law made this recipe except that she grated some kind of a firm white cheese and spread it over the cooked dumplings, then sprinkled sugar on top, and then drizzled with melted butter. I've never been able to figure out what kind of cheese that was"
Jane Borecky
If your plum basket is still full after the dumplings, turn the rest into Czech plum compote or bake a plum streusel coffee cake. And if fruit dumplings win you over, try the Czech fruit dumplings made with yeast dough next.
➜ Where plum dumplings come from
Fruit-filled dumplings have been on Czech tables for a very long time, in every region and every social class, though not always in the same form. The oldest versions were made with plain flour dough. During the 19th century, potato dough took over in the poorer countryside regions: potatoes were cheap and always at hand, and they made a wonderfully tender wrapper for fruit. Sweetened ground poppy seeds were the everyday topping, while grated tvaroh (Czech quark cheese) with sugar was the fancier choice of wealthier households.
Different regions even had their own names for these dumplings. In the foothills of the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše) in northeastern Bohemia, small potato dumplings filled with plums were called kantoráky; in Moravian Slovácko you would hear gule; and around Těšín and Opava in Silesia they made halečky with plums.
Cookbook writers caught up only later: the first published recipe for dumplings filled with fresh plums appeared in the 1860s, in a cookbook by Františka Hansgirgová, and no Czech cookbook has left them out since. And Czechs are far from alone: in Slovakia the dumplings are called slivkové gule, Austrians make their Zwetschgenknödel, Hungarians szilvás gombóc, and Poles fill their knedle with plums.
In my family, the best trick came from my grandmother: when the plums were too sour, she would tuck a sugar cube into each dumpling in place of the pit.
Try this Czech plum cake with yeast dough too!
Czech pronunciation
Would you like to say it like a Czech? The dish is called švestkové knedlíky, pronounced roughly SHVEST-koh-veh KNED-lee-kee. I recorded a short clip for you, click and listen.
➜ Ingredients
✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.
For potato dough:
- Potatoes, all-purpose (Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes) or starchy (Russets). Skip waxy salad potatoes such as red potatoes or fingerlings; they stay firm and refuse to turn into a smooth dough.
- All-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK). Czech cooks reach for coarse flour when making boiled dumplings, but this recipe is written for all-purpose, with a pinch of baking powder making up the difference.
- Potato starch, a small spoonful that helps the dough hold together, especially with lower-starch potatoes. If you cannot find potato starch, the same amount of cornstarch will do the job here.
- Baking powder, just a pinch to lighten the dough.
- Egg, binds the dough.
- Italian plums, also sold as prune plums: the small, oval, blue-purple European plums. They are freestone, so the pit pops out cleanly, and they hold their shape when cooked; look for them in US stores from late August through September, and pick fruit that is ripe but still firm. In Britain and Ireland, damsons work beautifully too.
For poppy seed topping:
- Poppy seeds, the classic Czech topping. Grind them fresh, in small batches and with just a few short pulses, so they do not turn into an oily paste.
- Powdered sugar (icing sugar), for the sweet layer over the poppy seeds.
- Unsalted butter, melted and poured generously over the finished dumplings.
Equipment
- Fine grater or potato ricer (affiliate link), either gives the boiled potatoes the fine, even texture the dough needs.
- Spice or coffee grinder (affiliate link), for the poppy seeds; a classic hand-crank poppy seed mill works just as well.
- Slotted spoon (affiliate link), for lifting the dumplings out of the simmering water.
➜ How to make plum dumplings
STEP 1: Boil the potatoes ahead of time. Choose potatoes of a similar size so they cook evenly, and boil them in their skins until tender. Let them cool completely before you make the dough; boiling them a day ahead works best.
STEP 2: Prepare the plums. Wash the plums, cut them in half, remove the pits, and pat them dry. Dry fruit keeps the dough from turning wet and sticky.
STEP 3: Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt it lightly, less than you would for pasta. The shaped dumplings should go straight into the water, so have it ready before you start the dough.
STEP 4: Make the dough. Peel the cold potatoes and grate them finely, or press them through a potato ricer. Add the egg. Mix the flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then add the mixture to the potatoes. Working quickly and with dry hands, bring everything together into a smooth dough.
STEP 5: Shape the dumplings. Dust the work surface with flour, roll the dough into a log, and cut it into equal pieces, each just big enough to wrap around one plum. Flatten each piece into a small disc. Put the two halves of a plum back together, as if the plum were whole, so the dumpling turns out round, and set it in the middle of the disc. Close the dough around the fruit, seal it well, and roll it between your palms. The dough softens as it sits, so dust with a little more flour as you go.
STEP 6: Cook the dumplings. Lower them into gently bubbling water in batches - a rolling boil would tear them apart. Right after they go in, stir gently along the bottom with a flat wooden spoon; the starchy dough likes to stick where it lands. The dumplings are usually done in 8 to 12 minutes, depending on size. After a few minutes they float to the surface, which is normal.
STEP 7: Check one dumpling. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and cut it open. Check the dough along the plum. It should be cooked through, with no raw, gummy streak next to the fruit; if there is one, let the rest cook for another minute or two. The tester is the cook's treat!
STEP 8: Serve right away. Move the dumplings to plates, sprinkle them with ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar, and pour melted butter over the top. Do not be shy, the topping is half the joy.
➜ Variations
- A different dough. We Czechs make fruit dumplings mostly with three doughs: potato, yeast, and quark. Try the yeast dough with cherry dumplings (třešňové knedlíky), or the quark dough, which is perfect for strawberry dumplings (jahodové knedlíky).
- A savory cousin. This potato dough is not only for sweet dishes: Czechs also love it filled with smoked meat and served with sauerkraut. Try the stuffed potato dumplings (knedlíky plněné uzeným).
- Tvaroh topping, the one from Jane's comment up above: firm grated tvaroh with powdered sugar and melted butter. If you cannot buy it, make your own tvaroh at home; drained overnight, it crumbles easily.
- Toasted breadcrumb topping. Breadcrumbs toasted in butter with sugar, plus a pinch of cinnamon if you like.
- Other fruit. Potato dough works just as well with apricots, or with pieces of apple, which come into season together with the potatoes.
➜ Serving suggestions
Serve the dumplings hot, straight from the pot, with plenty of the sweetened poppy seed topping and a fair drizzle of melted butter before they go to the table.
As a main course, count on about three large dumplings per person, with roughly two tablespoons of the poppy and sugar mixture and two of melted butter each; anyone who likes it sweeter and richer can simply add more. For a dessert-sized taste, one dumpling is plenty.
Plum dumplings belong to a whole family of Czech sweet lunches, sladké obědy, a tradition that surprises many visitors. For another sweet lunch, try apple bread pudding (žemlovka) or baked rice pudding with plums (rýžový nákyp). Dobrou chuť!
➜ How to store plum dumplings
- Fridge: Let leftover dumplings cool, put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. They keep for about 3 days.
- Freezer: These dumplings freeze very well. Freeze them cold and without the topping: spread them on a tray, freeze for about an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. Frozen this way, they do not stick together, so you can take out exactly as many as you need.
- Reheat: Steam them, or let them warm through briefly in barely bubbling water.
➜ FAQ
Use the whole plum, pit and all, and warn everyone at the table before serving.
The water was probably boiling too hard, or the dumpling was not sealed well. Keep the water at a gentle bubble and seal the dumplings tightly before rolling.
Yes, and for beginners steaming is often the safer choice. Brush the steamer basket with oil, arrange the dumplings in a single layer, cover, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size.
Mix one part fine semolina with two parts all-purpose flour, or use Wondra. Plain all-purpose works too; this recipe offsets it with a pinch of baking powder.
Yes, and do not thaw them first. Work fast so the fruit stays firm; once it softens, it releases juice and the wet dough tears as you seal it.
Yes, very well. Cool them completely, skip the topping, and freeze them on a tray before moving them to a bag.
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Potato Plum Dumplings (Švestkové knedlíky)
Tap or hover to scale
This recipe was developed in grams. For the most accurate results, tap the purple METRIC toggle and use a kitchen scale.
Ingredients
For the dumplings:
- 2 pounds potatoes all-purpose (Yukon Gold) or starchy (Russet)
- 16 pieces large Italian plums washed, halved, pitted, and patted dry; smaller plums = more dumplings
- salt, for the cooking water lightly, less than for pasta
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 1 Tablespoon potato starch
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 1 cup ground poppy seeds freshly ground
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Boil 2 pounds potatoes in their skins until tender, ideally a day ahead. Let them cool completely before making the dough.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Peel the cold potatoes and grate them finely, or press them through a potato ricer. Add 1 egg.
- Mix 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon potato starch, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl. Add the mixture to the potatoes and work quickly, with dry hands, into a smooth dough.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a log and cut it into equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc, put the two halves of a plum back together in the middle, close the dough around the fruit, seal it, and roll the dumpling between your palms.
- Lower the dumplings into the water in batches and cook for 8-12 minutes, depending on size. Keep the water at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil.
- Lift one dumpling out, cut it open, and check that the dough next to the plum is cooked through.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar and drizzled with melted butter.
Notes
- Cold potatoes: the potatoes must be completely cold before you make the dough, or it turns loose and sticky; boiling them a day ahead works best.
- Dry hands: work fast and keep your hands dry; wet hands make the dough fall apart.
- Sour plums: tuck a sugar cube into the dumpling in place of the pit.
- Store: fridge up to 3 days; freeze without the topping, first on a tray, then in a bag.
- Serving suggestion: As a main course, count on about three large dumplings per person, with roughly two tablespoons of the poppy and sugar mixture and two of melted butter each; anyone who likes it sweeter and richer can simply add more. For a dessert-sized taste, one dumpling is plenty.
Jane Borecky says
My mother-in-law made this recipe except that she grated some kind of a firm white cheese and spread it over the cooked dumplings, then sprinkled sugar on top, and then drizzled with melted butter. I’ve never been able to figure out what kind of cheese that was.
Petra Kupská says
Jane, it must have been Czech Tvaroh cheese! You could find my recipe here: https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/how-to-make-tvaroh/ To get a firm version of the cheese, let it drain overnight in a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Fingers crossed!
Frank Miller says
My mother used to make these, but they were served with melted butter, buttered fried bread crumbs, and cinnamon sugar on top, and swimming in cream.
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
It is another version, that can be done. Personally I prefer poppy seeds, but I have no doubt that bread crumbs and cinnamon on top would be delicious.
Debra Nelson says
We are Croatian and we, too, used bread crumbs. However, we added sugar and cinnamon to the buttered crumbs which we heated in a fry pan. My tastes of heaven on earth!!!
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
It’s amazing how similar ingredients can create so many unique and tasty recipes across cultures!
Traci says
It's been 40 plus years since my last plum dumpling and these were pretty close. I overcooked the first batch. Thank you for the great memories!
Thomas Smejkal says
This brings back so many happy memories growing up when I saw this recipe this morning.
My mother used to make these every year when the plums were in season for a meatless Friday treat. She paired them with corn on the cob to get a perfect sweet and salty contrast.
One of her best Czech dishes.
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
It’s wonderful how these traditional recipes bring back such special moments from childhood. You’re right, a perfect sweet and salty combo!
It’s beautiful to hear how these dishes continue to be cherished across generations, even when separated by borders.
Peggy Kremer says
I just saw the plums in the grocery store yesterday, and my thoughts turned to these! Maybe the Slovak recipe is slightly different, because my Mom never used cheese in her dough. She also didn't grate the potato, but mashed it (without milk or butter). She didn't cut the plums, just used them whole - by counting the pits, we'd know who ate the most! After they had all risen to the top, she'd drain them, and then use the same pot to melt butter and add some sugar and either ground poppy seeds or unseasoned bread crumbs. When that was all combined, the dumplings would be returned to the pot, and they'd get coated with the mixture. I love them and will make them very soon!
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
Thank you so much for sharing! You had a fun family-friendly competition then. 🙂 I love hearing how every family has their own version of these traditional dishes. Your mom’s method sounds delicious, especially coating the dumplings in butter with sugar and either poppy seeds or breadcrumbs, so simple and so comforting.
I hope you get to make them soon and enjoy every bite.
Deborah says
We also used the same dough like your Slovak version and I continue using our family recipe. We didn’t use poppy seeds, we topped them up at the table with graham cracker crumbs,butter, cottage cheese and sugar. I stock up on prune plums in season, freeze them pitted and make my dumplings without thawing the plums first. I will have to try them with poppy seeds, they sound wonderful!
Alex Shupka says
Must have been a Slovak thing. We did the same. I could eat a dozen. Never realized how much work my appetite created until I made them myself. And she made them without a Kitchenaid. Sadly the plums are available for such a short window. And leftover dough was made into nochki with fried onions. Yum!
Bobbie says
My dad made us peach dumplings. It was a Lenten season meal. This recipe brought back memories of those peachy dumplings.!!
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
I am so glad this recipe brought those lovely memories back for you!
Mary Clare Bataglia says
My grandmother and great-aunt brought a plum dumpling recipe with them to the US in 1909. We had several plum trees in the yard and I still remember eating plums off the tree, warmed by the sun. Plum dumplings are a family favorite still made 3 generations later. Our recipe is different in that we don't use potatoes or cream cheese in the dough, but use mashed cottage cheese and a little milk or cream instead. We always top our dumplings with sugar, cinnamon, and lots of melted butter.
Mo Ronan says
I make these every week during plum season. Baba’s recipe didn’t have cheese in the dough, the plums were left whole and the topping was sugar and heavy cream. I drive 90 minutes to the orchard to find fresh Italian plums here in VT. I find it so interesting that the recipes I find here are so like my grandmother’s with a little tweak here and there and sometimes a different name but always delicious. Thank you for helping me recover some recipes I thought were lost to me forever!
Larry D says
Growing up my g paternal grandma and my mom made these. Difference there was no cheese in the dough and while we used whole plumbing, to track our appetite, we topped them with the butter and sugar, but used cottage cheese. Problem today is where I now live, for some reason, Italian prune plums are totally unavailable. But if they are found I'll usually buy some and make a batch. Love ❤️ them so much that I usually eat WAY TOO many.
Petra Kupská says
What a lovely memory. Italian prune plums can be so hard to find, so grab them whenever you can, and eating WAY TOO many is the surest sign of a good batch! Thank you for sharing your family's version.
D. Crouch says
This was so good and so easy to make! I had been wanting to try this recipe ever since I found this blog, and I'm so glad that I finally did! I can't wait to share them! Thank you!
Petra Kupská says
Happy to hear that! These plum dumplings made with potato dough are one of our family favorites. Thank you for giving the recipe a try, and I hope everyone you share them with enjoys them too!
Andrea says
Another memory for me, thank you! Mom served them with the buttered bread crumbs and dry cottage cheese, sprinkled with sugar. That was probably her substitution for the traditional cheese you mentioned earlier. I can’t find dry cottage cheese anymore either.
Petra Kupská says
That actually sounds delicious ❤️ I think a lot of families adapted recipes based on what they could find, and those versions became special in their own way.'
Cottage cheese is not a bad substitution at all. The flavour is very close.
Elaine Janik Donoghue says
I visited my cousins in Morava last month and helped make the dumplings. While the strawberry dumplings with the tvaroh were very tasty, I've always loved the plum with the poppy seed topping. I'll be making them this summer.
Petra Kupská says
That sounds like an amazing experience to have with your cousins. I am jealous of you the dumplings must have been delicious.
Good luck with the dumplings when you eventually return home.