These plum dumplings with cottage cheese are a quicker (and healthier) version of the classic potato plum dumplings you’ll find across Eastern Europe. They’re really easy to make, light and fluffy, but pure comfort once you roll them in toasted breadcrumbs. With spelt, all-purpose flour, or semolina, they’re simply delicious!
What’s so good about these plum dumplings
Is your first thought when plums are in season “plum dumplings”? Same, same. It’s usually late summer by then and a lot of our plums go into a batch of plum jam; some get roasted into a cozy plum parfait; plenty more turn into plum strudel; and a few end up in a healthy plum cheesecake.
It doesn’t end here, the rest bake up into a quick buckwheat plum upside-down cake or a clafoutis. But plum dumplings? Those are a must!
And here’s what’s so good about these:
They’re quick. Classic potato dumpling recipes that use mashed potatoes make you cook them, peel them, wait around to cool, mash them and knead them into the dough. These dumplings take fifteen minutes to make, twenty to chill and fifteen to cook. The quickest plum dumplings you’ve ever seen.
They’re super easy. Mix the flour with an egg, a little butter, and cottage cheese. Chill it. Slice it into equal pieces. Roll, form, cook. That’s genuinely it. If you can operate a spoon, you can make these, too.
They’re lighter than the classic version. Two-thirds of this dough is cottage cheese; the rest is spelt, coarse flour, or semolina. So yes, more protein, and fewer “why do I need a nap after dessert” vibes. The tang of the cottage cheese pairs great with sweet plums, even better when sweetened with honey.
They won’t wreck your kitchen. No kneading, no flour-everywhere disaster zone. One bowl, one pot, done. Okay, fine, there’ll be a little flour on the counter. There’s always a little flour on the counter. That’s just how it works.
The ingredients
FRESH PLUMS – You’ll need one plum per dumpling. Sturdier, slightly under-ripe plums pit easier, but the riper ones bring more sweetness. All plum types are ok, from Italian prune plums to wild plums. You can also swap them for other fruits.
FLOUR – We used spelt flour here. Cottage cheese is moist, so you need a flour that soaks up that moisture without turning the dough into soup. Spelt does the job well, and so does coarse flour or semolina. All-purpose flour works too; just add a few more tablespoons since it doesn’t absorb as much.
COTTAGE CHEESE – Lots of it in the dough. It tastes completely different if it’s homemade and organic, but store-bought will do the job as well.
AN EGG – One large egg goes into the dough to keep everything together.
BUTTER – Most of it goes into the dough; the rest is used to toast the breadcrumbs. Go organic if you can swing it. Margarine, though? Don’t even think about it.
BREADCRUMBS – No breadcrumbs on hand? Shred some old, dried bread on the smallest grater setting, and you’re set.
CINNAMON – Optional, but it pairs super well with the plums and cottage cheese dough and makes the whole thing smell great.
HONEY – That’s our sweetener of choice (thanks to our bees, yay!). Sugar works too, if you insist. None of it goes into the dough, though; it’s strictly for drizzling (or sprinkling) over the finished dumplings.
SALT – Just a pinch for the dough.
How to make spelt plum dumplings with cottage cheese
STEP 1: Fill a large pot with water (large enough to fit all the dumplings) and set it over high heat to bring it to a boil while you prep the dough. In a large bowl, big enough to hold the whole batch, add the cottage cheese. If it’s soft with no visible curds, you’re good. If it’s lumpy, blend it first until smooth enough to mix into the dough easily. I used a hand blender.
STEP 2: Add the flour, butter, an egg, and a pinch of salt. No kneading needed here; mix it with a spoon, or a mixer on low speed. I like whisking the egg in first with a fork. Make sure your butter is at room temperature (melted butter works great).
STEP 3: The dough is ready when everything’s fully combined into a uniform ball. No cheese curds should be visible, and it’ll be sticky when you pull it out, but not messy-sticky.
STEP 4: Move the dough to a floured counter and shape it into a log, about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Wrap it in plastic and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Cold dough is much easier to work with. Leave the flour out on the counter for later.
STEP 5: Meanwhile, remove the pits from the plums. Cut only halfway through each plum to pop out the pit. If your plums are very ripe and a bit tricky to cut, don’t stress about it; just leave the pit in. It won’t hurt anything; just give your guests a heads-up before they bite in.
STEP 6: Once chilled, unwrap the dough and slice it into eight equal pieces, about as thick as your thumb. Marking the slices with a shallow cut first makes this easier. Take one slice, flatten it into a thick disc, and place a plum in the center.
STEP 7: Pinch the edges together to seal the dough around the plum, then gently roll it in your hands to form a beautiful round dumpling.
STEP 8: Place the first dumpling on a floured surface, dust with a little more flour, and repeat with the rest.
STEP 9: Gently lower the dumplings into the boiling water, leaving enough room for them to expand a bit. Once the water returns to a boil, lower the heat to keep it at a gentle simmer, below medium heat, and cook for another 15 minutes.
STEP 10: While the dumplings cook, make the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the breadcrumbs, and stir constantly so they don’t burn.
STEP 11: Once done, the dumplings will likely float to the top. Lift them out carefully with a large spoon or slotted spoon, so they stay nice and round, and place them on a plate. Cover with the warm toasted breadcrumbs (rewarm them if they cooled off), drizzle with honey or sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and serve your plum dumplings right away!
Tips for great plum dumplings
Check the moisture in your cottage cheese before you start. Some brands are wetter than others. If it looks watery, drain it in a fine sieve for a few minutes first.
Don’t skip the chill. Twenty minutes in the fridge will make the dough much easier to work with and create the dumplings. Less sticky and easier to handle.
Keep the water at a gentle simmer, below medium heat. A hard boil will knock the dumplings around and cause them to burst, spilling the plum filling into your pot.
Don’t overcrowd the pot. Dumplings need a bit of room to float and expand as they cook. Two batches are better than a pot of squished-together dumplings.
Toast the crumbs slowly. Butter burns fast, and burnt breadcrumbs will ruin the whole plate. Medium-low heat, constant stirring, and patience.
Storage instructions
Fridge: Place your dumplings in a bowl and cover them with a plastic foil. They will keep well for up to two days in the refrigerator.
Freezing: These are perfect for making ahead, and a pretty clever way to stash plums for winter. Make a bigger batch, freeze the raw dumplings on a baking tray first, then transfer them into a freezer bag once solid. When you’re ready to cook, drop them straight from the freezer into boiling water, no thawing needed, and slowly boil for 20 minutes.
You can also freeze the cooked dumplings, as long as they’re sealed in an airtight container.
You still have plums left?
These join a long line of Balkan and Slavic recipes we can’t stop making when plums are in the season:
Loved these plum dumplings? Take a second and leave a star ★ rating. I’d love to hear in the comments how yours turned out! ♥
Recipe
Plum Dumplings With Cottage Cheese
EQUIPMENT
- 1 cooking pot
- 1 frying pan
INGREDIENTS
- 8 plums
- 500 g cottage cheese
- 300 g spelt flour
- 150 g butter
- 1 egg
- 5 g salt
- 70 g breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp honey (or sugar)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese until smooth, blending first if it's lumpy.
- Add 2 ½ cups (300 g) spelt flour, 5 ½ tablespoons (80 g) butter, 1 egg, and a pinch of salt. Mix with a spoon until just combined, no need to knead. Make sure the butter is soft or melted before adding.
- Keep mixing until the dough comes together into a soft, sticky ball with no cheese curds left visible.
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter and shape it into a log, roughly 10 inches (25 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.
- While the dough chills, set a large pot of water on the stove to boil, and halve and pit the plums. Cut only partway through each one, and if a plum is very ripe and hard to cut, just leave the pit in.
- Once chilled, slice the dough into 8 equal pieces, about as thick as your thumb. Flatten each piece into a disc and place a plum in the center.
- Fold the dough around the plum, pinching the edges to seal it completely, then roll gently between your palms to form a smooth, round dumpling.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough and plums, dusting each finished dumpling lightly with flour as you go.
- Lower the dumplings gently into the boiling water, giving them room to expand. Reduce to a gentle simmer, below medium heat, and cook for 15 minutes.
- While the dumplings cook, melt 5 tablespoons (70 g) butter in a skillet and toast ⅔ cup (70 g) breadcrumbs over low heat, stirring often so they don't burn.
- Once the dumplings float to the top, lift them out with a slotted spoon, roll them in the warm breadcrumbs, drizzle with honey and serve right away.