Name: Austrian Topfen Dumplings (Topfenknödel)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 9 ounces (250 g) topfen 20% fat (quark or curd cheese); 1 egg yolk; 1 whole egg; 2 tablespoons (25 g) melted butter; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ½-1 tablespoon dark rum; Grated zest of half an organic lemon (optional); Pinch salt; 100 g dry bread crumbs; 2 ½ tablespoons (30 g) butter; 4 ½ ounces (130 g) dry bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; powdered sugar; plum sauce (recipe here) or other fruit sauce like strawberry sauce (recipe here)

Homemade Topfen (quark or curd cheese) Dumplings are a staple of the Austrian diet and these dumplings are one of the dishes I make on a regular basis for our family.

Topfen is an Austrian curd cheese that has a similar flavor to cream cheese. It is also known as quark or farmer’s cheese. I adore topfen as you can see by the many topfen recipes I already have on the blog. 😉

I usually serve Topfen Dumplings a main dish of vegetable soup. They are a delicious, satisfying, protein-packed vegetarian dish. They make a great low-sugar dessert as well.

Most of my recipes are quick and easy to make and these dumplings are no exception. This recipe makes enough for 4 servings but I always make a double recipe to ensure we have enough leftovers and then I use 3 whole eggs (instead of 2 yolks and 2 whole eggs) to reduce waste.

I hope you enjoy these classic Austrian dumplings as much as we do!

5 from 2 votes

Austrian Topfen Dumplings (Topfenknödel)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 8 dumplings

Calories 254 kcal

Ingredients

Topfen Dumplings

9 ounces (250 g) topfen 20% fat (quark or curd cheese)
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
2 tablespoons (25 g) melted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½-1 tablespoon dark rum
Grated zest of half an organic lemon optional
Pinch salt
100 g dry bread crumbs

Crumb Coating

2 ½ tablespoons (30 g) butter
4 ½ ounces (130 g) dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To serve

powdered sugar
plum sauce (recipe here) or other fruit sauce like strawberry sauce (recipe here)

Instructions

For the dumplings: Using a wooden spoon, stir together all ingredients except the bread crumbs in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the bread crumbs. With wet hands, shape small dumplings (about 1 ⅔ inches or 4 cm in diameter) and place them on a dinner plate.
In a large, wide pot, bring salted water to a boil. Reduce heat and lay the dumplings into the simmering water. To prevent splashing hot water on your hands, place dumplings on a slotted spoon and lower them into the water. Simmer dumplings uncovered for 10 minutes. Lightly nudge the dumplings with the spoon to unstick them from the bottom of the pot. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and roll them in the toasted crumbs to coat.
For the crumb coating: Melt the butter in a large frying pan and slowly toast the breadcrumbs, stirring often and watching closely to prevent them from burning. Remove from heat and stir in the granulated sugar.