How to Make Dumplings for Soup

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Few things are as comforting as a bowl of soup with dumplings. Fortunately, it's easy to mix dumplings to add your favorite soup or stew. Decide if you'd like to make simple flour dumplings or rich dumplings that include eggs. For dumplings with a little texture and herbed flavor, try cornmeal dumplings that have tarragon and parsley in the batter. Simply drop spoonfuls of any of these batters onto your hot soup or stew and simmer them until they're dry.

Ingredients

Quick Flour Dumplings^{[1]
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Research source}

2 cups (240 g) of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (8.5 g) of salt
1 tablespoon (12 g) of baking powder
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vegetable oil
1 cup (240 ml) of warm water
Soup or stew of your choice, hot

Yields 20 dumplings

Rich Egg Dumplings^{[2]
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Research source}

¼ cup (56 g) of butter, melted
1 cup (120 g) of all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt
Soup or stew of your choice, hot

Yields 24 dumplings

Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings^{[3]
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Research source}

1/2 cup (60 g) of coarse yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup (60 g) of flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of salt
2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of buttermilk
2 tablespoons (7.5 g) of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon (4 g) of chopped fresh tarragon
Soup or stew of your choice, hot

Yields 12 large dumplings

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Quick Flour Dumplings

1
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder. Put 2 cups (240 g) of flour into a bowl along with 1 1/2 teaspoons (8.5 g) of salt and 1 tablespoon (12 g) of baking powder. Whisk the dry ingredients until they're combined.
- If you don't have a whisk, you can use a fork.
2
Stir in the vegetable oil and water. Pour 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vegetable oil and 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water into the dry ingredients. Use a spoon to mix the batter until it's smooth.
- If the batter is still dry, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water at a time until the batter is smooth.
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3
Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto your hot soup or stew. You should have a pot of soup or stew simmering on the stove. Take a spoon and scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the batter. Drop the spoonful of batter directly onto the hot soup or stew.
- You should get about 20 small dumplings.
- Try to leave at least 1/2 in (1.3 cm) of space in between each dumpling.
4
Cover and simmer the dumplings for about 5 minutes. Put the lid on your soup or stew and leave the dumplings to cook. Covering the pot will help the dumplings steam a little.
5
Check the dumplings and serve them. Remove the lid and insert a knife or toothpick into the center of a dumpling. It should come out clean without any of the batter sticking to the knife or toothpick. Turn off the burner and serve the soup or stew with the dumplings.
- If the knife or toothpick has batter on it, cover and cook the dumplings for another 2 minutes before you check them again.
- Refrigerate the leftover dumplings in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cooking Rich Egg Dumplings

1
Bring a pot of water to boil. Fill a 5 to 6 quart (4.7 to 5.6 liter) pot about 3/4 full of water. Put the lid on the pot and turn the burner to high heat. The water should begin to boil and you'll see steam escaping from under the lid.
2
Put the melted butter, flour, eggs, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour ¼ cup (56 g) of melted butter into the mixing bowl and add 1 cup (120 g) of all-purpose flour, 3 large eggs, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can put the ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to beat the batter by hand.
3
Mix the dumpling batter for 8 to 10 minutes on low speed. Turn the stand mixer to low (around a 2) and beat the batter until it's completely combined.
- If you're beating the batter by hand, mix it vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes.
4
Stir a little salt into the boiling water and drop in spoonfuls of the batter. Add a generous pinch of salt to the pot of boiling water just before you're ready to add the dumplings. Then scoop about 2 teaspoons (9.9 ml) of batter directly into the boiling water. Continue to drop in the remaining batter until you've made about 2 dozen dumplings.
- If you add the salt before the water boils, it can cause pitting in your pan.
5
Cook the egg dumplings for 5 to 6 minutes. The dumplings will fall to the bottom of the pot when you add them, but they should soon float to the top of the water. Once they're floating, set a timer for 5 minutes and let the dumplings simmer during this time.
- You may need to adjust the burner temperature to prevent the water from boiling too vigorously.
6
Transfer the dumplings to your soup and simmer them for 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and use a slotted spoon to lift the dumplings out of the water. Put them in the pot with your hot soup or stew and let them simmer uncovered for 5 minutes so the dumplings are completely cooked throughout.
- The dumplings will finish cooking as they absorb the flavors of the soup or stew.
- Put leftover dumplings in the refrigerator and store them for up to 3 days.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

1
Whisk the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and salt. Put 1/2 cup (60 g) of coarse yellow cornmeal into a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup (60 g) of flour, 1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking powder 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of salt. Whisk the dry ingredients until they're combined.
2
Cut 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers to mix the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- If you prefer, you could combine the dumplings in a food processor. Just pulse the ingredients until they come together.
3
Stir in buttermilk, parsley, and tarragon. Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of buttermilk into the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons (7.5 g) of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and 1 tablespoon (4 g) of chopped fresh tarragon. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are moist.
- If you stir too long, the dumplings will be tough.
4
Spoon the cornmeal dumplings onto hot soup or stew. Scoop 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of batter directly onto simmering soup or stew.
- Leave about 1/2 in to 1 in (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of space between the dumplings.
5
Simmer the covered dumplings for 15 to 20 minutes. Bring the soup back to a gentle bubble and put the lid on the pot. Cook the dumplings until they're dry and cooked throughout. Then serve the dumplings in your soup.
- Store leftover dumplings in the soup for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.