Fluffy Homemade Dumplings

These Homemade Fluffy Dumplings are the perfect comfort food recipe to elevate your soup or stew game. They couldn’t be easier to make. Simply combine flour, baking powder and kosher salt, then add some milk and melted butter. They steam/boil in your favorite stew or soup and turn out light, airy, and fluffy. They can also be called Drop Dumplings because you drop them into the soup.

In this post, we’ll guide you through the process, sharing tips and tricks along the way to ensure your dumplings turn out perfectly fluffy.

If you also need a stew or soup recipe to go along with your dumplings, check out this Chicken Stew Recipe, Red Wine Beef Stew, or replace the noodles with dumplings in this Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe or Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe.

Dumplings Around The World

Dumplings, in their various forms, are enjoyed by cultures around the world. From Chinese potstickers and steamed dumplings to Italian ravioli, and from Indian samosas to Polish pierogi you can find different types of “dumplings” just about everywhere.

Here we are talking about fluffy bread-like dumplings that are dropped into soup or stew and steamed/boiled.

Ingredients

To create these delightful fluffy dumplings, you just need a very basic set of ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour: When measuring flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off for accuracy.
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder: make sure your baking powder is fresh to ensures your dumplings are fluffy.
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt: enhances the flavor of the dumplings. Make sure you are using kosher salt and not iodized table salt.
• ¾ cup milk: we prefer to use whole milk or 2% for a richer dumpling.
• 4 Tablespoons butter: melted and added to the dough gives these dumplings a richer flavor.

You obviously will also want a big pot of soup or stew to drop your dumplings into!

Tools

There are a few tools that can help make your dumplings.

A fine mesh sieve is great to help sift the dry ingredients together. It doesn’t need to be a big one. We like this three pack of sieves from Cuisinart.

A “cookie scoop” can also make really quick work of scooping and dropping the dumplings into your simmering soup. This is a great multipack of scoops from Amazon.

Step by Step How To Make The Recipe

1. Combine Dry Ingredients

With a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.



2. Add Wet Ingredients

Add the melted butter and milk to the dry mixture, stirring as you pour. Take care not to overmix; a few lumps are perfectly fine.





3. Drop in Soup

Bring your soup or stew to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Ensure it’s hot and ready for your dumplings.

Using two large spoons or a cookie scoop, portion the dough and gently drop it onto the surface of the simmering soup or stew. Do not stir, it is ok if you have to drop some dumplings on top of the others in the pot.

These are “drop dumplings,” and they will expand as they cook.



4. Simmer in Soup

Cover the pot and allow the dumplings to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until they have puffed up and are cooked through.

You can test their readiness by inserting a toothpick; it should come out clean when the dumplings are done.

Soup and Stew Recipes for Dumplings

If you have a family soup recipe that just needs some amazing dumplings, definitely use that. But if you are in search of a soup or stew to have with you dumplings, give any of these a try.

If the recipe linked below already calls for noodles or potatoes, just sub the dumplings.

1. Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
3. Kid Friendly Chicken Soup
4. Beef Stew with Red Wine
5. Instant Pot Chicken Stock
6. Homemade Chicken Stock

Recipe Tips To Remember

• Sift your dry ingredients to make sure it mixes thoroughly with the milk and butter.
• Do not overmix the dumpling dough. It is ok if it is a little lumpy.
• Resist the temptation to stir the dumplings once they’re in the pot. Let them steam and cook undisturbed to achieve that perfect fluffy texture.
• Ensure your soup or stew is at a simmer, not a rolling boil, to avoid breaking up the dumplings.
• If you prefer larger dumplings, use a larger spoon to drop the dough into the simmering liquid. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

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