These hearty Polish potato dumplings (kopytka) come with a super easy to make and healthy mushroom sauce. It’s a simple and delicious vegetarian meal idea.
These traditional Polish potato dumplings are simple and quick to make, use cheap ingredients and make great healthy comfort food. So it’s no wonder they are one of the best loved and most popular dishes in Polish cuisine.
They are a bit like Italian gnocchi, which are also potatoes but, unlike ‘kopytka’, often use egg yolks. Some of the traditional ‘kopytka’ recipes do call for eggs but I don’t think they are needed so I made mine vegan.
How to make Polish potato dumplings
These Polish potato dumplings are very easy to make and there is not much kneading involved. They essentially require only 2 ingredients – potato and flour!
Before you make the kopytka fill a large pot with water, add salt, a bit of oil and bring to boil. When the water starts boiling your kopytka will be ready to go in the pot.
To make the dumplings gradually add the flour into the mashed potato, mixing it in with the back of a spoon. Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a more few seconds. You might have to add a bit more flour (but don’t add too much) if the mixture is still a little moist.
Divide the dough into 3 parts and roll each into a long sausage shape. Cut into 1 cm thick pieces (straight or at an angle).
When the water starts to boil put the dumplings into the pot, one by one, and gently stir to prevent them sticking to the pot and each other. They are ready when they come up to the top. Turn off the heat and lift the dumplings out using a slotted spoon.
When they come out of the pot they are light and soft so it’s best to serve them straight away. You can reheat any leftovers in a microwave or fry in a little butter or oil to enjoy the next day too!
Love dumplings? Check out this quick and easy Leek and Potato Dumpling Stew.
Easy mushroom sauce
I made a healthy vegetarian mushroom sauce to go with this easy potato dumpling recipe, though you could enjoy the kopytka with any vegetable or meat sauce. Or simply serve them with some butter or olive oil and fresh herbs.
The mushroom sauce will take you under 10 minutes to make! Simply fry the mushrooms for a few minutes, then add the flour, yogurt, water and cook for a couple of more minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle with freshly chopped chives and serve!
You might also like this easy low fat mushroom pasta sauce recipe!
If you decide to make Polish kopytka dumplings I’d love to know how they turned out for you. Questions or comments? Let me know.
More easy potato dumpling recipes
If you love dumplings you may also like these easy Potato Dumplings with Polenta. Check out also these gorgeous Potato Beetroot Dumplings. You might also enjoy my Leek and Potato Dumpling Stew, which is super quick and easy vegetarian meal idea.
Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.
Polish Potato Kopytka Dumplings with Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- For the dumplings:
- 500 g potatoes peeled
- 80-90 g flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the mushroom sauce:
- 300 g mushrooms finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons thick yogurt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Chives for garnish
Instructions
- Boil and mash the potatoes (drain the water off really well). Leave to cool.
- In the meantime prepare the sauce. In a large frying pan heat up the oil and add the mushrooms. Season and cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes stirring often. Add the flour and stir thoroughly. Lower the heat, add the yogurt and water and continue cooking for a couple of minutes stirring often. Remove from the heat and leave in the pan. Set aside.
- Fill a large pot with water, add some salt and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, cover and bring to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil make the dumplings. In a large bowl gradually add the flour to the mash using a fork or large spoon to combine the ingredients. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for another minute (you might have to add a bit more flour if the potato mixture still has some moisture in it). Divide into 3 parts. Roll each part into a long sausage shape and cut into 1 cm pieces (straight or at an angle).
- When the water starts to boil carefully (but quickly) put the dumplings in the pot one by one, stirring gently to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. The dumplings are ready when they all come up to the top. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and tip straight into the sauce (if it's too thick by now add a bit of water), heat up a little, garnish with fresh chives, drizzle with a little oil and serve immediately.
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Recipe Link Parties
I am sharing my kopytka dumplings recipe with Fiesta Friday and Meat Free Mondays.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
I just saw these on Kirsty’s #CookBlogShare linkup, and they look fantastic!
I too love, gnocchi (or njoki, as they are called here in Croatia).
In Italy, gnocchi (which simply means, ‘lumps’!) aren’t always made with eggs – it really depends on the region, family tradition, and individual taste.
I’ve never made mine with eggs, and plenty of other Venetians don’t, either (although there are plenty who do!). There are loads of different ways to make them… but you make yours the same as I make mine. Yay!
Have you ever added spinach to the dough? It works really well. 🙂
Your mushroom sauce looks amazing – it’s going to have to happen in my kitchen very soon!
Thank you! How interesting, and what a small world we are living in, I knew these dumplings were popular in Eastern Europe but to hear that someone living in Croatia makes the same recipe as I do is quite amazing! I suppose people further afield make similar dumpling recipes too. No, I’never tried to add spinach to them but it sounds very appealing! Thanks for visiting my blog!
We do indeed live in a small world, Monika; I used to live in Britain but now live a nomadic existence, changing countries three times a year.
I’ve never been to Poland but I have it on good authority that some of the larger towns and cities are great for vegans now. My son worked in Warsaw for a while, 13 or 14 years ago, and had great trouble finding veggie food. Seems like things have changed though.
Do try the spinach, it’s fab! 🙂
I lived in Warsaw 13 or 14 years ago too and can confirm that veggie food wasn’t hugely popular then, I am going to visit there in a couple of weeks, I am excited to see how things have changed. I’ve not been back for a while. I will try the spinach:)
These look so delicious! Wish I had a bowl right now!! Thanks for bringing them to Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Thank you! Glad I discovered Fiesta Friday:)
Oooh the dumplings look and sound so good, they remind me of gnocchi. I really want to have a go at making them! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thank you! Yes they are a bit like gnocchi, but I made them without any eggs. Only flour and potatoes! Simple:)
Your potato dumplings looks great and sounds nice and light whilst still having that comfort food feeling, no wonder it is a favourite national dish! 🙂
Thank you! It is probably one of my favourite comfort dishes too, I couldn’t stop eating it all day yesterday! Not great for my waist…
Some things are just so delicious they have to be eaten! 🙂
We love gnocchi in our house, and these are obviously very similar. The mushroom sauce sounds great too.
Thanks! Yes, they are similar. The great thing about this type of food is that it is so versatile, perfect with literally any sauce. And the fact that it’s so moreish too…
Love the sound of these – what other veggie combinations would you serve with these? We’re not very keen on mushrooms! Thanks for adding to #CookBlogShare
Thanks Mandy! These would go with just about any sauce or steemed/boiled vegetables. People often fry them (having boiled them first) and they are nice like that too. You could even oven bake them in a sauce, just like you would gnocchi. Hope you like them if you do make them:)
They look lovely! I lived in Poland for a while and I used to love these dumplings, especially fried, but I’ve never made them myself. I’d love to have a go and bring back some memories!
Do let me know how they turned out if you make them. If you lived in Poland about 10 years ago and had a child at the British School in Warsaw (how likely is that?) maybe we knew each other?
This sounds like such a lovely recipe, and it looks so good too!!
Thank you! These dumplings are so moreish, I’ve been nibbling at them all day today!