Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (2024)

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Kreplach are tender dumplings plump with meat or vegetable fillings. They are served either in broth or fried with applesauce or sour cream (for the vegetarian versions!) for dipping. This recipe is for meat kreplach made with ground beef.

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (1)

They’re the best kind of Jewish grandmother food.

Kreplach are a favorite food for the Jewish holiday Purim and are also eaten on Erev Yom Kippur. But they make a great comforting meal any time of year.

They’ve been called Jewish pierogis, Jewish ravioli, or Jewish wontons. And like those other delicious recipes, they are made by wrapping a savory filling in dough and boiling or frying the packets.

Of course, making the dough for a kreplach recipe is always the hardest part. The trick is making it tender and also rolling it very thin. A bit of sour cream in the dough can make it super tender, though is forbidden if you’re filling them with meat.

A pasta maker can help you roll the dough super thin—if you happen to have one (I don’t!). Or maybe you are blessed with endless patience for rolling dough (I am not!)

So what is a person to do?

Well, I’ll tell you what I did. After spending an entire frustrating day (and a whole lot of flour and eggs) trying to perfect the dough, I gave up.

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (2)

I decided to make my kreplach with wonton wrappers. Is my Jewish grandmother rolling over yet? Probably.

Yes, it’s cheating, but who has time these days to slave over homemade dough when you can pick up a packet of perfect wrappers at the supermarket for $2? I am all for taking the easy route if it means that I get to eat a delicious meal of dumplings without breaking a sweat.

What ingredients do you need to make kreplach?

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (3)

I love that this Kreplach recipe requires so few ingredients.

  • Wonton skins
  • Olive oil (or schmaltz)
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Ground beef
  • Paprika
  • Salt & pepper
Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (4)

How do you make them?

If you’re making your own dough, you’ll want to start by mixing up the dough ingredients and then letting the dough rest for a while.

If you’re taking my easy way out, using wonton skins in place of dough made from scratch, you can start right in on making the filling.

  1. Heat olive oil in a skillet.
  2. Add the onions and sauté until softened.
  3. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper and sauté until the meat is browned.
  4. Drain off excess fat and then let the filling cool for several minutes.
  5. Arrange wonton skins on a work surface.
  6. Dollop about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on each wonton skin (place it towards one of the corners).
  7. Moisten the 2 edges of the wonton skin adjacent to the filling and then fold the wrapper over to form a triangle encasing the filling. Press the sides together to seal them well.
  8. Heat a pot of lightly salted water to a low boil. Add the kreplach and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the wrapper is tender. Drain.
  9. Serve the kreplach in chicken soup garnished with fresh dill or on their own.
Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (5)

How do you serve kreplach?

I like to serve kreplach in a simple chicken soup made with sliced carrots. I garnish it with chopped fresh dill to add both color and that fresh herb flavor.

You can also serve boiled kreplach on their own.

Or you can fry them and serve them with applesauce for dipping. Vegetarian kreplach can be served with sour cream, too!

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (6)

What can you fill them with?

I often fill my kreplach with the ground beef mixture in this recipe. You can also use ground or minced chicken or turkey in place of the beef. If you have leftover brisket, you can dice it up and use that for a delicious twist.

To make vegetarian kreplach, I use a mushroom filling, made by sautéing mushrooms with onions, garlic, fresh herbs, and a bit of cream or sour cream.

What is Purim?

Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrating the time the Jews overthrew an evil plot to have them exterminated. It’s a heavy story, but the holiday calls for a joyful celebration full of pranks and merriment.

For my quick breakdown of the holiday, check out my post on Hamentashen, the triangle-shaped cookies that are popular on Purim.

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (7)

Why do we eat kreplach on Purim?

You’ll find lots more information about why we eat triangular foods on Purim in my Hamentashen post (linked above), but here’s the short answer.

Triangular foods are eaten on Purim because they represent either the evil Haman’s hat or his ears. Haman was the guy who plotted to kill the Jews but was foiled. Triangular foods are a symbol of spite for Haman.

This kreplach recipe is a perfect example of a food that can be made into triangles for Purim. You can also use round potsticker wrappers and fold them over like crescents.

Beef-Filled Borekas or Pastelicos are another great Purim recipe. They use puff pastry dough (homemade or store-bought) to enclose a savory beef-and-onion filling in flaky, golden brown triangles.

More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love

  • Honey Cake
  • Honey Cookies
  • Lemon Coconut Macaroons
  • Jewish Beef Brisket
  • Meat-Filled Borekas or Pastelicos
  • Passover Orange Sponge Cake
  • Passover Potato, Tomato, and Olive Stew
  • Hamentashen
  • Kreplach with Beef Filling
  • Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
  • Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
  • Classic Chopped Liver
  • Vegetarian Chopped Liver
  • Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!

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Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (8)

Beef Kreplach

Robin Donovan

Kreplach are tender dumplings plump filled with a savory filling of ground beef and onions. They are super easy to make because they use wonton skins in place of homemade dumpling dough.

4.61 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Dish Recipes

Cuisine Jewish

Calories 372 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion minced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • About 36 wonton wrappers
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

  • Add the beef to the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula and stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned.

  • Drain excess fat from the skillet.

  • Stir in the paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool for several minutes.

  • Set a medium saucepan of lightly salted water on the stove to boil.

  • Arrange wonton skins on a work surface.

  • Dollop about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on
    each wonton skin (place it towards one of the corners).

  • Moisten the 2 edges of the wonton skin adjacent
    to the filling and then fold the wrapper over to form a triangle encasing the filling. Press the sides together to seal them well.

  • Add the kreplach to the water, which should now be at a low boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the wrapper is tender. Drain.

  • Serve the kreplach on their own or in chicken soup or broth, garnished with chopped fresh dill.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 372kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 25gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 697mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Keyword dumplings, filled dumplings, jewish, kreplach, purim

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Kreplach Story

Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (9)
Easy Kreplach Recipe with Beef Filling (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between pierogi and kreplach? ›

The range of fillings for pierogi is diverse, including options such as potatoes and cheese, ground meat, or sauerkraut. Kreplach, however, usually features a thinner dough and is commonly filled with ground meat, mashed potatoes, or cheese.

What is kreplach made of? ›

Kreplach
TypeDumpling
Created byAshkenazi Jews
Main ingredientsDough: flour, water and eggs Filling: ground meat, mashed potatoes or other
Media: Kreplach
1 more row

How are kreplach and wontons similar? ›

Kreplach is our Jewish version. It is a meat or potato filled dumpling traditionally served with soup. You can make your own wrappers with this 3-Ingredient Kreplach Dough or you can use store bought wonton wrappers. While wonton wrappers are similar to traditional kreplach dough, they are much thinner.

How do you eat kreplach? ›

Cook the kreplach until the pasta dough is tender, a few minutes after they've risen to the top. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon, toss with a bit of oil or schmaltz, and spread out on a sheet pan so that they don't stick. Serve in hot soup, or freeze for future meals.

Why do Jews eat kreplach? ›

Yom Kippur is “The Day of Atonement, a day of rest and fasting (Gaster, 135). The night before Yom Kippur, meat kreplach are served because mystics compare the wrapping of the dough to the divine envelopment of mercy, kindness, and protection, all things demonstrated on Yom Kippur.

What do Ukrainians call perogies? ›

The word 'varenyky' comes from the Ukrainian word 'varyty´ or 'to boil' because this product is cooked in boiling water. This comfort food is spelled many different ways: pyrohy, pyrogy, pyrogie, pierogi, perogi and others.

What is a kreplach in English? ›

Meaning of kreplach in English

in Jewish cooking, a boiled or fried ball of dough (= flour mixed with water and fat) that is filled with meat or cheese and often put in soup: The chicken was served in a broth that also had noodles, kreplach, peas and carrots in it.

What is the difference between Pelmeni and kreplach? ›

Pelmeni: From China by way of Siberia, these Russian wheat-based dumplings are packed with a peppery, onion-spiked filling of minced meat—beef, pork, and mutton are all common choices. Kreplach: Another winter warmer, these Jewish dumplings are filled with meat or potatoes.

What is another name for kreplach? ›

We call them kreplach (with meat or cheese filling) or verenekes (filled with potatoes or fruits like blueberries or Saskatoon berries), but to others they may be known as Perogie, pirogi, pirohy, pyrohy, varenyky, vareniki, peroge — any probably a bunch of other similar names not listed.

Why do we eat kreplach? ›

Taking these ideas together, we eat kreplach on Sukkot to symbolize that G-d's harsh judgements of us (the meat) should be shrouded in His kindness (the dough). We wish for G-d's mercy to cover His might and therefore judge us favorably.

What is the Yiddish word for pierogi? ›

otherwise known as pierogi , these are the jewish variation which go by the yiddish name of varenike(h ).

What country is kreplach from? ›

While this is not nearly a dumpling, it shows that Italy and Germany had contact with each other, providing good reason to believe the kreplach originated in Germany. Later in the 14th century, stuffed pasta came to the Jews of Germany through Venice.

Can you freeze kreplach? ›

You can add these to chicken soup and eat them right away, or drizzle with a little canola oil and gently toss. Arrange the oiled kreplach on a fresh, parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once the kreplach are frozen, transfer to freezer bags and keep for a few months — if they last!

How do you reheat kreplach? ›

How to reheat: For crispy: Reheat the kreplach in the oven at 350° until warm, sizzling, and crispy. For soft: Reheat kreplach in chicken broth until hot.

Why do we eat kreplach on Purim? ›

Much of the symbolism around kreplach can be found on Purim. The filling, which is hidden inside the dough, is symbolic of Queen Esther's secret. It is only after the Queen tells King Ahasuerus that she is Jewish our people are spared and Haman is condemned to death for plotting to annihilate us.

Are pelmeni and pierogi the same? ›

The primary distinction is their size and filling: pelmeni are typically smaller, containing a raw mixture of meat and spices, whereas pierogi can be larger with a diverse range of fillings. Pelmeni can be seen as a specific subtype of pierogi: smaller and traditionally filled with spiced meat or mushrooms.

What is the difference between perogies and pierogies? ›

Also called perogi or perogy, Polish pierogi (pronounced pih-ROH-ghee) or homemade pierogies are small half-moon dumplings. They're also chock-full of fabulous fillings. Interestingly, the word pierogi is actually plural. But the singular form pieróg is hardly ever used.

What is the difference between pelmeni and kreplach? ›

Pelmeni: From China by way of Siberia, these Russian wheat-based dumplings are packed with a peppery, onion-spiked filling of minced meat—beef, pork, and mutton are all common choices. Kreplach: Another winter warmer, these Jewish dumplings are filled with meat or potatoes.

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