Steamed yeast dumplings (also known as Dampfnudel in Germany or Germknödel in Austria). These delicious yeast rolls are filled with plum jam, topped with poppy seeds and vanilla sauce. Great dessert or breakfasst which is vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!
Sweet Yeast Dumplings (Dampfnudel/Germknödel)
Have you ever heard of German Dampfnudel? Or maybe you are familiar with the word Germknödel? That’s how people from Austria call this delicious dessert. If you never tried them, well, you really should because you don’t want to miss this incredible dish. Steamed yeast dumplings are a traditional dessert from South Germany and Austria but they are also very popular in the Czech Republic, and in Poland.
Vegan + Gluten-Free Steamed Yeast Rolls
These steamed dumplings are special since they are not only vegan but also gluten-free. And to be honest, it’s pretty hard to make vegan AND gluten-free desserts which include yeast. Most yeast buns are either vegan or gluten-free because working without gluten and eggs isn’t the easiest thing, however, it IS doable. And yes, maybe the outcome with gluten/eggs would have been a bit better but I want to show you that you can make tasty desserts even without eggs, dairy, and gluten.
Dampfnudel Filling
I filled these German Dampfnudel with plum jam, however, you can use any filling which you like. Blueberry compote tastes delicious (I already tried it out and posted a photo on my Instagram account). You can also leave out the filling completely! Actually it’s not unusual to leave these steamed yeast dumplings unfilled but in my opinion, a fruity filling makes them even better. Plum jam/jelly is a popular one and so is apricot jam. You can also make them savory (leave out the sugar) and fill them with something hearty! But I must admit I never tried it out yet.
I am even thinking about to fill them with chocolate since I am a chocoholic, haha. Maybe they would turn out as delicious as my chocolate stuffed pancakes.
How To Make Sweet Yeast Rolls
Steamed yeast dumplings have a shiny white top and a brown salty crust bottom. That crust is actually very special and tasty. It will form when you cook them in a pan/skillet with a little bit of oil, water, and 1/3 tsp of sea salt. You need to put a lid on the pan and cook them for 25 minutes. Don’t lift the lid during that time. You will hear it when they are ready because all the water will evaporate and the crust will form.
These Stuffed German Yeast Dumplings Are:
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Plant-based
- Refined sugar-free (if you used Erythritol)
- Filled with plum jam
- Delicious
Give them a try!
It’s so funny that most people (who aren’t from Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and Poland etc.) never heard of Dampfnudel, steamed donuts, or steamed yeast dumplings before. It’s such a popular dish in some European countries and in my opinion, it should become more popular in the US and many other countries. I love to top them with poppy seeds and vanilla sauce. That’s how I am used to eating these delicious sweet dumplings.
Should you recreate my recipe, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Yeast Dumplings
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g gluten-free flour mix (*see recipe notes)
- 75 g sugar (I used Erythritol)
- 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
- 50 g vegan butter (margarine)
Yeast mixture
- 1 2/3 cups (400 ml) plant-based milk lukewarm
- 40 g fresh yeast (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
Optional ingredients
- 150-200 g plum jam (or jam of choice)
- 2 tbsp poppy seed/sugar mix: 1 tbsp ground poppy seeds and 1 tbsp sugar
- vanilla sauce (*see recipe notes)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine lukewarm plant-based milk (should not exceed 105 degrees F/40 degrees C), yeast, and 1/2 tbsp sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes to proof the yeast. If it get's frothy your yeast is fine. If not, your yeast is most likely old and cannot be used.
- In a big bowl, combine all dry "dough ingredients" (flour, psyllium husk powder, sugar) and mix with a whisk. Once the yeast has proofed add the yeast mixture.
- Add the soft vegan butter as well and knead the dough with your hands. It might appear too wet at first (depends on which flour mixture you used) but the dough consistency will be fine after a few minutes and should look like this:
- If the dough is too dry though, add a little bit more plant-based milk. If it appears too wet, add more flour. Put cling foil on top of the bowl (you don't want the dough to dry out) and let it rise for about 30-60 minutes. After that, it should have risen quite a bit:
- Divide the dough into 8-9 parts (90-100 grams each) and fill each dough ball with plum jam (or jam/jelly of choice).
- Seal the filling with more dough and roll the dumpling between your hands to form a ball. Put all dough balls on a floured plate and let them rise again for about 20 minutes (preferably covered with cling foil).
- Once the time is up, heat a pan over medium heat, add oil, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Add about 4 dough balls (if you have a big pan you can add more) and put a lid on top of the pan/skillet). Steam for about 25 minutes and do NOT lift the lid during the first 15 to 20 minutes (otherwise the dumplings might collapse).
- You will hear when the water has evaporated and the crust begins to form. Enjoy warm with vanilla sauce and poppy seed sugar.
Notes
- 300 grams rice flour (equal amounts of brown rice flour and white rice flour)
- 200 grams starch (equal amounts of cornstarch and tapioca starch/flour)
- You can use 2 1/4 tsp of dry instant yeast instead of fresh yeast
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 3-4 tsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Erythritol (or regular sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean)
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Hi dear Ela! Do you think possible to steam this dumplings into a basket the Assian ones I don’t know the name.
I love your recipes! Thank you!!!
Probably yes, but I never tried it. The bottoms won’t be crispy though if you are using this method. 🙂
Hi Ela, just wondering: can I use tapioca powder for the vanilla sauce instead of cornstarch? It shouldn’t make too big a difference, don’t you think?
Yes, you can. Arrowroot flour works too! 🙂
Hi Ela,
I have a question, would the recipe work with oat flour and nutritional yeast instead of common yeast?
Thanks
Hi Valeria! No, that won’t work at all. You need a gluten-free flour blend and can’t use just oat flour. Also nutritional yeast is totally different from regular yeast and cannot be used in this recipe. Hope this helps!
Yeah!!! Can you do them with plain flour and stevia powder sugar substitute ?
I assume the Stevia powder is a mixture of Erythritol and Stevia? If yes, that should be fine. I would still suggest adding regular sugar to the yeast mixture to make the dumplings rise.
Also, I bet they will turn out even better with plain flour because they will rise much better due to the gluten. However, I cannot tell you how much plant-based milk you will need, so I would start with less, maybe just one cup max. and then add more if the dough is still dry. Let me know how they turn out with regular flour please. 🙂
PS: If you use regular flour you can most likely leave out the psyllium husk powder (which is only important for gluten-free flours). Therefore you will definitely need much less milk (1 cup is probably already too much). 😀
They look so wonderful and I tried this morning but they haven’t worked out. The dough seemed thick and heavy and I struggled to roll the dough around the jam. What am I doing wrong! Maybe the yeast isn’t doing enough? It didn’t rise much. Xxx
Hey Tamara, did you proof the yeast and if yes did it rise/foam during the 5-10 minutes? If not, it probably wasn’t good.
Hi! So excited to try this recipe! I can source rice flours and cornstarch.. but not tapioca and potato starch. Can you suggest a ratio with just rice flour and cornstarch? Thank you! 🙂
Hey, if you can get arrowroot flour, then use that instead of tapioca flour. Otherwise, you can try using only the rice flours and cornstarch (300 g rice flour, 200 g cornstarch). 🙂
Hi Ela,
Do you actually put the dumplings into the water?
Thank you
Leyla
Yes, Leyla! It’s described in the recipe instruction no. 7) and there is also a photo of the pan (with the dumplings and water…). 🙂
My family is from Germany and since becoming gluten intolerant, I have missed these traditional family favs. My family makes them without anything inside. I would like to recreate this. Does cooking without effect the process since these are made with GF flours? Will they be too dry?
Thanks
Angela
Hello Angela, I never made them without a filling so I am not sure if they would be too dry. Of course, it’s much more difficult working with gluten-free flours and the result will be different compared to yeast dumplings made with wheat flour. If they turn out a little bit too dry you can put more vanilla sauce on top. Let me know if you give them a try. 🙂
Thank you, Ela, for sharing this wonderful dampfnudel recipe. I recently learned of dampfnudel and decided to make them, substituting with items I had on hand — buckwheat flour, a wonderful local honey and chia seeds. I’m also making a blueberry jam from fresh picks…scrummy 🙂 This bake is in process, as I write this 🙂 Will share my results. With so much joy, from Cynthia
That’s great Cynthia! I hope they will turn out delicious. 🙂
Can you leave out the psyllium husk and make this with wholegrain flour? So excited for this recipe!! Im from Vienna and absolutely LOVE Germknödel!!
Hi Sissi, unfortunately, I cannot tell you how the recipe will turn out with wholegrain flour since I don’t use it. Psyllium husk powder is available in most stores though, it’s called Flohsamenschalenpulver. 🙂 Das Rezept gibt es übrigens auch auf Deutsch (weiß nicht, ob du das gesehen hast): https://elavegan.com/de/vegane-dampfnudeln-germknoedel-glutenfrei/
LG, Ela
My polish grandma made them so often! I really love them ????
This is so amazing that you created a vegan and gluten-free version. ????
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Thank you, Bianca! Good memories, right.
Sending love back ❤️
Hi there,
This sounds amazing but I don’t have (easy) access to psyllium husk powder. Anything else I could use instead? Thank you!
Hi Jay, not sure, as the psyllium husk powder is quite important when you work with gluten-free flours.
Hello, do you have suggestions for replacing the corn starch and corn flour elelments? This sounds so good but we can’t do corn. Cheers, Carrie
Hey Carrie, you could use potato starch instead of cornstarch. That should work fine. 🙂
I lived in the bavarian region for 7 yrs and absolutely loved it. I have missed the foods so much. I’m so excited to try this recipe. Thank you!!
You are welcome, Carrie. I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
I think I’ve had a similar dessert before when I was little and lived in Russia – I too am surprised that this type of sweet treat isn’t popular in the UK/US because they are absolutely phenomenal! You’ve veganised them perfectly and I can’t wait to give your delicious recipe a try 🙂
Thank you so much, Maria! I didn’t know they are also popular in Russia. 🙂 I hope you will give my version a try. 🙂
Made traditional sugarfree plum jam last week and will defenitly give these dumplings a try… I just LOVE dumplings and poppy seeds as well. It have to be perfect <3
Thanks for this recipe! I can't wait to eat them ????
Greets from the Canary Islands
Carol
That’s awesome, Carol! I hope you will enjoy these steamed yeast dumplings.
Many greetings to the Canary Islands.
Ela 🙂
how do you make the sauce? they look delicious !
Thank you! I have included the recipe of the vanilla sauce to the recipe notes. I hope you will like it. 🙂
Tahnks alot beauiful ela❤️❤️❤️I’m from iran,i love your recipe,and i cooked alot of your recipe ,this dessert similared in iranian dessert that called “non berenji”or”mashhadi”
Thanks so much, Anahita! I am so glad you like my recipes. Lots of love, Ela ❤️
Hi, do you have a recipe for your vanilla sauce?
Hello, I just added the recipe of the vanilla sauce to the recipe notes. Enjoy! 🙂