My gluten-challenged Jewish friends will rejoice when they try my tasty and easy gluten-free kreplach recipe. This gluten-free kreplach recipe uses my simple two-ingredient pasta dough and a delicious palate-pleasing meat filling. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
Kreplach is a Yiddish name for a piece of triangular dough filled with a savory mixture of ground meat, onion, and spices. Some people call it a Jewish dumpling, wonton, or ravioli.
These delectable dumplings are a beloved dish in Jewish cuisine, traditionally served on Yom Kippur Eve (the day of atonement following the Jewish New Year), Hoshana Rabbah (the seventh day of Sukkot), and Purim.
To be Jewish is to eat symbolic food, and the kreplach is oozing with symbolism.
Some say the Jewish dumpling celebrates “hidden” holidays, but there is much back-and-forth from rabbis and Jewish scholars about why we eat this token food.
Regardless, kreplach is a delicious and festive food worthy of eating on important Jewish holidays and any day of the year, except for maybe Passover.
While kreplach is a popular Jewish food, it’s not gluten-free. In fact, Jews following a gluten-free diet free from wheat, rye, and barley know that making kreplach is a challenge.
Many home cooks rely upon store-bought wonton wrappers for their kreplach dough, but good luck finding gluten-free wonton wrappers. Instead, gluten-challenged Jews are left to fend for themselves.
If you’re following a gluten-free diet and want to enjoy a gluten-free kreplach this year, I’ll show you how to do it in a few easy steps using my famous two-ingredient gluten-free dough and a little ingenuity.
Prepare the Gluten-Free Dough
To make gluten-free kreplach, you must first prepare a batch of gluten-free pasta dough. My two-ingredient gluten-free pasta dough works beautifully in this recipe, and I highly recommend using it.
One batch of my two-ingredient pasta dough will make about 22 kreplach. Feel free to double the recipe when feeding a crowd or if you desire leftovers.
To make one batch of kreplach, you’ll need three (3) large eggs plus 200 grams of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour + extra flour for rolling out the dough.
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour to ensure you don’t use too much. Too much flour will result in a dry dough. You want the dough to be a bit sticky and wet.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, please note that 200 grams of flour equals approximately 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons.
Add the flour to a clean, well-floured surface (I use a large Silpat mat). Create a small well in the center of the flour, then add the eggs to the center of the well.
Use your fork to scramble the eggs and incorporate a little bit of flour at a time. Once the dough becomes too stiff to mix with the fork, use your hands to work the dough together into a sticky ball.
Remember, gluten-free dough doesn’t require kneading since there’s no gluten to develop, so once the flour is fully incorporated into the eggs, it’s done.
If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. If it’s too dry, add a few drops of water to the dough. The dough should be malleable.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Allow the dough to rest. Resting will give the flour time to absorb the eggs.
Prepare the Kreplach Filling
While your pasta dough rests, prepare the kreplach filling.
Traditionally, kreplach filling is made of ground fresh or leftover meat, onions, salt, and spices. You can use chopped portobello mushrooms, seasoned mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, sauteed root vegetables, or whatever you like. The possibilities are endless.
Below are some suggested ways to make the kreplach filling. I’ve tried them all, and each filling is delicious in its own right.
(1) Fresh Ground Meat: Add 1 tbsp of avocado oil to a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb of fresh ground beef and one chopped yellow onion. Sauté until the meat is cooked and the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other spices to taste. Set aside to cool.
(2) Leftover Meat: Making kreplach is the perfect way to use leftover meat. You can use leftover meat from chicken soup or brisket. Mash the meat into small pieces with a fork or use your food processor to pulse the meat into smaller bits. Sauté an onion in a hot pan with a little oil, then add the leftover meat and additional seasonings to taste, and cook for a minute to bring all the flavors together. Set aside to cool.
Picture: I used leftover chicken from the chicken soup to make the kreplach filling pictured above. It’s cooked chicken combined with sauteed onions, salt, and spices.
(3) Vegetarian: As mentioned previously, you can make your kreplach without meat but still savory. You could combine sautéed onions, mushrooms, and/or other vegetables or use seasoned mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes instead.
Regardless of what you do, ensure the filling is fully cool before assembling the dumplings.
Assembling the Kreplach
You can assemble the kreplach dumplings once the filling has cooled and the dough has rested.
I recommend cutting the dough into two sections to make it easier to work with.
Roll out one section of the dough on a floured surface (I use a floured Silpmat mat) to be .25″ thick or as thin as possible while still being able to handle the dough without it cracking.
Use a 7 1/2″ cookie cutter (or the mouth of a wide glass) to cut out even circles in the dough. Place each circle on a tray and repeat the process with the other section of the dough.
Add one packed tablespoon of the cooled filling to the center of each dough circle.
Lightly brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash or water to ensure the folded dough stays together.
Gently fold one side of the dough over the other so that the edges meet. Apply gentle pressure to secure each folded piece of dough in place.
Next, use a fork to gently secure the edges of each dumpling together (see image below). This will ensure the meat filling won’t “leak” out.
Cooking the Kreplach
Bring a pot of salted water or broth to a boil. Add the kreplach and cook at a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes or until the pasta is soft.
Do not overcook the kreplach or the pasta will become mushy. The dough should still have a “bite” to it. Remove the kreplach from the water with a slotted spatula and set it aside.
Serve the kreplach immediately inside your soup or refrigerate the cooked kreplach to use later.
To warm the kreplach, take them out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature (or near room temperature). Place the kreplach in the hot soup broth for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
FAQs and Notes
Flour: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour by weight vs. volume. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, please note that 200 grams of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour equals approximately 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons.
Dough: See my article, How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta With Two Ingredients!, for tips (and troubleshooting) on making the perfect gluten-free pasta dough.
Kosher: Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour is kosher parve. Use kosher ingredients to make this recipe kosher.
A word about other flours: I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flours, but feel free to try. Just make sure you’re using a gluten-free flour blend that contains a combination of flours, starches, and xanthan gum. If your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t have xanthan gum, add 1/2 tsp of it.
Filling: You’ll likely have leftover meat filling. You can either make extra kreplach or enjoy the filling over rice or pasta for lunch.
Kreplach is a Labor of Love
Creating gluten-free kreplach is a Jewish labor of love that is well worth the smiles and rave reviews from all who eat it. Whether your guests eat gluten-free or loads of gluten, all will be in awe of the beautiful kreplach you created from scratch.
With a bit of patience – and my secret two-ingredient gluten-free dough – you’ll be making kreplach in no time, and you’ll never have to miss out on this delicious and symbolic Jewish food.
How will you be enjoying kreplach this year? Please a comment to share.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please pin it to help spread the word:
Additional Recipes
For more recipes to serve on Yom Kippur Eve or Yom Kippur break-the-fast, read 18+ Gluten-Free Foods For Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast & More.
You might enjoy these recipes, too:
- How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta With Two Ingredients!
- Easy Beef Brisket Recipe (Perfect for Jewish Holidays)
- Carrot and Cauliflower Soup Recipe
- Easy Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
- Homemade Gluten-Free Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Gluten-Free Kreplach (Jewish Dumplings)
Equipment
- 1 large Silpat mat optional
- Plastic wrap
- 1 large stock pot
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 7 1/4" cookie cutter (or wide mouth rimmed glass)
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 200 grams Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour see notes
- 3 large eggs
For the Filling
- 1 lb ground beef or see instructions below for using leftover meat
- 1 onion, yellow finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- additional seasonings if desired
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Add the flour to a clean, well-floured surface (I use a large Silpat mat). Create a small well in the center of the flour, then add the eggs to the center of the well.
- Use your fork to scramble the eggs and incorporate a little bit of flour at a time. Once the dough becomes too stiff to mix with the fork, use your hands to work the dough together into a sticky ball. Remember, gluten-free dough doesn't require kneading since there's no gluten to develop, so once the flour is fully incorporated into the eggs, it's done.
- If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. If it’s too dry, add a few drops of water to the dough. The dough should be malleable.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Allow the dough to rest. Resting will give the flour time to absorb the eggs.
Prepare the Filling
- Below are some suggested ways to make the kreplach filling. I've tried them all, and each filling is delicious in its own right.
- (1) Fresh Ground Meat (as listed in the ingredient list above): Add 1 tbsp of avocado oil to a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb of fresh ground beef and one chopped yellow onion. Sauté until the meat is cooked and the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other spices to taste. Set aside to cool.
- (2) Leftover Meat: You can use leftover meat from chicken soup or brisket. Mash the meat into small pieces with a fork or use your food processor to pulse the meat into smaller bits. Sauté an onion in a hot pan with a little oil, then add the leftover meat and additional seasonings to taste, and cook for a minute to bring all the flavors together. Set aside to cool.
- (3) Vegetarian: You can make your kreplach without meat. Combine sautéed onions, mushrooms, and/or other vegetables, or use seasoned mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes instead.
Assemble the Kreplach
- Cut the dough into two sections to make it easier to work with.
- Roll out one section of the dough on a floured surface (I use a floured Silpmat mat) to be .25″ thick or as thin as possible while still being able to handle the dough without it cracking.
- Use a 7 1/2" cookie cutter (or the mouth of a wide glass) to cut out even circles in the dough. Place each circle on a tray and repeat the process with the other section of the dough.
Preparing the Kreplach
- Add one packed tablespoon of the cooled filling to the center of each dough circle.
- Lightly brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash or water, then gently fold one side of the dough over the other so that the edges meet. You can apply gentle pressure to secure each folded piece of dough in place.
- Next, use a fork to gently secure the edges of each dumpling together (see image below). This will ensure the meat filling won't "leak" out.
- Bring a pot of salted water or broth to a boil. Add the kreplach and cook at a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes or until the pasta is soft. Do not overcook the kreplach or the pasta will become mushy. The dough should still have a "bite" to it. Remove the kreplach from the water with a slotted spatula and set it aside.
- Serve the kreplach immediately inside your soup or refrigerate the cooked kreplach to use later.
- To warm the kreplach, take them out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature (or near room temperature). Place the kreplach in the hot soup broth for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
I think it’ll work!
Any way to make this ahead and freeze?
Thank you Sue. I’m seeing more and more people react to corn too.
Jenny I’ve followed you for a few years and really appreciateall your info. I’ve been off wheat gluten for over 17 years since food allergy testing showed a sensitively. I’m also off corn gluten.
Corn actually makes me sicker with migraines, digestive and joint issues!
I had food allergy testing about 6 months ago just to check since I’ve been off so long and wheat did NOT show up as sensitive but corn does.
I’m still staying off wheat since it’s just a habit but I’m very cautious with corn especially in gluten free products which most of them have corn gluten ingredients. I’m especially sensitive to dextrose, dextrin and maltodextrin from corn. So many people who are sensitive to wheat gluten have no idea that corn gluten is a real culprit.