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Hungarian Nokedli Dumplings

Hungarian nokedli dumplings are a classic simple noodle-style side dish similar to pasta that are delicious, quick, easy & cheap to make.

Four base ingredients form the dumplings, egg, flour, salt and water, they take 15 minutes to cook and are superb tossed with butter and herbs and then served alongside paprikash!

Homemade Hungarian nokedli dumplings with fresh parsley.

Hungarian Galuska Noodles or Dumplings

Nokedli or Galuska are a delicious dumpling or noodle-style side dish from Hungary… well when I say Hungary I mean across vast swathes of Europe.

If you are in Germany and Austria they are called Spätzle, Knöpfle in Switzerland, Halušky in Slovakia, Vaseršpacli in Slovenia and no doubt countless other variations!

Whilst there are some differences they are essentially a take on homemade pasta.

Egg and flour are the core ingredients, however rather than stiff rollable dough, nokedli dough is sticky and gets pushed through a form into boiling water.

It may sound odd, but it is super simple, I have a video below the recipe that shows just how simple!

Making the dough takes 7 or 8 minutes and then cooking takes 5 or 6 minutes. This means that this delicious carby side dish is a form of pasta that is criminally cheap, easy and quick to make!

Overhead homemade Hungarian nokedli dumplings with fresh parsley.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use a nokedli maker?

No, you could use a colander and a silicone spatula. You could even use a scraper and just push bits of dough off a chopping board, this is the really traditional method.

Both are messy and awkward but will get you there, however, given that a “machine” will set you back around £15 then it’s best to pony up in my opinion.

I have linked up the one that I use in the Equipment Used Section and you can see it in use in the video in the recipe.

There are two types of spaetzle make which should I choose?

There are indeed two types, the first is round and sits on a pan. The second is long and looks like a cross between a mandolin and a cheese grater.

Both are commonly used in Hungary, but I cannot get used to using the long version.

Does the size of the nokedli maker matter?

If you are using a round maker then it needs to sit neatly inside the saucepan you plan to use. If it is too small it will obviously fall in. Too large and you will end up in a real mess!

Trust me, I have been there are bought that t-shirt!

Can I make them in advance?

Yes, but they do have a tendency to become more gloopy and stick together though. You can loosen then up by dropping them in boiling water or coating in oil, I prefer the former approach.

Homemade Hungarian galuska dumplings served with pork paprikash.

Serving Suggestions

Nokedli gets served with all sorts of stews in Hungarian dishes, they are the perfect carby side dish.

Paprikash is the obvious choice for those outside of Hungary, probably because it is one of the most famous dishes outside of Hungary.

It is pictured above with my pork paprikash, but it is great with chicken paprikash and my fish paprikash.

Other dishes that are less well-known outside of Hungary that work really well with these dumplings are borsos tokany, pictured below and marha (beef) porkolt or birkapörkölt mutton stew.

Don’t get wrapped up in Hungarian food though! These noodles are great with everything from pork stroganoff to this Romanian sour cabbage stew.

Portrait overhead image of a Hungarian Pork Stew called Borsos Tokany served on a black plate with galuska noodles

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Mixing bowl.
  • Whisk.
  • Spatula.
  • 24cm or 10″ saucepan.
  • Nokedli maker. I use this spaetzle maker it fits perfectly in a 24cm pan. The relationship between your pan and the maker is critical.
  • Scraper to push through the dough, this should come with your spaetzle maker.
  • 30cm or 12″ frying pan if you are planning on tossing in butter.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
Hungarian nokedli dumplings or noodles served with fresh parsley.
Yield: 2 Servings

Homemade Hungarian Nokedli Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Nokedli are a wonderful Hungarian noodle side dish that shares much in common with pasta!

Ingredients

  • 300g (2 Cups + 3 Tbsp) Plain Flour
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 275ml (1 Cup + 2 Tbsp) Water
  • ¾-1 Tsp Salt
  • 25g (2 Tbsp) Butter (OPTIONAL)
  • Lots of Fresh Parsley (OPTIONAL)

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients and bring together to create a thick batter almost like a drop scone thickness.
  2. Do not beat too much though, you want the batter to remain a little "lumpy".
  3. Pass the batter through a Nokedli maker directly into a pan of rapidly boiling salted water.
  4. Then cook in just a couple of minutes and are done shortly after they begin to float.
  5. OPTIONAL Melt a knob of butter in a pan add the dumplings and parsley, then toss to coat and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 672Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 998mgCarbohydrates: 115gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 19g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Eleanor Wallace

Sunday 2nd of April 2023

Just like my mom made. I make the same but use the Slovak traditional way for boiling dough. Great with fried cabbage and bacon

Brian Jones

Sunday 2nd of April 2023

Ooo oo oo, you can't tease me like that, what's that traditional Slovak way of boiling the dough? :)

thomas rosser

Wednesday 8th of March 2023

hi just bought one from ebay £10 cant wait to try it out . if i made the dumplings a little bigger and dropped them into a stew would that work .great site love the recipes .regards tom [ uk ]

Brian Jones

Thursday 9th of March 2023

Hey Tom... In theory yes, but I would do it right at the very end because cooking them for too long results in them becoming "bullet" like and it ain't pleasant.

A slightly thicker dough is used to make something called "csipetke" or pinches and they are often added to goulash. https://www.krumpli.co.uk/hungarian-goulash/

Enjoy

Brian

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