Easy Drop Dumplings
Add these Easy Drop Dumplings to any soup, stew, or gravy for additional taste and texture in your meal. They’re tender and take on the flavors of what they are cooked in. Plus, these fluffy little clouds floating around in your soup bring additional heartiness to fill up the belly.
There are two rules of thought when it comes to dumplings: rolled or dropped.
Mom always made drop dumplings, so of course, that’s all I make.
Easy Drop Dumplings really are easy when you know what the tricks are.
And there are definitely tricks associated with dumplings. Sounds intriguing, right?
Ok then, let’s get started.
Making Easy Drop Dumplings
First tip, start with fresh ingredients. Check the dates, and don’t hesitate to give food the sniff test.
Mix the dry ingredients together and create a well in the center, then set this bowl aside.
Meanwhile, mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well you created in the dry ingredients.
Mix just long enough for everything to be combined.
Second tip, don’t over mix. Over mixing anything with gluten (flour) can make batter tough.
Dumplings stay light and fluffy when you don’t over mix.
The third tip: dumplings need to rest for 10 minutes before cooking them, thereby giving the baking powder time to do it’s thing.
Drop by heaping teaspoons onto parchment paper, making about 10 dumplings.
Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps baked goods rise when mixed with other ingredients.
Gas bubbles form, which make the dumplings rise.
This, in turn, makes their texture light and fluffy.
Once the dumplings have risen, drop into already simmering soup or gravy.
Yes, that was the fourth tip. Make sure the soup is simmering before you drop the dumplings into the pot.
Dropping dumplings into soup that hasn’t yet begun to boil, will make the dumplings tough.
You can use any soup or gravy for this, although please allow me to insert my Homemade Chicken Soup here, since it’s my favorite.
Or, simply open a can of Campbell’s and have at it.
Your fifth tip is to cover that pot and do not remove the cover.
That’s right, hands off! Even if you want to peak, don’t.
Removing the lid really does ruin the dumplings. Use a glass lid if you can’t stand the suspense.
Let the dumplings cook for 15 – 20 minutes, then it’s time to eat.
FAQ
- Why are my dumplings tough?
This usually happens if the batter is overmixed. Stir just until the ingredients are combined. - Can I freeze dumplings?
Yes. Cook them first, let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. - Can I use self-rising flour?
Yes, but omit the baking powder and salt from the recipe.
What to serve dumplings with:
Dumplings are, by nature, part of a soup, so you already have most of your meal.
Start with the Homemade Chicken Soup, add the dumplings, and have a simple side salad, and/or maybe some Parmesan Garlic Toast for dipping.
Or, have some baked chicken and gravy. Remove the chicken to a separate plate and cook the dumplings in the gravy.
Let’s not forget dessert. With a name like Sweet Ordeal, you probably guessed I would go there.
Click here for the Desserts section on my site.
Alternatively, you can enter specific words in the search box at the top, such as “chocolate.”
Easy Drop Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Optional: dried herbs (ex: thyme, sage, etc.)
- 1/3 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted then cooled
Instructions
- Have a pot of soup simmering on stove. (Dumplings cook in soup or gravy.)
- In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper until well blended. Add optional herbs if using. Create well in center.
- In small bowl, mix milk and butter.
- Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until well combined, but avoid over-mixing. Batter will be thick and a bit sticky.
- Use heaping teaspoons to form balls and place on parchment paper. Allow dumplings to set 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat under soup to low simmer. Drop dumplings into soup and cover. Do not lift lid. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Easy Drop Dumplings
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So these turned out perfect for chicken and dumplings. Been trying to make them taste like my grandmother’s for years. I didn’t scoop them out onto parchment paper, but just let the dough rest in the bowl while I boiled my broth and then spooned them into the broth. Still turned out light and fluffy. Tonight I finally got it right. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much, Marla, I appreciate you taking the time to write the comment. I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
Made leek/ potato soup and dumplings were great. Put some thyme and chives in due to soup had those flavours
That sounds delicious, Cheryl. Thanks for the comment.
I am making crockpot chicken and dumplings tonight, any idea how I could make these for that meal? Would I place the crockpot on high near end of cooking for 30 min and let them cook?
Hi Lulu. Yes, that’s what I would do. After you place the dumplings in and the lid back on, check to make sure the soup starts to simmer again. Let me know how they turn out.
Same as my Granny from the mountain region of West PA, N. WVA and SE Ohio where my family settled before Ohio was a state. She would put these in a pot of sourkraut, Porkchops and Sausage and serve with mashed potatoes and whatever veggie was in season.
Dang, that sounds delicious!
These were simple and easy to make. They were so delicious as they soaked up the flavor of the homemade soup, thanks for another great recipe.
You’re so welcome, I’m really happy you liked them.
Added ground apple chicken sausage. Easy recipe with lots of flavor!
Thanks, Kelli, glad you liked it.
Can these be made ahead of time and frozen? Or, will the dumplings reheat ok after a meal is made and frozen? We’re really big into freezer meals.
Hi Heather, thanks for the question. Yes, dumplings can be frozen, both raw and cooked. If you want to cook, then freeze them, set them on parchment paper so they’re not touching, then freeze until solid. Store them in a freezer bag after letting all the air out. They should be good for up to 4 weeks. To reheat, partially thaw on counter as soup/stew heats up to a simmer, then drop them in still partially frozen. Having said all that, I have never frozen dumplings, I find it easier to make fresh, although I love freezing large batches of soup/stew. I hope this helps.
Why do my dumplings disappear// i put so many in and then have hardly none to show for the work what am i doing wrong??
Hi Nancy. Well, that is a mystery! Without seeing your ingredients, etc. I can only take guesses at what “might” have happened. So, these guesses are for anyone having trouble. Are you using a different type of flour than all-purpose? Did you let them rest for 5 minutes before dropping, and what texture did they have at that point? Were your ingredients fresh (not expired)? Did you stir them after you dropped them into the soup? Did you leave the cover on for the full 15 – 20 minutes? I’m guessing it was something so slight you didn’t even realize it, like grabbing the 1/2 cup measuring cup, instead of the 1 cup. I say that based on all the mistakes I’ve made over the years, especially if I don’t have my glasses on. I hope you’ll try making them again.
I may never buy bisquic again! Thank you for the recipe the dumplings were wonderful!!
You’re so welcome, Cindi, thank you for the comment.
Delicious loved them can’t wait to cook for my family friends and more for my household so yummariemy hard to quit eating 😔
Wonderful, so glad you liked the recipe, Marie. Thanks for the comment.
2 questions: Coukd I use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose, baking powder and salt, and could I make them a little larger??
Great question, Donna, thanks. Yes, you can use the self-rising flour instead of the all-purpose flour, but I can’t promise the proportions will be exact. It should be close, though. As far as making them a little bit bigger, yes, you can. My only concern would be that the insides may take longer to cook. Keeping them smaller insures they will cook all the way through. I hope this helps, and please let us all know if the self-rising flour worked for you. Thanks again for the question/comment.
This is a good easy recipe. I have made it twice with exact results. I didn’t let the dough rest in balls, just in the bowl and they were perfect!
Thank you, Debbie, I appreciate the comment.
Easy and exceptional
Thank you, Daniel, glad you liked them.
I gave 5 because of the tips. May I add. Milk needs to be room temperature. When I mixed liquid it congealed the butter. And I found I had to add about 2 tablespoons more liquid. Next time I’m gonna try using butter milk. But I have them resting now. I’ll eat in about 30 mins.
Thank you have a blessed day.
Thank you, Warren, that’s a great tip about the milk being room temperature. I love the idea of using buttermilk. I hope you’ll let us know what you thought of them if you try it.
You can warm the mixture up in the microwave
Do I use unsalted butter?
Hi Rebecca, thanks for the question. I didn’t specify, because there’s so little used and I’ve successfully used both in the past. My advice would be to use whatever’s handy.
It’s an easy recipe and very good. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re so welcome, Pamela, I’m happy you liked it.
hysterical that you’ve “copyrighted” an ages old dumpling recipe.
I know, don’t tell everyone’s Grandma. LOL No, actually, bloggers do what they can to discourage “pirates” from copying/pasting our whole blogs including the recipe, pictures, and everything we took the time to write ourselves after having made the recipe. Food bloggers expect others to use the same recipe, but they should share it in their own words and use their own pictures, that’s all. So, have you tried the recipe?
I’m trying them tonight. We shall see how they come out seeing how this is the first time I’ve ever made them.
I may be a bit late, but I have a question I hope you can answer. I want to use this recipe for a slow-cooker chicken & dumplings recipe. Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated!
Hi Samantha: That’s a great question, and I’ll do my best to answer it for you. The short answer is that dumplings are best on the stovetop, because you have more control over them. They can, however, be adapted to the slow cooker, but you may need to try it a few times to get the timing right. First, the liquid base should be at a boil (or very hot) when you add the dumpling batter. Drop by tablespoon into slow cooker. Cover, and keep covered, for 20-30 minutes, or until the dumplings are chewy-tender. You also want to avoid overcooking the dumplings, as they will get gummy. So, you’ll want to try this during the last 30 minutes of your overall cook time to avoid overcooking them, but I can’t tell you when to lift the lid, this will have to be your experiment. I think for the first time, I would set the timer for 25 minutes, right in the middle. It’s going to work, let us know what time you used.
I love this simple recipe! I skipped the parchment paper paper but it is going great.
That’s great, Sapphire, thanks for the comment. I’m so glad you like it.
Made last night. They were spot on! I warmed the butter in the whole milk then let it cool a bit. 20 min was perfect! Thanks!
Thank you, Pete, I appreciate the comment. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Great recipe for 2 people unlike a few other dumpling recipes I’ve tried. I am a senior so I did drop the salt down by half. I forgot that when I used to make dumplings over soup while my kids were growing up, the instructions would say to leave the lid off while they cook the first half, and then cover for the last half. That is how they used to turn out lighter and fluffier than they have been the past few years. So I’m going back to what the old Betty Crocker recipe used to say next time I make this recipe.
Hi Deb. Thank you, I’m glad you like the recipe. I’ve never heard of that trick. I wish I had my Mom’s old Betty Crocker book, so many great tips. Please let us know how that works out for you — we all love a light and fluffy dumpling.
Ok to substitute self rising flour and omit baking powder and salt?
Hi Bonnie: Great question. You can use 1 cup self-rising flour by itself — the recipe will still work, just with a bit less rise and seasoning. To more closely match my recipe, you can use 1 cup self-rising flour with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I hope this helps.
I’m sure it’s not the recipe, but these were absolutely terrible. So bad my daughter took one bite and spit it out. Disgusting hard globs of slimy dough. Not edible, I threw the whole mess out. Sad, because it has put me out of ever trying to make them again. I followed the recipe to the letter, so I am completely confused as to what went wrong. The soup was hot and I never lifted the top to the point where the chicken soup was sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot. Thoroughly disappointing. *sigh* -Q
Hi Quin. I’m so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. It’s hard to say what went wrong, because I wasn’t there, and I’m not saying you did any of these things, so let me go over a few technique errors we all make. The most common mistake is overmixing. If the dough was stirred too much after adding the milk, the gluten develops and the dumplings become tough, dense, and gluey inside. Mix the batter only until the flour is just moistened (dough should look rough and shaggy). Second, the soup should only be simmering, not boiling. A simmer is just below the boiling point with small, gentle bubbles rising to the top. A strong boil can break the dumplings apart externally, cause them to seize up on the outside, and leave the interiors gummy. If your soup was sticking and burning on the bottom of your pot, this may have been the culprit. Another problem that is hard to control is the humidity in your kitchen. There may have been too much or too little milk — the dough should be thick enough to hold shape when dropped. You can add 1–2 extra tablespoons of flour if it’s too runny. I hope this helps should you ever decide to try them again.
Going to try these Thanksgiving. Mine seems to always be too heavy so thanks for the tips and recipe.
Hi Carol. You’re so welcome, I hope they come out beautifully for you. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Easy to make and yummy!
Thank you, Eleanor, I appreciate that.
Thrilled to find your easy drop dumpling recipe- it took some time to sift through others as I knew most of the ingredients I was looking for- just like my grandmothers recipe- always a family favorite over homemade chicken soup! Thank you
You’re so welcome, Amy, I’m glad you found it.
Noodles are so good.. thx for the recipe
Thanks, Becky, glad you liked the recipe.
I just made the dumplings sifted the dry ingredients and melted the butter in the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave than after about 15 minutes added the wet to dry ingredients. I only stirred a few times just till all the flour was wet, formed in to loose balls and let them sit and rest on parchment paper for 15min. I dropped and covered for 17min and they were better than granny’s. Definitely my new dumplings recipe. Thank you
Thanks, Sarah, glad you liked them.
I don’t have baking powder, can I still make them?
Hi Karen. You can make them without the baking powder, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The baking powder is what gives these dumplings their light, fluffy texture. Without it, they’ll turn out much denser and more doughy, and you won’t get the soft “pillow-like” result the recipe is meant to have. If you’re out of baking powder, it’s worth waiting until you have it, so the dumplings turn out their best.
I love this recipe. I’m actually going to use it again tonight here in a few minutes when I made chicken and dumplings for my family. Everyone has been telling me to use biscuits, but I can’t. I prefer home made dumplings. I grew up in the thin dumplings, my mother would use a pizza cutter to cut them into strips, it wasn’t until I met my fiance that I had made drop dumplings because he prefers them. Needless to say, this recipe is always a huge hit with my little family. Thank you for sharing. I spent so much time looking for a simple drop dumplings recipe that didn’t have all the add ins and then I found this one, and it’s perfect for what I wanted. I do add a bit of celery seed to mine though for extra flavor. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it. Don’t use too much though or you’ll over do it with the flavor and it’ll end up being on the spicy side.
You’re so welcome, Kayla, I’m glad it’s what you were looking for. I love the idea of adding celery seed, I’ll have to try that. Thank you for the suggestion.
How long can I let the dumpling dough rest before adding to the broth. Would a couple hours be to long to leave it sit out
Great question! I don’t recommend leaving the dough out for 1–2 hours before adding it to the soup. Since it has leavening in it, the dumplings can lose some of their fluffiness and may not cook up as light and tender. For best results, mix the dough and let it set for 5 minutes right before dropping it into the simmering soup.
Omg thank you, these dumplings brought me back to my mom’s kitchen
They are excellent
You’re so welcome, Frances, thank you for the kind comment.
I see there are no eggs in the recipe? How different would they be if adding an egg?
No eggs on purpose 😉 Adding one wouldn’t break the recipe, but it would change the texture—more cake-like, less of that soft, tender bite the recipe was written for. Great question, Penny, thank you.