These pan-fried Bread Dumplings are a no-boil/no-steam alternative to regular Bread Dumplings. They are much quicker to make and have a crispy outside. You can serve them with all kinds of goulash and stews, or as a side for Christmas or Thanksgiving.
These vegan, pan-fried Bread Dumplings are a no-steam and no-boil alternative to my regular Bread Dumplings recipe. They were a result of my craving for bread dumplings and extreme laziness.
I absolutely love how crispy on the outside and soft on the inside they turned out. And of course, they are much quicker to make. So this recipe quickly turned into my go-to-recipe for bread dumplings.
These pan-fried Bread Dumplings are the perfect addition to goulash (for example this Pumpkin Goulash) and stews, but they are also an amazing part if you're planning a huge Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
They go so well together with:
- Vegan Steak with Herb Butter
- Seitan Roast
- Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Soy Sauce
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes with onions and garlic
- Braised Red Cabbage
- Vegan Potato Croquettes
- Tri-Color Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries
You can easily prepare the bread dumplings in advance. I usually pan-fry them, let them cool off, put them in the fridge for 2-3 days, then reheat them in the pan. But you could also shape the bread dumplings and put them in the fridge before pan-frying them.
How to make Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings
As always you will find the whole recipe with measurements in the box below but I want to give you an overview of the key ingredients, variations, and the process with step-by-step photos first.
The ingredients
You will need:
- bread cubes - I'm using store-bought white bread cubes, but you can also make your own by cutting old bread into small pieces
- unsweetened (!) plant-based milk - I would recommend using either rice or oat milk because they are more neutral-tasting. For this recipe, I used homemade oat-milk.
- yellow onions - You can also use red onions.
- garlic cloves
- fresh parsley
- salt & pepper
- cassava flour - Instead you can also use chickpea flour or wheat flour. This helps to keep our mixture sticking together.
- oil for the pan - I used canola oil.
The basic steps
Using Thanksgiving Leftovers
If you have leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving you can make these Bread Dumplings too! You'll only need to add cassava flour, chickpea flour, or wheat flour, and any spices or herbs you might want to add. Form the patties and pan-fry them. Easy as that and so good!
Serve these Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings with...
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I hope you enjoy these pan-fried Bread Dumplings as much as I do! Let me know if you give them a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups dried bread cubes (or old white bread cut into small cubes)
- 1 ⅓ cups unsweetened plant-based milk e.g. rice or oat (or water)
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon cassava flour (or chickpea flour or wheat flour)
- 1 tablespoon oil for the pan
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dried bread cubes and the unsweetened rice or oat milk. Give it a mix. Let the bread cubes soften for about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the chopped onions and minced garlic in a pan until translucent and soft. Then let it cool off.
- Then add the onion-garlic-mixture to the bread cubes, add the salt, chopped parsley, and ground pepper.
- Give it a good mix, then add cassava flour (or wheat or chickpea flour). This is our binding ingredient.
- Form about 8 bread dumplings with your hands. (You can add more water if it's too dry, or more cassava flour if it's too moist).
- To a large pan, add oil and heat it up to medium heat. Pan-fry the bread dumplings for about 5 minutes on each side (they should be golden brown and crispy on the sides). Then they are ready to serve!
Rebecca Strength and Sunshine says
Woooooh! BREAD dumplings! That is the ultimate in comfort and good feelings!
Bianca says
comfort food indeed! I love fall for these meals :)
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I've never had a bread dumpling, but they sound and look spectacular. The closest comparison I can think of that I am familiar with is like stuffing smushed into dumpling form haha. Which actually sounds incredible! And I just finally bought cassava flour, so it's fun to see that you are using that stuff too :)
Bianca says
Actually, that's exactly what these are - stuffing dumplings haahah! Historically, bread dumplings were a poor-man's-food, made out of stale bread. But as in so many countries - the simplest and most inexpensive meals are often the best. And I think these go so well in a huge thanksgiving feast. This is actually the first recipe I used cassava flour. I was out of chickpea flour (which is my usual binding agent) and I was amazed at how great cassava did for binding. So excited to see what you come up with cassava flour! :)
Martina says
Hi Bianca,
the dumplings look quite nice, but what I am more interested in: how did you make the brussel sprouts, they really look delicious? Cooked and fried afterwards? Or in the baking oven?
LG
Martina
Bianca says
Hi Martina, thank you so much! I always make the brussel sprouts in a large pan, add a bit of water and let them cook with the lid on (until they're soft and the water is gone). Then I add olive oil and a splash of cooking soy sauce and let them pan-fry until they got a nice color. :)
Jason says
Love a good dumpling. Will try out this recipe for sure.