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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings

Published: Sep 30, 2023 by Bianca · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

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Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings

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.

Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings with Pumpkin Goulash

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

bread cubes and plant-based milk
Step 1: Soak bread cubes in plant-based milk (unsweetened!).
onion and garlic in pot
Step 2: Cook onions and garlic.
bread dumplings, onion, garlic and parsley
Step 3: Add the cooked onions and garlic, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper to the softened bread cubes.
bread dumplings mixture and cassava flour
Step 4: Give it a good mix and add flour (e.g. cassava flour).
shaped bread dumplings
Step 5: Form the dumplings (you should be able to get about 8 dumplings).
bread dumplings in pan
Step 6: Pan-fry them in a pan with oil over medium heat. You don't want to rush this because you want the inside cooked through too.
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings in the pan
Step 7: Once they have a nice golden color and are crispy, flip them over, let them pan-fry on the other side as well.
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings
Then they are ready to serve!

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...

Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings | ElephantasticVegan.com
Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings with Brussels Sprouts
Vegan Pumpkin Goulash with two pan-fried Bread Dumplings
Vegan Pumpkin Goulash with Bread Dumplings

Love it? Rate it!

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 with Pumpkin Goulash

Pan-Fried Bread Dumplings

Elephantastic Vegan
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.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Austrian, Vegan
Servings 8 bread dumplings
Calories 167 kcal

Equipment

Non-Stick Pan
Non-Stick Pan

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!

Notes

Storage: If you have leftover bread dumplings, let them cool off, and put them in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat them in the pan, or microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 167kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gSodium: 361mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 128IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @elephantasticvegan or tag #elephantasticvegan!
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Comments

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Rebecca Strength and Sunshine says

    October 11, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Woooooh! BREAD dumplings! That is the ultimate in comfort and good feelings!

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      October 13, 2016 at 1:27 pm

      comfort food indeed! I love fall for these meals :)

      Reply
  2. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says

    October 12, 2016 at 8:50 pm

    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 :)

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      October 13, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      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! :)

      Reply
  3. Martina says

    October 18, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      October 18, 2016 at 8:40 pm

      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. :)

      Reply
  4. Jason says

    May 16, 2018 at 10:07 pm

    Love a good dumpling. Will try out this recipe for sure.

    Reply

Welcome!

I’m Bianca. On my blog, you’ll find easy & delicious vegan recipes. I create 'meaty', 'fishy', and 'cheesy' recipes because I like to blow minds.

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