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Khinkali are super flavorful, meat-filled dumplings that are similar to soup dumplings. They reheat well, making them great for meal prep and freezing!
If you love dumplings, you will also love these pelmeni which are the Russian version of boiled dumplings.
What are Khinkali?
Khinkali are Georgian dumplings that are a favorite at dinner parties or supras. The most common version of them is meat-filled, like in this recipe. In addition to the meat, the dumplings have a brothy filling due to the juices that the raw ground meat produces when cooked.
While the soup filling is similar to Chinese soup dumplings, the dough is thicker and they are boiled, instead of steamed.
Khinkali are also similar to Manti which is a Turkish dumpling. Manti are also meat-filled but are cooked in broth and served with a yogurt sauce.
Love Georgian cuisine? Check out my take on Khachapuri-also known as Georgian cheese bread!
How to Make Khinkali Dough and Filling
- To make the dough, mix together the flour and salt, then whisk in the eggs. Add the water and fold together until a dough forms. Finally, knead the dough until it is elastic.
- To make the meat filling, mix together the ground meat (beef and chicken), onion, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.
Hot Tip: My kids do not always like herbs in their dumplings. You can skip the herbs and serve them with fresh herbs instead.
How to Shape Khinkali
- Roll the dough very thin and cut into circles 3 inches in diameter.
- Add a dollop of the meat filling to a dough circle and fold the edges over. Pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining ingredietns.
Cooking Khinkali
Boil a large pot of water and add a few Khinkali at a time. The dumplings will eventually float to the top, then allow them to simmer for 2-4 minutes until cooked.
FAQ
When was Khinkali invented?
Khinkali was invented in Georgia hundreds of years ago. Some say that it was the Mongols (Chinese influence) that brought the dumplings to the region, while others insist that they originated in Georgia.
How do you reheat Khinkali?
You can reheat Khinkali by pan frying them in a skillet on the stove with a little oil. The bottoms of the dumplings will become browned, crispy, and so good.
How to eat Khinkali?
To eat Khinkali, use your hands to hold the warm dumpling by its stem, sprinkle it with a little pepper, and take a bite from the side of the soft top. Then, suck out the broth (you can blow on the broth to cool) before eating the filling and the rest of the dumpling. You can discard the doughy dumpling stem, if you’d like.
How to Freeze Khinkali?
To freeze Khinkali, place on a floured baking sheet and freeze. Once they are frozen, you can place them in a zip lock bag to store in the freezer.
Cooking Frozen Khinkali: It may take a few minutes longer to cook the frozen Khinkali, but the instructions remain the same.
More Dumpling Recipes
- Gyoza Recipe – make Japanese pan-fried dumplings at home!
- Pelmeni Soup – comforting Russian dumpling soup.
- Chicken Dumpling Soup – similar to chicken noodle soup but with dumplings.
- – ready in under 30 minutes!
Recipe
Khinkali Recipe (Georgian Dumplings)
Print Pin
Servings
30 dumplings
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Khinkali are super flavorful, meat-filled dumplings that are similar to soup dumplings. They reheat well, making them great for meal prep and can even be frozen! Both the dough and filling are easy to make and they’re fun to assemble.
Ingredients
Khinkali Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water
Khinkali Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp salt adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp herbs (optional)
US Units – Metric
Instructions
Khinkali Dough
In a large bowl combine the flour with the salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Whisk together using a fork.
Add the water to the center and fold the flour into the liquid. Knead the dough by hand until it feels elastic.
Cover the kneaded dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Khinkali Filling
Combine the beef with the chicken, minced onion, salt and pepper.
Roll out the dough as thin as you possibly can.
Cut the dough into 3 inch circles. Place a dollop of the meat filling in the center.
Pull the edge over the filling and pinch all around, forming little pockets with meat.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a few of the Khinkali at a time. Once they float to the top, give them 2-4 minutes to simmer.
Remove them from the water. Serve with butter, and fresh herbs.
Note: You can use any of your favorite combinations of ground meat. Such as beef, pork, turkey, chicken or even lamb.
Nutrition Facts
Khinkali Recipe (Georgian Dumplings)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 127 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 412mg17%
Potassium 149mg4%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 27IU1%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted March 10, 2021
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TatiFeb 2, 2024 In a classic version, there are no eggs in the dough, and the diameter of the circle is 4"-5". They are really big. ))
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 2, 2024 Thanks for sharing Tati! I prefer mine smaller in size, but you could certainly make them larger.
MarciJun 16, 2023 Hi Natalya!
I'm a pretty novice cook, but I can't wait to try this recipe! Is there a sauce you recommend to serve with it?
Thank you 🙂Natalya DrozhzhinJun 17, 2023 Hi Marci, We love them with butter and fresh herbs. I hope you try this recipe soon!
JennyApr 30, 2023 Cannot wait to make these today!! My family and I pick a different country once a month to make their foods. This month is Georgian foods. My kids love dumplings so I am sure this will be a hit.
Natalya DrozhzhinMay 1, 2023 Hi Jenny, I am so glad that you found a recipe that you are excited about! I hope you all love it!
janetMar 30, 2023 what "herbs" do you use?
Curtis RasoJun 26, 2023 Cilantro!
იალJul 1, 2023 You’re right, we use cilantro in Georgia, mostly in cities, but dill and parsley are used as well. The main spice is dzi´ra (ძირა), which is a spice like between cumin and caraway. Also, you better to add some freshly made beef or chicken bouillon into the ground meat to make it juicy. Or, at least, some water. Usually we mix beef and pork or mutton, but you can use any meat you like. Originally, the meat doesn’t get ground through the meat grinder, but we chop it up using two huge sharp knives into the small pieces as possible. And the onions get chopped up into the small pieces as well, not the grinder. It makes the meat even more juicier! And for me - lots of ground black pepper on the top of Khinkali! Also, the size of the Khinkali should be a bit bigger then on the photo on this website.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 30, 2023 Hi Janet, I do not use any herbs in this recipe because my boys don't like it that way. But if you were to add some, you can add dill or parsley. Dried or fresh, but it's all really optional. I hope this answers your question. Enjoy!
shawn alisa arstillFeb 19, 2023 Hi wonderful recipe. I'm wondering about the nutritional facts. Is this for one dumpling or for a serving? How big is a serving? thank you
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 19, 2023 Hi dear, the recipe makes 30 dumplings, the nutrition is per dumpling. Enjoy this one, so good!
JamesJan 15, 2023 Delicious. Georgian cuisine is the best in the world by far
Natalya DrozhzhinJan 16, 2023 James, thank you! Happy to hear this and totally agree with you!
JamękMay 8, 2022 Very good recipe. I added caraway, mixed sprouts and garlic. For some reason I had WAY too much filling leftover.
Natalya DrozhzhinMay 9, 2022 Hi Jamek - Thanks so much for the feedback. Those add-ins sound delicious. If you have leftover filling, you can always freeze it to use for later.
LevonMay 7, 2022 The Georgian dumplings are delicious. I had it in Yerevan, Armenia a Neighbor country to Georgia.
A slight correction, Manti is an Armenian dish not TurkishRachelMay 13, 2023 Exactly right. There are many Armenian dishes that the Turks have "colonized" (to be polite) and claimed as their own. Love Georgeian food!
Natalya DrozhzhinMay 8, 2022 Yay - we feel the same way. These dumplings are just TOO good. Thanks for sharing Levon.
ShannonMar 25, 2022 We made this tonight, adding garlic, half the onion, a bit of Nutmeg, thyme,Parsley, chives, minced chard and spinach.. it was amazing. My DH follows a guy on Twitter who is in Kiev and he posted that he was enjoying them for his dinner, so my DH decided we would have them in his honor. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 25, 2022 Hi Shannon- thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I'm so glad your family enjoyed this recipe.
BrianMar 2, 2022 These are good. I'm a widower and since my wife has passed I have learned how to cook. I should say learning how to. These are hard for me to make. Fat man fingers I suppose 🤣. I can just picture a woman making these in one tenth the time it takes me. I never thought I would be interested in cooking in my fifties, but it's fun Thank you for sharing.
JackieOct 18, 2022 I have seen a mold that makes multiple dumplings you can use with flat dough on bottom, add filling then another layer of dough on top. Press top layer down & then you can cut individual dumplings out. Might be worth a try. I bet you can goggle for a mold. Image uploads disabled so cannot send you the pic I saw. Good Luck. I’ve never made this type of dumpling but will try!
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 19, 2022 Hi Jackie, I think I know what you're referring to. If I'm being truly honest, I like making them by hand. Its therapeutic. If you are thinking to purchase one of those things, let me know how it works and if you like it.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 2, 2022 Hi Brian- I am so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you are enjoying learning to cook, good for you for trying more complex and time consuming recipes like dumplings. You'll be a pro in no time! 🙂
Syrr WillbornFeb 12, 2022 Delicious recipe! I don't cook much but everyone was impressed when I made this for dinner! I look forward to other recipes from Momsdish and you Natalya!
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 13, 2022 Thank you for the kind feedback, glad you enjoyed them!
KathleenFeb 8, 2022 I was able to successfully make these eggfree! Used 1 TBSP Arrowroot powder, 1 TBSP Olive oil, extra 1/4 cup of water for a half batch. Used all ground beef with 1 tsp of ground fennel seeds and 1 tsp of garlic added in addition to what the recipe calls for. Absolutely delicious!
Ended up with extras, so I'm seeing how they hold up to freezing!
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 8, 2022 Thank you for the valuable feedback, Kathleen. I'm glad the modifications worked out and that you enjoyed the recipe!
stefDec 6, 2021 I made these yesterday but with a filling of shallot, mushroom and cabbage. They were DELICIOUS and will definitely be making another version soon. I'm thinking arugula with something would be phenomenal in there as well. Thanks for sharing!
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 6, 2021 Oh yum, I love the filling that sounds incredible! If you decide to make the arugula version please let me know I would love to know how that goes! I'm glad you loved the recipe!
AgnèsMar 28, 2023 Hi Natalya & Stef !
I find it very interesting to use cabbage.
And the arugula idea is great!
I dream also to try with watercress which I love the taste so much.
All this inspires me enormously, the so juicy khinkali have made me dream for so long !
(I also noted the idea of fennel seeds, or add a little 4 spices...)Natalya DrozhzhinMar 28, 2023 Hi Agnes, thank you for your sweet comment. It makes me so happy to hear that my recipes are inspirational. Thank you for your feedback.
სოფოJul 28, 2021 Hello Natalya,
Just wanted to say that I'm sure your version of "Khinkali" is not bad at all but it's not Khinkali. Georgian meat Khinkali uses even portions of ground pork and beef, salt, thinly minced onion and ground caraway.
Black pepper goes on top of Khinkali after it's cooked.Natalya DrozhzhinJul 28, 2021 Thanks for sharing your feedback!
VitaApr 13, 2021 Hello Natalya, I try to reach you on Facebook! But no answer yet! I made one of your pie’s that u posted a month ago, I lost a recipe! It was pie with cabbage! It was delicious! I would appreciate if u can send me that recipe! It was delicious 🤤
Natalya DrozhzhinApr 13, 2021 Hey Vita, Here is a cabbage piroshki recipe that we have. https://momsdish.com/recipe/3…
NatashaMar 16, 2021 I wanted to try something new so I made this recipe and no regrets because it was so good! I mixed pork and beef, I'm glad I found a great recipe for dumplings, thank you for sharing.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 16, 2021 I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for taking the time to comment!
KatieMar 16, 2021 Looks so good! Can't wait to try this one.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 16, 2021 Enjoy!
BetsyMar 15, 2021 I LOVE that the herbs in here are completely optional! One of my biggest complaints of dumplings I so often get in restaurants is that they taste like they are filled with a generic breakfast sausage instead of a more regional flavoring of herbs and meat. The dough is absolutely perfect and I love the flavor combination of mixing meats! Delightful!
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 15, 2021 I'm so glad you enjoyed them Betsy, and that you found them to be full of flavor!
SvetlanaMar 15, 2021 Ok, I don’t usually leave reviews, but I had to go back here and leave one. This recipe is delicious! I made хинкали before but it was nothing like this. Kids loved it we all did. Every recipe I make from you Natalia is great!
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 15, 2021 Thank you, Svetlana, for taking the time to leave a review, I'm so glad you and your kids enjoyed the dumplings!
