You want to know what the best soup from North Dakota is? It’s knoephla soup and it has potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and homemade or store-bought dumplings. It’s creamy and rich, plus very easy to make.
Kneophla soup is such a comforting and hearty recipe and if you’ve never had this soup before you’re in for a treat.
Do you love recipes from the Midwest region? Try my Pan Seared Lemon Pepper Walleye recipe.
Make some homemade No Knead Crusty Artisan Bread to serve on the side for dipping.
Jump to:
Homemade or Store Bought Knoephla
If you’re a semi-homemade cook like me, you will just want to go straight to the freezer section at the grocery store and pick up a bag of dumplings. Frozen dumplings are usually done when they float to the top of the soup. That’s what I do a lot actually. There’s nothing wrong with semi-homemade and using short cut ingredients like this easy to keep in the freezer.
It doesn’t take much to make the homemade dumplings. I apologize for not having a step-by-step photo of making homemade knoephla. Roll the dough out into long ropes and cut them into little pieces. It’s very similar to making homemade soft pretzel bites
What Ingredients do I need?
- Chicken broth – The best type of chicken stock to use is one that is homemade. For canned stock, I look for ones that say reduced sodium or fat free.
- Celery – diced
- Carrots – are not listed in the recipe below but you can surely add them if you like
- Potatoes – Some good options include Idaho potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and red potatoes. It’s generally recommended to avoid using Russet potatoes as they tend to break down easily.
- Bay leaves – Bay leaves are available in dried or fresh form and can be found in most grocery stores.
- Salt & pepper – to taste
- Garlic powder – Is made from dehydrated garlic cloves and like the chili powder above it gets pulverized into a powder or flour consistency.
- Heavy Cream – Can sub any type of milk if you wish instead of cream but cream is the best.
- Frozen Dumplings – the ones I like to use are from Prairie Pantry. You can find them in the frozen dough section in the grocery store.
- Knoephla Dough a German dumpling
- Flour – I have only tested this recipe with all purpose flour.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Knoephla Soup
Step 1: In a large pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in some oil until they are soft and fragrant.
Step 2: Add the potatoes, chicken broth, water, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and melted butter to form a dough. Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a marble. (this is optional if using frozen dumplings)
Step 4: Add the dough balls to the pot and let them cook for about 10 minutes, until they float to the surface. Stir in the heavy cream, and let the soup simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve the soup hot, garnished with some chopped fresh parsley or chives.
Recipe FAQS
When I make soup I like to use a lower sodium chicken stock a to control the amount of salt added. Usually the chicken stock will state if it’s lower sodium on the box. Bouillion cubes are great and convenient to have on hand, but I think they can overpower a soup sometimes and make it seem like it’s way too salty.
For Knoephla Soup, it is best to use wax potatoes such as red or yellow potatoes, as they hold their shape well and do not become mushy when boiled. My favorite type of potatoes for knoephla soup is yukon gold.
Potatoes can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to simmer on the stove. Depending on what type and size the potato is. I recommend taking a fork and piercing the potato after it has simmered on the stovetop to check and see if it’s done. A fork should come out of potato easy when it’s ready.
North Dakota is a very cold state and it can get to -20 below out some days, depending on which part of North Dakota you live in. Some days I wonder why I live here? Being half German half Norwegian, I wanted to feature more recipes such as knoephla soup. It’s creamy, rich, very hearty, and very comforting to make on a cold day like today. If you visit North Dakota, check out Fargo and the Badlands out West. It’s pretty flat until you get out in that direction.
Other Recipes to Try
Healthy 3 Ingredient Chocolate Muffins
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
If you tried this Knoephla Soup or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Recipes Diaries.
Knoephla Soup Recipe
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30-40min
Total Time: 10 min
Yield: 8 1x
Category: Easy
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Description
You want to know what the best soup from North Dakota is? It’s knoephla soup and it has potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and homemade or store-bought dumplings. It’s creamy and rich, plus very easy to make.
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 cups potatoes, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cream
- Knoephla Dough a German dumpling
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in some oil until they are soft and fragrant.
- Add the potatoes, chicken broth, water, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and melted butter to form a dough. Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a marble.
- Add the dough balls to the pot and let them cook for about 10 minutes, until they float to the surface.
- Stir in the heavy cream, and let the soup simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with some chopped fresh parsley or chives.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 356
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 555mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 11g
