At home, pelmeni are often simmered in a light broth for the ultimate comfort meal. When you visit us, we serve them in bowls with six included toppings — not as soup. But when you’re cooking from our frozen packs, here’s how to do the soup version. Simple, warming, and genuinely restorative on a cold evening.
What pelmeni soup is
Pelmeni soup is not a complicated recipe. It’s pelmeni — small Eastern European meat dumplings — cooked directly in a light stock rather than in plain water. The dough absorbs flavour from the broth as it cooks, and the liquid itself becomes the base of the dish. The result is something between a dumpling bowl and a simple consommé: clear, warming, and deeply satisfying.
It’s a home dish. On cold evenings, on days when you want something nourishing without much effort, pelmeni soup is the answer. It requires a pot, a stock, and fifteen minutes.
A simple broth
The stock is the foundation. Use a good one.
Chicken stock is the most traditional choice — it has a gentle, savoury depth that lets the pelmeni flavour come through without competing with it. Vegetable stock works well if you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t eat meat, but choose one with a clean, clear flavour rather than something very strongly seasoned.
Plain water is technically possible but pointless. The whole point of this method over standard boiling is that the stock adds flavour. Use stock.
How to make pelmeni soup:
- Pour your chicken or vegetable stock into a medium-sized pot — allow roughly 300–400ml per person, or more if you want a generous amount of broth.
- Bring to a gentle simmer. Not a full boil — you want the liquid moving but not agitated.
- Season lightly with salt. Taste first — your stock may already be seasoned and pelmeni will absorb some of the saltiness as they cook.
- Add the frozen pelmeni directly from the freezer. No defrosting.
- Simmer for 8–10 minutes until the pelmeni float and the dough is tender when pressed gently.
- Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.
- Ladle into deep bowls — pelmeni and plenty of the broth together.
- Finish immediately with fresh herbs.
That’s the entire recipe. No complicated steps. The stock does the work.
Herbs and toppings
Simple additions make the biggest difference here.
Fresh dill is the natural herb for pelmeni soup. It’s the Eastern European herb that most naturally accompanies this dish — bright, aromatic, slightly aniseed. Add it just before serving so it wilts gently in the heat of the broth rather than cooking down.
Fresh parsley works as well, or alongside dill. Flat-leaf parsley has a slightly more neutral flavour and adds a clean green note.
Sour cream can be added as a small spoonful to the broth — not stirred in completely, but floated on top or stirred just once or twice. It adds richness and tang, and turns the clear broth slightly milky. This is a matter of preference; some people prefer the soup without it.
Black pepper freshly ground, at the end. Essential.
What to skip in the soup context: crispy bacon, fried onions, and sautéed mushrooms are all excellent toppings for pelmeni in a bowl — but they don’t translate as well to a broth dish. Keep the soup clean and simple. The broth is the main event.
When to eat it
Pelmeni soup is comfort food in the truest sense. It belongs on a cold evening, after a long day, when you want something warm and filling without having to think very hard about cooking.
It’s also the right dish for when you’re not feeling well. A clear chicken broth with dumplings and fresh dill is nourishing and easy on the stomach — simple ingredients, nothing heavy, deeply warming.
The timing works in its favour too. Frozen pelmeni cook in 8–10 minutes from the freezer. Stock heats in under five minutes. The whole thing is on the table in fifteen minutes, which is faster than most delivery options.
Make it at home with our frozen packs
Our 200g frozen packs at £9 are the fastest route to pelmeni soup at home. Handmade pelmeni — lamb and beef (halal), pork and beef, chicken, or pork — ready to go straight into your stock from the freezer. No defrosting. No prep beyond heating the broth.
Pick up in person at a pop-up or find out more at eatpelmeni.com/frozen-takeaway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pelmeni eaten in soup?
At home, yes — simmering pelmeni in a light broth rather than plain water is a traditional home-cooking method across Eastern Europe. The stock adds flavour to the dumplings and the liquid becomes a warming soup base. With us, we serve pelmeni in bowls with toppings rather than as soup — but for cooking at home with our frozen packs, the soup method is excellent.
What broth goes with pelmeni?
Chicken stock is the most traditional and works best — it has a gentle depth that complements the meat filling without competing with it. Vegetable stock is a good alternative. Avoid very strongly flavoured stocks that overpower the dumpling filling. Season lightly; the pelmeni absorb salt as they cook.
Can you cook pelmeni straight in soup?
Yes. Add frozen pelmeni directly to simmering stock without defrosting first. They cook in 8–10 minutes from frozen. Don’t boil the stock too aggressively — a vigorous boil can work the seams loose. A steady simmer gives you a cleaner broth and properly cooked dumplings.
What herbs suit pelmeni soup?
Fresh dill is the most traditional and most recommended — it’s the herb most associated with Eastern European dumpling dishes and adds an aromatic note that complements the broth. Flat-leaf parsley is a good alternative or addition. Add herbs just before serving so they keep their freshness and colour.