• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peter's Food Adventures
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • about
  • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • about
    • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Russian Dumplings

    Khinkali (Georgian Dumplings)

    Author: Peter · Published: Apr 29, 2024

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    I perfected this Khinkali recipe (ხინკალი or Хинкали) after my last trip to Georgia. Tasty dumplings stuffed with meat, herbs and spices, with juicy broth in every bite! Packed with flavor and are gaining popularity worldwide. Make them once, freeze them and enjoy as an easy future dinner.

    khinkali dumplings
    khinkali spices
    khinkali meat

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • Something New - while traditional in the country of Georgia, this new dumpling flavor is just starting to gain popularity. Be the first to share these flavors with your friends and family.
    • So Many Fillings - so adaptable, stuff them with your favorite fillings and herbs. Commonly made with beef or lamb, but also can be made with mushrooms, potatoes, cheese or other meats
    • Family Friendly - gather your family and friends and get everyone's help in making dumplings. Many hands make light work, freeze them for later. Everyone will love eating them too!

    Ingredients

    • Dough - flour, water and salt
    • Ground Meat - beef or lamb (just don't use lean meat)
    • Spices - Salt, Cumin, and optional Blue Fenugreek(Utskho Suneli), Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper
    • Aromatics - Onion, Cilantro and Parsley
    • Water - to make a juicy broth
    mixing khinkali meat step by step

    How to Make Khinkali

    1. Prepare Dough - In a bowl, mix together the flour salt and water until dough forms. Transfer to a work surface and knead the dough until smooth, about 4-5 minutes Cover with cling wrap and rest dough for 1 hour.
    2. Make the Filling -  finely grate onions or process in food processor. Using your hands, mix the ground beef (not lean), onions,  salt, cumin, blue fenugreek, chili powder, chopped cilantro, chopped parsley and water until evenly mixed. Set aside.
    3. Roll Dough - roll a piece of dough through a Kitchenaid Pasta Roller (or a hand pasta roller) on setting 1. Cut the thin dough sheet into squares about 6 inches (15cm) wide. You can cut round dough circles, however this method is faster. If manually rolling out the dough, roll it out about ¼" thin. 
    4. Fill and Pleat - place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the square dough piece. Close it up by forming a sack by pinching pieces of dough into each other (creating pleats). Pinch the pleats together to seal the sack, forming a little knob at the top, ideally to have 19 pleats. Twist or cut excess dough from the top of the dough knob. Repeat until all the dough and meat is used.
    5. Cook - bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the fresh Khinkakli into the boiling water. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until they float. Remove using a slotted spoon.
    6. Serve - Serve immediately with black pepper and Adjika Sauce, Tkemali Sauce or a Yogurt Garlic Sauce.
    making dough
    dough ball

    Khinkali Variations

    • Lamb Khinkali - a traditional taste enjoyed in the regions of Georgia
    • Potato Khinkali - this is my favorite variation, mash potatoes with garlic and onion, a tasty vegetarian and budget friendly option (try adding grated cheese to potatoes).
    • Pork Khinkali - nice an juicy with a mild flavor
    • Mixed Meat - combine ground beef with ground lamb or pork for a tasty flavor
    • Mushroom Khinkali - skip the meat and saute sliced mushrooms with onions as the filling
    • Cheese Khinkali - Sulguni Cheese is traditional Georgian cheese, or substitute with Feta and Mozzarella with your favorite herbs, spinach or mushrooms.
    rolling dough
    cutting dough

    Recipe Tips and FAQs

    • Dough Must Rest - this is a very tight dough and needs to rest at least 1 hour. For best result, prepare the night before and rest in the fridge for 12 hours. Bring to room temperature before using.
    • Smaller Khinkali - cut the dough into smaller pieces, 10cm or 3 inches. This way you'll get more Khinkali, but portions will vary.
    • Juicy Filling - Add enough water to ensure that every bite is full of meaty juices. Add more water if needed. When standing a spoon upright in the meat mixture, it should fall over (that way you know the meat has enough liquids).
    • 19 Pleats - traditionally folded with 19 pleats, but that's harder to do than you think. It's a forgiving recipe, just do your best and enjoy.
    • Skip the Fancy Spices - very commonly made with Cumin (Dzira), Salt and Pepper. However, if you want to elevate the flavors, find some Blue Fenugreek or Hmeli Suneli for authentic flavors.
    • Blue Fenugreek Substitute - this can be hard to find. Substitute Fenugreek, suggest using ½ a teaspoon less as it's stronger in flavor.
    making khinkali
    uncooked khinkali

    How to eat Khinkali

    This is not a knife and fork type of meal! Hold Khinkali upside down and eat with your hands. The top knob of the dumpling is what you hold the dumpling as a handle, flip over and take a small bite. Carefully slurp the hot juices from the dumpling. Do not eat the knob, keep on your plate to count how many you've eaten.

    boiling khinkali
    khinkali on spoon

    Can I Freeze Khinkali?

    Absolutely. Double the recipe and freeze the uncooked dumplings for an easy future dinner. Place dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in freezer until frozen solid (about 2 hours). Place in a Ziploc bag and cook from frozen when ready. This will add a few minutes to your cooking time.

    Storage and Reheating

    • Fridge - allow to cool and place in airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 3-4 days.
    • Reheating - place on a plate and microwave in 30 second increments until heated through. Alternatively pan fry in oil or butter until crispy and hot.
    Khinkali top down

    Dumpling Recipes You'll Love

    • Pierogi Dough
    • Pelmeni
    • Potato and Cheddar Pierogis
    • Central Asian Manti
    • Vareniki with Tvorog
    • Turkey Wontons in Soup
    • Galushki Soup
    • Hanum (Orama) - Lazy Manti

    Tasty Georgian comfort food, this easy Khinkali recipe (Xinklali) is less scary o make than you think! A forgiving recipe with an easy video to follow, full of flavors that will transport you to Georgia. Gather your family together for dumpling night, making dumplings is a team sport! Приятного аппетита!

    cooked Khinkali

    Khinkali Recipe (Video)

    You've got to try Khinkali (Хинкали). Delicious Georgian dumplings popular in Russia and across the former Soviet Union. Broth filled meat dumplings mixed with Cilantro and spices. Flavorful comfort food, from Eastern Europe with love.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Georgian, Soviet
    Servings 24 Dumplings

    Ingredients
      

    For the dough

    • 4 cups (500g) Flour
    • 2 teaspoons Salt
    • 1¼ cups Water

    For the filling

    • 1 pound (500g) Ground Beef or ground lamb
    • 1 Onion finely diced or processed
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
    • 1½ teaspoons Blue Fenugreek (utskho suneli) optional
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Cayenne optional
    • 3 tbsp Cilantro chopped
    • 3 tbsp Parsley chopped
    • 1 cup Water
    • serve with Black Pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare Dough - In a bowl, mix together the flour salt and water until dough forms. Transfer to a work surface and knead the dough until smooth, about 4-5 minutes Cover with cling wrap and rest dough for 1 hour (but overnight is best).
    • Make the Filling -  finely grate onions or process in food processor. Using your hands, mix the ground beef (not lean), onions,  salt, cumin, blue fenugreek, chili powder, chopped cilantro, chopped parsley and water until evenly mixed. Set aside.
    • Roll Dough - roll a piece of dough through a Kitchenaid Pasta Roller (or a hand pasta roller) on setting 1. Cut the thin dough sheet into squares about 6 inches (15cm) wide. You can cut round dough circles, however this method is faster. If manually rolling out the dough, roll it out about ¼" thin. 
    • Fill and Pleat - place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the square dough piece. Close it up by forming a sack by pinching pieces of dough into each other (creating pleats). Pinch the pleats together to seal the sack, forming a little knob at the top, ideally to have 19 pleats. Twist or cut excess dough from the top of the dough knob. Repeat until all the dough and meat is used.
    • Cook - bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the fresh Khinkakli into the boiling water. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until they float. Remove using a slotted spoon.
    • Serve - Serve immediately with black pepper and Adjika Sauce or Tkemali Sauce.

    Video

    Keyword Khinkali

    ©PetersFoodAdventures.com *originally posted January 2018, updated April 2024

    khinkali pinterest pin
    khinkali pinterest pin

    More Russian Dumplings

    • serving Hanum
      Hanum Steamed Dumplings
    • Uyghur Manti Steamed Dumplings made with ground beef and pumpkin. Popular across Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Delicious with sour cream - Manti (Манты)
      Uzbek Manti
    • pierogies with potato and cheese on plate
      Pierogies with Cheese and Potato
    • Pelmeni on a plate with sour cream
      Pelmeni (Russian Dumplings)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Velva-Evening With A Sandwich

      April 29, 2024 at 8:59 pm

      Peter these Georgian dumplings make me swoon. Love them. These remind me of periogies except a more sophisticated. Thanks for sharing with us.

      Velva

      Reply
      • Peter Kolesnichenko

        April 29, 2024 at 11:45 pm

        They are honestly one of my favorite dumplings, the flavors are incredible! I hope more people try them.👍

        Reply
    2. Erin

      July 16, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      I loved khinkali when we went to Georgia. I'm going to try this recipe this weekend, but I'm one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap. Is there another herb I can use instead?

      Reply
      • Peter's Food Adventures

        July 16, 2020 at 8:03 pm

        Hi Erin, you can use some parsley instead, that’s often used instead! 😃

        Reply
    3. Sona

      January 05, 2020 at 2:02 am

      5 stars
      Hello
      Can I prep dough a day in advance and leave in fridge till I am ready to cook?

      Reply
      • Peter's Food Adventures

        January 05, 2020 at 6:47 pm

        Hi Sona! Yes you can, remember to bring the dough to room temperature before using. You can also make the meat filling in advance too.

        Reply
    4. Mrs. T

      January 30, 2018 at 12:12 pm

      I made these tonight and they are amazing! Doubled the recipe and used all cilantro as I had no parsley. They are packed full of flavour so you only really need just the black pepper to serve. Even fried up a small batch - yummy! Definitely will be added to our favorites with manti, pelmeni and vareniki Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        January 30, 2018 at 9:13 pm

        So happy you tried them! I love the cilantro in them as well! The flavor packs a delicious punch! And I find they're easier and quicker to make than pelmeni too! 🙂

        Reply
        • Mrs. T

          January 31, 2018 at 3:12 am

          I couldn’t resist when I saw cilantro and cumin in a dumpling recipe. I love how much quicker they are to assemble! Square dough pieces are so much simpler to work with so assembly becomes a breeze. Double bonus!

          Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Peter's Food Adventures - where you'll find Russian recipes, Slavic and International favorites with some fun travel and cooking videos. A Russian Food Blogger.

    Hi, I'm Peter!

    Are you looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen? Let me show you how to create tasty meals for your family!

    Food is the ingredient that brings people together. I love authentic foods, and have a very multicultural food background. I am genuinely happy to share the recipes of foods that make me and my family happy. And hopefully yours too. 

    Learn more about me →

    As Featured On

    As Featured On various magazine brands

    Popular Recipes

    • asian potatoes in a bowl beside chinese spoons
      Crispy Asian Potatoes
    • These easy Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls are perfectly soft and fluffy, generously slathered with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon buns that taste like Cinnabon, quick, easy and delicious!
      Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
    • This Chili Mango Sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy sauce. Delicious with seafood, chicken or pork, or as a dipping sauce. Easy to make with an explosion of tropical flavor, packs the perfect punch, extra spicy if you use habaneros! Not too spicy, not too sweet but just right!
      Mango Sauce
    • A Creamy Yogurt Garlic Sauce is perfect for your homemade Doner Kebab, Shawarma, Kofta, Souvlaki or Falafels. A Middle Eastern, flavor packed condiment, garlic dip or spread. So simple and delicious!
      Yogurt Garlic Sauce for Kebabs

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Intellectual Property

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Peter's Food Adventures

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    289 shares
    • 50