Zeppelin-shaped potato dumplings stuffed with meat, served with bacon-onion sauce and sour cream.

Where does Cepelinai come from?

Cepelinai is a Lithuanian dish from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Can Cepelinai be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Cepelinai recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Cepelinai take to make?

About 90 minutes total (50 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Cepelinai — a Vilnius, Lithuania recipe

Name: Cepelinai
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Lithuanian
Ingredients: 4 lb potatoes (mix of raw grated + boiled mashed); 1 lb ground pork; 6 oz + 1 bacon and onion (for sauce); 1 cup sour cream, to serve; 3 tbsp potato starch; to taste salt

Europe → 🇱🇹 Lithuania → Vilnius

Cepelinai

Lithuanian · advanced · serves 4

prep 50 min · cook 40 min

~1003 cal · 47g protein · 80g carbs · 54g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Large potato dumplings with bacon-onion sauce and sour cream

🇱🇹 Vilnius

Cepelinai — named for the zeppelin airships they resemble — are Lithuania's national dish: large dumplings of grated raw and boiled potato wrapped around a spiced meat filling. Boiled until glossy and served under a sauce of crisped bacon, onion, and sour cream, they are hearty, filling, and fiercely loved.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

4 lb potatoes (mix of raw grated + boiled mashed)

•

1 lb ground pork

•

6 oz + 1 bacon and onion (for sauce)

•

1 cup sour cream, to serve

•

3 tbsp potato starch

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to taste salt

Instructions

1

Squeeze the grated raw potato dry and mix with the mashed potato and potato starch into a workable dough.

2

Season the pork (or mushrooms and lentils) with onion, salt, and pepper for the filling.

3

Shape dough around the filling into large zeppelin ovals with wet hands.

4

Boil gently in salted water 25–30 minutes until glossy and cooked through.

5

Top with the crisped bacon-onion (or mushroom) sauce and a spoon of sour cream.

Vilnius tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Vilnius. Baltic summers served cold, pink, and dill-covered.

🗺️

Lithuania. Baltic summers announced by a shocking pink soup.

🌍

Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

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