Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Idrijski Žlikrofi
Slovenia's little hat-shaped dumplings from Idrija, filled with potato, bacon and marjoram and pinched into a signature crown.
Slovenian · advanced · serves 4
prep 60 min · cook 15 min
~570 cal · 15g protein · 78g carbs · 21g fat · 5g fiber · 3g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Idrijski žlikrofi are the dainty dumplings of the old mining town of Idrija, and in 2010 they became the first Slovenian dish granted EU protected status. Thin pasta-like dough is rolled out, dotted with hazelnut-sized balls of potato filling seasoned with fried bacon or lard, onion, chives and marjoram, then folded and pinched into their unmistakable little "hat" shape.
Boiled until they float, they are traditionally served with bakalca, a mutton or rabbit sauce, or simply with cracklings and butter. Their name is thought to come from the German schlichtkrapfen, a nod to the German mining families who settled Idrija.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
2 to 3 tbsp water or milk
1 lb potatoes
2 oz smoked bacon, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
3 tbsp butter, to serve
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
Knead the flour, eggs, oil and just enough water or milk into a smooth, elastic dough, a little softer than pasta dough. Wrap and rest at least 30 minutes.
2
Boil the potatoes until soft and rice or mash them warm. Fry the diced bacon with the onion, then mix into the potato with the chives, marjoram, salt and pepper.
3
Shape the filling into hazelnut-sized balls. Roll the dough very thin and set the balls a thumb-width apart.
4
Fold the dough over the filling, press firmly around each ball to seal, and pinch a little hollow into the top to make the signature hat shape, then cut them apart.
✎ Chef’s note
Seal firmly and press the hollow on top: that dimple is what makes a žlikrof a žlikrof.
5
Boil in salted water 3 to 4 minutes until they float, then drain and toss with melted butter and a little more chives.
Idrija, Slovenia (EU protected).
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Ljubljana. Ljubljana warms winter with jota, a thick soup of sauerkraut, beans, and potato with smoked pork. Slovenian cooking sits between Alpine, Balkan, and Italian worlds, in buckwheat zganci, struklji rolled dumplings, and cured Karst ham.
🗺️
Slovenia. Slovenia sits where the Alps meet the Mediterranean, and its food follows, hearty sausages and buckwheat žganci in the hills, seafood and prosciutto on the coast. Štruklji dumplings and potica nut roll are national treasures.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Slovenia
JotaA Ljubljana stew of soured sauerkraut, borlotti beans, potato, and smoked pork, winter in a pot.
Ajdovi ŽganciRustic buckwheat "spoonbread" crumbles served with warm milk or cracklings, Slovenian comfort.
Kranjska KlobasaThe protected Carniolan sausage, simmered and served with mustard, bread, and sauerkraut, a Slovenian icon.
Browse all Slovenia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Uncooked parcels freeze well and cook from frozen. Cooked ones keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and steam or pan-warm to serve.
Make it a Slovenia meal
Prekmurska GibanicaDessert
Kranjska KlobasaLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Idrijski Žlikrofi?
Slovenia's little hat-shaped dumplings from Idrija, filled with potato, bacon and marjoram and pinched into a signature crown.
Where does Idrijski Žlikrofi come from?
Idrijski Žlikrofi is a Slovenian dish from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Can Idrijski Žlikrofi be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Idrijski Žlikrofi recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Idrijski Žlikrofi safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Idrijski Žlikrofi take to make?
About 75 minutes total (60 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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