Homemade poppy seed filling is actually simple to make and is so much better than store bought. The texture and flavor is superior in every way.
In our Soviet culture, we bake with poppy seeds a lot, so making homemade poppy seed filling makes sense. I was really surprised how easy it is to make yourself with this simple method. Since poppy seed filling isn't always available in stores, sometimes I have no choice but to make it at home. Often even if you can find it, it doesn't taste very fresh because not a lot of people bake with it.
The homemade version is perfectly creamy, very easy to work with and spread out in your baking and tastes so good. It's wonderful to use it in pastries, yeast breads and cookies. My favorite are Poppy Seed Rugelach and Poppy Seed Rolls. You can also be make it in advance and store it in your refrigerator. It even freezes perfectly for longer storage. Your baking will taste so much better when you use homemade poppy seed filling.
Ingredients:
(Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe with measurements.)
- poppy seeds
- whole milk
- I recommend using whole milk because it will have a richer, creamier texture than reduced fat or skim milk.
- You can most likely use other milk options instead of cow's milk, but I haven't personally tried it.
- butter
- granulated sugar
- salt
- egg yolks
- egg yolks will help thicken up the custard for the poppy seed filling. Using only egg yolks not the egg whites is important because the egg whites is the part that makes things taste "eggy"
The Best Way to Prep the Poppy Seeds
You do need a coffee grinder for this recipe. Trust me, I tried it in the food processor, blender, mashing it by hand, grinding it with my teeth (just kidding). It just doesn't work. The seeds are too tiny for anything besides a coffee grinder. I have heard that others use a meat grinder for this, but I haven't tried that.
Here's the coffee grinder that we have now (it's currently not available on Amazon, but here's the one that we had before that you can purchase now. We used it for years and it worked really well for this too. (I also use it once in a while to grind spices.)
How To Make Homemade Poppy Seed Filling
- Use a coffee grinder to process the poppy seeds.
- You will need to do this in several batches.
- Meanwhile heat the milk, butter, salt and sugar on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk is frothy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Take some of the hot milk mixture and slowly pour in a some of it into the egg yolks, whisking the whole time.
- This is called tempering, which prevents the eggs from scrambling.
- When you've added about half of the milk to the eggs, pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan, whisking to combine.
- Cook on medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, just like making pudding. It should thicken up.
- Add the poppy seeds and mix to combine.
- The filling will look thin, but don't worry, it will thicken up as it cools. Pour the filling into a glass mason jar or a storage container. Cool, then store the filling in the refrigerator, for about a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Poppy Seed Filling Recipes
- Poppy Seed Rugelach
- Use poppy seed filling instead of the Apple Filling in these yeast Bulochki
- Poppy Seed Roll
Homemade Poppy Seed Filling
Homemade poppy seed filling is actually simple to make and is so much better than store bought. The texture and flavor is superior.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Miscellaneous
Ingredients
- 8 oz. poppy seeds (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup (or 4 Tablespoons) butter
- ¾ - 1 cup sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
Instructions
- Use a coffee grinder to process the poppy seeds. You will need to do this in several batches.
- Meanwhile heat the milk, butter, salt, and sugar on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk is frothy.
- Slowly pour in a small amount of the hot milk into the egg yolks, whisking vigorously with the other hand. This is called tempering, which prevents the eggs from scrambling. When you've added about half of the milk to the eggs, pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, just like making pudding.
- Add the poppy seeds, mixing to combine. Cool. The filling will thicken up as it cools. Store the filling in the refrigerator for up to a week and freeze for up to 3 months.
Hi Olga! Do you know how long I can keep it in the refrigerator until it turns bad? Also, would the poppy seed become bad if I grind them and use them like 3 mouths later?
Hi Natasha.
I've never had it in the refrigerator for more than a month, so I'm not sure how long it will last.
As for grinding the poppy seeds 3 months later, it depends on how fresh your poppy seeds are in the first place. They should be fine, but I would keep checking on them every few weeks just in case.
Approximately how long does it take for the mixture to thicken? Do I have to stir it constantly? Thank you
Yes, you have to stir it constantly. As for the time, it's very hard to say. It depends a lot on your stove and on the saucepan you are using.
Hi Olga!
Hands down one of the best poppy fillings ever!!!!!!!So tasty!
My boyfriend is Slovak and he loves anything and everything poppy!!i can just feel it!!!!This is going to be a hit!!!!!!!!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to write, dhurga.
Hi Olga,
Do you think that a food processor would work instead of the coffee grinder. I just don't have a coffee grinder at home. thank you!
No, Natasha. The food processor won't work. I've tried it and many other options. The only option that worked was the coffee grinder. Because the poppy seeds are so tiny, you need something that will grind it really fine. The poppy seeds will remain whole if you use the food processor.
Hi Olga. Love your food blog. Great recipes. Quick question : how does the poppy seed filling get thick. Mine is so watery/liquidy...per instructions you wrote to add half the milk mixture to the eggs then let cool and add the poppy seeds. My concern is what happened to the other half of the milk mixture? I added the entire milk mixture to poppy seeds and am unsure where I messed up. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi Olessa!
Pour part of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking vigorously, so the eggs don't scramble.
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, WITH THE REST OF THE MILK MIXTURE, and cook until the mixture thickens. Then add the poppy seeds.
I think that you didn't cook the mixture long enough. Hope that helps.
Thanks Olga, appreciate your response! that's the part where I messed up - it didn't thicken. assumed when the butter will get cold, the mixture will get stiff. but it didn't so thank you and will try to do it again.
Does the poppy seed filling freeze well?
Hi Alina,
I've never frozen the poppy seed filling. It keeps very well in the refrigerator, and I don't like freezing food for too long anyway. Try it out. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
Delicious! I used this recipe for the filling in my poppyseed kalach. Thank you.
How to make poppy butter for making the buns
Cheryl,
I have a recipe for Poppy Seed Rugelachs, which is my favorite way to use this filling. Enjoy:)
sweetness!!!
How many grams is 1/2 sick of butter? Thanks
1/2 a stick of butter is about 56 grams.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I used it today and it worked well 🙂
Thank you Olga for the recipe. I made pirogi with cream cheese and poppy seeds.
http://leascooking.blogspot.com/2012/06/sweet-pirojki-filled-with-cream-cheese.html?showComment=1340586114249#
You're welcome Lea. I like making them with cream cheese also.
Olga, thank you so much, I was actualy looking for a good poppy seed filling recipe. 🙂
I just recently found your blog (through Krystyna's blog;) and am so glad I did! Your recipes look delicious! I can't wait to try them out.
Wow! Just what i needed. I usually use the ready one, but someone gave me some dry poppy seed and i just had no idea how to make it tasty. Thank you again for the great tip. 🙂
Ha ha! I must have read your mind. I'm glad it's helpful.