Poppy seed filling for hamantaschen or other pastries and baked goods is a great addition to your baking arsenal. I will show you how to make the base recipe flavored with lemon and so many optional flavor additions.
You may also love my olive oil hamantaschen dough, Mexican wedding cookie dough, prune lekvar and apricot butter.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Full disclosure here: I have never been a poppy seed hamantaschen lover. In fact, until I wrote my cookbook and included a recipe for a delicious poppy seed coffee cake, I didn't think I liked poppy seeds in pastry, bagels or cake.
Still, a poppy seed (also called mohn) filling still isn't my first choice as a filling for baked goods. But this blog isn't for me, it's for my readers. And so many of you love poppy seed hamantaschen.
And I know you'll love this recipe. It's easy and flexible - two of my favorite recipe characteristics. I'll give you a base recipe plus lots of ideas for how to make this filling your own, depending on what flavor profiles you enjoy.
Ingredients You'll Need and Substitutions
These are the base ingredients and I'll also share possible substitutions and additions.
Poppy seeds: I purchased mine at a little local Russian market. Note the seeds might be called blue poppy seeds - that is ok! Also check your local groceries that sell products in bins and of course you can purchase online. But take note of the freshness as poppy seeds have a lot of oil in them and can go rancid. (store unused portion in the freezer). You can also buy in grocery stores in the spice aisle in a small jar - you may need more than one but it's a good option.
Almond milk: I used almond milk to keep the filling dairy-free and potentially kosher. Plus almond is a good pairing with poppy seeds. But you can use other dairy-free milks or regular milk or even water.
Sugar: I used white granulated sugar but you could also try other sugars or an alternative sweetener like date syrup. But if you use a liquid sweetener like honey or date syrup, use about ⅔ as much as the sugar, because it's sweeter. You may need to reduce the other liquids by just a smidge too.
Lemon juice and zest: Lemon is a wonderful complement to poppy seeds and provides a contrast to the sweet. No lemon? Try orange juice and zest.
Kosher salt: Just a dab to bring out the flavors.
Poppy seed filling flavor enhancements:
I tested out many other flavor additions and found quite a few that were terrific if you want a complement to the poppy seed flavor and something a little different:
- Cinnamon: this was our favorite because it enhanced the poppy seed flavor without masking it.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Also a favorite because it tones down the sweetness just a bit and provides just a subtle chocolate background flavor.
- Almond extract: Wonderful pairing but tread lightly because it can overwhelm the poppy seed flavor.
- Raspberry jam: Very nice texturally and a good companion. Tends to mask the poppy flavor a bit but it was quite nice.
- Toasted and chopped walnuts (almonds would be great too): Great pairing flavor-wise and texturally.
- Vanilla extract: Nice on its own and could be paired with the cinnamon or cocoa powder too.
- Lemon curd: I didn't try this but I bet it would be great!
Tools to Use!
How to make this recipe
The key steps to this recipe are grinding up the poppy seeds and then mixing and cooking them until they thicken.
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1.To grind the poppy seeds, I used a coffee grinder (that I don't use for coffee). This is very handy for grinding any kind of spices. If you don't have one, you can use a high speed blender such as Vitamix. Or put the poppy seeds in a plastic bag and use a heavy rolling pin to grind them down or even a mortar and pestle.
2. Place the ground poppy seeds, almond milk, lemon juice and zest, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Turn down to medium low to maintain a low boil. Let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. It will thicken up but still be loose enough to slide easily off the spoon.
3.Taste your filling for sweetness and flavor and adjust if necessary. Then take it off the heat to cool. It will seem a little too loose at first, but once it cools down, the texture will be just right. Place it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Optional mix-ins: Before you form your hamantaschen or other poppy seed pastry, experiment with some of the other mix-ins mentioned above, if you want. Start by taking just a small amount of the filling and just a bit of the mix-in (such as cinnamon or almond extract or chopped walnuts) and mix together. If you like the flavor combination, then you can divide the filling up and make different combinations or add one mix-in to the whole batch. Or just leave it as is.
Check out my poppy seed filling web story for a quick visual guide to this recipe.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs
- Be sure the filling is chilled when you make your hamantaschen or other baked good.
- Poppy seeds go rancid rather quickly, so check the date of the package you buy, smell them when you open the package, and store the package in the freezer, with a date written on it, after you open it.
- Don't overfill each cookie -- less is more with hamantaschen! This is true of poppy seed filling, or any kind of filling.
It should last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for as long as 2-3 weeks. You can always smell and taste a small bit if you are unsure.
Yes, you can freeze it, again in an airtight container marked with the date and it should be ok in the freezer for 3 to 6 months. Once thawed, use it within 3 days.
Poppy seed filling can be used in pastries such as a babka, or Hungarian beigli or Czech kolaches, just to name a few. Try it in a thumbprint cookie or as a layer in a coffee cake.
Many poppy seed filling recipes add raisins in after it is cooked. And as I mentioned above, walnuts and almonds are a nice addition. This filling recipe is wonderful as is, but it is like a blank canvas for you to make all your own with other flavors and ingredients.
More Purim Recipes on OMG! Yummy
If you eat gluten-free, be sure to check out these gluten-free hamantaschen on Fearless Dining.
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P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!
Poppy Seed Filling
Beth LeeIngredients
- ½ cup poppy seeds
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Grind the poppy seeds, with a coffee grinder or a high speed blender such as a Vitamix. Or put the poppy seeds in a plastic bag and use a heavy rolling pin to grind them down or even a mortar and pestle.
- Place the poppy seeds, almond milk, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat.
- Turn down to medium low to maintain a low boil. Let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. It will thicken up but still be loose enough to slide easily off the spoon.
- Taste your filling for sweetness and flavor and adjust if necessary. Then take it off the heat to cool. It will seem a little too loose at first, but once it cools down, the texture will be just right. Place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. This recipe makes 1 cup of filling.
- Optional mix-ins: Before you fill your hamantaschen dough or other poppy seed pastry, experiment with some of the other mix-ins, if you want. Start by taking just a small amount of the filling and just a bit of the mix-in (such as cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond or vanilla extract, raspberry jam, or chopped walnuts) and mix together. If you like the flavor combination, then you can divide the filling up and make different combinations or add one mix-in to the whole batch. Start with just a little, you can always add more. For example: ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for ½ cup of poppy seed filling, as a starting point.
Notes
- Be sure the filling is chilled when you make your hamantaschen or other baked good.
- Poppy seeds go rancid rather quickly, so check the date of the package you buy, smell them when you open the package, and store the package in the freezer, with a date written on it, after you open it.
- Don't overfill each cookie -- less is more with hamantaschen! This is true of poppy seed filling, or any kind of filling.
Nutrition
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Allison says
Hi! Just looking for a poppyseed filling recipe and think this is the one! When you say 12 servings does this only make filling for 12 cookies? Thx
Beth Lee says
Servings are so tricky - it depends on how big you make your hamantaschen. For me, it makes lots more than 12. And I've also discovered it lasts quite a long time in the fridge so no harm in doubling if you are an all poppyseed all the time lover!
Laura says
Another fabulous recipe! Thank you for breaking down the steps for a hamantaschen newbie like me.
Beth Lee says
thank you - you'll be an expert hamantascher in no time Laura!