This poppy seed filling can be used for cookies like hamantaschen, kolaches, strudel, coffee cakes and more. The natural bitterness of the poppy seeds mellows when ground and cooked with butter, milk, sugar, and honey. Tempered egg and cooking over gentle heat slowly thickens the filling. The result is a rich, delightful filling that won’t run out of baked goods as they cook.
During the Jewish holiday of Purim, poppy seed hamantaschen are a popular treat. The most traditional filling for hamantaschen cookies is poppy seed (known in Yiddish as mohn). Some people believe this tradition finds its roots in a pun. In Yiddish, Hamantaschen literally translates to “Haman’s pockets.” A slight variation of the word, ha-mohn-taschen, literally translates to “the poppy seed pockets.”
Whatever the reason, poppy seed is the most popular of all hamantachen fillings. This is my favorite recipe for poppy seed filling. I have also used it to make kolaches and coffee cakes with great results.
Some people purchase Solo canned filling to make their poppy seed baked goods. This homemade filling is comparable in terms of texture, with all the goodness of homemade.
To make this filling parve (dairy free), I’ve recommended some specific substitutes below. I really like this filling better using dairy, but you can get a descent parve result using the recommended substitutions.
Need a delicious and foolproof hamantaschen dough recipe? For my Dairy Free Hamantaschen dough, click here. For my Buttery Hamantaschen dough, click here.
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Poppy Seed Filling for Cookies, Pastries and Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole unground poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (see cooking instructions for parve subs)
- 1 cup milk (see cooking instructions for parve subs)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
NOTES
Instructions
- Grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder in batches for about 15-20 seconds per batch, until they are ground soft and powdery.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the milk, sugar, honey and salt (read the salt note in the notes section of this recipe before adding). Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, till the sugar dissolves and the honey melts.
- Pour about 1 cup of the hot liquid into a cup.
- Immediately but gradually being drizzling the hot liquid into the beaten eggs. Whisk briskly and constantly till all of the hot liquid is integrated into the eggs. Do not pour too quickly, or you'll scramble your eggs. It should take about a minute to drizzle all of the liquid.Slowly pour the heated, tempered egg mixture back into the hot liquid in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Continue to whisk and cook for 3-5 more minutes over medium heat till the mixture thickens and turns light yellow. It is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk the ground poppy seeds into the buttery liquid and stir well to blend all ingredients.
- Allow filling to cool to room temperature before using. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- To make this filling parve (dairy free), you will need to use a substitute for the milk and the butter. For the milk, I like SoDelicious coconut creamer, which gives it a creamy, very faint coconut taste (vegan, but produced on dairy equipment for those who are strictly kosher). You can also use regular coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk or soy milk as a sub.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Alfons says
Thank you for this delicious ideas! Saved my sweet dessert tonight ! I used your basic recipe and modified the ingredients. I’m on a high carb low fat vegan lifestyle and used what was at home: ground poppy seeds, coconut/rice milk, organic cane sugar, organic corn starch. I first made a paste with the corn starch + a spoon full of water, added coconut-rice milk, then poppy seeds and loads of sugar. -> DELICIOUS filling for my glutenous rice balls 🙂 side note: even though vegan, this is not low fat, 100g poppy seeds weigh in with 41g of fat lol
Bob says
The one in the recipe photo appears to have an open top and a square base with a drawer for collecting the ground up seeds. I’ve used a grinder similar to the one you are suggesting and it didn’t do much. How long does it take to run a batch through to get them ground enough to get good results?
Tori Avey says
30-40 seconds per batch, but I do it in small batches– putting in too many seeds at once can be problematic. The actual grinder I use is a Cuisinart, but it doesn’t get great reviews which is why I suggested the other one (which runs in a similar way but has better reviews overall). Here is the Cuisinart if you’re interested, I only use it for grinding spices since we’re not big coffee drinkers and it’s always done the trick for us: https://theshiksa.com/market/kitchenware/kitchen-tools-and-more/cuisinart-grind-central-coffee-grinder/
Robb says
This is the type of poppyseed grinder I use. It is made especially for grinding poppyseed. I bought mine from a store in Poland.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Weston-Manual-Tin-Coated-Poppy-Seed-Grinder-/191274063572?pt=Kitchen_Tools_Gadgets&hash=item2c88d296d4
Bob says
Robb, thanks. I bought a special-purpose poppyseed grinder myself. It turns them into paste and works like a charm. If anyone buys one, please make sure you pay attention to the directions for putting the mechanism together or it will not work right.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JET7QU/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item
Robb says
Bob, you bought just the right thing. The grinding mechanism is exactly like the one I bought. The suction base on yours wasn’t available when I bought mine. These grinders make the perfect texture for any recipe calling for “ground poppyseed”. Cheers!
Bob says
I’ve had trouble grinding poppy seeds in a coffee grinder in the past: they just seem to whirl around and never get pulverized. I’m curious what brand model coffee grinder you happened to use. Or, if you don’t want to say, was it a burr grinder or does it grind with a blade (like a blender).
Tori Avey says
Hi Bob, I use a blade grinder similar to this one: https://theshiksa.com/market/kitchenware/kitchen-tools-and-more/krups-coffee-and-spice-grinder/ It always does the trick. 🙂
Becky says
hey Tori — as a fellow shiksa, I love your Web site. Silly me — I tried to follow your hamantaschen recipe but I put 1-1/4 cups of flour instead of 2-1/4 cups! The cookies taste fine but because of the butter-flour ratio, they did not retain their triangular shape at all. Oh well! There’s always next year. But I do have a question of this mohn recipe: I cut the recipe in half and it still made A LOT. I have quite a bit leftover and am wondering if you know of any recipes that use mohn? Otherwise, I will have to throw it away. I am not going to try making hamantschens again until next Purim. By the way, I love the taste of the mohn on the cookies. It reminded a little of halva.
Becky says
Sorry, I meant “about this mohn recipe”
Tori Avey says
Hi Becky– you can use the leftover to fill any kind of pastry or cookie, not just hamantaschen. You could also try mixing into pancake or waffle batter for a breakfast treat!
ncoom says
I live in Israel, but a million years ago did a brief stint at a car wash in Portland. One day a fancy car pulls in, and I glance at the license plates. “Shiksa”. I do a double take and turn to the blond driving the car. Shiksa?, says I? She told me her husband chose the plates, and she hates it.
Never liked my poppy filling, so giving yours a try. Thanks.
Lauren B. says
Baking right now, muhn and apricot. Everything looks and smells great. If your dough opens up you can just brush a little egg wash around each circle of dough before dropping lump of filling in center. Then pinch each seam closed with a series of fast small pinches. Thanks for your clear recipes!
Zandra says
I shall do. 🙂 And again, thanks so much! I know these are gonna taste awesome and my family will love them.
Zandra says
Thank you! 🙂 I made it and I’ve taste tested it once or twice… or many times, haha. Much better than what I used out of a can last year. Just one problem, it doesn’t seem to be thickening like it should – and I’ve run out of poppy seeds! I didn’t grind them, is that why? And will it be okay?
Tori Avey says
Hi Zandra, try cooking the filling a little longer to reduce the liquid. If it still doesn’t seem to be thickening, add 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water, stir into the filling and cook till it thickens to desired texture. Repeat as needed. Or you can do what another reader did and stir in flour to the mixture as it cooks on the stovetop. Remember it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Tori Avey says
And yes, it’s because you didn’t grind the poppy seeds. Grinding them makes them more powdery which helps them to soak up the liquid and thicken.
Jordan magill says
Another traditional thickener for mohn is cake crumb – I use ground up Madelines left over night.
Zandra says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. I have a question, though when it says “cool in fridge for 4-5 days”, is that needed before use in cooking or is that just how long it keeps? Because I’ve got my dough chilling in the fridge right now and I was planning on baking these tonight!
Tori Avey says
Hi Zandra, you can use it once it’s at room temperature, 4-5 days is just an estimate for how long it will last. Enjoy!
Caradwen says
My Husband is Jewish and I love your website. While we’re using an old family recipe from his family for the dough, we’re always wanting to use different fillings. This year we’re going to use a lovely cherry compote and he wants to do the Mohn/poppyseed filling. But he’s egg intolerant (even just the whites are not good for him, or anyone else, sadly), and I was just wondering what, if anything, you may have heard of for substituting eggs in this? We use Chia seed soaked in water for egg replacement in baked items, but that doesn’t cook well in a custard like preparation.
Tori Avey says
Hi Caradwen, other than chia/flax I wouldn’t be sure what to recommend here. Perhaps a little vanilla pudding mix? Sorry I’m not much help here!
Susanna says
What can I use instead of coffee grinder? I don’t have one
Tori Avey says
Hi Susanna, you can try using a blender, that might work.
Lauren B. says
Hello! I made the muhn filling and it tastes good, but not like Grandma’s. I added a handful of raisins and some lemon zest, mixed them in and it is closer. Also, we didn’t do the side over side thing like you show with the dough but instead quickly squeeze the two sides together and leave just a little opening on top so you can see what filling you are getting. :). Also we paint the whole outside with egg wash so they come out shiny and brown.
Tori Avey says
Hi Lauren, glad you enjoyed the filling and found a way to modify it to be more like your Grandma’s recipe. Grandma’s way is always the best way. 🙂 I fold the hamantachen this way to help them stay together, since many people have trouble with the cookies separating in the oven folding them the way you described. You can still see the filling, just not as much as you would folding it another way. However, you should use whatever method works for you!
lily aronin says
I loved this recipe and I am sharing it with a link back to go with my healthy hamentashen on my blog here. Thanks
Deborah says
Thanks for starting your knowledge with us. Question: can I place additional whole poppy seeds to the top of the filling just prior to baking? I think it would make a nice texture contrasts, that and I love poppy seeds.
Tori Avey says
Hi Deborah, I don’t see why not as long as it’s just a sprinkling… adding too many might make the top of the filling dry out.
Robs says
My daughter-in-law is Romanian and they use poppy seeds a lot in their sweet breads. I was wondering, do I have to grind the seeds? What if I didn’t? Thanks…I’ll make these later today.
Tori Avey says
Hi Robs, I highly recommend grinding the seeds. It improves both the texture and the flavor of the filling. Enjoy!
Netalia says
No substitutions made, but I ended up adding a little flour and putting it back on the stove to thicken and it instantly solved the problem. Now I need a recipe for what to do with all the leftover filling!
Tori Avey says
Great Netalia! So glad you found a solution. Stir the extra filling into your favorite muffin or quick bread/cake batter, or use it as a filling for strudel. There are many possibilities. Enjoy!
Netalia says
Followed this recipe exactly and filling is extremely runny at room temperature 🙁 How can I correct?
Tori Avey says
Add more of the ground seeds till it has thickened to the consistency you like. Did you make any subs? Many readers have written me to say they love this recipe, so I’d like to help you troubleshoot and find out why the filling turned out so runny. Refrigeration should help, too.
phyllis says
You can also make milk from the poppy seeds…just soak the seeds with some hot water for at least 20 minutes then put them all into a blender, buzz for about 2 minutes then strain. Repeat this process at least one more time. You will get some delicious poppy seed milk.
Leanne Lieberman says
Thanks so much for the details on poppy seed filling. I love mohn filling, but when I asked my mom how to make it, she said “You go to Kaplan’s and buy it.” Unfortunately, I live in a city without a Jewish bakery or deli, so I’ll be making it myself when my sons’s Hebrew school class comes to our house next week for hamentaschen baking.
Miriam says
Hi. The reCipe looks great and I’m so excited to try it. Does it have to stay in the fridge for 5 days before I mke the hamentashen or it’s good for 4-5 days?
Tori Avey says
Good for 4-5 days. You can use it as soon as it’s chilled for filling.