This Homemade Pierogi recipe comes from my Grandmother. A tender dough filled with a cheesy potato filling.
These crescent shaped-dumplings are just like Babcia used to make using ingredients that are probably already in the pantry. Serve them hot with a dollop of sour cream for a savory side or main dish!
Serve them hot with a dollop of sour cream for a savory side or main dish!
Perfect Homemade Pierogi
- This recipe comes from my Polish grandma and is one I made next to her many times.
- The ingredients are pantry ingredients you likely have on hand.
- These can be served as a side dish or a main dish.
- Comfort food from the Old World, perogies come out perfectly every time.
- They freeze beautifully and cook right from frozen.
What Are Pierogi?
Pronounced ‘puh-row-gee’ this dish has multiple spellings, including pierogie, perogie, or perogy. Any way you spell it, pierogi (which is actually plural but we do still call them pierogies) is one of Poland’s greatest dishes and an eastern European favorite. Simply made by filling a flour-based dough with a variety of sweet or savory fillings like blueberries, cottage cheese, or even sauerkraut. They are boiled in water until they float and then pan-fried until golden brown.
This recipe is for basic potato and cheese perogies (pierogi ruskie) and is often served with sour cream, caramelized onions, and butter.
Ingredients
DOUGH: Pierogie dough is different from pasta because it’s softer and less dense, and will remain soft even after cooking.
In order to get the right consistency, I do not recommend substitutions in the dough. While some recipes contain sour cream, this recipe is made without.
FILLING: These traditional pierogi are filled with a very smooth mixture of potatoes and cheddar cheese with a little bit of finely diced sautéed onions.
- Potatoes – The filling is mashed, so choose a starchy potato such as russet or baking potatoes for this recipe, just as we use for mashed potatoes.
- Cheese – Finely shredded cheddar is added to the potatoes; it’s best to shred the cheese yourself from a block.
- Seasonings – White onion is very finely diced and cooked in butter (be sure not to brown). My grandma always used white pepper to maintain the creamy color, but you can use black pepper if it’s all you have.
How to Make Pierogi
Making this recipe takes time, so we set aside a day to make many batches. It’s fun to do as a family and one of the memories I grew up with.
- Make the Dough: Prepare the dough (per the recipe below) and gently knead a little bit. Do not overwork the dough and be sure to allow it to rest.
- Make the Filling: Cook the potatoes and cook the onions in butter.
- Mash and combine with shredded cheddar cheese. Allow to cool.
- Roll the dough into circles 1/8″ thick and 3″ in diameter.
- Fill each circle with the mashed potato filling and press the edges to seal.
Cook or Freeze: Cook the pierogies according to the instructions below.
Tips for The Best Pierogi
FILLING:
- Ensure the filling is mashed well so it is very smooth.
- Be sure to shred your own cheese, a sharper cheese will have more flavor.
- Do not brown the onions, just cook gently.
- Mix the filling and, taste it, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
DOUGH:
- Don’t overwork the dough, you want to knead it gently until it’s smooth and pliable. If you overwork the dough, it will become tough and too elastic; this will cause it to spring back when rolled out.
- The dough should be rolled 1/8″ thick and cut into 3″ circles. If you do not have a 3″ circle cutter, try a jar lid about 3″ wide.
- A second option for the dough is to pinch off a piece and roll it into a circle about 3″ in diameter and 1/8″ thick (I weigh all of my dough and divide it into 65 pieces). This is how my grandma always made them and how I usually make them too.
- Ensure the part that is pinched together is pinched quite thin so the dough isn’t too thick.
How to Cook Pierogi
Before cooking the pierogi, cook some finely diced or sliced onion in butter over medium-low heat. You want the onion to soften but not to brown.
Boil: While onions are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pierogi and cook until they float. Once they float, they are done.
Panfry: Pierogi can be boiled and eaten, but we love to panfry them in butter to golden brown after boiling.
How to Freeze
Once assembled, pierogies are easy to freeze, and they will last up to 3 months in the freezer! Place pierogi on a parchment-covered baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, place them into a zippered bag with the date written on the outside. No need to thaw before boiling!
Pair With…
Did you love these homemade Pierogi? Leave us a comment and a rating below!
Homemade Pierogi
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups cold water divided
- 2 eggs beaten
- 6 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Filling
- 3 ¾ pounds baking potatoes
- 1 medium white onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup softened butter divided
- 4 ½ cups cheddar cheese finely shredded
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste, or very fine black pepper
For Serving
- 1 onion diced or thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter or as needed for frying
- sour cream optional, for serving
Instructions
Dough
- In a large bowl add flour, eggs, oil, salt, and 1 ½ cups of water. Mix well to form a dough, adding more water if needed.
- Knead the dough on a flat surface for about 4 to 5 minutes or until it becomes smooth and pliable.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Filling
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-inch cubes. Place them in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook the onions in 2 tablespoons butter until tender without browning.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, place them in a large bowl and mash them. Add onions, cheese, and remaining butter. Continue mashing until the potatoes become very smooth.
Assembly *see note
- Using half of the dough, roll it out ⅛" thick. Cut out circles of dough using a 3" cookie or biscuit cutter.
- Scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of filling and roll into a ball, place on the pierogi dough. Fold the dough over to form a semi-circle and pinch the edges closed. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat.
- The pierogi can either be cooked or frozen at this point.
To Cook
- Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add diced onions and cook on medium-low heat until tender. Remove onions from the pan and set aside for serving.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently add pierogies and cook until they float, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Transfer pierogies to the hot skillet (adding more butter if needed) and cook until browned on each side, about 5 minutes.
- Serve warm with onions and sour cream.
Notes
- Place pierogies on a parchment-covered baking sheet in a single layer and freeze.
- Once frozen, place them into a zippered bag with the date written on the outside.
- No need to thaw before boiling, cook right from frozen.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Polish© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
Hi! Can you refrigerate these after assembling for a day or two or do they immediately need to be either cooked or frozen?
I have not left them in the refrigerator so I can’t say for sure. I worry the dough might get sticky and tear, but if you store them in layer of wax paper or parchment they should be just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out AB!
When making the filling. When you add the onions after they are cooked. Do you add the butter they cooked in? the other part of the butter you add, is that melted or just cold?
Sorry for the confusion, you can add any butter in the skillet. The remaining butter is softened, the warm potatoes will melt it.
2 teaspoons of salt seems like a lot. Has anyone used less with good results?
I have only tried this recipe as written Maggie. This pierogi recipe does make 65 pierogi so that works out to only 0.03 teaspoon of salt per pierogi. I hope this helps.
I have this recipe and have made them for many many years. A family staple. My hubby grandmother also showed us how to make a cottage cheese potato and onion filling that is very good as well. She also made a dessert one with cooked plums in them and served with a sweetened sour cream.
We have made them with olive oil when that is all I had and works perfectly as well.
We have changed up different kinds of cheese as well. An imperial cheese has a stronger more cheesy flavor. The only thing that we found was not the greatest was to use Cheese Whiz As it makes the potato mixture somewhat runny. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make this into your own family favourite. I actually make the dough in my bread maker now. It takes the work out of it. Our family often has perogy work bees and make hundreds at a time to freeze and share: lots of fun . We freeze them on cookie sheets and bag in the 2 dozens as a year round staple. We use for any meal we want instead of potatoes but mainly we serve with a ring of garlic sausage and a vegetable.. They are always at the table for celebrations and holidays tossed in fried bacon and onion with a sour cream side.
All of those variations sound wonderful J!
I love to make a fun day out of it and make a large batch with family all at once. Such a wonderful family tradition :)