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Blueberry pierogi are the ultimate comfort food. Our family has been making pierogi (aka vareniki) for generations. While Mom was teaching me the proper method of making pierogi (don’t worry, I shared every detail in the video!), she told me her sweet memory of Grandma making blackcurrant pierogi in Ukraine. Just as soon as the blackcurrant ripened in the forest, grandma put them in pierogi.
My grandparents (like most people in Ukraine back in the day) were poor but the beauty of Ukrainian cooking is the use of humble ingredients to make scrumptious feasts fit for kings. P.S. Be sure to watch the video recipe!
Watch How to Make Blueberry Pierogi:
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I hope you are inspired to make these blueberry pierogi for your family. You can get creative and try different fillings like cherry, plum or various stone fruit. If you’ve tried pierogi before, let me know your favorite filling and if you love them sweet or savory.
Blueberry Pierogi Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
For the Pierogi Dough:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
For the Blueberry Pierogi Filling:
- 1 lb blueberrie
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus more to sprinkle the top
Instructions
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/2 Tbsp sour cream, 1 large egg, and 1 tsp salt, just until blended. Note: dough can be made by hand but the mixer is much easier.
- Using the dough hook attachment, add 2 cups flour and mix on speed 2 until incorporated.
- Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time allowing each addition to incorporate before adding more. Add the last bit of flour 1 Tbsp at a time just until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Let the dough knead on speed 2 for 15 minutes. Dough will be soft elastic and feel slightly sticky to the touch, but won’t stick to your fingers.
- Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour. Working with half of the dough at a time, roll it into a thin disk about 1/8" thick. Flipping the dough over once or twice while rolling will make it easier to work with. Cut the dough into circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass with a 3" rim.
- Place a round of dough in the palm of your hand with the stickier side up. Add 1/2 tsp sugar to the center and about 5 blueberries. Bring the edges together and pinch tightly to create a strong seal, making sure the sugar does not spill onto the edges. Transfer finished pierogi to a floured cutting board.
- Blend the remaining scraps of dough into remaining dough half, and repeat steps 4 and 5 until all pierogi are finished.
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil and add 3/4 Tbsp salt. Carefully place half of finished pierogi in boiling water a few at a time (drop them close to the surface of the water to avoid hot splashes). Once pierogi float to the top, cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer then remove with a slotted spoon and place into a colander to drain.
- When plating pierogi, drizzle sugar in between layers of cooked pierogi to keep them from sticking to each other. The sugar will melt over the hot pierogies and turn into a light syrup. Serve with sour cream or eat them as is. These are best eaten fresh and warm :).
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Ai que delicia !
Hi Natasha! Can you make these with frozen blueberries? I am hoping to make them for my MIL’s Ukranian Christmas but fresh blueberries are out of season!
Hi Wendy, yes that would work. I would add them frozen so they don’t juice onto the edges
Is’n it VARENYKI??? 🙂
Yes, you are correct! In the US they are referred to as pierogi 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Can I freeze these?
Yes they are freezer friendly. Dust generously with flour and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a large Ziploc bag and freeze. Also, when you are ready to cook them, place them into boiling water directly from the freezer. Do not thaw.
I absolutely loved these and how easy they were to make!!! Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome Eva! I’m so glad you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My mom made these a lot before. They’re soooo good. I really love vareniki. My sister and I started making them with my mom when we got older and they’re the easiest and most common Ukrainian food in our family. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
My pleasure! They are really that good!:)
Mmmmmm these look sooo good! My dad loves Vareniki so I’m going to make them! But I’m also a fan I love your blog and recipes!
Please let me know what you think of the recipe Ella! Thanks for following 😀
Can i use milk instead of buttermilk?
Hi Anita, I think the buttermilk makes the dough taste a little better but it should work fine with milk 🙂
Thank you 😊
Natasha, can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh one ?
Hi Anya, yes, I would put them in frozen so they don’t juice onto the edges.
Hey i was wondering if they will turn out if i use a whisk when blending the dough with the kitchen aid since i don’t have the dough mixer part??
Hi Anita, unfortunately, the whisk won’t work for this dough. It is too dense and it might kill your mixer to try and knead it with the whisk.
what about using the paddle?
HI Marianna, the dough hook is what is recommended by KitchenAid for doughs like this. The paddle works for cookie dough but it might be too strenuous on your mixer and you risk breaking the mixer using the paddle attachment for this type of dough. If a paddle is all you have, it might be safer to do the kneading by hand after everything is incorporated with the paddle.
Hi Natasha great recipe just a small question can I substitute buttermilk with kefir?
Hi Vicki, yes that would work fine 🙂
This was very good, my husband asks a lot of times to make this. We tried with hard peaches, tured out it was just as good as this one.
I am so glad to hear you guys enjoy it Olga! 🙂
I was disappointed. I must have done something wrong because my dough was dense and basically inedible. I was so looking forward to blueberry pierogis as I remembered them from my childhood. What did Io wrong?? Any suggestions??
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear that but I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Could it be how you measured flour? If the dough is dense, it’s most likely too much flour. Did you measure by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then scraping off the top? Also, did you use a dry ingredients measuring cup? Did you use any other substitutions in ingredients or measurements?
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I just discovered it and already made very successful Blueberry Pierogi and Panna Cotta for New Year Eve!!! Delicious! Can I pls ask you to share, when you have a moment, how to make different fillings for vareniki: farmer cheese and potato/onion? Thank you in advance!! Happy 2017!
Oh, I just came across Potatoes and Cheese filling – great one! But would still be interested to find out how to make one with farmer cheese :).
I do have a potato and cheese filling but not with farmers cheese. I’ll definitely keep that in mind and I hope you have a wonderful 2017 as well!
I’d love you to make a farmer’s cheese filled vareniki recipe too please!
They were my favourite type made by my grandmother and I haven’t found pre-made ones or a recipe for this variety anywhere that isn’t sweetened in a dessert style.
I will keep your request in mind Alli!
My husband was requesting a farmers cheese one as well! Lol I grew up only with blueberry vareniki(its mostly ukie people who do that I’m noticing) but other Russian families I’ve noticed they throw in the savory side like cheese and potatoes what not.
Hi Natasha, I’m wondering if these would still be as good as they are fresh if I were to freeze them in the freezer for a few days and cook them later?
Hi Angella, these would be ok to freeze but I would only freeze them uncooked. P.S. to freeze, place them on a floured cutting board in a single layer and put the cutting board in the freezer. Once they are frozen transfer them to a large ziploc bag, dusting with a little flour as needed and place them back into the freezer until ready to cook 🙂
Have you ever made this as a half recipe? Not sure how it would work in my kitchen aid as a half recipe. Do they freeze well? These look good but I don’t think we need 60 of them 🙂
Hi Patrick, they do freeze really well and it is ok to cut the recipe in half if you wanted to make less 🙂
Hi. Does it matter if the flour is bleached or unbleached? I tried making them with bleached flour and they did not turn out. Dough came out super sticky
Hi Melanie, it shouldn’t matter if it is bleached or unbleached. Although lately I only cook with unbleached, I have made the dough with both. The measuring method for the flour can affect the measurement needed for the dough. I would suggest adding 1 Tbsp of flour at a time while it’s mixing, just until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Also, various brands of flour will have slightly different measurements, for example, Canadian unbleached flour weighs and measures differently than US unbleached flour so it’s best to note the consistency and stickiness of the dough rather than the exact measurement of flour. I hope that helps for next time! 🙂
Hello, Natasha, u menshend we can use frozen bluebarries, so when they r frozen do we have to thaw them, and if we do do we add a little flour so they wont melt in the dough?
Hi Olga, you can even add them frozen if you wish – they might be easier to work with if they aren’t thawed. I think if you use frozen ones, it isn’t necessary to add flour.
Great recipes Natasha !! Well done ! I really love ur blog , been trying to make lots of things out of ur recipes they all turned out great !! Keep it up this way 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you for that awesome feedback :). It’s so encouraging! 🙂
This was my Mom’s favourite ‘varenyky”…..a blast from the past!!!
I love how food brings back sweet memories 😀.