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Cherry Vareniki (Cherry Pierogi)

These Cherry Pierogies are the ultimate in comfort food. Use fresh or frozen cherries! @natashaskitchen

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Once you make the Basic Vareniky Dough, the cherry vareniki filling is very straightforward. You’ll need about 1lb pitted bing cherries, or whatever cherries you like best.

The best part is; you can use fresh or frozen cherries so they’re not just a summer treat. We have a cherry tree so we’re always freezing cherries for smoothies, pies, eating straight-up, and of course for these cherry pierogies! 

Cherry Vareniki Ingredients:

Vareniky Dough (use the dough mentioned here)
1 lb pitted cherries (fresh, or frozen/partially thawed)
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 tsp per each dough round)
1/2 Tbsp salt (for the water)

How to make Cherry Vareniki:

1. Cut out dough rounds that are 2 to 3″ in diameter. You want to put 1/4 teaspoon sugar in the center of your cut-out dough round. Place cherries on top of the sugar. Fold the sides together and pinch together to make a tight seal.

(or)  To make the cherry pelmeni:

Use 1/8 tsp sugar and 1 cherry. You can also make the dough rounds slightly smaller (about 2 inches). Fold the two sides of the dough together and pinch to make a tight seal. Then fold the two corners together to make a “diaper” shape. Place them on a floured cutting board until ready to cook.

These Cherry Pierogies are the ultimate in comfort food. Use fresh or frozen cherries! @natashaskitchen

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. As you finish the first batch of pierogi, place them in boiling water. After they float to the top, cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Cherry Vareniki Pierogies

Cherry Vareniki Pierogies-7

3. Sprinkle the pierogi with sugar to keep them from sticking together. Serve right away with sour cream or eat them as is.

Cherry Vareniki Pierogies-2

These Cherry Pierogies are the ultimate in comfort food. Use fresh or frozen cherries! @natashaskitchen

Click Here for the Basic Pierogi Dough Recipe

Cherry Vareniki (Cherry Pierogi)

5 from 17 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Cherry Pierogi have a tender dough filled with sweet juicy cherries. We love serving these with a sprinkle of sugar over the top.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8
  • Vareniky Dough (found here: http://bit.ly/pierogidough
  • 1 lb pitted cherries
  • 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp per each dough round
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt, for the water

Instructions

How to make Cherry Vareniki:

  • Cut out dough rounds that are 2 to 3″ in diameter. You want to put 1/4 teaspoon sugar in the center of your cut-out dough round. Place cherries on top of the sugar. Fold the sides together and pinch together to make a tight seal.

How to make the cherry pelmeni:

  • Use 1/8 tsp sugar and 1 cherry. You can also make the dough rounds slightly smaller (about 2 inches). Fold the two sides of the dough together and pinch to make a tight seal. Then fold the two corners together to make a "diaper" shape.
  • Place them on a floured cutting board until ready to cook.
  • Add 1/2 Tbsp of salt to approximately 4 quarts of water and bring it to a boil. As you finish the first batch of pierogies, place them in boiling water. After they float to the top, cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
  • Sprinkle the pierogies with sugar to keep them from sticking together. Serve right away with sour cream or eat them as is.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: cherry pierogi
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $
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These Cherry Pierogies are the ultimate in comfort food. Use fresh or frozen cherries! @natashaskitchen

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

5 from 17 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Christia
    November 10, 2014

    My mother added browned butter and sugar to the vereniki so they wouldn’t stick and served with soft cream too. Try it. She used blueberries too.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 10, 2014

      Thank you for the tip, I will try that next time :).

      Reply

  • Olga
    September 3, 2014

    Here is an awesome recipe I use to make these. They are made on steam. I’ve tries the water method, but find these much softer and fluffier. Tell me how you like them if you will try it. http://www.tvcook.ru/recipes/vareniki/vareniki-na-paru.html

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 3, 2014

      That does sounds really good! What do you use for steam cooking? Is it a special pot?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        September 4, 2014

        Thank you! 🙂

        Reply

  • Inna
    July 29, 2014

    Mommy these sound so delicious right now! I’ve made these with blueberries.. Love them. But now I have a lot of sour cherries, have you ever tried making vareniki with them?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 29, 2014

      I think they would taste great with sour cherries! Let me know how much you love them 🙂

      Reply

  • Marina | Let the Baking Begin!
    July 20, 2014

    Nothing says summer better than these scrumptious vareniki!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 20, 2014

      Thanks Marina 🙂 I couldn’t agree with you more 🙂

      Reply

  • Petrosha
    April 6, 2014

    Hey there,
    Thanks for keeping traditions. Here’s another idea to all your cherry loving followers out there. Add a bit of grated dark chocolate to the finely diced cherries! Check out my blog…yours looks like a nice complimentary one to mine!
    Thanks! Keep blogging!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 6, 2014

      Mmmmmm that sounds so good. I’m definitely a chocolate/cherry lover! 😉

      Reply

  • Michal Heller
    January 22, 2014

    Hello,
    This is a wonderful blog!
    One question – when not in season, can I use canned cherries?

    thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 22, 2014

      Yes! Make sure to drain them well so you don’t get juice leaking out while your trying to seal them. 🙂

      Reply

      • Michal Heller
        January 22, 2014

        you are best! thank you.

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          January 22, 2014

          Anytime my friend 🙂

          Reply

  • Enna
    December 28, 2013

    Hi. I’ve been craving these cherry vareniki for a while now. But I cannot find good kind of “vishni” here in the US. They have Cherris which are “chereshnya” in Ukraine. Anyone has a good kind to share.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 28, 2013

      There are some by the zergut brand that are nice. I have found them at Fred Meyer.

      Reply

    • Alina RN
      December 29, 2013

      I am not sure where you live, but I know in northern CA where I live we do not have Fred Meyer, I have seen the zergut brand sour pitted cherries (probably the the same ones Natasha mentioned) in Costco at one point. Also most Russian/European stores here carry them. 🙂

      Reply

  • Judie
    May 27, 2013

    We’ve made these cherry pierogi in our family for generations! I had no idea that anyone else made them also. Thought they were my Baba’s creation. Love your site, Natasha! My dad passed away 20 years ago and a lot of the family’s Ukrainian recipes went with him. It’s great to search through yours and walk down memory lane! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 27, 2013

      I’m so glad the blog brings back sweet memories for you 🙂

      Reply

  • Lina
    November 8, 2012

    Can this dough be prepared in the bread machine?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 8, 2012

      I have heard that it can but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t really recommend it. Sorry 🙁

      Reply

      • Lina
        November 8, 2012

        I will try and let you know what happens!

        Reply

  • Jen
    December 12, 2011

    I made a large batch of these — can they be frozen for a couple of days? If so, how do you recommend storing them and freezing? Do you add flour so they do not stick? Thank you again for the fabulous recipe. They are delightful!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 12, 2011

      Hi Jen. I’ve never frozen the cherry ones but I don’t see why not. Yes, dust generously with flour, lay them out on a cutting board and freeze them on the top shelf of your freezer until they are frozen, then transfer them to large ziploc bags and dust with a little more flour. They can be frozen for at least a month. Hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Jen
    December 9, 2011

    Privyet Natasha!

    I have been looking for a Russian/Ukrainian recipe to make for my daughter’s Christmas around the world event next week. These look wonderful. Do you think kids would enjoy them?

    Also, do you think you could substitute sour cherry preserves as a filling?

    Thank you for your beautiful, informative site!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 9, 2011

      To be very honest, they are time consuming and can be messy for kids. It might be a better idea to serve them at home. Yes they are very yummy though! Russian tea cakes are a fun recipe that works well for Christmas. I have those posted a well. Hope that helps. You can substitute, just add a little more sugar.

      Reply

      • Jen
        December 9, 2011

        Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I really do appreciate it. Perhaps I will try the cake instead for the kids.

        Reply

  • Natalya
    December 6, 2011

    they not suppost to look like PELMENI don’t fold them by round! VARENIKI must have shape as half moon wavy pinched together by the half circle side. That way they bigger and joicy as well… 🙂
    here is pictures how they suppost to look like:
    http://gotovim-doma.ru/view.php?r=166-recept-Vareniki-s-vishnei

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 6, 2011

      I made them both ways. They were easier to make as pelmeni toward the end so that’s what I did. I found they taste just as good, but are easier to make. You can make them either way.

      Reply

  • Olga
    June 2, 2011

    I love these with tvorog/sweet cheese fiiling, do you by any chance have a recipe for a filling like that for varenuki?

    Reply

  • Violeta
    April 29, 2011

    Thank you very much for recipe, very very tasty

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 29, 2011

      You are very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. You have an awesome name by the way!

      Reply

  • lizochka
    March 31, 2011

    love this site! 🙂

    Reply

  • Mary Previti (Marusha)
    December 17, 2010

    Natasha,

    Thank You, my mom passed a year ago, and now I am ready to make them myself. I just needed to make sure there wasn’t anything more inside the verenyks i needed. I do remember my mom put 1 t. vanilla topioco pudding inside of them. But for sure, they are soooo yummy.
    Again, thank you and Merry Christmas.

    mary

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 17, 2010

      I usually just add cherries and sugar but tapioca sounds like a very good idea. Thank you!

      Reply

  • Cucee Sprouts
    September 9, 2010

    These look so good. I have to try your recipe. I grew up on vareniki and just recently made my first batch! My kids were all over them. I did healthify the original recipe. If you want to check it out, here is a link. http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/vareniki/ Looking forward reading more of your recipes 🙂

    Reply

  • Erica [Irina]
    August 11, 2010

    This brings back memories……..I haven’t had these for such a long time. I think when I was very small and my Baba was around. I’m for sure going to make these soon……..they also were my Mom’s favourite. Thanks you for sharing this recipe. 🙂

    Reply

  • Natasha
    August 7, 2010

    They are very good; best when fresh. I make it with blueberries the same way too, they are just harder to work with because they are small.

    Reply

  • Nella
    August 5, 2010

    YUM! I’ve learned potatoes…now have to try this 🙂 Actually never tried w/ cherries.

    Reply

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