Pierogi Recipe (VIDEO)
Pierogi filled with cheesy potatoes, tossed with crisp bacon and melted butter and served with sour cream is the ultimate comfort food.
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Growing up, this potato pierogi recipe or “Vareniki” was my favorite. My Mother rolled huge batches of pierogi dough, stuffing, and expertly molding them. Each buttery batch disappeared so fast!
What is a Pierogi?
Pierogi are dumplings with a tender dough and savory or sweet fillings, similar to ravioli. They are boiled in water and tossed in butter to serve. Pierogi are a staple in Eastern European countries and are well-loved throughout the world.
Most Americans know them as polish pierogi or “Mrs. T Pierogies” (a sad store-bought substitute), but we know them as Ukrainian Vareniki.
Potatoes are just one of many fillings – in the summer months, Mom would make the juiciest blueberry pierogi.
More Pierogi Filling Ideas:
- Potatoes and Cheese served with bacon (recipe below)
- Savory Meat filled dumplings (a.k.a. “pelmeni“)
- Sweet Blueberry Pierogi served with a sprinkling of sugar
- Cherry Pierogi – a summertime favorite
- Sweet Plum Pierogi (or use your favorite stone fruit)
Ingredients for Homemade Pierogi:
- We used russet potatoes to make the filling but you can use leftover potatoes (see notes below)
- Bacon is a real treat with a generous amount of butter. You can use butter only if you prefer.
- Our go to cheeses are cream cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese, but you can sub mozzarella with your favorite cheese.
Can I Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes?
- You can use refrigerated leftover mashed potatoes for pierogi.
- Mashed potatoes should not be overly creamy or soft which can cause the pierogi to fall apart while cooking.
- Do not use instant potatoes or flaked potatoes.
- If using leftover mashed potatoes, omit the butter from the pierogi filling and mash cream cheese and mozzarella into cold mashed potatoes.
How To Freeze Pierogi:
Generously dust a baking sheet with flour and arrange pierogi so they are not touching then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a large zip-loc bag. Pre-freezing in a single layer keeps them from sticking together in the freezer.
Watch How to Make Pierogi:
Please note, we updated the recipe in 2022, adding oil to the dough to make it softer and more tender. This mini-scoop from OXO (Amazon affiliate link) made it really easy to add the potato filling.
I hope you love these and don’t forget to recruit others to help you make them! My kids love playing with pierogi dough more than play-doh!
Pierogi Recipe
Pierogi filled with cheesy potatoes, tossed with crisp bacon and melted butter and served with sour cream is the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Potato Filing:
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, (5 medium), peeled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
For the Pierogi Dough:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 3 Tbsp extra light olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, (plus more for cooking)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly*
For the Toppings (For 1/3 batch):
- 4 oz bacon, chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Sour Cream, to serve
Instructions
How to Make Potato Cheese Filling:
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Place potatoes in a pot, add enough water to cover potatoes then bring to a boil over medium/high and continue cooking 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and cool 5 minutes then mash potatoes.
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Mash in 1/2 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp melted butter and 2 oz cream cheese. Mash in 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Partially cover and set aside while rolling out the dough.
To Make Pierogi Dough:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl if mixing by hand), whisk together 1 cup warm water, 1/4 cup milk, 2 Tbsp sour cream, 1 egg, 3 Tbsp oil, and 1 1/2 tsp salt until blended.
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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, letting it incorporate before adding more. Add the last bit of flour 1 Tbsp at a time just until dough no longer sticks to sides of the bowl. Knead on speed 2 or by hand for 2-3 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
How to Mold Pierogi:
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Divide dough into 2 pieces. Cover the second piece and thinly roll the first piece out onto a floured surface to just under 1/8” thickness.
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Use a 3” diameter round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough, keeping them as close as possible (collect scraps and place under the bowl to re-use). Add 1/2 Tbsp of potatoes over each round.
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To form pierogi, pull the 2 edges together and pinch tightly to seal. To ensure a tight seal, crimp the edges a second time with a pinch and twist motion. Cook or freeze pierogi for a future dinner (see freezing instructions in post).
How to Make Bacon Topping:
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Make the topping before boiling pierogi so it’s ready to drizzle over pierogi to prevent sticking. In a medium skillet, saute 4 oz chopped bacon. Once crisp, melt in 2 Tbsp butter and remove from heat.
How to Cook Pierogi:
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Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add fresh or frozen pierogi. Once they are floating and water is back to a boil and pierogi are floating, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon drizzling buttery bacon between layers.
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes 55-60 pierogi, based on how thinly you roll.
Recipe updated 8/20/22 - we added oil to the dough to create a softer and more tender dough.
*See our post on How to Measure Ingredients
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This Potato and Cheese Vareniki Recipe was first posted 9 years ago. You might recognize this photo. We cut the recipe in half, making a much more reasonable portion and improved on the dough making it softer than ever!
Also, if you have a unique filling that you make, please share in a comment below!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Bingo! I made it both ways, without the oil, and just today with the oil. Oil wins! I love your recipes and I try to follow them to a T! Thank you Natasha!
Hi Mike! You’re very welcome. So glad you love it.
I grew up eating these. My Aunt (Russian immigrant) and Dad (Armenian immigrant) made these. They each had their own twist with them. The thing I remember most is, not only were they fabulous after they were first made but, eating them as leftovers, after having been crisped up a bit on a skillet (with more butter) was to die for. They used some kind of cheese for the filling…maybe a tangy goat’s milk cheese? Thank you for the recipe! I can’t wait to make them and share them with my wife. I’ve been looking all over for something like this.
You are very welcome, Bob. I hope your wife will love this recipe too!
Hi Natasha,
My grandmother was from Russia/Germany. She came to the U.S. in 1910. She made a very similar dish, but used noodle dough and filled it with blackberries mixed with sugar and flour. When boiled they were sprinkled with more sugar and cream. My mouth salivates just thinking about them
Sounds delicious too! I hope you can try our version as well, we’d love to know how you will like it.
I have made pierogies many times. Never with cream cheese or mozzarella. Cheddar or American cheese with onions. Yes!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Arlene! I hope you love our recipe!
My favourite are sauerkraut but I don’t know how to make them. Would you have this and more filling recipes?
Hi Sidney, you can try our easy overnight sauerkraut and homemade sauerkraut recipe.
Is it possible for you to also do the weight on the measurements? I find this more consistent than using cups, particularly for things like flour.
Hi Sara, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
I grew up watching my family and the church ladies make these all the time for fundraisers. We called them “patoheh” but that is spelled phonetically. They were filled with kapusta and and a potato filling like yours. It was common to finish these off in a frying pan with butter and onions. Your recipe is excellent! Followed to the T and perfect. I also finished mine in butter and onions..oh so delectable! Natasha are you familiar with what we called “Keshka”? It was a sausage filled with buckwheat, curious if you have a recipe. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Bird! Thank you for sharing your lovely review! We love these pierogis! So good!
Hi can I make the dough ahead of time? Make it and let it sit overnight? Thank you for all you do
Hi Elizabeth! We have kept the dough overnight but it’s never quite as soft when it’s stored in the refrigerator overnight.
I made your recipe yesterday but couldn’t get the dough thin enough. On your printed recipe it says to knead the dough on speed 2 or by hand for 2 – 3 minutes until smooth and elastic but your video says knead for 10 minutes. I could hardly get it rolled out thin enough, it would spring back, and also when I tried to cut the circles, they would also spring back and be thicker. I don’t know what I was doing wrong.
Also, your video said you put 1/2 teaspoon of potato filling but the printout said 1/2 tablespoon.
Hi Donna, I updated the recipe recently to knead for less time. I found the dough is easier to roll with 2-3 minutes and 1/2 Tbsp is correct. I miss-spoke in the video and unfortunately, there’s no way to edit a video once it’s out there. Also, adding too much flour can cause it to be difficult to roll out. You want to add just enough flour for it to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Adding too much makes the dough dense and tough.
I live in the Rocky Mountains and pierogies are thin on the ground here. I finally got brave enough to try making them. I was making many types of dumplings so did a big batch of these. I was careful making the dough; I was careful not to overcook the potatoes and did the mashing in a food processor for consistency.
Imagine my delight when the pierogies were perfect! No kidding this is a fabulous recipe. I put together 96 pierogies (along with 2 types of Asian dumplings to fill the freezer) and it was well worth it. My freezer is full of healthy convenience foods and my friends will be getting baggies of pierogie love too. Thank you for demystifying the process. It was my first time but it won’t be my last.
That’s great! Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m so glad you liked it! You’re very welcome.
I make perigees w. Dry cottage cheese, salt,& pepper,& egg yolk
for sticking.
Mix in a mixter drop on dough & pinch closed.
Sour cream gravy for the finish👍
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Abbey!
I was very happy with the dough it was easy to work with. I made the potato filling with a southwest twist adding jalapeños Everyone loved them
That’s great to hear, Elsi! Thanks for sharing that with us.
These were sooo good! Made half the batch for dinner and froze the other half for another night. They were a huge hit! Thank you 🙂
That’s great, Jess! I’m glad they were enjoyed.
I am going to try this recipe today. Question, do I boil then freeze or just fill, fold and then freeze?
Hi Stacie! See my note above on how to freeze. You would freeze them before boiling them.
Goodness, these were so pillowy and soft!! I made these for Ukrainian Christmas this year. My mother is 89, I figured she deserved a break. I did a test batch up to make sure they would pass her scrutiny, she’s a tough critic. Light years above any store bought perohi, and even softer than hers!
Thank-you so much for this recipe!
Khrystos Narodzhuyetʹsya!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Gary! Merry Christmas!
Natasha, yours is my go to varenyky recipe for my Ukrainian Christmas dinner. I always fill with potato, farmers and cheddar cheeses and, of course, kapusta. They cook and freeze beautifully! I have such sweet memories as a child making these with my Baba and now my girls love making them! We are keeping the traditions alive!
How sweet! Thank you, Alicen! I’m so glad you love my recipe.
Natasha, thank you for posting this, and they are in my Ukrainian Christmas dinner plan! I did a practice run yesterday, and these are the best that I’ve ever made! My Mother has always been able to get the light, tender pastry, but I could never succeed with her recipe. Now I can make varenyky with pride! I substituted cottage cheese (sometimes called tvorog) for mozzarella, and doubled the cheese quantity (that’s how my family makes them). They are SOOOO good! They froze beautifully too.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jane! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Natasha! I am going to try your dough today for our Christmas dinner 😋
My Ukrainian grandmother always made potato/sauerkraut and onion/potato. Sometimes with farmers cheese. I always make the potato and onion. I don’t care too much for the sauerkraut and the only time I would eat growing up it is if my grandmother made it (sadly she passed away).
Khrystos Rodyvsya ( Christ is born ) Slavim Yoho ( Lets glorify him. )!
I hop you love this recipe, Heather! This will be so special on the Christmas dinner table! Merry Christmas!
I made these pierogies today. My thickness of the dough must have been way off, because it made about 30 total. And it was a 3 hour project. Froze them for Christmas dinner.
Can’t wait to try your recipe. Growing up we always used extra sharp cheddar cheese in the potato mixture with black pepper. So good.
Yum! That sounds delicious! I hope you love this recipe, Sandy!
I learned to make them as a young girl with Mom who learned from my Polish grandmother. I make potato/cheese and sauerkraut filled. Our dough recipe is different than yours. I guess we all have our own recipe. We like them browned after boiling and served with onion butter sauce usually along with keilbasi. I only make them once or twice a year because it ends up being an all day project.
Thanks for sharing, Kitty. I hope you can also try our recipe soon!
what is your dough recipe? My grandmother never wrote it down- we made these when I was growing up with potato/cheddar and fried onion/cabbage filled. Both were served sauteed in onions and butter..Oh the memories!! I’d love to make them again..
Hi Natasha! I really want to try making these! My Grandma used to make something similar called verenike. She filled them with dry cottage cheese mixed with egg yolks. She fried smoked sausages and made a creamy gravy to put over the boiled verenikes. Question: In your video you say to put a half teaspoon of filling in each pierogi but the recipe says half tablespoon. Which do you recommend?
Hello Cynthia, I always recommend referring to the written recipe because we update it sometimes. I hope you like it!
We made and ate them the same. Farmer sausage or thick slices of ham. Mum put sour cream. Had to be Dairyland, in the drippings and made the gravy. Soooo good!
Glad they were enjoyed! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Natasha!!! I’ve been wanting to try and make for over a year. I just did today and they are simply wonderful!!!
Awesome, great that you finally decided to try this recipe and loved it!
My mom used to make a polish side called Kapusta which is sauerkraut (or shredded cabbage) with sautéed onion and chopped bacon–she would saute this in the bacon drippings. She would use some in her pierogis–cut up and sprinkled with salt and pepper–delicious.
I make sauerkraut ones too. I don’t add bacon but saute the sauerkraut and thinly sliced onion in bacon grease.
Instead of bacon I use diced and fried salt pork in my kapusta. I’m making pierogies now!
Wouldn’t they taste even better if they were browned after boiling? Or would that make the dough tough? Thanks for your response
Hi Michelle, that will work also. We prefer them without browning the pierogis, but they will work well. I hope you love this recipe.
We like them browned a little in butter and served with an onion butter sauce.
I make my pierogi with beef brisket and fried onions,they are simply wonderful,flavor ground up meat with garlic powder salt and pepper,cook meat and fried onions and stuff pierogi…….simply the best,and boil and pan fry👍🏼
Sounds delicious!
My mom learned her recipe from some lovely Ukrainian ladies in North Dakota. They put dry cottage cheese and mashed potatoes in the filling. Have you heard of this this filling? Getting dry cottage cheese in California seems impossible. My memories are wonderful!
That’s so great, Jean! It sounds delicious! I recommend looking at your local European grocery stores!
My husband’s family is from Manitoba, Canada – just north of ND and that is exactly how they make their perogies! They are absolutely delicious. My mother-in-law also serves hers with either bacon or farmer sausage and cream gravy
Wow! Such an amazing vareniki! Came out very soft. Thank you for the recipe :)) will make it again!
You’re very welcome, Katya! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Just attempted to make these today. My dough was very sticky. So I know I did something wrong.
I was able to roll out the dough and got about 52 pierogi. Just wondering what I did wrong with the dough. I want to make these for Christmas dinner. I love all your recipes and videos. Thank you so much.
Hi Julie! It might have to do with the type of flour used – some flours have a higher gluten content than others. Add flour until it feels slightly sticky to the touch but should not stick to your fingers when touched. I hope that helps!
I tried this dough twice and same thing…super sticky! Your video says to knead 10 minutes but the recipe says 2-3! Last time I made it it came out great but there was no oils in the recipe! Could it be the oil!?
Hi Kelly, We updated the written recipe to 3-5 minutes of kneading time since we found 10 minutes is not necessary.
My mom was Ukrainian. I remember it as petahai, please excuse the spelling. She used to make the potato filling using Cheez Whiz, I know cheese in a jar! But it was cheap and we did not have a lot of extras with 6 kids. She also used farmers cheese and onions, served with butter, bacon and sour cream. I was a weird kid and could not eat sour cream until my 40’s. I haven’t made them in years. Going to try your recipe as I have leftover mashed potatoes. Last time I had homemade was 4 years ago when I visited my aunt who was in her 80’s. The first thing as I walked in her house was her offer of her homemade petahai. I miss my mom and aunts and Baba. My mouth is watering just from the memories.
Aww, thank you for sharing that with me, Cheryl! I hope you try this recipe, and it’s everything you remember it to be!
Love your recipes, cheerful mood !
I’ve tried several of your recipes and so far – following your instructions – all of them turned out to be delicious !
Thank you !
Hi Marta, I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
I really want to try this recipe, sounds very similar to what I’ve made before.
My surprise filling was when I had leftover Buffalo chicken dip in the fridge & made that into pierogi one day lol
Sounds interesting 🙂
I hope you try and love this recipe. Come back and let us know how it turns out.
Hey! I grew up eating my Granda’s pierogis (or Koldunais as we call them) and I absolutely love your recipe. My partner and I have experimented with using parmesan instead of mozzarella in the filling and have found that to be pretty delicious as well.
Quick question, I plan on making a large batch of these for family and would like to make the dough the day before. What would you recommend in terms of making sure the dough is still soft and supple for next day rolling?
Hi Elyse, we have kept the dough overnight but it’s never quite as soft when it’s stored in the refrigerator overnight.
I used a crab, butter and green onion filling and it’s always a shockingly delicious surprise!!
Wow! That sounds yummy! Thank you for sharing your experiment, Danielle. 🙂
I LOVE these pierogi BUT for some reason the last few tmes I’ve made the recipe the dough is giving me a rough time! It’s too elastic when I try and roll it out it shrinks and I don’t know why. I usually makea double batch when I do make them. Help???
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out. Please note, adding too much flour can cause the dough to shrink when rolled out. Check out my post on how we measure flour HERE.
I also had to fight with a dough that was too elastic. I think that kneading it is a mistake because it develops the gluten. I persevered – making balls of potato filling then stretched pieces of dough around the filling and crimped the edges. They taste great!
Hi Natasha,
We just returned from an Eastern Europe trip. We ate SO many pierogies, and have been craving more! We used your recipe (as your recipes have always been amazing for us), and it did not disappoint! Tasted like we were back in Europe!
Thank you 🙂
Awesome! That really makes me so happy, thank you for sharing that with us.
I so love your blogs your recipes are fantastic an easy to follow. Please never stop!
Hi Kim, that is so sweet. Thank you.
So good, varenyky and Pelmeni are my favorite! We made it the other weekend and the dough was perfect.
They’re classic and so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Natalia!
Natasha, on my previous post I should have said I din’t see a recipe for Sauerkraut Pierogi’s, Thank You.
I goofed on my prior comment, I should have specified for you to add Sauerkraut Pierogi’s, Thank You!!!
Natasha, our church had a benefit for Ukrainia and the benefit included Pierogi’s. They ran out of Sauerkraut and we asked for the recipe because in a prior benefit we got some Sauerkraut, they were so good. We asked for the recipe and they said to look at your site. Sorry to say you didn’t have a sauerkraut recipe. Can you please post this recipe, we really enjoyed them, Thank You!!
Hi Ken, I am not sure which recipe they used but I have these ones, easy overnight sauerkraut and homemade sauerkraut recipe
Hi Natasha,
I’ve been making pierogi for 50 years. First helping mom form them, then later on making them myself. I’m polish. I love to cook and like to try new ways that others present. I must say your pierogi dough is great! It interested me because of using the stand mixer. It worked! I did change up the filling using instead one cup of cheddar and sautéed onions. The addition of cream cheese was great….now I don’t have to use pressed cottage cheese. Five stars from me!! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your wonderful review, Mary! I’m so happy you loved this recipe!
Hello Natasha. If I am using ready mashed potatoes, about how many cups of it would I need before adding the cream cheese, ect?
Hi Emily, I have this in the recipe notes not to use instant potatoes or flaked potatoes. They do not work well for this recipe.
Looking for Cabbage filling, anybody has such a thing, please share with me. Thank you!
For all things Ukrainian in my kitchen you are my spirit guide. This recipe is the closest to nailing my recollection of my wife’s grandma’s recipe and that means a lot to her. Thank you.✌️❤️🇺🇦
Hi Darren, I’m happy to hear you enjoy this recipe. You’re welcome.
Thank you for your recipes Natasha very much appreciate .
I Have been making pierogies for years and my family likes a farmer cheese with green onion filling
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Paula! That sounds delicious!
You can also make them with Lekvar….which is a REALLY NICE filling.
I love Pierogies. I brown mine in butter before serving, potato pockets look so bland otherwise. I will give the butter bacon idea a try.
Please do, we would love to know how you liked this recipe too!
Hello,
I live in Poland and pierogi is my family favourite. We also love pierogi with sour kraut and forest mushrooms or mushrooms and mozarella.
I love your recipes you are my life saver. My husband is American and thanks to you I can Cook his favourite food. Apple pie is amazing!!!
You do great job!
Thank you Marta, I am very happy to hear that.
Our favourite filling is made with plenty of old cheddar and lots of finely chopped fresh dill…it is a must try !!,
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Is there a way to make these egg-free? My two year old son has a really bad egg allergy, and I’ve always wanted to have him try pierogies. Thanks!
Hi Katie, I haven’t used or tried an egg substitute here to advise. If you happen to find that alternative, I’d love to know how you like this recipe.
Love this recipe! It is very much the same as my mother in law’s who is Polish & Slovak. A quick shortcut she found a couple of years ago was using the microwave frozen potatoes for mashing. She would follow the directions then add all the goodies-butter, cheese etc- to make the filling. Only takes about 10-15 minutes start to finish. Love to you and yours!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Karen! I’m glad you enjoyed that!
First time making pierogis and this was a total flop. I am an accomplished bread baker so should have been able to do this. My dough turned out stiff and way to elastic. The circles once cut immediately shrunk. I do wonder why the dough needs kneading when all of the other recipes did not call for this. A ten minute kneading is more than most bread recipes!
Hi Stephen, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out. We updated the written recipe to 3-5 minutes of kneading time since we found 10 minutes is not necessary. Also, adding too much flour can cause the dough to shrink when rolled out. Check out my post on how we measure flour for the recipes. I hope that helps for next time.
I weigh all of my ingredients so that is okay.
The need for kneading still leaves me wondering….
This turned out amazing! I really love the texture. I sauté mine in butter to give them a little crunch, which to me just takes it to the next level. I will definitely be using this recipe in my future recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Mandi!
Used your dough recipe for the first time and I loved it. Also just the right amount of pierogi for our family. My family fillings are farmers cheese or sauerkraut with potatoes Can’t get the cute ruffle just right yet though. Practice. Love all your recipes.
Sounds good and yes, practice makes perfect! Thanks for the review, Pam.
I haven’t tried to make pierogies yet this will be my first time, my mom always made them and she passed away in January of 2020. So I will be giving this recipe a try. I swear this is the exact way she use to make them, with the bacon, butter and sour cream. She also used roast beef for a filling also. So so yummy!! 🥰
I hope you love this recipe, Nicole! I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome! 🙂
Wonderful recipe. I often make my own pasta. Your recipe was really different from mine. However, it was much easier to roll out. I will definitely be making it again. Also you filling is great. Do you ever make a filling with cottage cheese?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mary! I bet this can work with cottage cheese! One of our readers wrote “I made salted cottage cheese vareniki using your dough recipe” I hope that helps!
My grandpa is Ukrainian. Every holiday pierogis is what he made and I have always looked forward to eating them so much! He makes his much bigger and cuts the dough into squares to save on time and make it easier. His cheese of choice is also an old cheddar. As a kid, potato and cheese as well as sour kraut were the fillings made and with sour cream, fried onions in butter and strawberry jam as topping choices. The jam is one not many have heard about, but it is a staple for the potato and cheese pierogis! I’m not sure how long we’ve been using jam but I know my great grandma always had it out for as long as my mom can remember. I’m not fond of my grandpas dough recipe so am excited to try yours out! I’m making it as we speak and going to add mozzarella and cream cheese to the mix as well! Thanks so much!
I love that you have this history and story to tell, Sarah! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Strawberry Jam!! I thought that my husbands family (Ukrainian-Canadian) was the only family that prefers strawberry jam to sour cream! I (a WASP) quickly became a convert!
My grandmas recipe for the filling is mash the potatoes with sautéd onion and lots of old black pepper with salt. 🙂
Serve with sour cream ! But will try your recipe next time .
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Laura! I hope you try and love my recipe soon!
Do you freeze without cooking them first? Or cook first then freeze. Also when time to cook, do you let thaw ? Boil? Or directly to fry pan
Thanks!
Hi Barb, please see the “How To Freeze Pierogi” instructions in the recipe.
I’m going to try your dough recipe the next time I make my varenyky. My recipe is a huge batch, using 5-6 lbs of flour and mixing/ kneading by hand.
Last year we made Farmer’s cheese filling with some king hot peppers folded in (my husband’s request); they were surprisingly delicious!!
Yum! That sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I hope you love this recipe!
Love love love Pierogi! Went to College with a gal from the Ukraine. She made dozens of Pierogi around Easter and Christmas. I just love them. She boiled, then fried in butter and onion, topped with sour cream.
Yum! That sounds delicious! I hope you try this recipe soon!
I have made many of your recipes. They are delicious. Of Course, I sometimes add my own seasonings of preference:: Turmeric,,Thyme,, etc.. Thank You for sharing💕Well done👏👏✅
Great to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes, Helen. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
Thank you for this recipe. My grandchildren love these pirogies. Why do some of my pirogies stick to the bottom of the pot?
Hi Linda, once you throw them into the pot, ensure to move it around slowly while the dough is sticky so they don’t get stuck.
My sweet mother-in-law made vareniki with dry cheese curd. Very hard to find now. She would serve them with a white sauce with a side of farmers sausage. Yumm so good.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Ida! That sounds delicious!
I still make them with dry cottage cheese. We can buy it in our local store. Also make them with any fruit – fall plums, strawberries and blueberries. For the sauce – brown a lot butter when it’s brown pour VERY slowly Evaporated milk into it. And yes, we serve it with SK farmers sausage. The best sausage ever.
Hi Natasha, we make perogy with homemade sauerkraut sauteed with onion and bacon. Also, my husband’s grandmother used to make farmer’s cheese filling with cinnamon and she would cook the perogies in the frying pan with heavy cream instead of oil or butter. Still my favourite to this day.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Karri. I’m sure she makes delicious pierogis too!
I’ve never made homemade pierogi before but I’m so glad I tried this recipe!! I used a bit too much flour so my dough wasn’t as pliable as it should’ve been (I’ll know better next time). Even though I messed up and mine didn’t look as pretty as yours did, they were still fantastic tasting! I remember my Aunt making these when I was little, and although my Mom was a fantastic cook this was one dish she didn’t make. Thanks to your recipe I can carry on the tradition! Thank you so much for sharing this, it’s definitely going to be used often!!
I’m glad you gave these a try, Valerie! I hope you love them even more the next time around!
I am Polish, and my Grandma made the BEST PIEROGI. I remember her using Farmers Cheese but it was kind of sweet. I bought some and it taste’s a little sour. Can I add some sugar? Or what else do you add to Farmers Cheese.?
I follow you all of the time, and LOVE your recipe’s ❤️❤️
Hi Helene, thank you so much for sharing that with me! You can find my farmer’s cheese recipes HERE for reference. It’s hard to say without being there what will help the sour taste, but if you happen to try that out, I’d love to know how it goes!
I don’t know if you’ll see this reply, but my father always added some sugar to his farmer’s cheese filling, along with egg yolks as a binder.
2-3lbs. Farmer’s Cheese
1/2-1 Tbsp. Sugar
Salt to taste
2 egg yolks
(Taste it before you add the egg yolks for safety purposes)
Hi MaryAnn, Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
The scoop you recommend is the 1 tablespoon size, but the written directions say to use 1/2 tablespoon of filling. Not sure which amount of filling is used.
Hello Diane, I recommend following the written recipe always as that one I can update but the video cannot be updated anymore.
I add cheddar cheese, stauteed onions and finely chopped bacon or crisped prosciutto into my potato filling, that’s how I grew up with them. I do like your dough recipe so next time I will try it. I also make pierogi with meat that’s been cooked and put through a meat grinder, and onions. Wild blueberry is my summertime favourite!
Sounds good, thank you for sharing! I hope you love all the recipes that you will try.
My Nana is from Ukraine and I grew up enjoying her incredible cooking. She is in a nursing home now with Alzheimer’s, so I try my best to replicate her recipes for my family to continue to enjoy. She used to make pierogi all the time but never wrote down her recipe, but this is super close and I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for what you do, thank you for enabling me to continue a cooking tradition that I will be able to pass to my daughter. God bless and keep these awesome recipes coming 🙂
Ok…your comment made me tear up, thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I make varenyky as well I use farmers’ cheese for the filling.
But I am excited to try your recipe.
I hope you love it, Olga!
Hey Girl,
I just made these yummy little pockets of potato and they were delish. I’m from NY so I have nothing to say about the recipe. My Grandma was from the Czech Republic and made these often. I have never made these and found your recipe and dough in particular to be very forgiving and easy to work with for a first timer. Thank you for the recipe.
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you loved the pierogi and thank you for your lovely review.
Hi Natasza, I was disappointed with you, I like your recipes and I use them often, but this one for dumplings is a misunderstanding! Since when in Russia, Ukraine or Poland, stuffing for pierogi is made of cream cheese and mozzarella ??? You forgot that Russian pierogi are made with potatoes and cottage cheese, ask your grandma if you don’t remember.
Hi, this is our family’s version of the famed pierogi.
Ellabella Being Ukrainian and my Mom from old country Each country has their own way,and recipe. my Mom made it with the ricotta cheese . To each his own.Definitely not a misunderstanding.
Actually, the old timers in my family used farmer’s cheese/dry cheese. I never cared for it and much prefer onions and/or cheddar cheese. I’m looking forward to trying Natasha’s family recipe today and to a delicious meal. Love her recipes.
I’m so excited for you to try this, let me know how it goes!
I am Malaysian Chinese living in New Zealand 🇳🇿. I made alot of Chinese dumplings and love to try all ethnic dishes. Very successful making your pierogi and thanks for sharing. Really happy
You are very welcome, Kim. Hope you love the recipes that you will try!
I plan to make these tomorrow but I don’t think we will eat all of them right away. Should I cook them before freezing or uncooked? Thank you!
Hi Kim, please see the “How To Freeze Pierogi” instructions in the recipe.
Thank you. I did read that again and it appears you opt to freeze yours uncooked. Heading to the kitchen now to begin making these!
Look very good and pretty easy to make. I’ve always wanted to try making them from scratch. When we buy store bought (ugh) perogies we always fry them in butter or deep fry them. I would add onion and cheese or my homemade sauerkraut to my filling though. I’ve also had taco perogies with burger and taco seasoning in them.
Yum! Taco pierogies sound delicious! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hey Cynthia! I bet you can use this for other goodies! If you happen to test that, I’d love to know how you like it!
Hello Natasha. I believe PIEROGIE is more Polish than Russian or Ukrainian.
just like vodka everyone to their own..
This recipe brings me back to childhood! Can you recommend an egg substitute for the dough? My young son his allergic to egg, among many other food allergies. I would love to try to recreate this dish for him in a safe way so he can enjoy. 🙂
Hi Samantha, I haven’t used or tried an egg substitute here to advise. If you happen to find that alternative, I’d love to know how you like this recipe.
We don’t use egg at all in our dough. “Flour, a little salt, and enough water to make a dough” is my grandma’s recipe. 🙂 I think adding the egg is a regional thing possibly? My family is from Lodz.
After we boil ours, my grandmother taught me to layer them with butter as we fry ours before we eat them. If you layer them with butter then they are easy to freeze and cook off later. We make ours with a cream cheese/dry cottage cheese and raisin mixture. Yum!
Sounds good, thanks for sharing that with us!
Hello Natasha! Can I use my Kitchen-aid pasta attachment to roll the dough? If so, what setting do you suggest?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
My Mother was Ukrainian, and always made Vareniki . As her filling she used farmers cheese, and 1 egg in the mixture which is tasty as well. Love your recipe. Ty for sharing 😊
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Olga!
I added nettles. This was a bit exhausting and slightly painful to make, as I had to go out foraging and preparing them. But it turned out well. 🙂
I’m glad you battled through and made it happen, Jann!
I always wanted to make pierogies, as my heritage is Polish. I watched your video 100x, and decided to give it a try. They turned out great, and I am eager to share them with my Polish cousins. (I did omit the buttery-bacon topping, just to make the dish a bit healthier.) They were so easy to freeze as per your instructions, too. Thanks again, for a great recipe and clear, easy-to-follow instructions.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!