These homemade Pierogi filled with cheesy potatoes, tossed with crisp bacon and melted butter, and served with sour cream is the ultimate comfort food. They can be served as the main dish or as an irresistible side.
Pierogi are as classic to Eastern European cuisine as Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Piroshki, and Schnitzel. They will never go out of style. Watch the video tutorial and you’ll be enjoying pierogi in no time.
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What Are 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, especially Poland, where they are the national food, but we grew up eating them in Ukraine, and they are well-loved throughout the world.
Most Americans know them as Polish pierogi and buy “Mrs. T Pierogies” (a sad store-bought version), but my homemade pierogi (or Ukrainian “Vareniki”) will blow the frozen ones out of the water!
Pierogi Recipe Video
See how easy it is to make homemade pierogi with Natasha’s classic recipe! Be sure to note her tip on how to make the pretty fluted edge and easy stuffing using her favorite mini-scoop to add the potato filling. Now gather some friends, and let’s get rolling!
*Note that we updated the recipe in 2024 to include more oil for a softer and more tender dough and knead the dough for less time.
The Best Pierogi Recipe
If you haven’t tried pierogi before, you’re about to fall in love. These are the best of a warm, cheesy loaded baked potato in a bite-sized dumpling. This pierogi recipe makes 50-60 perfect dumplings, enough to freeze for later or serve a large crowd.
Growing up, this potato pierogi recipe, or “Vareniki” was my favorite, so it was a no-brainer that it needed to be included in Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook. My Mother and sisters rolled huge batches of pierogi dough, stuffing, and expertly molding them. Each buttery batch disappeared so fast! These days my kids love rolling the dough and crimping every dough pocket.
Ingredients
You’ll love the simplicity of the ingredients – they are pantry and refrigerator staples.
- Liquid Ingredients – combining warm water, milk and sour cream adds fat to the dough and flavor.
- Oil – we use extra light olive oil, but any mild-flavored oil will work. The oil makes the dough very soft and easy to roll out.
- Egg – binds the dough, room temperature eggs mix more easily
- Salt – adds flavor to the dough and cooking water
- Flour – all-purpose flour works great but measure correctly so the dough isn’t dense.
- Potato Filling – we combine russet potatoes, salt, butter, and cheese. Russets will give you the smoothest and creamiest filling. Our go-to cheeses are cream cheese and mozzarella but you can substitute with cheddar, havarti, or your favorite cheese.
Can I use Leftover Mashed Potatoes?
As a shortcut, use leftover mashed potatoes for the filling (avoid instant or flaked potatoes), just be sure they aren’t overly creamy or soft, which can make the pierogi fall apart. To use leftover mashed potatoes for pierogi, simply omit the butter from the filling and be sure the leftover mashed potatoes are cold when mixing.
Pierogi Filling Variations
While this potato and cheese version is my favorite, pierogi variations are endless, from sweet to savory! Here are some of my favorite pierogi recipes for any occasion—Holidays, weeknight dinners, breakfast, and even dessert. If you have a unique filling that you make, please share in a comment below!
- Savory Meat-filled dumplings (a.k.a. “pelmeni“)
- Sweet Blueberry Pierogi served sprinkled with sugar
- Cherry Pierogi – another summertime favorite
- Sweet Plum Pierogi (or use your favorite stone fruit)
- Cabbage – use drained braised cabbage
Tips for Making Perfect Pierogi
This recipe makes the best pierogi! If you’re new to making pierogi or want to perfect your skills, here are some tips to ensure success:
- Don’t overcook potatoes – they can become waterlogged and too loose.
- Avoid over-kneading dough that develops gluten making it tough, chewy, and difficult to roll out.
- Rest the dough – this allows the gluten to relax, making it much easier to roll out.
- Keep the dough covered – wrap it in plastic when not actively using it so it doesn’t dry out.
- Roll dough thinly – it should be about 1/8″ thick. If it’s too thick, it can seem dense.
- Keep dough edges clear – don’t overfill, and avoid getting potato or any filling on the edges of the dough circles or it will be difficult to seal. I use this mini-scoop to help with clean portioning, but you can use a couple of teaspoons to portion.
- Tightly seal – I prefer to double crimp (go over the edges twice) to ensure a tight seal so the contents don’t seep out while boiling
- Cook in Batches – Don’t overcrowd your pot; allow the pierogi some room to float to the top.
- Don’t overcook pierogi – if the dough gets too soft, the filling might escape into the cooking water.
- Butter right away – toss freshly cooked pierogi with melted butter to prevent sticking.
How to Freeze Pierogi
This recipe makes a large batch, so you can make the pierogi ahead and cook when you’re ready to eat.
- After shaping the dumplings, dust a baking sheet with flour and arrange the pierogi so they aren’t touching. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
- Once frozen, transfer to a large freezer-safe zip-top bag to store for up to 3 months.
- When ready to cook, drop the frozen pierogis into the boiling water and continue with the recipe per the instructions.
What to Serve with Pierogi
These cheesy pierogi can be served as a side dish or the main course. We include a dollop or bowl of sour cream for dipping. Other dipping options include butter sauce or plain yogurt.
To serve as a side, build your Eastern European menu with these traditional pairings for pierogi:
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Borscht
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Marinated Mini Bell Peppers
- Sauerkraut
- Homemade Kielbasa
- Buckwheat
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
If you have leftovers, pierogi keep well in the fridge and freezer. Make sure they have cooled to room temperature before storing.
- To Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: Arrange cooked pierogi in one layer or dust with flour to prevent sticking in an airtight container for 3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw cooked pierogis in the refrigerator. Boil until warm, about 90 seconds, heat in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, or pan fry in butter until warm.
You are sure to fall in love with this pierogi recipe immediately! The cheesy potato filling and bacon-butter topping make these pierogies irresistible. Grab a few extra hands, and roll these delicious dumplings today!
Pierogi Recipe
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 fine sea 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, optional, to serve
Instructions
How to Make Potato Cheese Filling:
- 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 until smooth.
- 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:
- 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.
- Using the dough hook attachment (or wooden spoon if done by hand), 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 the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, or to your hands. Knead on speed 2 or by hand for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
How to Mold Pierogi:
- 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.
- Use a 3” diameter round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough, keeping them as close as possible (collect scraps and keep covered to re-use). Add 1/2 Tbsp of potatoes over each round (a mini scoop makes portioning easy).
- 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:
- Make the topping before boiling pierogi so it’s ready to drizzle over pierogi to prevent sticking. In a medium skillet, saute bacon. Once crisp, melt in 2 Tbsp butter and remove from heat.
How to Cook Pierogi:
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add fresh or frozen pierogi in batches. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the water has returned to a boil and the pierogi float to the top. Remove to a bowl with a strainer or slotted spoon drizzling buttery bacon between layers.
Notes
Recipe updated 4/4/24 – we added oil to the dough and reduced the kneading time for a softer, more tender dough.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I don’t usually like pierogies with potatoes but I was very pleasantly surprised with how this dish turned out. I didn’t have any bacon so I drizzled it with some carmelized onions instead.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us! Thank you for that awesome review!
My son is learning Russian and he is all into the culture and food. So we decided to try this recipe. Let me say I was a bit intimidated! We mixed and kneaded the dough by hand so it was very messy in the kitchen But overall it turned out great! Very yummy. I have never tasted this kind of food before. The combination of potatoes, cheese, bacon and sour cream is just amazing!! We will definitely make this again and try the fruit recipes. Thanks Natasha!
That’s so awesome Amy! This is a tough one to concur and I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing your experience and feedback with us.
Natasha I love all your recipes. Vareniki it’s one of my favorite, we make them all the time back to Russia, but I found new recipes from you! Thank you
I’m so glad you discovered our blog! Thank you for that awesome feedback!
Hello Natasha, I love how simple your recipes are!
I have this 3 piece pasta kitchen aid tool kit. Can I use the roller and ravioli attachments with this dough?
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/kitchenaid-reg-3-piece-pasta-roller-attachment-set/1011861466
Hi Julie, I honestly haven’t tried that but I am so curious now. If you test it out, please let me know how it goes!
Hi Natasha,
While kneading the dough in the kitchen aid, should I be scraping off the flour on the sides of the bowl or just leave it be and let it take however long to incorporate the flour?
Thanks for the great recipes! 😊
Hi Collin, it should eventually collect it but you are more than welcome to scrape if you feel it needs a little help.
Made a beef stroganoff style filling for these. Was goood.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, I can’t wait to try your dough recipe as my Ukrainian Grandmother never wrote hers down. She also made homemade cheese (I remember it hanging from the cupboard knob, in cheesecloth with a bowl underneath to catch the drippings. It was so sweet, I don’t know how she made it unfortunately, but yum!), prune, sauerkraut, blueberry. Here’s the best part, she would simmer 1 small container of sour cream with a pint of whipping cream, green scallions sliced small, lots of salt and pepper. It would simmer slowly for quite awhile while we cooked all the perogie (we called the pedahah) When done, it is thick and creamy, tangy, salty, and oh so yummy!!! Try it, it’s sinful! We had a huge table full of generations of the family devouring this meal and then we would play cards all night, so much fun! My dad and uncle would have contests who could eat the most, I remember they got to 23 perogies one night, wow! Thanks for the recipe, going to try it when my cousin visits!
That’s so great! I love hearing things like this. Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cary!
Cary,my Ukrainian Mother made them all the time .She would say “I have no recipe I just keep mixing till it feels right” I’ve made them from Natashia’s recipe and they were amazingly delicious Just like Mama use to make.
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
My only comment is that when I froze them, they immediately disintegrated when I put them in boiling water, and on further inspection the dough appeared to crack during freezing. Do you have any advice on why that happened?
Hi Tanya, I haven’t had that happen but it could be due to rolling the dough too think or possibly freezer burn. Make sure to store them in a freezer safe ziploc bag or container or they can dry out and get freezer burn which would cause them to crack.
Natasha,Is it true that you have to work the dough for a while?
Hi Kate, we just make the dough per the instructions above. It depends on the recipe – sometimes overworking can make it a tougher dough.
Thank You Natasha.
Kate, I went to culinary school and I can most definitely say that overworking will cause a tougher dough as working the dough too much will overdevelop the gluten strands in the dough. Overworking the dough will in turn make it hard to roll out as it will keep springing back to it’s original shape and your dough won’t taste as tender.
Natasha I decided to try these vs the recipe in my Polish cookbook. (my heritage is 50% Polish) I have this time. I was worried about mixing for ten minutes as you suggested thinking it would overwork the dough, overdevelop the gluten and produce a tough dough. I decided to throw caution to the wind and mix for 10 minutes. I’m glad I did, it was perfectly tender, though it did want to spring back a bit more than I would have liked. Great recipe thanks for sharing!
Tanya, I freeze them after cooking.I put them in a zip lock freezer bag.Lay them flat and put some melted butter on them When ready,microwave 10 seconds to melt butter in freezer bag then put them in a fry pan and fry crispy if you like,
Absolutely awesome recipe. Next time I make these I will add a little bit of chopped chives to the potato filling. This time I added asparagus on top with the bacon and butter. I am very happy with this recipe and thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for that awesome review Lance!
Your video is wonderful & you’re gorgeous! I grew up with these, too, though, unlike you, I have retained every calorie from them in my hips & thighs! I haven’t made them since childhood with my mum, but your recipe I’ll try. The ladies of my mother’s church sell them every other Friday. Although I moved away 40 years ago, I manage to buy 10 dozen each year & store them in my freezer. Mum was 100% Ukrainian so I know them as Vareniki, too. Thank you so much for this recipe! ❤
You’re so welcome Kate! I’m so happy you found this recipe!
So good!
Made these yesterday; doubled the recipe, and they are gone today.
We did not use the cream cheese because my family is not used to having mashed potatoes mixed w/ anything. Wanted to be safe this way. The dough is fluff!
We ran out of mashed potatoes and filled the rest w/ blueberries.
So good!
Thank you!
I’m so happy happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Katya! We love this with blueberries also!
Have you ever made or heard of pierogis made with, potatoes, cabbage and sauerkraut. My grandmother was Ukranian and used to make these when I was a little girl. She would put a sheet over her table, cover it with flour, then make the dough right on top and roll it out to cover her whole table. She would then cut the pasta into the size she wanted and then fill them with that particular mixture. She had a coal burning stove with a huge pot of boiling water and would drop the pierogies into the boiling water. When they rose to the top, they were done. She would serve each of us a plate of them with a plate of drawn (melted) butter, and we would dip the pierogies into the butter and eat them. They were the best thing I have ever eaten, and one of my favorite memories. I just haven’t tried to recreate them yet because it is definitely a work of love. It usually took her a whole day to prepare, as she literally made hundreds. I just don’t know the proportions or the process. Is the cabbage precooked and squeezed dry? I imagine the sauerkraut has to be drained and squeezed dry as well. I know the potatoes were peeled, boiled, and chopped in small pieces…not mashed. They were absolutely wonderful!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! These sounds so delicious!
These were so delicious and easy to make. I wish my mama were still here she would have loved them♡
Made my family very happy for Sunday dinner, thank you for sharing this recipe!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Kathie! I’m sure your mom would have loved that! :).
If I wanted to make a sweet cheese filling for pierogies today, could I use the filling you use for blintzes with the cottage cheese and cream cheese? I plan on making your twarog eventually but need sweet cheese pierogi to eat today 🙂
Hi Kathie! I haven’t tested that but I think that should work! If you experiment please let me know how you like the recipe!
Hello,what brand flour do u use
Thanks
Hi Alina, lately we have been using an organic all-purpose flour from Costco and also really like Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose flour.
Made this tonight, added sour cream, herbed goat cheese, and fresh roasted + mashed potatoes with the butter. Finished in a pan with toasted garlic butter, just enough to give them some color and crisp. Thank you SO much for posting this! I was expecting a little something closer to a thinner dough like вареники, but damn delicious and inexpensive. Thank you once more, very tasty!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Mike!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
What’s brand of stainless steel cookware you use?
Hi Maria! Most of the items we love and use can be found following this link here.
How would you make sauerkraut Pierogis?
Hi Jovita, I don’t have a recipe for sauerkraut pierogi posted yet but if I come up with something great, I will be sure to share it!
For approx 80 perogis:
(2) 32 oz jars of sauerkraut
1head Cabbage ( optional)
1lg. Onion chopped
4 slices crisp cooked crumbled Bacon
1/2 C Butter
Salt/pepper
Parboil Sauerkraut 30 mins (for more flavor, do not drain sauerkraut )
Parboil shredded cabbage until just tender(no more than 12 mins). Drain and cool
Wring moisture from cabbage and sauerkraut and process (do not process too fine)
Sauté onion in butter. Add bacon cabbage and sauerkraut and cook for 20 mins coveredor until cabbage is soft and mixture is reasonably dry Stir from time to time. Add salt/pepper and storecovered in refrigerator overnight
Thank you for sharing that with us, Marilyn!
I’ve read in other recipies that you boil the pierogis, let cool, then freeze. Your picture looks like the pierogi dough is frozen raw, before boiling. Is that the case?
Hi Elizabeth, you definitely want to freeze the raw dough pierogi and not cooked. Add frozen raw pierogi to boiling water to cook them. I hope you love the recipe!
We make a filling of sauerkraut and onions. With mashed potatoes. First boil the sauerkraut in water just long enough to take out some sourness. Drain and saute with chopped fine onions in oil or butter. Mix with mashed potatoes. This is traditional pierogi made by my grandmother from Poland. However she only made dough with flour salt and water. We found it to be somewhere tough and wondered what we did wrong. Your recipe seems to be the answer and will try. She is no longer with us. Thank you. We also made our sauce out of salt pork and onions sauteed.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing that with me, Sally!
Admittedly, I’m not the best cook, but I followed the instructions to the letter and had a few challenges.
I measured four cups of flour in grams. I used a dough hook to mix in the flour then for five minutes to knead. Then I kneaded by hand about five minutes. The dough was so sticky and wet, I had to use a lot of flour when rolling it out. It also shrank as I was rolling and cutting.
I think those two things made the dough thick and a little tough once cooked. It was as soft as it should’ve been. But, where did I go wrong in the beginning? The taste was still ok. Thanks!
Hi Kendall, it might be 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!