Russian Pelmeni Recipe + New Dough!
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This recipe is for Russian Pelmeni along with a NEW dough recipe! This dough is softer, tastier and has more exact measurements. I strongly recommend a KitchenAid Mixer for the job. It’s the workhorse of the kitchen. A pelmeni mold also speeds up the process.
They can be purchased on Amazon. Pelmeni are a royal pain in the bottom to make. They are however, cheap and tasty – and you’ll recall your childhood (detstvo vspomnish). You will have enough for about 6 dinners with this recipe, so if you are up for suffering through the process once, you will have a nice stash of these in the freezer.
Serve these in a good quality chicken broth, or boil and butter them up, then dip in sour cream, vinegar or ketchup.
Ingredients for Russian Pelmeni Dough:
2/3 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 large eggs
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
7 cups plus 6 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Pelmeni Filling:
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground pork
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce, optional
Ingredients/ Ideas for Toppings:
Butter, melted
Sour cream, vinegar, ketchup
How to Make Basic Vareniky or Pelmeni Dough:
1. Using the whisk attachment on medium speed, mix together: 2/3 cup buttermilk, 1 Tbsp of sour cream 2 cups warm water, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 tsp salt until well blended (please excuse the fact that this picture has the paddle attachment – I hauled my mixer to my sister’s house to make these and forgot the whisk!).
2. Switch to dough hook and add 4 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 until well blended.
3. Add 3 more cups of flour (one cup at a time and wait for the dough to become well blended with each cup). Add the rest of the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (I used 6 Tbsp). Once it is no longer sticking to the bowl, continue to mix 5 minutes. (Total mixing time is about 20 minutes from the time you start adding flour).
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
How to Make Pelmeni Filling:
1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and saute until golden and soft. Add garlic and saute another minute.
2. Mix together pork, turkey, onion & garlic mix, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp hot sauce (optional).
The KitchenAid is very useful for mixing meat as well, so your hands don’t freeze even if your meat is cold.
If using a pelmeni mold:
1. Cut off about tennis-ball-size chunks of dough and roll out into a circle.
2. Place over mold. Place 1/2 tsp meat into each pocket space on the mold.
3. Roll out another chunk of dough and place over the mold.
4. Use a rolling pin, roll the top, working from the center – outwards until the pelmeni are well-defined.
5. Turn the pelmeni maker over and push the pelmeni out onto a well-floured cutting board.
6. Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer. Pinch together any open edges on pelmeni or the meat will float out during cooking.
7. Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
If making pelmeni by hand:
1. Shape a portion of the dough into a 1 to 2 -inch thick log. Cut off 1 piece at a time (about gum ball sized) and roll into disks to form a 1.5-inch circle with rolling pin. Sprinkle rolling pin and surface with flour if needed.
2. Place 1 tsp pelmeni filling in the center,
3. lose the edges and pinch together.
4. Pinch the corners to gether to form, well… a diaper shape.
5. Place pelmeni onto a well-floured cutting board. Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer.
6. Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
To Cook Pelmeni:
Bring a pot of water to boil (add 1 Tbsp salt for a large soup pot, or 1 tsp salt for a smaller 4 quart pot). Add FROZEN pelmeni and return to a boil. They should float to the top, then boil for 3 minutes longer (or until meat is fully cooked). Drain pelmeni and place them in a clean bowl. Toss pelmeni with butter and sprinkle with dill (optional). Serve them warm with ketchup, sour cream or vinegar (my personal favorite).
Russian Pelmeni Recipe + New Dough Recipe!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Pelmeni Dough:
- 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 cups plus 6 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Pelmeni Filling:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp hot sauce, optional
Ingredients/ Ideas for Toppings:
- Melted butter, sour cream, vinegar, ketchup
Instructions
How to Make Basic Vareniky or Pelmeni Dough:
- Using the whisk attachment on medium speed, mix together: 2/3 cup buttermilk, 1 tbsp of sour cream 2 cups warm water, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 tsp salt until well blended
- Switch to dough hook and add 4 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 until well blended.
- Add 3 more cups of flour (one cup at a time and wait for the dough to become well blended with each cup).
- Add the rest of the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (I used 6 Tbsp). Once it is no longer sticking to the bowl, continue to mix 5 minutes. (Total mixing time is about 20 minutes from the time you start adding flour).
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
How to Make Pelmeni Filling:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and saute until golden and soft. Add garlic and saute another minute.
- Mix together pork, turkey, onion & garlic mix, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp hot sauce (optional).
If using a pelmeni mold:
- Cut off about tennis-ball-size chunks of dough and roll out into a circle.
- Place over mold. Place 1/2 tsp meat into each pocket space on the mold.
- Roll out another chunk of dough and place over the mold.
- Use a rolling pin, roll the top, working from the center - outwards until the pelmeni are well-defined.
- Turn the pelmeni maker over and push the pelmeni out onto a well-floured cutting board.
- Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer. Pinch together any open edges on pelmeni or the meat will float out during cooking.
- Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
If making pelmeni by hand:
- Shape a portion of the dough into a 1 to 2 -inch thick log. Cut off 1 piece at a time (about gum ball sized) and roll into disks to form a 1.5-inch circle with rolling pin. Sprinkle rolling pin and surface with flour if needed.
- Place 1 tsp pelmeni filling in the center,
- Close the edges and pinch together.
- Pinch the corners together to form, well... a diaper shape.
- Place pelmeni onto a well-floured cutting board. Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer.
- Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
To Cook Pelmeni:
- Bring a pot of water to boil (add 1 tbsp salt for a large soup pot, or 1 tsp salt for a smaller 4 quart pot). Add FROZEN pelmeni and return to a boil. They should float to the top, then boil for 3 mintues longer (or until meat is fully cooked). Drain pelmeni and place them in a clean bowl. Toss pelmeni with butter and sprinkle with dill (optional). Serve them warm with ketchup, sour cream or vinegar (my personal favorite).
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
It works great! The dough tastes really good with chicken inside and the pelmeni didn’t open up during boiling. We used a mold and made some by hand too.
Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Elena!
This is my 1st time attempting Pierogi’s. Should I be using this dough recipe or your original Pierogi dough recipe?
Hi Carol, we have a pierogi recipe HERE. I bet you would love it
Thank you so much! We are making a test bunch before the main event on Easter, plus we want some now ; )
You’re welcome! Enjoy. 🙂
There was someone on here that commented earlier about using a piping bag for the filling. I took a big freezer Ziploc, cut a small hole in one of the corners, twisted up where the zipper is so no filling would get out (similarly to what you would do with a pastry bag with cream), set it down on the counter with the cut hole side up, and just squeezed down to push out the appropriate amount of filling. Then, I would take that filling with my hand and plop it into the pelmeni molds. This sped up the process TREMENDOUSLY and was a huge game changer. I finished 5 lbs of pelmeni so quickly and didn’t even get tired (despite the 6 month pregnancy belly). Highly, highly recommend this step!
Thank you for the tip, Lena! 🙂
I made these a while ago for the first time and they were wonderful! I want to make another batch for Ukrainian Easter. Do you think I can make the dough a day ahead of time before assembling?
Thanks
It really is best to use the dough fresh for this recipe because the consistency of the dough changes after refrigeration. You might possibly be able to use it, but you will have to knead it for a little bit and maybe add some flour to keep it from being sticky.
I made these by hand and they came out super doughy. I’m not great at eyeballing dough ball sizes, so I use a food scale. What weight should each piece be?
Hi Diana, I haven’t weighed my individual dough balls to have a weight handy.
I’ve never had pelmeni despite my Russian background. I wanted to try this recipe out because the dough looks similar to my great aunts pierogis. I stopped halfway to boil some as I was getting hungry and wow! Unbelievable I could eat so many of these! I have been in a not so healthy mental state lately and forming these dumplings has kept my mind and hands busy. Easy enough and in my opinion, hard to mess up. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will be making these often. <3
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, A!!
I made these with half-lean beef only for the filling and ate it with melted butter + ketchup. Tastes amazing, and the dumpling skin is sooo soft. Added some allspice to the beef mince because I’m used to doing that with meatballs, and I totally love it.
Awesome! I’m glad to know that you loved it, Aiza. Thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe, we appreciate your review!
Wow! This was my first time making pelmeni, I was nervous how it would turn out but omg they taste just like my moms when I was little!! So satisfying. I made them all by hand like my mom and it took all day lol I’m definitely getting a mold for next time! And the ratio for dough and meat was PERFECT. So delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Wow, that’s amazing feedback and review. Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with us!
I really loved how this recipe looked and tried it out. It turned out really chewy in the end with the hand rolled method but I think it was because of how the dough turned out. Mine was very crumbly at the bottom of the kitchinaid. It was also my first time at pasta. Could it be I added flour too fast?
Hi Kar, that could also be due to adding too much flour. When measuring flour, spoon into your measuring cup and scrape off the top.
What if I want to make the dough but unfortunately do not have a mixer only a hand mixer?
Hi Michelle, You can make the dough for both by hand. I would not recommend an electric hand mixer since those are not suitable for mixing doughs, and it would likely break your mixer.
Hi. I had the same problem as some others did. I used all purpose flour and spooned it in to the measuring cup and wound up needing 9 1/2 cups of flour before it stopped sticking to the kitchen aid. It still turned out ok but a bit tough. The filling was perfect tho.
Hello Natasha! Simply the best dough I have tried so far. My mom used to make with flour, egg, salt and water. Question, do you make khinkali? Can you, please, post your recipe for khinkali. Thank you.
Thank you for your great comments and review, Gaia. I haven’t tried making that recipe yet, thanks for your suggestion. Hopefully, I can try that recipe too in the future.
Hi! Out of curiosity, how many “tennis” ball amounts of dough for this recipe. First time making pelmeni’s, first time using the press. Thanks!
Hi Kristina, I’m not sure about tennis balls, but with the press, it makes about 180 or more pelmeni.
Hello, I usually use only beef for nachinka. But how do you combat shrinkage? When I make pelemeni they are nice, but after boiling them the meat ball shrinks and dough stays the same? Thank you!!
Hi Kate, I haven’t had that happen with this dough – it could be due to rolling it too thin?
Hi Natasha, I am so glad I found your site. I cannot wait to make these for my mom. She’s Polish/Russian. We haven’t had handmade pelmeni or pierogies in a few years since my babcia stopped being able to cook.
Do the pelmeni need to be frozen first before cooking or can they be cooked from fresh?
Cannot wait to try these out! The comment section got me even more excited about this recipe.
Hi Melanie, they can be cooked fresh. I hope you both love the pelmeni recipe!
I love pelmeni my mom make em a lot this help me learn to make em as gift for mom thx.
You’re welcome!
This dough was so easy to work with and had the perfect texture. We used a potato filling, but will try meat next time. Thanks for a great recipe!
So wonderful to read your comments and feedback, Lauren. Thanks for your great review!
I tried to love this pelmeni dough recipe but it was very difficult to work with! The dough was so sticky and I had to keep adding more flour just to roll it out. Any idea what the issue could have been? The filling inside was delicious and very fragrant which I loved
Hi Katie, If your dough is sticky, you probably just need to add a little more flour. What kind of flour did you use? Different flour measures out differently. Was it Canadian flour by chance? I just used an all-purpose unbleached flour. Next time, add flour a little bit at a time until it’s a little sticky to the touch but doesn’t stick to your fingers. I hope that helps.
This recipe makes perfect, authentic pelmeni every time! My husband and I make a triple batch every labor day weekend to stock the freezer- both my sons play travel hockey and our fall/ winter schedule is always jam packed. We love having pelmeni in the freezer ready to go for an easy meal thats also a family favorite. My tip for making the process go a little quicker is to put your meat mixture in a piping bag- it makes filling the pelmeni mold super fast, cleaner and makes it easier to use a consistent amount each time.
I am so glad you love pelmeni, Tanya! Thank you for the tip =, that’s a very useful tip for us all.
Natasha do you have any ground beef mixed with ground pork pelmeni recipes?
Hi Irene, I don’t have that recipe yet but thank you for suggesting that but you can check out these varieties.
I thought I had a good dough recipe but this is amazing my husband even said its better than his mother made
Wow! That’s just awesome Liz! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you Natasha! I’m 22 and this reminds me of all the foods I used to eat st my parents and grandparents house but was never taught how to make it (except for borsh). This recipe is perfect
Follow every step exactly the same each time and it never fails.
Aww that’s just awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Jessica! I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes!
Well, I can’t really rate this recipe with certainty, because I have not completed it. But I am adding tablespoon after tablespoon of flour to this dough, and it is still sticky. I believe I am up to 8-1/2 cups of flour now. Still too sticky to work with. Starting to get discouraged.
Hi Karl, you might consider if you are using a different kind of flour or adding more liquid than is called for?
For all those having trouble with the dough and keep having to add flour- I had the same issue and found a solution. I got a kitchen aid with a dough hook and it changed up the game!! Before, I would hand mix and would need to have so much more flour to get the dough firm. The kitchen aid mixes it WAY better and requires much less flour. Using the pelmeni mold is also a LIFESAVER. I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier.
I also added minced parsely and chives to the filling. Using a kitchen aid with a dough attachment and a pelmeni mold made these my bet batch yet.
Thank you so much for this recipe. My grandmother used to make it for the family and I was feeling nostalgic. I’ve made it a few times and it is so so good! Thank you for sharing 🙂
You are so welcome, Victoria. So happy to read your comments and so glad you loved it!
This time has millennials making their own pelmenis and pirogis. Thank you Natasha for having our backs with perfect recipes as always! Flavors are exactly like momma used to make it
You’re welcome, Marina! Thank you for sharing that with us!
thank you thank you so much finally yummy dough recipes. Growing up it was simple eggs and water, sometimes milk or no eggs just water and flour dough.Butter milk makes it so good. I didn’t have sour cream even without turned out so good. I used regular flour and chicken/pork for stuffing. This is now my only to go recipe and I’m going to use it to make vareniki
You’re welcome, Alisa! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Poshel nahui dis is so good.
Can you pls make a recipe for Cheburek?Or for some semenchki halva?
I’m so glad you enjoyed that. We have a Cheburekirecipe here you may enjoy.
This recipe is so amazing I’ve been using this recipe for the past 2 years:) I have a question do you know where you can buy pelemeniasta mold 91 piece? I have the small one for 36 piece and really want to get the big one..:)
Hi Anneta, I’m so happy you love this pelmeni recipe. I haven’t been able to find a bigger one, unfortunately. If you track one down, let me know!
amazon has tons of molds
I just made this, I used different meat for the filling but it was really good. My husband is Russian and he loved it. I have made pelmeni several times and this was the best recipe I have used
Thanks.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Emily!
No bay leaf?
You are welcome to add that!
Can I use beef instead of pork?
Hi Katie, we love the combination but you can use only beef.
Natasha, can I substitute the pork for turkey?
Hi Katie, yes, you can change things up and try different meats in the filling.
Hi Natasha, can you add metric measurements to your recipe. Thanks in advance.
Hi Tania, We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have 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’ve tried this dough recipe three times and all three times it’s been a huge fail. The dough is too stretchy and springy for Pelmeni. I’m sorry but this is a bad recipe for its purpose. I’m sure it’s good for other things.
Hi Jen, I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble. I wonder if any substitutions were made in the recipe? It could be due to using a different type of flour with different gluten content, also it could be too much or too little flour added. This post on measuring ingredients may help.
Thank you for this recipe, I can always count on your recipes . I make my dough with regular bleached AP flour (that is what I had on hand) and without buttermilk (didn’t have any on hand) and the dough turned out perfect- silky smooth and didn’t fall apart.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Two questions for you Natasha, if you don’t mind. Several people, including you, mention Canadian flour. I graduated culinary school, & I’m shocked I haven’t heard about that kind of flour. Though I was on the culinary arts side of things & just took one baking & pastry arts class, the intro class so maybe that’s why. Can you shed more light on Canadian flour & how it differs from AP flour? Also the link you post for the pelmeni mold/ maker is a plastic one yet the one in your picture is metal. Do you have a link for that one? I saw plenty of metal ones on Amazon but all of them had a few negative reviews mentioning metal shavings getting in/ on the pelmeni & I don’t want that & want something of better quality.
Thanks so much Natasha.
Hi Liana, Canadian flour (flour made in Canada), tends to have a higher concentration of gluten which is why a recipe that calls for Canadian flour will actually require more all-purpose flour for the same recipe if substituted. The pelmeni mold we use is metal and I haven’t had any issues with it. I haven’t experimented with a plastic pelmeni mold but I imagine those would work just as well.
I made those with half beef half pork. Beautiful dough although it took about 1-2 cups more of flour before it stopped sticking ! Dough was bouncing back slightly while rolling ( not too much ) should I use less flour next time? It tastes great ones cooked and didn’t rip!! Thx!
Hi Vika, without being there it is hard to say. I recommend checking our post on measuring to be sure you have the right amount of flour.
About how much Pelmeni does this make, I’m making it to bring to a class of about 35 people.
Hi Joshua, This recipe makes 180+ pelmeni.
That’s awesome, thanks.
I want to try to make these for a class at school. Is there anyway I could make the dough the night before and use it the next day in class? The class is my last class, so it would have to sit either on a counter or in the fridge for around 16 hours.
Hi Hannah, I hope you find this helpful, the dough will be the softest and easiest to work with if you use it fresh. I have refrigerated the dough and subsequently used it to cook just pieces of the dough (dumplings) since it’s too tough for me to roll out at that point. It works best to make all of the pelmeni and freeze half of them once they are fully made. It’s alot of work, but it’s worthwhile
What if I were to roll out and cut the circles and then refrigerate it? I definitely won’t have time to make the dough in class so I’m looking for an alternative.
I haven’t tested that Hannah, I worry that would dry out the dough. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I finally have a chance to get back to you about the dough! I ended up making the dough and filling some of them so that if it turned out not to work, I would still have some. With the leftover dough, I rolled it out, cut it into the circles (I used a cup for that!), separated them with squares of wax paper and put them in a tupperware with a piece of Saran Wrap between the lid to hopefully seal in more moisture. I put them in the fridge and used it to make “dessert” pelmeni with some caramel and chocolate a few days later. The dough almost felt softer! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
You’re so welcome! & Thank you for sharing that with me!
Can I used almond flour or coconut flour for this recipe instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Yelena, I honestly haven’t tried making this gluten-free (with coconut or almond flour). My sister’s mother in law made them gluten-free but I don’t know what kind of flour she used specifically. They were a little bit grainy but still good. I just haven’t tested it so I can’t really tell you. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Natasha, do I have to freeze pelmeni? I am having a party where we will get around the table to make them and i would like to cook them right away.
Yes of course! They are so so good fresh! you will need to cut the cook time slightly but that would work great!
Hi Natasha, thank you for your recepies, because they give really reproducable results. Is anyting you can suggest for manti (steam dumpling)?
Hi Valeria, I haven’t tried that so I can’t advise. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I was glad to see your alternative dough recipe. I have been using one from a Ukrainian friend’s mother, which uses sweet milk and oil. Normally one sees varenniki, pierogi and pelmeni dough recipes which use the same ingredients as Italian pasta dough–practically impossible to roll out by hand!
That’s so great!
Can you please suggest ideas of what to do with leftover meat filling from the pelmeni recipe? I read in the comments that you’ve cooked the leftover dough as dumplings, but I’m looking for suggestions about how to use up the remaining meat mixture. Any EASY suggestions?? Thank you!
Hi Terry. There are several options. Some have rolled the meat into balls and boiled it into a simple soup. Some have made vareniki. I imagine there are several other uses for this. 🙂
The meat recipe for pelmeni seems very similar to the Katleti, just add the bread crumbs. That’s what i would do with the leftovers 🙂
Hi Natasha! Thank you for your beautiful recipes:) my husband is czech and he made pelmeni by your recipe yesterday and they work out amazing. It was his first time ever making them as he wanted to surprise me. How sweet of him. Pelmeni was my favorite food from my childhood. Now I have went through all you site and completely hooked! Thanks a lot for all the effort your husband and you are doing
I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you! I’m so happy you discovered our blog and can make recipes and favorite foods from your childhood! Enjoy!!
I should have read Terry’s comment first, flouring the mold is definitely a good idea, but they are so much fun and much easier using a mold than by hand. I just made some more with some thawed out dough and they seem fine!
I’m so happy you found that! Thank you for this feedback, Angela!
Natasha! I can’t believe it took me this long to make my own pelmeni and oh my, they were amazing!!! Thank you for your recipe! I used a pork/veal ratio and my family went crazy for them!! My 6 year old thought they were amazing. The baby gobbled them up and my husband keeps going back to make a few more. Great recipe and I’ll be sure to add this into my dinner rotation! Thank you!!!
What an amazing review, Lisa! Thank you!! I’m so happy to hear your entire family enjoyed this!!
Hi , will you please post a photo of some of the last step of dough mixing and what it looks like when it doesn’t STICK. I’m in the middle of making the dough and it kept sticking to the bowl of the kitchenaid— even though I added almost another whole cup of flour! (So, 8 cups of flour) before it finally quit sticking to the bowl.
Now the dough is rising up over the top of the hook when I turn the mixer on (so i can’t mix for the additional 5 minutes.)
Should i throw it all away and start over? Ughhh. Thanks for any tips. I really really want to make these successfully!
Hi Terry! If your dough is sticky, you probably just need to add a little more flour. What kind of flour did you use? Different flour measures out differently. Was it Canadian flour by chance? I just used an all-purpose unbleached flour. Next time, add flour a little bit at a time until it’s a little sticky to the touch but doesn’t stick to your fingers. I hope that helps.
Thank you for the reply. I did use all purpose unbleached flour as indicated. So, I honestly don’t know why it needed so much more. I went ahead and rolled it out and used pelmeni molds. I put it all in the freezer to cook another day so i don’t know how they turned out!
Anyway, I learned a couple tips: 1). It helps to sprinkle the mold with flour so the pelmeni will drop out of the mold easier.
2). It would be smart to divide up all the dough into the right amount of tennis ball size portions at the beginning of the rolling. I must have made my tennis balls too large in the beginning and had a lot of excess roll off the sides of the mold. Then I had to gather up the scraps at the end to have enough dough for the remaining filling (which was much harder to roll out the second time!)
My pleasure! I hope it works out better for you next time!
I’ve made quite a few of your recipes the last couple years and loved them all! I got a pelmeni mold this time and I’m glad I did, it saves so much time and the dumplings are way cuter. Thank you for all the great recipes!! 😊
That mold definitely speeds up the process! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy our recipes! Thank you!
At last, I have something to justify buying this fancy, expensive mixer! I found this recipe upon returning to Australia from a holiday in Germany where my Latvian-born German friend introduced me to his favourite dish. The dough recipe is perfect! And easy to work with, but I have a Mold in the post that will make it much easier, I’m sure. Thank you so much 😊
You’re so welcome Angela! I’m so happy you discovered our blog and this recipe! The fancy mixer definitely makes this much easier and quicker to make!
Can you make this with just an electric hand mixer?
Hi Elisabeth! You can make the dough for both by hand. I would not recommend an electric hand mixer since those are not suitable for mixing doughs and it would likely break your mixer.
is there a smaller serving i could make in an hour if there is please email me logangarth24@gmail.com thank you
Hi Logan, you are more than welcome to halve the recipe however the dough will still need some time to set.
So happy I found your site. I can not wait to try making your your dough. My mother in-law passed this recipe on to me before she passed away. Only thing we do different that my husbands Hungarian grandmother passed on was we cook them in beef broth and serve as a soup.
Hi Karri! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! Yes sometimes it is eaten with a flavorful broth and serves as a soup 🙂
I will definitely try making the dough. We use wanton wrappers when making dough is not an option.
How does it turn out with the wonton dough? Does it cook through with out falling apart?
I don’t know if you still read these blogs / reviews/ comments butt I’m going to share this with you. I grew up in the United States with a Russian grandmother a French mother who died when I was just a child, which brings me to my next point. I was sent to my grandmother’s as a young two year old child and eating her food I fell in love! my brother and I shared many memories but most of all the food. We did not know the actual name and called it something different which I later learned the recipe for because I went back to visit my grandmother before she died, which she was in France at that time and also where we stayed with her I was so happy and excited to see something that resemble and sounded like what we were taught as a child. Though the recipe is different – extremely different. She used mutton and pork as the meats. Using spearmint duck eggs Etc. I have remade these products here in the United States for many years for my family not to even come close to that flavor now I will try again. Let me know if you actually read this. my email address is Gina Rivers 94 at yahoo.com. I am dictating this there for my phone doesn’t actually write it out
Hi Gina! Yes we read everyones comments and do our best to reply. I thank you for sharing your history I’m so happy you discovered out blog and are able to make a connection to your roots. Yes, There are several variations to this recipe and I’ve seen pork, beef, lamb, chicken etc used as a filling. 🙂 I hope you find a recipe similar to what you tried back then! Thank you for sharing this with us Gina!
Would it be fine to substitute the buttermilk with kefir?
Hi Olivia! I haven’t tested that substitution to compare but from what I know about kefir, it should work as a substitute. Let me know how it goes.
If I want to make them and eat them immediately afterwards, will it affect the taste? Do they need to be frozen before cooking or can I cook them fresh?
Hi Stephanie, these can be boiled and eaten fresh. I included a freezer option since we usually don’t eat the entire batch but they do freeze really well! 🙂
The best pelmeni recipe! Our family loves them😋I just add about 3/4 cup of cold mineral water. This is the hack for juiciness 😊You should try it. Thank you for the recipe!!!
You’re welcome Olga! I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
My boss had a grit idea I thought I’d share. He fills a jerky gun with the meat mixture and uses that the fill them. He said it worked great.
Great suggestion, thanks for sharing!
I remember my mom and I sitting at the table making pelmeni, only difference is she used pork and ground hamburger. When she came to visit me, she took the short cut and bought the wonton, pre-made dough from the Asian market. It comes frozen, not as good, but works.
I’m happy the recipe brings back fond memories! If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know what you think!
We sometimes don’t drain the water, we eat it as soup… It’s so good!!!
Yum, great suggestion Angelina! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Natasha! Do you think plain whole milk kefir would work instead of the buttermilk?
Hi Laura, yes that would work great 🙂
Hi Natasha! If I use beef instead of turkey and pork would you recommend to change proportions of other ingredients (like add more onions to make the filling juicier/softer) or add anything else? Thanks for the recipe! Tatiana
Hi Tatiana, I would suggest using beef not is not too lean. You can add more of the other filling ingredients if you like – I think it would still work well to keep it moist.
how many servings dose it make
This recipe makes 180+ pelmeni.
Any suggestions what I could serve with pelmeni in order to make it a more balanced meal? I’m struggling to come up with something that will pare well.
Hi Katerina, I would pick a fresh salad – maybe something like our Cucumber Tomato Salad – you can explore all of our salads here. These cucumbers would also be really good!
I am pregnant and CRAVING this right now. Seriously I would kidnap a russian grandma just to have her make me these as there is no place around here that sells anything russian. Natasha think I can pay and you ship them out? lol
LOL pregnant women do some interesting things! ha ha!! That gave me a good laugh. Congratulations on your pregnancy!! 🙂
I froze meat pelmeni and cooked them 2 months later. Dough tasted good but meat was too dry. Can you please give me advice on how to improve filling taste.
Hi Inna, usually the meat would be dry if it had a low fat content (say if you used only ground turkey) or if it was overmixed/overworked when it was made. Try a meat with a higher fat content. I hope that helps!
Wow! These pelemeni tasted amazing! Will definitely be a keeper in the house. Thank you for the amazing recipe. I can’t stop eating them!
You’re welcome Maryna! I’m glad you love the recipe! 😀
Hi Natasha! Love your website:) Question- can I use whole wheat flour for this recipe?
Hi Lina, I think the dough would be really tough to chew with whole wheat. I think it would be difficult to reach the same soft consistency with whole wheat.
Hello, How long can the dough last in the fridge? I had some leftover pelmeni dough 2 days ago, and I wonder if I can use it to make some vareniki today?
The recipe is great btw!
It really is best to use the dough fresh for this recipe because the consistency of the dough changes after refrigeration. You might possibly be able to use it, but you will have to knead it for a little bit and maybe add some flour to keep it from being sticky, but even then, the door would probably be more dense than when using fresh.
Thank you, I’ll have to try that salad.
I want to make vareniki with farmer cheese. Do you know if I can freeze
Hi Inna, they should be ok to freeze. I would do the same process as my potato ones. Line them up (uncoooked) on a floured cutting board or baking sheet and freeze them on the sheet. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a plastic ziploc bag or freezer safe container, then when ready to cook, boil water and add them to the pot frozen. Enjoy!!
These were so easy to make and super delicious, thanks for sharing!! I loved the convinience of using a pelemeni mold!! And to make things even easier I piped the meat filling into the rolled dough on the mold.. (I used a freezer gallon ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner to make my own piping bag) super duper easy!
I’m so happy to hear that Inna! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hello Natasha,
I used your recipe for my first attempt at homemade pelmeni and they were a huge hit with my 12-year-old who is one of the pickiest eaters on the planet. He had three servings and then we ran out. (Lots in the freezer though.) My husband is the son of immigrants from Moscow and he said it did not taste like whatever he was used to. But, that did not matter. He also had 3 servings. (Also, my husband is used to the frozen pelmeni from a Russian store– and I am not a fan of those made in an industrial kitchen. I have had the real ones in Moscow and they are a far cry from the factory-made ones.)
I used a slight variation on your recipe. I an American who has lived in France and can do just about any French dish from scratch. But, preparing Russian food is new for me. My husband and I have been married almost 15 years and I am getting around to it.
I did not have buttermilk so I used 2 2/3 cups water with 4 tablespoons melted butter added into the water. I kneaded the dough for a long time with my hand-mixer. It was perfectly pliable before I stopped kneading it. I also used an organic, extra-fine flour. After that, I let it sit for about 1/2 hour.
Next, I used a half/half combination of ground chicken and ground veal. Finally, I added some sautéed, caramelized onions and sautéed green cabbage to the meat mixture.
The dumpling meat had a naturally sweet taste (probably because of the caramelized onions) and the dough was melt-in-your-mouth good. The meat inside was extremely tender and had a delicate flavor.
I would recommend to anyone out there to use 4 tablespoons melted butter in lieu of buttermilk. Also, the sautéed onions and green cabbage was a great combo and made the meat soft.
Our kids loved them and I have never seen my 12-year-old eat so much.
By the way, you guys are a beautiful family!
Thank you!
Sarah
Thank you so much for sharing your variations! They sure sound wonderful and I’ll be trying the butter idea! 🙂
If you are in a pinch use a shot glass to cut dough into circles! My grand mother taught me that she came from Russia and was very traditional!
Thank you for the tip 😄
I just made these, they turned out SO good! I have been looking for a good dough recipe for a while. I rolled the dough pretty thin, and these came out so light and tender (made them by hand instead of using a mold). Do you think the same dough can be used to make Vareniki?
Hi Marina, absolutely! I use the same dough for both 🙂
I love Natasha’s instructions here because I have a mold so I thank Natasha for using instructions according to that. If using a mold the recipe makes 180 pelmeni, so that is five molds, or 15 dozen pelmeni. It’s a better dough recipe than mine! It’s very pliable and easy to use with a rolling pin. Adding garlic to the meat is also delicious! I’ve used great grandma’s recipes but this works better.!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Also, thank you for sharing the count 🙂
Hi Natasha,i have not tasted these for many years since visiting Ekaterinberg,my girlfriend used to make them and the were so good,i am so glad you have taken the time to show us how to make them,i have a question,she also used to make a pastie type thing using the same dough only she would cook them on a griddle/frying pan,they had the same filling.i remember her saying the name of them it sounded like a cartoon character “Cheburashka” do you know what i am talking about?do you have the recipe perhaps?
You might be referring to chebureki? I have a simplified version using raw tortillas here
Exactly them thank you again 🙂
awesome 🙂
Would replacing buttermilk with kefir (from the Russian store) produce the same dough?
Hi Inna, I haven’t tested that substitution to compare but from what I know about kefir, it should work as a substitute. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Instead of butter/sour cream try eating with a bit of soy sauce.
Thanks for the tip Nick 😀.
I just made pelmeni following your recipe. After I cooked them, the dough turned out very hard. Yes. I did boil extra minutes and still.. What gives?
Hi :). It could be several different reasons – what kind of flour did you use? You may have added too much flour and created too dense of a dough, maybe it needed a little more kneading? – did you use a mixer to knead or do it by hand? It could have also been rolled out too thick. Did you use your dough right away rather than refrigerating it? I hope that helps.
can pelemi be made using a ravioli maker that can be attached to a kitchen aid?
Hi Elena, I’m not sure to be honest since I haven’t tried it. I think it’s worth experimenting. If you try it, let me know how it goes. I’m very curious now! 🙂
I have been making pelmeni with my mom ever since I can remember, andmy job was to do the filling while my mom would roll the dough. One great thing we discovered to make the job easier is to use a cream piper to fill meat with. So much easier, faster and neater! Just make sure you have a tip wide enough to let the фарш through and just go at it! I ussually use a star tip or a round tip.
Inna, what a great idea, thank you for sharing :). I was just talking couple days ago with my son about making pelmeni this week.
Hi. I just found out that I’m gluten intolerant so I can’t have regular flour. I bought gluten free flour and wanted to ask if you had any suggestions for using the gluten free flour instead? Would the measurements be the same? Any info would be appreciated.
I honestly haven’t tried making this gluten free. My sister’s mother in law made them gluten free but I don’t know what kind of flour she used specifically. They were a little bit grainy but still good. I just haven’t tested it so I can’t really tell you. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I finally made pelmeni myself! I don’t know what happened to my pelmeni mold, so I had to do it by hand. Definitely time consuming but SO worth it! They’re delicious. Husband always buys them at the Russian store. Not anymore! I didn’t have any onions or garlic, I substituted with powders. Amazing. Thank you Natasha!
Sometimes we get store bought too for convenience but homemade is so much better, probably because of better quality ingredients.
Hi Natasha!
I adore your recipes. my significant other is Ukranian and I am American, so the fact that I have pulled off many of these wonderful recipes, thanks to how simple you make them, has scored me many brownie points ;)!
One question for ya… I plan on making both Vareniki and the poppyseed roulette this weekend. I unfortunately do not have a kitchen aid or bread maker. I have a hand held electric mixer… am i able to use that? How would you reccomend making the dough with my limited kitchen equipment? Second question, was regarding the poppyseeds that need to be put through the meat grinder. Can I use a ninja to get the job done?
You can make the dough for both by hand. I would not recommend an electric hand mixer since those are not suitable for mixing doughs and it would likely break your mixer. The best second option for grinding poppyseeds is a clean coffee grinder. I’ve tried other things and nothing cuts them like a meat grinder or coffee grinder. In a blender or food processor, they will just spin around since they are so tiny.
Hi Natasha! Thanks so much for this recipe! My husband recently discovered russian dumplings after moving to Seattle and he’s been crazy about them since.
I tried and loved your recipe but I had trouble with the dough. I don’t have a kitchen aid mixer so tried using my food processor because I’ve seen my mother-in-law use that for dough. It turned out to be a fairly messy business (the dough would climb up the central post away from the mixing blade). Also, I had to forgo the end 5 minutes of mixing once everything’s combined because the machine started overheating.
I found it challenging to roll out the circles thin enough and ended up with 30 pelmini instead of 90+ (half batch). Is it just coz I’m not used to the dough or is it because it wasn’t mixed properly? I want to make it again but don’t want to use the processor. Can I do it by hand or my electric mixer that I use for cakes etc.?
Thanks a ton!
I’ve never used a food processor for the dough so I can’t vouch for it. I’ve only used the KitchenAid mixer for it and have made it by hand. A couple of my readers have reported good results in a bread maker. The pelmeni should be rolled pretty thin or you won’t get quite as many. I usually use the pelmeni mold so I get much more but they are smaller than the hand molded pelmeni.
Buy Gyoza Wrappers at any Asian food store- works great!
Would it be okay to use ground beef? I have so much left over ground beef and was thinking about making pelmeni. Даже лучше сказати що мені намiкали зробити. 🙂
I know manti are usually made with ground beef but pelmeni will usually turn out more dry with beef. If using beef, you might mix it with pork. Some other ideas: try making these chebureki (half beef, half pork): https://natashaskitchen.com/2012/01/03/lenas-chebureki-recipe-%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B8/, meat piroshki (1/2 turkey, 1/2 beef): https://natashaskitchen.com/2011/05/18/meat-piroshki-belyashi/, or lasagna: https://natashaskitchen.com/2010/03/24/3-cheese-lasagna-recipe/
Natasha:
Could you please recommend a good salad to go with pelmeni? What else is usually served with a pelmeni meal (besides sour cream, vinegar, etc.)?
Thanks!
Irina, usually I would recommend to make salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, mixed in sour cream or oil. Radish and cucumber salad goes well too. Also canned vegetables like tomatoes can be served with pelmeni as well. Hope this helps :).
Congratulations on your new baby! I just had to write and let you know that this kitchenaid pelmeni recipe is perfect. I have been making pelmeni for years..I was taught how to make them by my Slavic mother in law. She was born in Siberia and was a wonderful woman. She would have loved the tender texture of your dough..I have mastered my pelmeni mold too! So much easier and faster than making the hundreds that I make every time than making them by hand. Thank you so much sharing your recipe!! It is outstanding..We eat them with a sauce made on your plate of sour cream, vinegar and sweet hot homemade mustard(also my mother in law’s recipe) similar to a Chinese mustard..You may want to try this too..take care and thank you again.
I agree it is much more efficient to use the mold than making than by hand. I’m so happy you love the recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing your tip about the Chinese mustard mixture! Sounds really really good!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I just made some with half of the dough. Could I freeze the other half of the dough?
Hi Laura, the dough will be the softest and easiest to work with if you use it fresh. I haven’t tried freezing to be honest so I don’t have a good answer for that. I have refrigerated the dough and subsequently used it to cook just pieces of the dough (dumplings) since it’s too tough for me to roll out at that point. It works best to make all of the pelmeni and freeze half of them once they are fully made. It’s alot of work, but it’s worthwhile 🙂
Hi Natasha, thank you for this recipe. I don’t have a pelmeni mold, wondering if you can just roll out the dough and use a round cookie cutter to cut out the circles, instead of rolling out each little piece. I remember my grandmother using a glass to cut out the shapes…
Marina, you can absolutely use that method, just don’t roll out the dough too thick. Merry Christmas :).
I know this is an older post on your site, but just wanted to thank you for the recipe. My hubby spent a couple of years in Russia and after 17 years of marriage and a few failed attempts at pelmeni, this recipe was the one he said was perfect! I just used ground turkey because that is what I had on hand, but they were wonderful! Thanks again!
Lori, thank you very much for such a great review and you are very welcome :).
Soooo making them this weekend!!! What a great idea! But I remember when we made them when I was a kid, and we rolled one big dough and then cut out circles with a glass. I think I might do it that way. Omg your website makes my life so fun 🙂
I’m so glad you are enjoying the site. I’ve done the cutting out with a glass strategy before. It seems a little faster with the mold, but either way works well 🙂
yep, bet it would be faster, I should order it for future. With the glass strategy it works if you have a production line type of family 🙂
So true! 😉
Yes, that’s perfectly fine! Thank you for sharing the pelmeni mold link 🙂
Мне очень нравиться ваш блог, спасибо большое что вы делитесь рецептами по английски, я когда ходжу на пари к американцам то приношу свою еду русско -украинскую, а они как обычно спрашивают рецепты, а я как обычно не все могу перевести на английский язык, так ваш блог это просто жемчужина! Находка! Спасибо большое вам! Я много новых рецептов здесь нашла пристроенных под американские продукты, спасибо!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and for sharing my blog with others 🙂 You’re so nice! 🙂
Svetlana
August 6, 2014, 4:10 am
Здравствуйте! Не знаю можно ли писать здесь по Русски, я по английски не могу писать, понимаю только кода читаю, и то не все, извините меня, Я вот что хотела сказать, у меня також есть пельменница на 91 пельмень и вареничница на 38 вареники и (орешница на 40 орешков в духовку) все формы металические очень хорошие я заказывали их на ” Ebay” вот точное названия как н EBay написано чтобы правильно искать “. Russian Oreshki Орешница 40 FOR OVEN, Pelmeni 91, NEW Vareniki Варенница 38 US” за все три формы $120.00 + пересылка $15.00 отсылают они почтой только в 48 штатов,
Так как я живу на Аляске мне пришлось заказывать на Нюйорк к своему дяде а он мне уже на Аляску немного накладно но по другому невозможно так как они посылают только в 48 штатов
Но я не жалею что заказала эти формы они очень качественно сделаны советую всем заказывать это облегчает работу на кухне, очень удобно
Thank you so much for sharing that! I love that you can make 91 pelmeni at once. That’s so great for saving time! Thank you 🙂
Hi Natasha,
We went strawberry picking at the farm today and I used your dough recipe to make strawberry vareniki/pierogies. And OMGosh, turned out perfect and amazing! I halved the dough and it came together really nicely. I made the dough a couple hours before actually rolling, refrigerated it, and then brought it to room temp. for about 30min and it was great and pliable and rolled well. My husband was impressed! Thank you!
That sounds wonderful with the strawberries! Yummy!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the dough recipe.
I’ve been searching for a good dough recipe forever! This is by far the best and most consistent recipe.
I feel bad for people who don’t have a kitchen aid though 😛
Yeah you definitely have to use some elbow grease if you don’t have a KitchenAid. It’s do-able but definitely more work 😉
Do I need to freeze them before cooking if we plan to eat them on the same day?
No, there is no need to freeze them Anna :).
I am working with Russians and just tried this for the first time. IT WAS SO AWESOME. I think she used beef instead of pork and turkey though.
Aren’t pelmeni amazing? It’s a standard comfort food for Slavic people.
Love this recipe. Was trying to replicate a version of this shared with a Ukrainian guest years ago. I cooked and served mine in chicken broth, as he had. Thinking of this man who traveled to the US to learn strategies to help his country. Blessed be.
I have tried it served in chicken broth and it is so good. Now I am seriously craving that!!
I married into a Russian family, and I LOOOOVE pelmeni. I made some using your recipe, and my wife tells me they’re the best she’s ever had. Thank you for this easy amazing recipe! (Have to get a mold though. They take forever to make by hand!)
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe 🙂 Thanks Gino! Yeah, a mold really speeds up the process 😉
Hi Natasha,
I can’t wait to try these. Is it possible to use a ravioli mold instead of a pelmeni mold? I have a few of different sizes.
I guess you could; they just would probably be tiny compared to the regular pelmeni so they might take forever to make. Let me know how it goes 🙂
The dough turned out nice. Didn’t need extra flour or water just right! Thank you. Wahh. Finally found one that has perfect proportions. Yaay.
That’s so great!! I’m truly happy for you. It took me awhile to figure it out, so I know exactly how you feel! 🙂
Hello, I was wondering if I could make these and then freeze them? Also, if I can would I cook them before or just leave them uncooked? Thanks.
Lay them out on a floured cutting board and freeze them raw. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a large zip-loc bag and keep them frozen until you’re ready to cook them.
Hi, My dough came out very sticky and I was not able to do anything with it. Did I do something wrong? I saw on youtube that some people added olive oil, would that work? So disappointed I had to throw it out. 🙁
I haven’t had to add oil and I just made this recipe last week. If your dough is sticky, you probably just need to add a little more flour. What kind of flour did you use? Different flour measures out differently. Was it Canadian flour by chance? I just used an all-purpose unbleached flour. Next time, add flour a little bit at a time until it’s a little sticky to the touch but doesn’t stick to your fingers. I hope that helps.
Thank you Natasha! :))
I don’t know what I did wrong, but I had a bowl of dough left over.
I made them by hand (no pelmeni mold yet) and followed your recipe precisely 🙂 It was good, cause I made Vareniki from it, but I don’t want to have leftover dough next time 😉 Any suggestions?
When you fill them by hand, you usually add more meat in each one than you would with a pelmeni mold. That might be why. This is a large portion of dough and it’s a good idea to cut it in half if you don’t want to make that many pelmeni.
I made this a bazillian times thanks to my mother-in-law she brought me pelmeni mold from Ukraine. It made my world so much easier…. Loved your recipe, although I added a bit more flour but it was soft and tasty dough. It’s a keeper… Thanks Natasha!
It can vary depending on the flour you use, but I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
used the new dough recipe to make pyrohy, found it a bit soft compared to what I usually make, but, added a bit more flour..one cup more…and it worked just fine…family said it was ‘good’…so it’s a keeper here
What kind of pirohy were you making?
potato/onion….sometimes because of the weather you have to make adjustments with flour…everyone liked it, so that’s fine, will do again…and we used our Kefir that we had left over for the buttermilk. Grandma always called it pyrohy…new word after WW-2 varynyky, pelmeni’s she made once a year…yes, alot of work and then they’re gobbled up in a flash. I like to make potato filled piroshki to eat with a big bowl of soup in winter, but I cheat…I use crescents rolls, roll them out into a disk shape, I use Idahoan red bliss instant potato or whatever flavor, bake, done, eat 🙂
I’ve never tried using crescent rolls. I bet that is one tasty shortcut! Have you tried dipping yoru piroshki into the garlic sauce that I have posted here. It will change your world. lol.
I dotn have a kitchenaid standing mixer. Can I make it with a hand mixer or food processor?
You could just make it by hand. I haven’t tried in a food processor to be honest, but I think it might work for dough. Do you happen to have a bread maker? You can make this by hand, it just takes a little time 🙂