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Russian Pelmeni Recipe + New Dough!

A green plate with Russian pelmeni garnished with dill

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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!).

Two eggs and milk in a mixer

Salt added into mixing bowl with Russian pelmeni mixture

2. Switch to dough hook and add 4 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 until well blended.

Floured added into a mixing bowl

A mixing bowl with mixture for pelmeni dough

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).

A mixing bowl with pelmeni dough

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.

Onions being sautéed in a skillet

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.

Meat mixture in a mixer for Russian pelmeni  

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.

A pelmeni tray with dough on it and meat being filled into the holes

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.

Pelmeni being shaped in a mold

5. Turn the pelmeni maker over and push the pelmeni out onto a well-floured cutting board.

Pelmeni being taken out of a mold

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.

Pelmeni on a floured cutting board

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,

A dough circle with meat being placed into the center

3. lose the edges and pinch together.

A Russian pelmeni being shaped by hand

4. Pinch the corners to gether to form, well… a diaper shape.

Handmade and shaped pelmeni

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!

4.92 from 92 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 180 + pelmeni

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).
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Russian Pelmeni
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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Natasha Kravchuk

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

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4.92 from 92 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Carol
    February 14, 2023

    This is my 1st time attempting Pierogi’s. Should I be using this dough recipe or your original Pierogi dough recipe?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 14, 2023

      Hi Carol, we have a pierogi recipe HERE. I bet you would love it

      Reply

      • Carol
        February 16, 2023

        Thank you so much! We are making a test bunch before the main event on Easter, plus we want some now ; )

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          February 16, 2023

          You’re welcome! Enjoy. 🙂

          Reply

  • Lena
    August 19, 2022

    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!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 19, 2022

      Thank you for the tip, Lena! 🙂

      Reply

  • Mary
    April 5, 2022

    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

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 6, 2022

      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.

      Reply

  • diana
    February 12, 2022

    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?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 12, 2022

      Hi Diana, I haven’t weighed my individual dough balls to have a weight handy.

      Reply

  • A
    July 3, 2021

    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

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 3, 2021

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, A!!

      Reply

  • Aiza
    June 10, 2021

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 10, 2021

      Awesome! I’m glad to know that you loved it, Aiza. Thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe, we appreciate your review!

      Reply

  • Zoya Kleshchevnikova
    March 28, 2021

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 29, 2021

      Wow, that’s amazing feedback and review. Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with us!

      Reply

  • Kar
    March 24, 2021

    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?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 30, 2021

      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.

      Reply

  • Michelle
    March 13, 2021

    What if I want to make the dough but unfortunately do not have a mixer only a hand mixer?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 13, 2021

      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.

      Reply

      • Diane
        May 11, 2022

        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.

        Reply

  • Gaia
    January 25, 2021

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 25, 2021

      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.

      Reply

  • Kristina
    January 9, 2021

    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!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      January 10, 2021

      Hi Kristina, I’m not sure about tennis balls, but with the press, it makes about 180 or more pelmeni.

      Reply

  • Kate
    November 21, 2020

    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!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      November 23, 2020

      Hi Kate, I haven’t had that happen with this dough – it could be due to rolling it too thin?

      Reply

  • Melanie R.
    October 28, 2020

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 29, 2020

      Hi Melanie, they can be cooked fresh. I hope you both love the pelmeni recipe!

      Reply

      • Urmom
        March 31, 2022

        I love pelmeni my mom make em a lot this help me learn to make em as gift for mom thx.

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          March 31, 2022

          You’re welcome!

          Reply

  • Lauren
    October 24, 2020

    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!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 25, 2020

      So wonderful to read your comments and feedback, Lauren. Thanks for your great review!

      Reply

  • Katie
    September 29, 2020

    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

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 29, 2020

      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.

      Reply

  • Tanya (Varonin) Peterson
    September 6, 2020

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 6, 2020

      I am so glad you love pelmeni, Tanya! Thank you for the tip =, that’s a very useful tip for us all.

      Reply

  • Irene
    September 5, 2020

    Natasha do you have any ground beef mixed with ground pork pelmeni recipes?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 6, 2020

      Hi Irene, I don’t have that recipe yet but thank you for suggesting that but you can check out these varieties.

      Reply

  • Liz
    September 4, 2020

    I thought I had a good dough recipe but this is amazing my husband even said its better than his mother made

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 5, 2020

      Wow! That’s just awesome Liz! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

  • Jessica
    August 14, 2020

    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.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 14, 2020

      Aww that’s just awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Jessica! I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes!

      Reply

  • Karl J Peterson
    August 6, 2020

    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.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      August 9, 2020

      Hi Karl, you might consider if you are using a different kind of flour or adding more liquid than is called for?

      Reply

    • Lena
      August 28, 2020

      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.

      Reply

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