Homemade Pierogi

These homemade pierogi are a family favorite from my Grandma Mary’s kitchen. Tender dough is stuffed with buttery mashed potatoes and cheese, boiled, and then pan-fried until crisp. Serve them with buttery onions and a dollop of sour cream for a savory side or main dish!

This recipe comes from my Polish grandma and is one that I made next to her in the kitchen many times over the years.
It’s made with ingredients you likely have on hand.
The butter, potato, onion, and cheese filling make these rich and creamy.
These little dumplings are an Old World comfort food that everyone will love.

I love this recipe so much I had to put it into my cookbook, Everyday Comfort.

close up of cooked Homemade Pierogies in a pan

What Are Pierogi?

Pronounced ‘puh-row-gee’, this dish can be spelled in different ways (pierogie, perogie, or perogy). Pierogi is plural but we do still call them pierogies.

Pierogi is one of Poland’s greatest dishes and an Eastern European favorite. They start with a simple flour-based dough and can be stuffed with a variety of sweet or savory fillings like blueberries, cottage cheese, or even sauerkraut.

We cook them by boiling them until they float and then pan-frying them until golden brown.

This recipe is for basic potato and cheese perogies (pierogi ruskie) that my grandma used to make for us. It’s my favorite version. We serve it with sour cream, caramelized onions, and butter.

ingredients to make homemade pierogi including salt, pepper, oil, cheese, potatoes, onion, flour, butter, & eggs

Ingredient Notes

Dough: I do not recommend substitutions in the dough for the right consistency. While some recipes contain sour cream, this one does not, it’s the version my Polish grandma (my babcia) used to make. It is made with the perfect proportion of ingredients.

Filling: These traditional pierogi are filled with a smooth mixture of potatoes, cheddar cheese, and finely diced sautéed onions.

Potatoes: The filling is mashed potatoes, so choose a starchy potato, such as russet potatoes or baking potatoes just as you would use for mashed potatoes.
Cheese: Finely shredded cheddar is added to the potatoes; it’s best to shred the cheese yourself from a block.
Seasonings: White onion is very finely diced and cooked in butter (be sure not to brown). My grandma always used white pepper to maintain the creamy color, but you can use fine black pepper as well.

adding wet and dry ingredients together to make Homemade Pierogi

How to Make Pierogi

Making this recipe takes time, so we set aside a day to make many batches. It’s fun to do as a family and one of the memories I grew up with.

Make the Dough: Prepare the dough (recipe below) and gently knead.
Make the Filling: Boil the potatoes and cook the onions in butter. Mash the potatoes. Add shredded cheddar cheese and the buttery onions. Cool the potato mixture.
Roll the dough into circles 1/8-inch thick and 3-inches in diameter.
Fill each circle with the mashed potato filling and press the edges to seal.

Cook or Freeze: Cook the pierogies according to the instructions below.

cooking potatoes to make Homemade Pierogi

cooked onions in a pan to make Homemade Pierogi

Tips for The Best Pierogi

FILLING:

Ensure the potatoes are mashed until very smooth (a potato ricer can help make this easy).
Shred your own cheese from a block. A sharp cheddar has more flavor.
Do not brown the onions, just cook until tender.
Taste the filling and adjust the seasonings as needed.

DOUGH:

Don’t overwork the dough. Knead the dough gently until it’s smooth and pliable. If you overwork the dough, it will become tough and too elastic causing it to spring back when rolled out.
If the dough is springing back, cover it with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before continuing.
The dough should be rolled 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles. If you do not have a 3-inch circle cutter, use a jar lid about 3-inches wide.
Another way to prepare the dough is to pinch off a piece and roll it into a circle about 3-inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. I weigh all of my dough and divide it into 65 pieces. This is how my grandma always made them and how I usually make them too.
Ensure the part that is pinched together is pinched quite thin so the dough isn’t too thick.

Homemade Pierogi in the pan before cooking

How to Cook Pierogi

Before cooking the pierogi, cook some finely diced or sliced onions in butter over medium-low heat. You want the onion to soften but not to brown.

Boil: While onions are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pierogi and cook until they float. Once they float, they are done. Drain the water.

Panfry: Pierogi can be boiled and eaten, but we love to panfry them on medium heat in butter to golden brown.

Homemade Pierogies with a bite taken out of one

How to Freeze Pierogi

Once assembled, pierogies can be frozen before cooking. They can be stored up to 4 months in the freezer.

Place pierogi on a parchment-covered baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, place them into a zippered bag with the date written on the outside. No need to thaw before boiling.

Did you love these Homemade Pierogi? Leave a comment and a rating below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Dough

In a large bowl add flour, eggs, oil, salt, and 1 ½ cups of water. Mix well to form a dough, adding more water if needed.
Knead the dough on a flat surface for about 4 to 5 minutes or until it becomes smooth and pliable.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Filling

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-inch cubes. Place them in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook the onions in 2 tablespoons butter until tender without browning.
Once the potatoes are cooked, place them in a large bowl and mash them. Add onions, cheese, and remaining butter. Continue mashing until the potatoes become very smooth. Taste filling and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly *see note

Using half of the dough, roll it out ⅛” thick. Cut out circles of dough using a 3″ cookie or biscuit cutter.
Scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of filling and roll into a ball, place on the pierogi dough. Fold the dough over to form a semi-circle and pinch the edges closed. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat.
The pierogi can either be cooked or frozen at this point.

To Cook

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add diced onions and cook on medium-low heat until tender. Remove onions from the pan and set aside for serving.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently add pierogies and cook until they float, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Transfer pierogies to the hot skillet (adding more butter if needed) and cook until browned on each side, about 5 minutes.
Serve warm with onions and sour cream.

Dough
In order to get the best consistency, I do not recommend substitutions in the dough. While some recipes contain sour cream, this recipe is made without.
Don’t overwork the dough, knead it gently until it’s smooth and pliable. If you overwork the dough it will become tough and too elastic; this will cause it to spring back when rolled out.
Ensure the part that is pinched together is pinched quite thin, so the dough isn’t too thick. Pinch the edge so it is about the same thickness as the dough. You can trim the excess with kitchen scissors if desired.
Filling
Choose a starchy potato such as russet or baking potatoes for the filling. Be sure to shred the cheese yourself from a block.
Do not brown the onions; cook gently until tender.
Once mixed, taste the filling and adjust the salt as needed.
Rolling the Dough
A second option for the dough is to pinch off a piece and roll it into a circle about 3″ in diameter and 1/8″ thick (I weigh all of my dough and divide it into 65 equal pieces).
This is how my grandma always made them and how I usually make them too.
Storing and Freezing
Once assembled, pierogi can be frozen up to 3 months.

Place pierogies on a parchment-covered baking sheet in a single layer and freeze.
Once frozen, place them into a zippered bag with the date written on the outside.
No need to thaw before boiling, cook right from frozen.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Polish

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