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!
We Can’t Get Enough Of This Pierogi Because…
- 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—the ultimate in comfort food.
What Are Pierogi?
Pronounced ‘puh-row-gee’, this dish can be spelled in different ways (pierogie, perogie, or perogy); and they’re delicious. 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 for Pierogi
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
How to Cook Pierogi
Before cooking the pierogi, cook some finely diced or sliced onion 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.
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!
Homemade Pierogi
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cold water divided
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 6 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Filling
- 3 ¾ pounds baking potatoes
- 1 medium white onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup salted butter softened, divided
- 4 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese finely shredded
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste, or very fine black pepper
For Serving
- 1 onion diced or thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter or as needed for frying
- sour cream optional, for serving
Instructions
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.
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.
Notes
- 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
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© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Good Morning Holly, this is a great recipe but I do add a tablespoon or two of sour cream to the dough.
For my sauerkraut version I drain the kraut, sauté in a pan with some fresh mashed potatoes until the moisture is absorbed. Let cool before filling the dough. I also make a dessert version which is delicious. I roll out the dough to a 4″ circle and add blueberry or cherry pie filling and seal tightly. I then boil them until they float, let drain for a couple of minutes then add them to a pan that has melted butter with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
That sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing, Mari!
No cheddar CHEESE. THAT IS NOT WHAT PIEROGIES ARE MADE OF. FARMERS CHEESE IS THE CHEESE AND NO EGGS IN THE DOUGH. DONT GO FOR THE AMERICANIZED VERSION .
My grandmother was from Poland and this is how she made them for the grandkids. I am sharing my family recipe.
My babcia would use farmers cheese then in later years ricotta. Wouldn’t let me use cheddar
This was my first time making pierogi, but the directions were clear and concise. The pierogi I made turned out great and were delicious. My husband was hesitant to try them, but when he did, he said he loved them. I can’t wait to eat the ones in the freezer. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I made your recipe twice and both times it is easy to prepare and delicious! I did not read completely and ended up putting the cooked onions in the potato filling and it was good. I used the same potatoes for both batches of dough (I had a lot of potatoes). Next time I will follow the original recipe. The dough was great, soft and easy to roll out. The only problem I had was when rerolling the left-over dough pieces my dough was thicker, and it was not as easy to roll it thin. Even with a little thicker dough they were still very good. Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!
I made your recipe twice recently and both times it is easy to prepare and delicious! I did not read completely and ended up putting the cooked onions in the potato filling and it was good. I used the same potatoes filling for both batches of dough (I had a lot of potatoes). Next time I will follow the original recipe. The dough was great, soft and easy to roll out. The only problem I had was when rerolling the left-over dough pieces my dough was thicker, and it was not as easy to roll it thin. Even with a little thicker dough they were still very good. Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!
This was the smoothest, easiest to work with dough I’ve worked with in a LONG time, and may be my new go-to stuffed pasta dough for everything. Cut the recipe in half (was still a tonnage) and the family really enjoyed them. Printed, and will come back to frequently. Thank you!
These are lovely. I used a container of McLaren cheese as well as sharp cheddar. The McLaren has a very sharp flavour so the cheese flavour really comes through. The dough is very nice to work, with unlike some recipes. I used onion powder instead of onions as I have a very picky eater to content with. I used the ricer for the potato and added a little butter and cream to make the mash. The star is the dough! I froze some and they were still very nice peirogi. I have a Polish friend coming to visit soon and I will be making these for her as a special treat :)
This looks relatively easy to make. You state that you weigh the dough. What is the weigh you want before rolling. You state 65 pieces??? is that for half or all the dough?
If I wanted to make with sauerkraut instead of the cheese, I assume I would have to drain the sauerkraut first. But do I cook it first also?
Thank you
65 Pierogi is for the full recipe, not just half. The weight of your dough will vary so you want to measure your own dough and divide it by 65 for consistency. As for the sauerkraut, I think it would best to cook or saute it first to ensure the moisture is out of it before using in the filling. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Do you use a mixer to make the dough or can you mix it by hand?
Hi Beth, we prefer to knead this dough by hand as you don’t want to overwork it or it will become tough and too elastic.
I like the recipe. Much like what my busha made. However, I’ve never seen cheddar cheese used. We always used twaróg. Sometimes, she would make sour kraut and potato filling. Thanks for sharing.
That filling sounds delicious too, Rosemarie! Thank you for sharing.
Can you use lactose free cheese and butter instead of regular as I was recently diagnosed lactose intolerant? I’ve loved perogies as long as I can remember even though I’m not Polish.
Yes, that will work just fine in this recipe.
I’m 68 yrs old and have made many perogies, but this recipe is by far the best. It’s a pliable dough that is easy to use and does not fall apart when the perogies are boiled. I cut the dough into 64 pieces and rolled each disc out separately over a 2-day process and they all came out beautifully. Just be sure to keep the dough sealed tightly with plastic. Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s my new go to recipe for perogies!
i am making this right at the moment. my question is…how often can you re-roll the dough?
I try to roll it as few times as possible for the best texture but usually 2 to 3 times is okay.
Cooking from scratch ,prepping your ingredients is naturally more labour intensive than ready made meals, but is superior in nutrition and taste. Get in the swing of doing this and after awhile it won’t seem like extra labour. Spend with Pennie’s my favourite site , offers the most delicious recipes that are good for your body and your soul because you made it yourself and for your family. . You can decide what goes in or not and add what you like. Great satisfaction factor. Thank you for all your recipes. This one is a winner too.
Holly, these were wonderful. I had a recipe years as go for these with the cottage filling. It has disappeared over the years and I’ve not been able to find the same recipe on line. I would love to know how you make the cottage cheese filling to see if it is by chance the same.
That sounds delicious, Carolyn! I do not have a cottage cheese filling of my own but love the potato filling that is in the recipe.
I’ve made the cottage filling with equal parts cheese and powdered sugar. It sounds wildly sweet but tastes quite savory.
Made these and they were devoured by my kids in a few days!! None to freeze! SO on to round 2 and hopefully some left to freeze. I’m going to try do the little balls of dough method you do because I think I overworked my dough and couldn’t get enough for the filling so had to make more dough. Hopefully it works! I’ll NEVER buy them again!! thanks