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 blog. 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 finely 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.
These are the best recipe for pierogies that I’ve tried….and I’ve tried a lot for years! Thank you for sharing your Babcia’s recipe!!
I had the same issue as a few others — the dough came out very tough. I was careful not to over-knead it so I’m not sure what happened.
Sorry this happened to you, Cheryl! Was not enough water added? I would gradually add more water until the dough feels just right.
This is the BEST pierogie recipe I have ever used! The dough was wonderful, the filling is perfection! Thank you so much for sharing your grandma’s recipe, it’s a keeper, for sure!
Best recipe for Pierogis
My dad’s family were from Ukraine and this was what we made and eat
I haven’t made them for a few years, I needed a refresher.
I was pleased to find your recipe.
Thank you, this is a amazing recipe easy to follow and brings back happy memories of my learning how to create this delicious dish with my neighbour who made these by the thousands for Christmas dinners with family and wonderful supper’s during the year.
The best kinds of memories!
Can I make these ahead and refrigerate for dinner?
Absolutely, Brianna! These can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days, when you’re ready to cook just pan fry as per the recipe. Let us know how they turn out for you!
My Polish husband and his family were impressed when I made these. So good!!
I can’t wait to make them
The flour says “divided” – so how much are you supposed to use initially?
The flour is not divided, the water is divided.
Pierogis with cheddar cheese are not traditional! Instead of that we use cottage cheese. I guess it would be fair to mention that in recipe. I guess this is some kind of variation made up by North Americans…
This recipe is the one that my Polish Grandmother made us, she was born and raised in Poland. Yes, she also made cottage cheese pierogi however this was the one she made for the grandkids.
These are wonderful! I chose this recipe since it had such great reviews. It really is true! These are delicious!! The filling is so tasty! I’ve never made pierogis before, I had some issues with the dough but got it worked out!
Our nearest Polish restaurant is 75 minutes away. And we all love Pierogi. Thank you for an excellent pierogi recipe. Easy to make and delicious to eat. I will eat them with Maple Syrup, I’ll eat them with Kimchi, I’ll eat them in the shower. One can never have too much Pierogi. Now, how about a killer Gazpacho?
We do have an easyGazpacho recipe you could try, Miles! We would love to hear what you think of it.
Hi! I’m hoping to teach my high school students how to make these pierogis as I’ve made them before and they were tastyyyyy. Do you think the dough would keep in the refrigerator fine overnight between two class blocks so that they could make these in two days rather than one?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I have never tried prepping the dough a day ahead so I am not sure how it would turn out. Maybe another reader can offer some guidance.
I like my perogies fried. Do I need to boil them before freezing if I want to fry them from frozen?
Hi Althea, we boil our perogies first and then pan fry them until golden brown. Enjoy!
BY FAR THIS IS THE BEST AUTHENTIC PEROGI RECIPE OUT THERE. THIS IS EXACTLY AS MY POLISH MOTHER AND AUNTS WOULD MAKE FOR THE HOLIDAYS EVERY YEAR. THANKS SO MUSH FOR THE CLEAR AND EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW. KUDOS!
These were awesome! Unfortunately I have a small kitchen so I had to roll the dough in small batches. After the first batch of eight, my dough became elastic & I had to fight with it too much to get it into the pierogi shaper. I was careful to knead the dough as directed and it rested an hour at room temp. Not sure what I did but I gave up after making about 2 dozen. Still I have no regrets. They were delicious and I’d love to make these again once I figure out where I went wrong.
Oh no, I am sorry that happened! Usually that is caused from overworking the dough. When you try this recipe again, be sure just to mix it until smooth and pliable. I am glad you enjoyed the ones you were able to make though! It is such a delicious recipe.
My grandmother and mother used to fill the perogi with pureed prunes and the other with cheese. The dough was rolled to 1/8 of an inch and but into squares using a pinwheel cutter. a second layer of dough was placed on top and the cutter would seal each square. cut into squares the size of ravioli square. Boil softly until they float. put into a bowl and pour brown butter over them. Potatoes were okay but not our favorites
You mentioned you weigh the dough. How much does each dough ball weigh?
We weigh our total prepared dough each time we make it and then divide it by 65 to determine how large each dough ball should be. Hope that helps!
Hi! Can you refrigerate these after assembling for a day or two or do they immediately need to be either cooked or frozen?
I have not left them in the refrigerator so I can’t say for sure. I worry the dough might get sticky and tear, but if you store them in layer of wax paper or parchment they should be just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out AB!
When making the filling. When you add the onions after they are cooked. Do you add the butter they cooked in? the other part of the butter you add, is that melted or just cold?
Sorry for the confusion, you can add any butter in the skillet. The remaining butter is softened, the warm potatoes will melt it.
2 teaspoons of salt seems like a lot. Has anyone used less with good results?
I have only tried this recipe as written Maggie. This pierogi recipe does make 65 pierogi so that works out to only 0.03 teaspoon of salt per pierogi. I hope this helps.
I have this recipe and have made them for many many years. A family staple. My hubby grandmother also showed us how to make a cottage cheese potato and onion filling that is very good as well. She also made a dessert one with cooked plums in them and served with a sweetened sour cream.
We have made them with olive oil when that is all I had and works perfectly as well.
We have changed up different kinds of cheese as well. An imperial cheese has a stronger more cheesy flavor. The only thing that we found was not the greatest was to use Cheese Whiz As it makes the potato mixture somewhat runny. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make this into your own family favourite. I actually make the dough in my bread maker now. It takes the work out of it. Our family often has perogy work bees and make hundreds at a time to freeze and share: lots of fun . We freeze them on cookie sheets and bag in the 2 dozens as a year round staple. We use for any meal we want instead of potatoes but mainly we serve with a ring of garlic sausage and a vegetable.. They are always at the table for celebrations and holidays tossed in fried bacon and onion with a sour cream side.
All of those variations sound wonderful J!
I love to make a fun day out of it and make a large batch with family all at once. Such a wonderful family tradition :)