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!
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I Can’t Get Enough Of These 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.
I love this recipe so much I had to put it into my cookbook, Everyday Comfort.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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!
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 6 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups cold water divided
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
- 3 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. 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.
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.
Excellent
First time making pierogi and this recipe didn’t fail. Instructions were easy to follow and results were amazing. I would definitely recommend having a second pair of hands on deck for filling the pierogi’s, but overall, it was totally worth the effort.
Love the tips! My Ukranian grandmother made things a little differently, so I appreciate the options. They are delicious. We always had a sauce of sauted onions in butter & light cream. Ymmmmm.
A suggestion for making the filling easier to use. Especially for new ones trying for first time. Put your filling in frig and let get cold. Room temp filling is harder to work with. Also if you don’t want to put your perogies to fry after boiling. Fry some bacon and put your boiled perogies in a pot and drizzle some bacon grease over your perogies so as not to stick to each other. You can fry your perogies later whenever you want. Also fried bacon as a topper not a bad idea either. Wasn’t trying to take over your recipe, just tips from years and years of experience. Happy cooking
Love the tips Olga, thanks for sharing!
this recipe turned out amazing! however, it took me at least double the time to make them all. maybe because it was my first time doing this? once I got going, it was too late to stop… but like I said, turned out amazing!
5/5 excellent dough, I used 3 year old cheddar and medium Gouda from Holland. They were perfect!
Looking forward to making these for my Polish friend, but I noticed there was no “serving size” in the nutritional information. Is it 100 calories per pierogi??
Yes, the nutritional information is per pierogi.
These are amazing. I am going to try weighing the dough and pinching off the pieces next time!
this is the second time I am making these wonderful tasty perogies!!
I have one question,
you said you weigh your dough, how much should each dough weigh per perogies??
and do you get 65 filling for the 65 dough circles??
thank you
It can vary slightly but if using a scale, weigh the ball of dough and then divide the weight (in grams if possible) by 65. I do get enough filling for 65 pierogi.
I have been making pierogies for literally decades. I have tried various recipes for the dough to see if I can improve it (there’s always room for improvement). This recipe, by far, is the best dough I have ever made! I make my pierogies with a cooked sauerkraut filling (cooked down with bacon and onion) and a farmer’s cheese filling (with minced green pepper and minced onion mixed in). Very time consuming but soooo worth it!
Oh Ruth,
Isn’t the Capusta filling the best!!! My mother would make baked capusta with fried bacon, onion, sausage, little bacon grease and bay leaf, mix then bake. Use as a filling,, to die for.
Hi Holly,
I made the pierogis and they were great. However I rolled the dough and cut it. I got 34. I tried re rolling the sought but it just sprung back so guess it was over worked at that point. Is there anything you can do so that you can reroll it? I tried refrigerating for a bit based on someone else’s tip but that didn’t work either.
Let me know, thanks!
You can try letting it rest at room temperature for longer and see if that helps.
My buba used to make them with a prune filling also, dust with sugar for a dessert .
I have never tried that filling, Gordon! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, I’m making these for a school project in which I have to state the calorie count per serving. I saw below it said that they have a calorie count and other information but what is the serving size for this?
thank you
Hi Collette, the nutritional information listed in the recipe is per pierogi. I hope that helps.
I can’t wait to make these. I am bringing to a potluck at work for a birthday lunch. Any ideas on how to keep them until ready to serve? Fry in morning and put in crockpot? Open to suggestions. Thanks
I haven’t tried, but another reader had success with preparing them as directed above and then putting them in a crockpot to keep warm
These came out amazing for me! I just made them and Im in total heaven. One very strange thing that is happening and I cannot figure out an explanation for is that the pierogies aren’t freezing at all? Have you ever had this happen? I cannot for the life of me think of why that could be. Just thought Id ask!
Hi Kayla! I’m sorry I can’t help, I have never had that happen! Glad you are enjoying them, though! ❤️
I do not see the dough recipe, though it says “See below”. I need dough recipe in order to proceed.
Thank you!
Connie
If you scroll down or press “jump to recipe’, you will see the dough recipe in the recipe card. Happy cooking, Connie!
I havent made this yet but is it possible to make the dough ahead of time, if so what would you reccomend, putting in fridge…etc. thank you
Yes, the dough can be made a couple of days ahead of time and refrigerated. Ensure it is sealed tightly and bring to room temperature for a couple of hours before working with it.
Hi,
I was hoping to make either the dough or filling a day prior to preparing and serving these. Any advice on what could be made a day ahead? Thanks so much!
Yes, the dough and filling can be made a couple of days ahead of time and refrigerated. Ensure it is sealed tightly and bring the dough to room temperature for a couple of hours before working with it. Let us know how it turns out for you!
This was my first time making pierogies. The dough was extremely sticky so a little hard to work with but overall came out ok. Any tricks with the dough besides continuing to flour it?
Hi Emily, I wonder if too much water was added to the dough?
Do you think I would get the same result if I used a pressure cooker for preparing the potatoes?
Yes, that should work just fine.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate the quick response.
My whole family loves these! I make a large batch of them and have some that night and freeze the rest for later. They’re fun to make and make a delicious dinner that all will love.