This 5-ingredient pierogi recipe is a quick and tasty Eastern European classic. Boiled and filled with cheesy mashed potatoes, it's a delicious meal or snack in just 45 minutes.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Ready to try the best pierogies! I've been making this exact recipe for decades now and I truly love pierogies.
With only 5 ingredients this is a simple pierogi recipe is fantastic served with caramelized onions, sour cream, and soup.
This homemade pierogi is made with soft dough, delicious sour cream mashed potato filling the whole family will enjoy.
Plus, you can prepare pierogies in advance for parties or a quick meal during the week - and with just flour, eggs, salt, water, and oil required for the dough and a simple mashed potatoes filling, they are a budget-friendly meal for home cooks to make for any occasion.
Easily cooked multiple ways, from steamed, boiled, pan-fried in butter, or deep-fried until golden brown - the possibilities are endless!
And if you love a good pierogi, you'll also love our skillet pierogies and kielbasa and our baked beef empanadas! Made with a similar dough and filled with a delicious ground beef filling.
🍽 Key Ingredients
This pierogi recipe only needs 5 key ingredients that you already have in your pantry to make the soft dough.
Flour - All-purpose Flour is essential to make the soft dough that forms the base of the pierogi.
Eggs - Eggs are used in the dough to make it more elastic and give it a golden color when you pan fry pierogi.
Salt - A bit of salt is added to give the pierogi dough flavor.
Oil - Vegetable oil help to bind the dough ingredients and makes it easier to roll out.
Filling - this delicious mashed potatoes with sour cream.
Substitutions
Seen as you only need 4 ingredients and water to make the dough, there is no need to substitute any of the ingredients. That being said, you can experiment with the flavor by using olive oil or canola oil instead of vegetable oil.
🔪 How to make
This pierogi recipe is incredibly easy to make, and you can whip a batch up in less than an hour. Follow our step-by-step guide to prepare the perfect pierogi every time.
Preparations
Step 1
Combine the pierogi dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low until the mixture comes together, then increase the speed to medium-high for 5 minutes to knead the dough.
Step 2
Once the dough becomes springy and soft, transfer it to an oiled bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Tip: Cut the dough in half and place one piece on a lightly floured surface and the other back into the bowl covered with plastic wrap.
Step 3
Roll out the dough using a rolling pin until it's around ⅛ inch thick, then cut out circles (around 3 inches) using a cookie cutter. You should have enough dough to make around 25 circles.
Tip: Once you have cut out several circles, fold the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out again to make more circles.
Step 4
Place half a tablespoon of the sour cream mashed potato mixture into the center of each dough circle and fold them over to form a semi-circle.
Step 5
Pinch the edges tightly to completely seal the filling.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and gently drop half of the pierogi in the boiling water. Once the boiled pierogi start to float, remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl.
Tip: Continue to boil the remaining pierogi.
Step 2
Serve with sour cream, and enjoy.
💭 Cooking tips
Don’t overwork the dough
Over-kneading the dough will cause it to become very stretchy, which will result in the dough springing back when rolled out. For best results, knead until the dough becomes smooth and pliable (5 minutes).
Making dough by hand
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can easily make the dough by hand. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, and mix with your fingers until combined. Add in the eggs, oil, and water and knead for 5 minutes or until it forms a smooth ball.
📖 Easy Variations
Pierogi are incredibly versatile and can be filled with a variety of ingredients to suit any taste. Here are some of our favorite variations:
Sauerkraut pierogi
If you love German fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), it tastes pretty amazing as a filling for pierogi. You can find sauerkraut in most grocery stores, and you'll only need a small amount of it to make sauerkraut pierogi.
Cheese pierogi
For a creamy and cheesy filling, try adding cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, or feta cheese to your pierogi.
Sweet pierogi
For a sweet treat, you can fill your pierogi with fruit jam, such as apples, strawberries, or peaches. A sweetened cream cheese mixture or chocolate are also good options.
🥗 What to serve with
Pierogi ruskie are a classic dish served in Eastern European countries and can be enjoyed with a variety of accompaniments. Here are some great recipes to go along with your pierogi:
Soup
Soups are a great way to start a meal and pair perfectly with pierogi.
Dips
Pierogi are a great snack and perfect for dipping into delicious sauces, like chili queso dip, Asiago spinach artichoke dip, and baked crab dip.
Sauces
A variety of sauces can be used to top your pierogi, such as cheese sauce, marinara sauce, enchilada sauce, or Tzatziki sauce.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
Is it better to fry or boil pierogies?
It depends on your personal preference. Boiling is the more traditional method of cooking pierogies and will result in a softer, chewier dumpling. Shallow frying them in a large skillet with butter will give you a crispier texture and more flavor. Both methods work well, so it's up to you!
Can you prepare pierogi in advance?
Yes, you can prepare pierogi in advance and freeze them for later. To do so, make the pierogi, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-inch apart, cover it with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid (about 2 hours). Once frozen, transfer the pierogi to a freezer-safe container.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
If you have any leftover pierogi, they can be stored and eaten cold or reheated.
Fridge - You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze - You can also freeze pierogi for up to 6 months in a freezer bag or container.
Reheating - To reheat the leftover pierogi, you can oven-bake them or pan-fry them to give them a crispy exterior, boil them in boiling water for 2 minutes, or microwave them for 1 minute until hot.
🍳 Related recipes
Pierogi are easy to fall in love with because they are perfect for a snack or a tasty meal, just like these recipes below.
👪 Serving size
This delicious pierogi recipe yields around 25 pieces, which is enough to satisfy a large family of 6. You can also easily scale the recipe and freeze them to have on hand whenever you want.
Pierogi are the perfect snack to prepare when you have leftover mashed potatoes to use for the filling. They taste amazing boiled, baked, or fried and served with various accompaniments such as soup, dips, sauces, and appetizers for a complete meal.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Super Easy & Delicious Pierogi Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Salt - for dough +1 teaspoon salt for filling
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 cups sour cream mashed potatoes
Instructions
Preparations
- Combine the pierogi dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low until the mixture comes together, then increase the speed to medium-high for 5 minutes to knead the dough.
- Once the dough becomes springy and soft, transfer it to an oiled bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough in half and place one piece on a lightly floured surface and the other back into the bowl covered with plastic wrap.
- Roll out the dough using a rolling pin until it's around ⅛ inch thick, then cut out circles (around 3 inches) using a cookie cutter. You should have enough dough to make around 25 circles.
- Once you have cut out several circles, fold the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out again to make more circles.
- Place half a tablespoon of the sour cream mashed potato mixture into the center of each dough circle and fold them over to form a semi-circle.
- Pinch the edges tightly to completely seal the filling.
Cooking instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and gently drop half of the pierogi in the boiling water. Once the boiled pierogi start to float, remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl.
- Continue to boil the remaining pierogi.
- Serve with sour cream, and enjoy.
Jen
Needs water or some liquid in the dough or it won't come together!