Quick Meals

Pierogis (The Coziest Dumpling You’ll Ever Meet)

3 min

Stir the melted butter into the egg and sour cream before the flour goes in, and the dough comes together soft enough to pinch shut without a fight. That softness is what lets you seal each circle around its teaspoon of cheesy potato and have it hold through the boil. I always do the two-stage cook: a quick swim in salted water until they float, then a pan-fry in butter and onions until the bottoms go gold. Skipping the fry is allowed, but you'd be missing the best part.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

Pierogi are firmly Polish home cooking, though similar filled dumplings run across Central and Eastern Europe. The favorite story ties them to Saint Hyacinth, who supposedly fed hungry villagers during a famine, which is why you'll sometimes hear the old Polish exclamation invoking his name. Whatever the truth of that, the potato-and-cheese version most of us know is closer to the Polish "ruskie" style than anything strictly medieval.

Pierogis are what dumplings dream of becoming.

These Polish beauties are soft, buttery, and stuffed with the dreamiest potato-cheese filling. Pan-fry them with onions until crispy and golden. Then dip in sour cream. Then make more because these will disappear.

Makes about 24 pierogis.

1 1

Make the Dough

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add egg, sour cream, and melted butter.

Mix until a soft dough forms. Knead for 2-3 minutes. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

2 2

Make the Filling

Mix mashed potatoes, cheddar, cream cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth.

3 3

Fill the Pierogis

Roll dough to ⅛-inch thick. Cut 3-inch circles.

Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle.

Fold over and pinch edges to seal. Press with a fork.

4 4

Boil

Drop pierogis into salted boiling water. Cook 3-4 minutes until they float.

Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain.

5 5

Pan-Fry

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft.

Add boiled pierogis. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy.

6 6

Serve

Serve hot with a big dollop of sour cream.

Summary

Prep Time: 45 minutes (including rest) | Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 24 pierogis

Difficulty: Medium (lots of assembly, but worth it)

Storage Notes

Fridge (boiled, unfried): Keeps 3 days. Pan-fry when ready.
Freezer (raw, unboiled): Freeze on a tray, then bag. Boil from frozen – add 1-2 minutes.
Freezer (fully cooked): Freeze up to 2 months. Reheat in skillet with butter from frozen.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

45 minutes (including rest)

Cook

15 minutes

Total

1 hour

Yield

24 pierogis

For the Dough:

2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup (120ml) sour cream
2 tablespoons melted butter

For the Filling:

2 cups mashed potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

For Frying:

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
Sour cream for serving

Instructions

1
Make the Dough. Make the Dough. In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add egg, sour cream, and melted butter. Mix until a soft dough forms. Knead for 2-3 minutes. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes. 2 2
2
Make the Filling. Make the Filling. Mix mashed potatoes, cheddar, cream cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth. 3 3
3
Fill the Pierogis. Fill the Pierogis. Roll dough to ⅛-inch thick. Cut 3-inch circles. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Fold over and pinch edges to seal. Press with a fork. 4 4
4
Boil. Boil. Drop pierogis into salted boiling water. Cook 3-4 minutes until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain. 5 5
5
Pan-Fry. Pan-Fry. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft. Add boiled pierogis. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. 6 6
6
Serve. Serve. Serve hot with a big dollop of sour cream

Swaps & Substitutions

Sour cream (in the dough) → plain full-fat Greek yogurt works one-to-one; the dough is slightly less tender but still seals well
Cheddar → swap for farmer's cheese or a dry crumbly white cheese for a more traditional ruskie filling
Cream cheese → use an extra two tablespoons of sour cream or a soft ricotta to keep the filling smooth and bind it
All-purpose flour → a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend with xanthan gum will hold, but roll it a touch thicker since it tears more easily
Dairy-free → vegan sour cream and a plant-based cream cheese in both dough and filling; skip the cheddar or use a meltable vegan one
Salted butter for unsalted → fine; just cut the dough's added salt to a pinch so the butter doesn't push it over

Questions & Answers

Can I make these ahead or freeze them?

Yes. Freeze them after sealing but before boiling, in a single layer on a tray, then bag them once solid. Boil straight from frozen and add about a minute to the cook time.

How do I know when they're done boiling?

They float. Once they bob to the surface give them another 30 seconds or so, then pull them with a slotted spoon. Overboiling makes the dough gummy.

Why did my pierogis burst open in the water?

Usually too much filling or a damp edge that wouldn't seal. Use a level teaspoon, wipe any filling off the rim before folding, and press the fork firmly all the way around.

Do I have to pan-fry them after boiling?

No, boiled-only pierogis with sour cream are perfectly good. The butter-and-onion fry adds the crisp golden bottom and the sweet onion, so I'd only skip it if I were short on time.

My dough keeps springing back when I roll it. What's wrong?

It hasn't rested long enough, or it's rested too cold and tight. Let it sit the full 30 minutes at room temperature so the gluten relaxes, and it'll roll to an eighth-inch without fighting you.