Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (2024)

Homemade pierogies (or vareniki as our Baba calls them) are really all about the fillings. Here are ten pierogi filling recipes that are flavor-packed and delicious! Savory or sweet, traditional or unusual. You get to choose!

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Pierogi-making day is a winter tradition in my household. Usually once or twice a year we sit down to make a TON of pierogies, more than we could ever eat.

We freeze them on baking sheets prior to cooking, for future frozen pierogi dinners.

My kids have been forming pierogies since they were about 3 years old. While their early attempts weren’t always perfect, after a few years of practice they are pierogi-making machines!

New to making pierogies?

Probably the most difficult part is filling pierogies. If it’s your first time I recommend sticking to dry fillings, like mashed potatoes. Filling pierogies with fried mushrooms or fresh fruit is tricky.

If you need a recipe for the dough, check out Brad’s family’s traditional vareniki recipe.

Since I’m gluten-free, I developed a gluten-free pierogi recipe based on the traditional recipe.

Traditional pierogi filling Options

Here are a few fillings that come straight from Baba’s cookbook. These are the ones that my husband grew up eating and are still his favorite.

  1. Mashed Potatoes and Cheese:Make 3 cups of traditional mashed potatoes. Once the potatoes have cooled slightly, add in 1 tsp of minced garlic, 1/4 cup of chopped green onions, 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese, and 1 egg.
  2. Cottage Cheese:Mix 3 cups of dry curd cottage cheese with 2 eggs and 1 tsp salt (unless the cheese is already salted, then skip the salt).
  3. Mashed root vegetables:Steam and puree any root vegetables that you enjoy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Anything works with this pioneer recipe: turnips, rutabaga, or beets. I recommend sprucing things up by adding a bit of crumbled goat cheese. Mmm… beet and goat cheese pierogi!

A few new favourites

Here are a few pierogi fillings that my husband and I have created over the years. The first two we came across while traveling in Poland. The last two were inspired by our local hipster pierogi bar.

  1. Mushrooms:Saute 4 cups chopped mushrooms with 1/2 cup of diced onion. When the vegetables are soft, add 2 tsp dried dill and salt to taste. It can be hard to fill a pierogi with mushrooms, so feel free to thicken the mixture with a 1/2 cup of plain mashed potatoes.
  2. Sauerkraut: Drainedsauerkraut is a delicious filling. Or mix 1 cup of drained sauerkraut with 1/4 cup of potatoes for a slightly thicker filling.
  3. Refried beans: Fry 1/4 cup of diced onion and 1 tsp of garlic until soft. Mix with 1 can of refried beans and 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
  4. Kimchi:Finely dice 1 cup of fresh kimchi. Mix it with 1/2 cup of mashed potato for a spicy pierogi.

Sweet Fillings

Fruit-filled vareniki are also one of Brad’s childhood favs. Serve sweet pierogies with whipping cream for a unique dessert!

  1. Fresh fruit:Mix 1 cup of thinly sliced fruit or whole berries and mix with 1 Tbsp of sugar, to taste. Soft fruit, like peaches, plums, and berries works better than apples, oranges, or bananas. (This is a smaller batch, for about 8 pierogies).
  2. Chocolate:Fill each pierogi with 1 square of good-quality dark chocolate, then top with a sprinkling of chopped roasted hazelnuts and 1 tsp of cream cheese.
  3. Pumpkin Pie:Mix a 14 oz can of pumpkin puree with 1 cup of soft cream cheese. Add in 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves.

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Comments

  1. Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (4)orien major

    Can use use pie fillings (canned0 In perogies?

    Reply

  2. Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (6)Brenda Lippe

    Do you have a recipe for Pierogies using cabbage and meat ( like chicken or pork)? I saw one on the Food Network but I didn’t get the recipe and of course, I cannot find it on the website

    Reply

    • Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (7)Emillie Parrish

      Sorry, I’ve never made pierogies with meat. My husband’s family (where the pierogi-making tradition comes from) is vegetarian. 🙂 Good luck in you search. Cheers, Emillie

      Reply

  3. Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (8)Amber

    My grandmother would combine mashed potatoes, ground beef, minced garlic salt and pepper and shredded cheddar cheese

    Reply

    • Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (9)Emillie Parrish

      Yum! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional (2024)

FAQs

What are the most popular pierogi fillings in Poland? ›

This culinary habit of serving sweet food as a main meal may seem unusual to some foreigners, yet Polish kids usually love to tuck into pierogi filled with sweet quark cheese, or summer fruits like strawberries, bilberries, apples or sour cherries.

Is pierogi sweet or savory? ›

Pierogi are Eastern European stuffed dumplings that are usually boiled. As with many traditional foods, there are regional varieties with fillings ranging from sweet to savoury, meat to meatless.

What are traditional pierogies made of? ›

Pierogies are dough that's filled with either potatoes and cheese or sauerkraut. The dough is folded kind of like a dumpling, then cooked in boiling water. Last, they're pan-fried in butter and often times served alongside sour cream.

What is the traditional way to serve pierogies? ›

Pierogi are simply served with a traditional Polish topping of a dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, melted butter, fried onions or pork rinds.

What is the difference between Polish and Ukrainian perogies? ›

Varenyky is the more commonly used term in Ukraine, often eaten with sweet fillings, while pierogi are the national dish of Poland. Different to pelmeni as they are usually vegetarian, varenyky and pierogi can be served fried in butter, usually as an appetiser or a dessert.

What is the most traditional pierogi? ›

The most famous is the Biłgoraj pierogi stuffed with buckwheat, potatoes, and cheese and then baked in the oven. Pierogi are an important part of Polish festive seasons, particularly Christmas Eve (Wigilia supper) and Christmastide.

Are pierogies Polish or Ukrainian? ›

Pierogi are an important part of Polish culture and cuisine today.

What are Ukrainian perogies called? ›

Pyrohy or Varenyky – Did you know? In Ukraine, pyrohy are best known under the name of Varenyky. The word 'varenyky' comes from the Ukrainian word 'varyty´ or 'to boil' because this product is cooked in boiling water. This comfort food is spelled many different ways: pyrohy, pyrogy, pyrogie, pierogi, perogi and others.

What is the difference between perogies and pierogies? ›

Also called perogi or perogy, Polish pierogi (pronounced pih-ROH-ghee) or homemade pierogies are small half-moon dumplings. They're also chock-full of fabulous fillings. Interestingly, the word pierogi is actually plural. But the singular form pieróg is hardly ever used.

How many perogies per person? ›

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium heat, then fry up as many pierogies as you want. (Six per person is plenty.) Flip them every few minutes until they're browned on all sides. Serve with scallions and a dollop of sour cream.

Are pierogies Russian or Polish? ›

pierogi, one or more dumplings of Polish origin, made of unleavened dough filled with meat, vegetables, or fruit and boiled or fried or both. In Polish pierogi is the plural form of pieróg (“dumpling”), but in English the word pierogi is usually treated as either singular or plural.

How do you make perogies taste good? ›

Add onion and drained pierogies and season to taste with salt and pepper or House Seasoning. Cook over high heat until the onion is soft and browned and pierogies are nicely browned. The pasta shell will get a little crunchy - it's delish! Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

What is a good sauce for pierogies? ›

These timeless pierogi sauces are beloved classics, great for anyone looking for cherished recipes.
  • Traditional Sour Cream Sauce. ...
  • Rich Butter and Onion Sauce. ...
  • Tangy Tomato and Basil Sauce. ...
  • Creamy Garlic and Herb Sauce. ...
  • Spicy Chipotle Mayo Sauce. ...
  • Ukrainian Pierogi Dipping Sauces. ...
  • Polish Pierogi Dipping Sauces.
Aug 21, 2023

What kind of sauce do you put on perogies? ›

The most popular toppings/sauces for sweet pierogi are: lightly sweetened sour cream. whipped cream. granulated sugar and buttered breadcrumbs (bułka tarta) – melt butter in a pot, add breadcrumbs and cook until they are golden in color, then add some sugar to taste (the exact recipe is below in the recipe card)

Is it better to boil or pan fry perogies? ›

However, it's not a must—you can also cook frozen pierogies right in the skillet without boiling them—and they will turn out delicious. But, if you're a stickler for tradition, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop the pierogies in and wait for them to float.

What do Polish people eat with perogies? ›

Pierogi are a traditional cuisine usually served with smetana (“sour cream") or with butter and onion, however they may also be included in a soup.

What are the flavors of pierogies in Poland? ›

Some of the most popular varieties include cabbage, sauerkraut and mushroom, meat or potato fillings as well as blueberry, strawberry, plum or sweet cheese. The recipe we share in episode #112 of Flavor of Poland is a unique, sweet version of pierogi that comes from the Lublin region.

What are 3 popular foods in Poland? ›

Among popular Polish national dishes are bigos [ˈbiɡɔs], pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔɡʲi], kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy [ˈkɔtlɛt sxaˈbɔvɨ] (pork loin breaded cutlet), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔ̃pkʲi] (stuffed cabbage leaves), zrazy [ˈzrazɨ] (roulade), zupa ogórkowa [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva] (sour cucumber soup), zupa grzybowa [ˈzupa ɡʐɨˈbɔva] (mushroom ...

What's the best thing to put on perogies? ›

Melted butter is an excellent choice for all pierogi, and with added herbs of choice like dill or cinnamon, you'll create a treat worth repeating over and over. Mushroom Sauce Mushroom sauce is the perfect topping for mushroom and cabbage pierogi fillings.

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