Homemade Potato and Cheese Perogies

Homemade Potato and Cheese Perogies are comforting, delicious, and satisfying. Tender dumpling wrappers are filled with a creamy mixture of potatoes and cheddar cheese, then boiled to tender perfection. Take them to the next level by serving pierogi ruskie with caramelized fried onions.

This traditional Eastern European recipe is easier to make that you think! You can make perogies from scratch (including the wrappers!) using a few household staples. The best part? They’re freezer-friendly — so make a big batch for an easy meal on a rainy day.

Why You'll Love These Potato and Cheese Perogies

• Made with refrigerator and pantry staples. These potato and cheese perogies use such common household staples so they’re a great option for a satisfying meal when you’re running low on groceries or when you’re craving something fancier than a grilled cheese sandwich.
• Cheesy cheddar flavor. Cheddar and mashed potatoes are a classic combination that your family will never get bored of. They’re the perfect comfort food: soft, chewy, cheesy and easy to make. Try our Cheddar Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Potato Soup if you’re obsessed with that classic combo.
• They’re freezer-friendly. You can freeze leftovers and save them for a rainy day or purposefully multiply the recipe to stock the freezer for even easier weeknight dinners! In fact, you can freeze both cooked or uncooked pierogies.
• Easy to reheat. You can reheat these perogies in a number of different ways, including but not limited to baking, sautéing, air frying, microwaving, and boiling — making leftover potato and cheese perogies the perfect candidate for office lunches or at-home meals. They’re just as tasty the second time around!

Ingredient Notes

To make these delicious homemade cheddar perogies, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

Potato and Cheese Filling

• russet potatoes - russet potatoes are the absolute best variety for mashed potatoes and, therefore, are also the best for these perogies. Their high starch content makes them light, fluffy, and soft when cooked and mashed. You can substitute them for whatever kind of potato you have on hand, but the texture will be noticeably different. I recommend Yukon gold potatoes as a good substitute because they’re also very creamy.
• cheddar cheese - cheddar gives these homemade perogies a sharp cheesy taste, but you can swap it out with a similar cheese like gouda or gruyere. You can also go the more traditional route and try quark in its place!
• garlic powder
• sour cream - the sour cream makes the filling a little creamier, but it is optional and not required. You can also substitute plain greek yogurt in its place.
• salt and pepper

Dumpling Dough

We love making Homemade Dumpling Wrappers for all our dumpling recipes. It’s easy to make at home, but feel free to use store-bought wrappers — whatever is more convenient!

For homemade dumpling dough, you will need:

• all-purpose flour - if you have celiac or gluten sensitivities, you can substitute the all-purpose flour in this recipe for measure-for-measure certified gluten free flour, though the texture of the dough for the perogies won’t be as smooth as dough made with wheat flour.
• salt
• water
• sour cream - sour cream adds a fluffier texture to the dough, but it’s completely optional.
• egg

For Serving

We serve cheddar pierogi with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, and fried onions. To make the fried onions, you need butter, onions, and salt.

Equipment

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, large pots, potato masher or fork, mixing bowls, and a large skillet.

How to Make Homemade Potato and Cheese Perogies

1. Boil potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover the top of the potatoes by about an inch. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir well to dissolve. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes fork tender, about 20 minutes. Insert a fork to check doneness.
2. Mash. Drain the water and use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes.
3. Make filling. Add cheddar cheese, garlic powder, sour cream, remaining salt, and pepper. Stir well until evenly mixed and let it cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready for use.

How to Make Pierogi Wrappers from Scratch

1. Make dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt until evenly combined. Add water, sour cream and egg. Stir well with a spatula until no dry flour is visible. Make sure to scrape off any remaining flour on the sides of the bowl.

2. Knead. Transfer the dough onto a clean and dry surface. Knead the dough until it turns into a soft and smooth dough ball, about 10 minutes. You can also knead the dough on medium speed in a stand mixer for 10 minutes until smooth.

3. Rest. Cover the dough with plastic cling wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into 4 pieces.

4. Roll. Lightly flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Take one piece of dough at a time and use a rolling pin to roll it out to 1/16-inch thickness.
5. Cut out. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. 

6. Repeat. Combine the scraps into one dough ball and re-roll and repeat until all the dough is used up.

How to Assemble Perogies

Prepare a small bowl of water for dipping your fingers into. Take one pierogi wrapper at a time and place it in your palm. Dip your finger into water and smear it along the edge of the wrapper.

Add a tablespoon of filling onto the centre of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over into a half-moon shape and enclose the filling inside. Press the edges together to seal, or pleat the edges together with your finger. Place the pierogies on a parchment-lined baking tray.

Repeat with all wrappers. Cover with a tea towel to prevent the wrappers from drying out until ready to cook.

Cooking Perogies

Add perogies (in batches) to a large pot of boiling water and cook until they are floating, about 3-5 minutes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the dough becomes tender.

Meanwhile, make the fried onions by melting butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are caramelized and crispy, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

How to Serve

Serve cheddar pierogies on their own, warm with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, and fried onions on top.

You can also find some delicious sides to pair them with, including:

• Borscht (Beet Soup)
• Garden Salad
• Air Fryer Vegetables
• Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Beef Cabbage Barley Soup

Storage/Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Place cooked or uncooked perogies in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.

How to Freeze

You can freeze both cooked or uncooked perogies. Place the perogies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for two hours. Then, transfer to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat cooked pierogi directly from frozen, or cook uncooked pierogi directly from frozen (adding a couple of minutes to the cook time).

How to Reheat

Reheat by boiling refrigerated perogies for 5-8 minutes or frozen perogies for 7-10 minutes. You can also reheat by microwaving uncovered in a microwave-safe container on high for 5-7 minutes.

More Potato Recipes

• 40 Best Potato Recipes
• Mashed Potato Balls
• Mashed Potato Cakes
• Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
• Mashed Potato Soup
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes

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