Potato Onion Pierogi is a flavorful and delicious dumpling recipe that is made from scratch with simple ingredients. These Polish perogies are filled with a creamy mixture of potatoes, caramelized fried onions, and cream cheese. It's comfort food at it's finest.
You can make this traditional pierogi recipe entirely from scratch at home (even the wrappers!) using a few household staples. Plus, you can serve them fresh or freeze them for later for an easy meal on busy weeknights that you can cook from frozen.
What are Perogies?
Perogies (or pierogis) are a type of dumpling that originated in Eastern Europe countries such as Poland and Ukraine, and have since become popular all over the world. They are made with a round dough wrapper that is filled with various ingredients. The filling almost always includes potatoes and can be mixed with cheese, onions, and/or meats. This comfort food can be boiled or pan-fried and served with sour cream and fried onions as an appetizer, main dish, or side dish.
Why You'll Love These Potato Onion Pierogi
- Homemade pierogies taste better. These potato onion perogies are made with common refrigerator and pantry staples you likely have at home. Plus, making them homemade means that you are in control of the ingredients that are going in so you can make sure that they are fresh and high-quality.
- They are so flavorful. These pierogies are made with delicious caramelized onions both in the filling and served with it on top. The onions are caramelized in butter for an amazing flavor that can't be beat. You can also add your own unique flavors and seasonings to customize them to your liking.
- Make ahead and freezer-friendly. You can freeze leftovers and save them for a rainy day or intentionally make a double or triple batch to stock the freezer for super easy weeknight dinners for months to come. In fact, you can freeze both cooked or uncooked pierogies — and you can reheat directly from frozen!
- They are fun to make. Just like any dumpling, making pierogies from scratch is a fun experience that you can get the kids to help with too. We love wrapping dumplings as a family and it's become a monthly tradition around here (yup, we make ahead big batches).
Ingredient Notes
To make these delicious homemade potato onion pierogi, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
Potato Onion Filling
- russet potatoes - russet potatoes are the best variety for mashing, making them perfect for 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 different. A good substitute is Yukon gold potatoes because they’re also quite creamy.
- onion
- butter
- cream cheese - cream cheese gives these homemade perogies a creamier taste and texture. You can substitute it with mascarpone cheese for a similar taste and texture.
- salt and pepper
Dumpling Dough
We like making Homemade Dumpling Wrappers for all our dumpling recipes. It’s easy to make at home! But if you are looking for convenience, feel free to use approximately 30 store-bought wrappers.
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. Either way, use a high-quality flour for the best results.
- salt
- water
- sour cream - sour cream adds a fluffier texture to the dough, but it’s completely optional. It also makes the dough more pliable and easy to work with.
- egg
Equipment
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, large pot, large skillet, potato masher or fork, rolling pin, 3-inch round cookie cutter or glass rim, and sheet pan.
How to Make Potato Onion Pierogi Filling
- 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.
- Mash. Drain the water and use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Fry onions. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté until the onions are caramelized and crispy, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to brown the onions evenly.
- Make filling. Set aside 2 tablespoons of fried onions for serving and add the remaining onions to the mashed potatoes, along with cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir well until evenly mixed. Let the filling cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready for use.
How to Make Pierogi Wrappers from Scratch
- Make dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt until evenly combined. Add water, sour cream (if using) 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.
- 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.
Tips for Kneading Dough
- How to knead dough: Knead the dough by pushing it down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you. This helps build up gluten strength in dough that is responsible for making the bread fluffy.
- How to test if dough is well-kneaded: A well-kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. You can test the dough by giving it a firm poke with your finger. The indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn’t bounce back and stays like a dimple, keep kneading for a few more minutes.
- 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.
- 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. Sprinkle with flour if needed.
- Cut out. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- Repeat. Combine the scraps into one dough ball and re-roll and repeat until all the dough is used up.
How to Assemble Pierogis
- Prepare edges for sealing. 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 filling. Add a tablespoon of filling onto the centre of the wrapper.
- Fold. Fold the wrapper over into a half-moon shape and enclose the filling inside.
- Seal. Press the edges together to seal, or pleat the edges together with your finger.
- Repeat. 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.
How to Cook Perogies
- Boil. Add perogies (in batches) to a large pot of boiling water and cook until they are floating, about 3-5 minutes. Drain the pierogies well.
- Fry. In the large skillet (can use the same skillet used for the fried onions), melt butter over medium-heat. Add the drained perogies and continue to cook until golden-brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Add onions. Add reserved fried onions and heat until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Serve the perogies with fried onions, sour cream, and green onions, if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Add meat: Add cooked bacon or sausage to the filling for protein.
- Add veggies: Add in other vegetables such as spinach or kale for a healthier twist, or sautéed mushrooms for a more earthy flavor.
- Substitute the potatoes: Substitute the potatoes with sweet potatoes or butternut squash for a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Add herbs. Change the flavor profile by adding in fresh herbs to the filling such as parsley or dill.
How to Serve
Serve potato onion pierogies on their own as is, or with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, and fried onions on top. Bacon bits also are a great touch of crunch and flavor.
You can also turn these dumplings into a full meal when paired with side dishes such as:
- Borscht (Beet Soup)
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Christmas Salad
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- White Bean Soup with Kale
- Green Beans Almondine
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Experiment with different filling combinations. These potato and onion perogies are so delicious as it is (fried onions does wonders!), but you can try incorporating other ingredients such as ground meat, shredded meat, bacon, fresh herbs, and cooked mushrooms to change things up.
- Knead the dough. If making dumpling dough, make sure to knead the dough well to ensure it's smooth and elastic. Also remember to allow the dough to rest before rolling it out.
- Cut uniform dumpling wrappers. Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out perfectly uniform circles for the pierogi wrappers.
- Make them ahead of time. Pierogi are freezer-friendly and store for up to 3 months in there. You can also cook them directly from frozen so make a big batch for easy dinners on a lazy day.
Storing and 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.
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Potato Onion Pierogi
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 pierogis
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Potato Onion Pierogi is a flavorful and delicious dumpling recipe that is made from scratch with simple ingredients. These Polish perogies are filled with a creamy mixture of potatoes, caramelized fried onions, and cream cheese. It's comfort food at it's finest.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 pound russet potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the wrappers:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sour cream (optional)
- 1 egg
For serving:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- sour cream (optional, for serving)
- green onions (optional, for serving)
Instructions
Make the filling:
- 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.
- Drain the water and use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes until smooth.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté until the onions are caramelized and crispy, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to brown the onions evenly.
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of fried onions for serving and add the remaining onions to the mashed potatoes, along with cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir well until evenly mixed. Let the filling cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready for use.
Make the wrappers:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt until evenly combined.
- Add water, sour cream (if using) 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Sprinkle with flour if needed.
- Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- Combine the scraps into one dough ball and re-roll and repeat until all the dough is used up.
Assemble the pierogis:
- 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.
Cook the pierogis:
- Add perogies (in batches) to a large pot of boiling water and cook until they are floating, about 3-5 minutes. Drain the pierogies well.
- In the large skillet (can use the same skillet used for the fried onions), melt butter over medium-heat. Add the drained perogies and continue to cook until golden-brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Add reserved fried onions and heat until warm, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve the perogies with fried onions, sour cream, and green onions, if desired.
Notes
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.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Pan-fried
- Cuisine: Polish
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