Homemade vareniki is the Russian name for a Polish pierogi. Since my husband is Doukhobor, we make quite a bit of vareniki in our house.
Homemade pierogies are so much tastier than store-bought frozen pierogies. They are a perfect winter comfort food. It’s a great way to enjoy your homemade cottage cheese and sauerkraut. They also freeze well to make a wonderful and wholesome “instant” meal for those crazy weeknight evenings.
Pierogi (Vareniki)
Vareniki are a Russian version of pierogies. They can be stuffed with a wide variety of delicious fillings, ranging from traditional potato and cheese to kimchi. They also freeze well for a homemade “instant” meal.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Russian
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 egg (see notes for a vegan option)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Approximately 1/2 cup milk (enough to make a dough)
Instructions
- Mix all the dough ingredients together. Kneed for 5-10 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough. Cover with a damp towel, and let rest while you prepare your fillings. See notes for a link to recipes for filling pierogies.
- Roll out your dough to 1/4″ thick. Cut out 6″ circles. Put 1 tbsp of filling in the centre of each circle. Fold the circle in half to make a semi circle and seal the edges. They don’t have to look pretty, you just need to keep the filling in.
- To cook the pierogies, drop a few into a pot of boiling water, careful to avoid crowding them. Let them boil until they float (about 5 minutes).
- Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and store in a large casserole. Drizzle each layer with oil or butter to prevent sticking.
- Keep warm in the oven or pan fry with onions. Serve fresh and hot with sour cream.
Notes
- Vegan: homemade vareniki can easily be made without the egg or butter. No need to replace the egg in the dough, just add a little extra water as needed.
- Pierogi fillings deserve their own post as I have at least 10 favourite fillings to share.
- Normally white flour is used for vareniki, but I’ve even used wholewheat flour and spelt in this recipe. Here’s my gluten free recipe.
- Replace the water with whey to add a rich flavour to your dough.
- Freeze uncooked pierogies on a non-stick cookie sheet
for 2 hours. Then seal them in a bag and stash in the freezer for future meals. Cook from frozen in boiling water as described in the recipe.
for 2 hours. Then seal them in a bag and stash in the freezer for future meals. Cook from frozen in boiling water as described in the recipe.Keywords: cottage cheese, potato, mushroom, garlic, onion, freezer meal
Hi the Vareniki are so good. I have had the pleasure of eating the good food at the Yale hotel. In grand forks. I have so wished that they would have rebuilt the Yale. My brother still lives in Christina lake and my dad lived there for a few years. Very nice.
Thanks! My husband’s family is from Castlegar, but he has family all over the area. Christina Lake is beautiful.
Just like my baba used to make!
★★★★★
Love this recipe! any thoughts on how to long ferment the pierogi dough? I was thinking of using whey and then letting it sit all day or over night (at least for 7 hours). Thought I’d see if you have ever done that before?
I usually set up my ferments in the morning, then let it go until I’m ready to cook, around 6-8 hours later. I think 7 hours should be fine. If you are worried about it getting too sour, then pop it into the fridge to slow the fermentation down.