Homemade vareniki is the Russian name for a pierogi. Since my husband is Doukhobor, we use his baba’s traditional recipe for our vareniki.
Making vareniki does require most of an afternoon. It is the perfect activity for a rainy weekend, especially if you make a double or triple batch. Here’s just a few of the reasons why you should make vareniki:
- Homemade vareniki are so much tastier than store-bought frozen pierogies. You can use rich, full flavoured fillings.
- They are the perfect winter comfort food: cheesy potatoes and butter.
- It’s a great way to enjoy your homemade cottage cheese and sauerkraut.
- Vareniki freeze really well. They are a delicious and wholesome “instant” meal for those crazy weeknight evenings.
Vareniki (Pierogi)
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 fresh berries. 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
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Mix all the dough ingredients together. If the dough seems overly dry add 1-2 tbsp of milk. Kneed for 5-10 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough. Cover with a damp towel, and allow 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 (4-8) into a pot of boiling water. Avoid crowding them or they might stick together. Boil until they float (about 5 minutes).
- Scoop the cooked vareniki out of the water with a slotted spoon. 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 eggs or milk. Just use water instead of milk, and don’t worry about replacing 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 used wholewheat flour and spelt for this recipe. However to substitute gluten free flour follow a 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, perogi, pierogi, fall, winter
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.
Hi my names mike Horkoff! Great recipe
Thanks!
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.
So excited to try this recipe. I grew up on n Castlegar butvlive in California now. Looking forward to a taste from home.
Oops – forgot to edit before postings
Great! Hope it reminds you of home. 🙂