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.
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. 🙂