Baba’s Traditional Ukrainian Perogies Recipe
This traditional Ukrainian perogies recipe has been passed down through generations in my family. It uses simple, frugal ingredients, and makes enough to feed a small village, just like back in the old country:)
You see, I’m Ukrainian-Canadian. And although I’m 4th generation Ukrainian Canadian and have never actually lived in the Ukraine (although I have traveled there), it’s still a big part of my identity and my family never lets me forget it.
Ukrainian Family Traditions
I grew up doing traditional Ukrainian folk dancing, beginning at age 3 and performing and competing until I was 19 years old. My mom danced too, longer than I did, and she even moved to the Ukraine to study dance for a year when she was 21: in the 1970s when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. That was definitely something most people from here did not do, especially in that day and age, so she still wears it like a badge of honour, and rightfully so.
My mom (left) and my aunt (middle) in their Ukrainian dancing costumes. And there’s me on the right! Just a few years ago;)
My aunt danced too, and my cousins still dance competitively today. I’m Ukrainian on both sides of my family, see, but the music and dancing comes from my mother’s mother’s lineage. My mother’s mother even used to dance around the house, dusting and vacuuming to traditional Ukrainian music!
And it was my grandma’s mother -my great grandmother who I called Baba Sophie- who passed down the real cultural gem in my family: Her traditional Ukrainian perogies recipe that we still get together to make every year.
If you’ve never heard of perogies before, they are essentially dumplings filled with mashed potatoes that are then boiled or fried and topped with loads of fried onions and sour cream. At least, that’s the traditional way to eat them. There are, however, many varieties of perogies, including meat-filled ones, fruit-filled ones and sauerkraut-filled ones. But traditionally they are made with potatoes, and they’re a crowd pleaser, I tell you what!
A Traditional Family Recipe Passed Down Through Generations
I recently found this locket that I inherited from my grandma. Inside are photos of my Baba Sophie and my Gido (great-grandfather) whom I never met. I just so happened to be wearing this locket during our perogy-making session. I’m sure Baba Sophie was there in spirit and would be proud of how we’ve preserved her recipe and carried on the family tradition.
Baba Sophie was also in the orchestra that played the music for the dancers. She played the mandolin and a couple other Ukrainian stringed instruments called the domra and the balalaika. In other words, she had nimble hands and fingers, which made her an excellent perogy-maker.
She was a good writer too. I like to think I’ve inherited some of her talents. While I know full well I’ll never be able to pick up a stringed instrument and play like she did, I believe my love of writing and my knack for making some killer perogies runs in the same bloodline.
I was only four years old when she died, so I never got to make them with her. But my aunt used to go over to Baba’s place every Friday and make a batch with her.
She learned the recipe from her first hand and practiced it many times before I was old enough (and took an interest enough) to learn.
Nowadays we usually only get together to make them once a year. We usually do it in January, sometime around Ukrainian Christmas (January 7th) and Malanka (Ukrainian New Year, January 13th).
How to Make Perogies
My aunt (with the rolling pin at the end of the table) learned the family recipe first-hand from my baba. She is now the perogy matriarch in our family; A role I hope to inherit one day!
Perogies are stupidly easy to make from scratch, and they freeze really well too. You can easily make a large batch and fill your freezer rather than buying them pre-made and pre-frozen from the store.
Start by making your potato filling. My family recipe combines potatoes with sharp cheddar cheese and sautéed onions, although you could use just potatoes or substitute a different cheese… My other side of the family makes their perogies with potatoes and cottage cheese, so this recipe is flexible!
Start by peeling and quartering your potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft and easy to mash. Strain potatoes through a colander but reserve potato water for making the dough (this is optional, but the extra starch in the potato water makes for a really good perogy dough!)
Transfer potatoes back to the pot and mash them. Add in grated cheddar and sautéed onions and mash everything together until all of the ingredients are well-combined.
Place filling in a container and refrigerate. Chill for at least an hour or two or even overnight.
To make the dough, sift flour together with a little salt. Then mix reserved potato water (or fresh water), eggs and a little bit vegetable oil (use olive oil if you’re looking for a healthier option) and slowly pour it into your flour mixture, mixing it as you go, either by hand or with a stand mixer.
Mix it all together and knead it until everything sticks together but the dough is easy to work with (not too sticky on the outside). Then wrap dough in plastic wrap or in a Ziplock bag and let it rest for about half an hour.
Roll dough out over a lightly floured surface to about ⅛-inch. You want it thin but not so thin that it breaks, so use your own judgment. Then cut out rounds of dough with a biscuit-cutter or an upside-down glass.
Fill each round with about a tablespoon of potato filling. I like to roll my filling in a ball first but you can skip this step and just scoop it in if you like. Then fold the perogy dough over the filling and pinch the edges together to seal it. Repeat a couple hundred times:)
To cook them, bring a pot of water to a boil and place the perogies in boiling water for a few minutes until they float to the top (this signals that they are ready). You can cook them from fresh or frozen. It helps to add a little oil in your pot of boiling water to prevent the perogies from sticking together.
Remove perogies from water with a slotted spoon or strain them through a colander. Transfer them to a serving bowl and then drizzle with a little olive oil or a pat of butter and toss. Top with fried onions and serve with a generous helping of sour cream.
How to Freeze Homemade Perogies
I love that our family usually gets together to make a big batch of perogies in January because by January the freezer is starting to empty out as we continue to use up all of the fruits and veggies we preserved in the summertime. Plus, January is usually the month when I finally get around to processing all of the tomatoes I froze back in the summer and fall, which clears up a bunch more space. And trust me, if you made perogies like my family makes perogies, you’d need to clear some freezer space too. Because we don’t just make a few dozen perogies at a time, we make a few hundred.
This year we made about 300. My aunt and cousins came to visit us on Vancouver Island for Ukrainian Christmas (they still live on the mainland), and they set to work helping me fill my freezer with hundreds of freshly-made perogies while they were here. It truly was the best gift of all!
To freeze them, we lined baking trays with parchment paper. Then we laid a single layer of perogies on the parchment paper and then another layer of parchment on top and repeated the process until we had about 3 or four layers of perogies per baking tray/casserole dish. Then I flash froze them until they were frozen solid and transferred them into freezer bags where they will stay until I’m ready to cook them!
We danced, we sang, we stuffed perogies and my family filled my freezer with little Ukrainian potato dumplings while I took pictures of them. Thanks ladies! You’re the best:)
Then we had a big family lunch together that consisted of a few dozen of our freshly-made perogies, some traditional Ukrainian Kielbasa (garlic sausage), some of my homemade sauerkraut and a side of homemade pickled beets, of course.
Simple, Delicious Food Made From Humble Ingredients
If you’ve never had a Ukrainian meal, my friend, then you’ve never really lived.
Some other staples of Ukrainian cuisine include cabbage rolls and Borscht, a simple, frugal beet soup recipe that is as healthy as it is cheap to make!
Because at the end of the day, traditional Ukrainian food is really just peasant food, and in my opinion and experience, peasant food is the best food in every culture…
It’s food that costs pennies to make and can feed a village. It’s food that utilizes simple, humble ingredients -things like homegrown cabbage, potatoes and beets- and turns them into something glorious and delicious. It’s comfort food that sticks to your ribs and keeps you going through a long winter. But most of all it’s food that brings people together, both in the making and eating of it. And after all, isn’t that what all good food should aspire to do?
Baba's Traditional Ukrainian Perogies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 5 lbs. potatoes (large russet potatoes work best)
- 1 lb. brick of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 onion, diced and sautéed in butter
For the Dough:
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsps salt
- 2 cups warm water (potato water from filling is the best)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
Make the Filling:
- Peel potatoes and cut into quarters. Cook in boiling water until soft enough to mash.
- Drain well. Reserve 2 cups of potato water for dough (optional: You can just use regular water but potato water works really well for making perogy dough!)
- Return potatoes to the pot and add the grated cheese and sautéed onion. Mash until smooth and all ingredients well combined. Place filling in the fridge to cool. Prep filling ahead of time and let it cool overnight if possible. Otherwise let cool for at least an hour or so while making the dough.
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, sift flour and combine with salt. Mix together the water, the oil and the egg and pour half of this mixture into the flour. Mix and slowly add the remaining liquid. Knead by hand until flour and liquid are well combined. You may need to add a small amount of either flour or water, depending on the consistency of the dough. You should end up with a ball of dough that is very pliable but not sticky.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag and let dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
Assembling Perogies:
- Cut dough in half or in thirds, keeping unused dough well wrapped in plastic until needed. Flour the table or counter lightly and roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.
- Cut the dough in rounds using a biscuit cutter or a small, upside down drinking glass.
- Fill each round of dough with about one tablespoon of potato filling and seal the edges of the dough together with your fingers. Make sure there are no gaps when pinching the edges because if there are, your perogies will boil out when you cook them and you’ll be left with just the dough (although this is still really yummy).
- To cook, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook in small batches (10-15 perogies at a time), stirring gently to prevent dumplings from sticking together. Perogies are finished cooking when they float to the top.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove them from water and drain before transferring to a serving bowl. Toss with butter and serve hot with sour cream. Add fried onions and.or bacon bits to take your perogies to the next level!
- To freeze perogies, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze them. You can layer parchment paper on top of perogies to freeze more on one tray, just don’t let the perigees touch each other or they will stick together. Once perogies are frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag and store for up to 6 months.
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It’s easy to romanticize homesteading, but the truth is that those homegrown vegetables, those freshly laid eggs, that loaf of bread rising on the counter, and that pantry full of home-canned food takes time, effort and dedication. It doesn’t “just happen” overnight!
But if you work on learning one new skill at a time and gain confidence in it before moving onto the next, one day you’ll be looking back and marvelling at how far you’ve come.
That’s where I’m at now. Life today looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago, when our homesteading and self-reliance journey was just beginning.
Back then we still lived in our city condo and were just beginning to dabble in all of this stuff. But my husband Ryan and I felt a sense urgency to start pursuing a more self-reliant lifestyle, and we committed to taking small steps, one day at a time to make that vision a reality.
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While there’s always more we want to learn and do, as I look around me right now, I’m so grateful that we took those first steps, especially considering what’s happened in the world over the past few years!
If you’re also feeling the urgency to take the first (or next) steps toward a more self-reliant life, this is your final reminder that today is the last day to join The Society of Self-Reliance and start levelling up your homesteading and self-sufficiency skills so that you’ve got what it takes to:
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Link in profile to enroll before midnight tonight, or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society
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There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home:
💰 Saves you money at the grocery store
🍴 Healthier than conventionally grown food
🔑 increases your overall food security
🫙 Gives you an abundance to preserve and share
But perhaps the number one reason is because it just tastes better!
Not only does food taste better when it’s freshly picked or allowed to ripen on the vine, there’s something about putting in the work to grow something from a tiny seed and then getting to see it on your dinner plate that just makes it so much more satisfying than anything you’ll ever buy from the store.
Plus, having to wait all year for fresh tomatoes or strawberries or zucchinis to be in season makes that short period when they’re available just that much more exciting!
With the world spinning out of control and food prices continuing to rise, it’s no wonder more people are taking an interest in learning to grow their own food at home. But that also means changing our relationship with food and learning to appreciate the work that goes into producing it and the natural seasonality of organically grown fruits and vegetables.
(It also means learning to preserve it so you can make the most of it and enjoy homegrown food all year long).
In my online membership program, The Society of Self-Reliance, you’ll learn how to grow your own food, from seed to harvest, as well as how to preserve it so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor all year long!
You’ll also learn how to grow and craft your own herbal medicine, detox your home, become your own handyman, and so much more (because self-reliance is about more than just the food that we eat… But that’s a pretty good place to start!)
The doors to the Society are now open for a limited time only. Click the link in my profile or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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If you’ve been watching events unfold over the past few years and you’re feeling called to start “cutting ties” with the system and begin reclaiming your independence, The Society of Self-Reliance was made for you!
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside the Society:
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I only open the doors to The Society once or twice each year, but right now, for one week only, you can become a member for just $20/month (or $200/year).
In today’s world, self-reliance is no longer a luxury, a “cute hobby,” it’s a necessity. Join us inside The Society of Self-Reliance and empower yourself with the skills you need to thrive in the new world!
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Got out for an early morning harvest today. Been up since 3am, contemplating life, the future and the past, the order of things…
There is a rumbling right now, not just in North America, but around the world. Many of us can feel it, and know we are on the precipice of something big.
I’d been hearing about this new song that’s become an overnight viral sensation, written by an (until now) unknown singer named Oliver Anthony. His new song Rich Men North of Richmond has had 14 million views on YouTube in the past week alone, so I decided to check it out.
I also saw a clip of him playing a Farmers Market last week, and anything that has to do with Farmers Markets always has my attention;)
I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve already cried listening to that song. If you’ve heard it already, you probably know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a listen. All I can say is it’s been a while since a song resonated so deeply with me, and in this strange new world, I know I’m not the only one.
One of the lines in Anthony’s song is “Livin’ in the new world, with an old soul,” and that’s something I think so many of us in the homesteading community can relate to.
Trying to cling to better days; To a simpler time; To the old ways, all while doing our best to get by in the new world.
The world has changed drastically in the last few years especially, and it’s set to change in immense ways over the next few years. Today I’m feeling thankful for people like @oliver_anthony_music_ who give a voice to what so many are feeling right now.
Know that if you’re feeling it too, you’re far from alone. And while the future may feel uncertain and even a little scary, remember that if we stand united, we the people are a force to be reckoned with.
(Continued in comments…)
Another garlic harvest in the books!
Garlic is easily one of my favourite crops to grow. It’s pretty much a “set if and forget it” crop. We plant in the fall and leave it to overwinter, fertilize a couple times in the spring, start watering only once the ground starts to dry out, and then harvest in the summer. We can even plant a fall succession crop after our garlic if we want so it really makes great use of garden space all year round.
Over the years we’ve managed to become completely self-sufficient with garlic. We now grow enough to eat all year (and then some!), plus we save our own seed garlic and usually have extra to sell or give away. And around here fresh, organic garlic ain’t cheap, so it’s a good cash crop for anyone who’s serious about selling it.
It took me a few years to really get the hang of garlic, but it’s one crop I’m now very confident with (knock on wood, because it’s always when we make statements like this that next year’s crop fails! Lol.)
A while back I compiled a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and using garlic both as an edible and medicinal crop. This is usually only available as part of a paid bundle (or in the fall 2022 issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine if you’re a subscriber;), but for a limited time I’m offering it for free, no strings attached!
Plus you’ll also get access to my step-by-step video lesson on planting garlic so you can set yourself up for success with your garlic crop this year.
Comment “Garlic” below or head to thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-guide to get your free copy!
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Going through photos and videos from our trip to the @modernhomesteadingconference and the vast majority are of our daughter having the time of her life!
Even if I personally got nothing else out of this gathering (which I most certainly did), watching her discover her own love of this lifestyle outside of what we do at home made my heart grow three sizes!
Homesteading is about so much more than homegrown food and self-reliance. It’s about passing on invaluable skills and an understanding of and respect for our connection to the land that provides for us to the next generation.
Being around so many other kids and families who are also pursuing a homesteading lifestyle helped show our little one that this is a movement that is so much bigger and greater than what our own family does on our little plot of land. This is a lifestyle worth pursuing, with a community unlike any other.
Glad to be back home and more excited than ever to involve my kids in everything we’re doing. But also, I think I speak for my whole family when I say we can’t wait to go back someday!
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Head over using the link in my bio!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-frugal-living-tips-summer/
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A brand new issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine just dropped!
In this issue:
🌱 How to forage and use five common edible and medicinal weeds
🏠 A sustainable, affordable alternative to traditional homes, greenhouses and more
👨👩👧👦 Tips for managing a homestead while raising a family (big or small!)
🫙 What to focus on when preserving food for true food security
🌹 How to grow and arrange your own cut flowers at home
🍓 The many ways to preserve summer berries (including 5 delicious recipes!)
💇How to make your own all-natural herbal hair care products at home
🧑🌾 Why “community sufficiency” is the new self-sufficiency
And more!
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com (or click the link in my bio) to subscribe or login to the library and read the latest issue.
Plus, be sure to check out all of our past issues as well! There’s a wealth of information in our library on everything from farming and gardening to cooking and canning to herbal medicine, natural living and so much more!
*** This will be the last quarterly issue! ***
This little magazine has grown so much over the past 4 years and 32 issues, and now it’s time for another exciting evolution.
I’m excited to announce that we will be moving to an even more robust annual publication with the intention of offering the first ever print edition this fall if there is enough demand.
I’m also excited to announce the brand new Modern Homesteading Magazine blog, which is currently under construction and will be launching soon. While we will still be maintaining digital subscriptions, the blog will be accessible to all, free of charge, so that more people might benefit from the empowering and increasingly important information that we cover in each issue.
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Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
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Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
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This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
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Thanks for the memories. My Baba and Guido emigrated from the Ukraine in the early 1900s. We called perogi pedahe. My favorite were the plain flat ones smothered in butter! She also filled them with sauerkraut cooked with onion and bacon (we stopped eating pork as we learned in violates God’s food laws-swine eat anything) , and my second favorite was filled with a mixture of dry cottage cheese mixed with egg. She made borsht too, baked bread, rolls filled with poppy seed, donuts, and holupchee (cabbage rolls). She had the hugest and most prolific vegetable and flower gardens. She could grow anything. She also did beautiful needlepoint works.
My Bobcha made holupchee and pedahae , it phonetically sounded like that but not sure it’s spelt correctly. Great memories of her kitchen, wished I’d payed more attention to what she was doing
I am so glad I found this recipe! The dough from a different recipe I tried turned out so sticky and impossible to work with. This recipe was easy to follow and the dough is so smooth and rollable. (I think the potato water helps with this?)
These perogies turned out beautifully and I’m so excited to serve them at Christmas dinner! Thank you!
Do you boil first then freeze or just freeze then boil them when you are ready to eat them?
Freeze and then boil when ready to eat them 🙂
Love the recipe and I can’t wait to try it. Can I use my pasta roller for the dough?
I’m sure you could give it a try…when I’ve made this recipe, I’ve rolled the dough by hand, but as long as you don’t go thinner than 1/8″, it should probably be ok.
How long do you knead the dough and can you use a kitchen aid
I just knead it until it’s nice and smooth and elastic with no clumps. You could use a stand mixer if you like:)
Thank you for sharing your family’s tradition! What a beautiful family & beautiful tradition. We are German / Scottish but will try these! Yum!!
I can’t wait to try these. They look delicious! My father in law was Ukrainian. His parents were from the Ukraine. He used to buy Ukrainian perogies years ago from an old friend. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful traditions and recipe!
Like your recipe but your family photos could not show a sadder group of people. Poor you.
Wow, that’s just about the rudest comment anyone could leave someone. But you already knew that. You’re welcome for the recipe “Dr.” Very professional.
I agree with Sue. Just because someone has a title does not always mean much of anything at all. This recipe sounds very good and I am hoping to make it soon with my teenager. Thank you for sharing this family story to go with it. That makes it more fun and meaningful!
Ignore this comment
Loved the meaning in the photos
Could feel the sense of family tradition as you all dug in to make your perogies
Thank you!!!!!
Thank you for the kind words:)
Your family in perogie prep mode looks JUST like mine, that’s the face of FOCUS!!! I’m going to follow this recipe for thanksgiving this year, to support my grandma’s “recipe” of verbal suggestions lol
Your family is beautiful and so is the recipe!
Thank you ❤️
Husband (Ukrainian) and I (British) just tried making perogies now. I don’t know where he got the dough recipe from but they didn’t turn out. We had a good laugh and then I showed him your recipe. Yep, we’re making this one next!! Thank you for this.
Hope it goes well, please let us know how you do! This is the only recipe I will ever use now. -Ashley (Assistant)
This recipe is wonderful! Beautiful family beautiful recipe. 💗
Honestly Dr?? Why make a comment like this, it serves no purpose and to call yourself a doctor is a travesty.
Vatnik detected! Roubles deposited.
if you look at any old old pictures of any european people..very few smile in pictures read your history..so rude
Gail Neduzak a proud Ukrainian/ Polish heritage
And WHAT exactly are you a “Doctor” of? That was a nasty and cruel comment. Not needed and go somewhere else!!
I am making these in an online cookalong in aid of the Ukranian people at the moment. Thank you for such an easy recipe and just about to piece them together and cook them now! Join me on FB Sat 26th March 2022. Search The Fuss Free Foodie on FB! Sending love x
I’m a 3rd generation Ukrainian from Toronto. I don’t have the energy to tear the house apart looking for my baba’s recipe so thank you very much for sharing yours! I’m making them today. We need to keep Ukrainian heritage and culture alive in this trying time!
Although I am Irish I married into a family of Polish Decent. My Wife’s family gets together just after Thanksgiving for the yearly Perogie Party. Food, Drink Family and Friends passing on the traditions of their ancestors to our younger generation.
It is tough to keep our hands off the stash we are supposed to freeze and save to Christmas Eve. On that glorious night we heat them up slowly on an electric skillet browning them to perfection then slather them with sour cream. It is very hard to stop eating them I can tell you!
Bless you for your recipe! We are going to try it out!
Thank you Anna. I love to cook for my partner who told me he loves home made pierogies. I’ve never blogged before but I loved your family history and cultural lesson.
I want to give these a try but use half of the dough. Does it freeze well?
Hi Christine,
Yes, the dough freezes well! Although personally I like to make the perogies all at once and then freeze the perogies so that they’re ready to throw into a pot of boiling water whenever we feel like having some:)
Delicious, thanks! I’m a Canadian living in NZ for the last eight years and one thing I miss so much is perogies! Just made these today thanks to a friend sharing this recipe and they were just how I remembered them. 🙂
You look JUST like your mom, Anna! I can’t WAIT to try these – my son will adore them.
Thank you! I’ll let her know:) And let me know how you like them!
Thank you so much Anna. I have been making perogies for at least 30 years but wanted to try a recipe using potato water. My filling is ready and tomorrow my sister and I will start rolling.
My dear friend Liz Polish/Ukrainian spend a few years trying to convince me to cook them before freezing. Only way I make them now. So easy to have on hand for quick meal or when you just have to have perogies. Everyone loves them so much.
Can you please post the diameter of the cookie-cutter/glass that you use to make the rounds?
Hi Carol,
Anna’s recipe does not specify the size but I use on of my wide mouth jars for this purpose and it is 3″in diameter.
Many people have a favorite biscuit cutter and simply use that for this purpose. My biscuit cutter is 2.75″ in diameter but I tend to just use a jar so I can have that little bit of extra room for filling.
I hope that helps. 🙂
When freezing for future use do you boil first the flash freeze or freeze raw?
Freeze them raw:)
We usually use a biscuit cutter that’s about 2”. But there’s no standard size. Use whatever you’ve got! I wouldn’t go any larger than 2.5” though as you’d end up with some pretty big Perogies!
I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. Many ethnic groups immigrated to the area for a couple hundred years which resulted in many ethnic recipes passed around. We would have perogies for lunch at school and school sales by ladies who would get together and make them to raise money for the school band. I have never made them but since I have retired I thought I would give it a go. I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding about a tablespoon of fennel seed to the potatoes and onions as well as tablespoon of garlic. I cooked them in my pressure cooker and the filling came out very creamy and yummy. I am still working on the dough. I think I put too much flour because the dough is stiff and does not roll out well. Can you overwork the dough or could I add more liquid to lighten it up?
Thank you for sharing your family recipe.
Hi!
If you are making these for a dinner with quite a few people since they aren’t all cooked at once how do you make sure they stay warm and don’t stick together? Do you toss in butter and then each newly cooked set add to the already cooked / buttered serving plate?
Also if it’s just one person working with the dough and filling them, can they still stay on the counter long enough to make the entire batch before cooking? Because I’ve heard they need to be cooked pretty which after assembling so I’m just trying to figure out timing for myself as just one person but feeding 5
Hi Sarah,
Yes, I toss them in butter or oil and then add to the batch as I go. I always put them on a tray with parchment paper after I make them (before cooking) and stick them in the freezer. Even if you’re planning to cook them as soon as you’re done making them, it won’t hurt them if they’ve been in the freezer for a bit. I’m not sure how long you could leave them on the counter for. I would just worry about them drying out while you finish the batch, especially if it’s just you making them. That can take a while! Of course the other option would be to divide the batch and make less at once.
Thank you! Do you keep them warm in the oven or cover with foil? Or both? Until ready to serve
If I throw them in freezer while making the rest then they are still ready just when they float to the top?
I usually boil them pretty much right before serving. But otherwise I just put them in a bowl or casserole dish with butter so they don’t stick (and lots of fried onions!) and I cover with a towel until ready to serve.
Yes, they will float to the top when they’re ready, even when cooking from frozen:)
It would be nice if everyone called them by the rightful name of VARENIKI instead of pirogies. Which is Polish. I am 100% Ukrainian and it bugs me when people call them a foreign name.
Pirogies in Ukrainian are wonderful donut type pastries filled with usually meat. My mother made them for most holidays. .
I find it funny that this is such a contentious issue! Every Ukrainian I know (even those who immigrated from the Ukraine) calls them Perogies. Some call them perohy (phonetic spelling) and some also call them vereniki. But all call them Perogies and in fact the local Ukrainian community where I live just hosted a Perogy fundraiser for Ukraine, and this was organized by someone who immigrated from Kiev less than a decade ago. It’s such a silly thing to get so upset about.
On a side note, if I called them Vereniki very few people would likely find this recipe as people search Google for perogies, not vereniki.
Pedaheh!!
If it is a Ukrainian dish, it’s called “varenyky”. “Perogi” is a Polish word!!!
I’ve heard it both ways. The vast majority of Ukrainians I know call them perogies, including my friends who were born and raised in the Ukraine. Our local Ukrainian cultural center has “perogy night fundraisers” and after our Ukrainian dance festivals we have “perogy dinner.” At the end of the day, they’re the same thing. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!!
My family is Ukrainian and Lithuanian and we’ve always called them perogies my grandparents immigrated from the old country.
Yes, varenyky or pyrohy in Ukrainian. Unfortunately, most of the world is more familiar with the polish word perogi.
No, my grandparents always called them po-roe-hih( phonetic spelling) and they were from the Ukraine. I think it depends when and where you came from.
Yes, same here. My family is from the Ukraine, we are German Mennonites from the colonies near the Dneiper River (where the power plant now stands). My Grandparents escaped in 1927 to Winnipeg CAN
Werenke stuffed with dried cottage cheese filling or Keilke (tiny noodles) covered with schmaundt fat (cream gravy) is the very best.
The gravy consists of meat drippings, water, cream and butter. You can find the recipe all over the internet!!
My family from the Lviv Oblast’ call them pyrohy; my PLAST group called them varenyky. Only my Anglo friends call them perogies and only my Mennonite family refers to them as veriniki.
How much does this Recipe yield?
Really enjoyed this. I looked up the word perogies and this was one of the first entries. I learned a lot. A better read than wikipedia for sure. Thanks!
“passed down through generations in my family”
No it wasn’t.
There was no such thing as cheddar cheese in Ukraine or Poland. It was made with a farmer’s cheese that was similar to cottage cheese, if using any cheese at all. That was a luxury. Cheddar is an Americanization of our food. As they do with everything…
This is true. However my great grandma used to make hers here in Canada with cheddar cheese, so it has, in fact, been passed down through at least three generations in my family (great grandma to grandma, grandma to mom and aunt, mom and aunt to me and now my daughter makes them with me:)
Amazing. Ok yes a lot of work. I did it over 2 days. But Holy cow are these good. I ended up with filling leftover. Hello potato pancakes!!
Super easy dough to work with. I made some slight changes to the filling , using ; Mozzarella, Fresh chives from the garden and fresh cook bacon bits…. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for all the helpful tips along the way! Amazing recipe
I like your adaptation for the filling! It sounds wonderful, Sam!
Every year I get together with my sisters and friends and make perogies . How many does this recipe yield?
We wanted to make at least 6 dozen per person and we’re having 7 friends over.
Thank you for sharing your recipe
Stephanie
This recipe makes anywhere from around 12 to 16 dozen, depending on how big you make them. So I would probably make three batches for everyone to have at least 6 dozen each:)
We are making these this weekend. We adopted two children now grown from Ukraine, and this will be our first attempt.
How rude..and who cares. I’m just grateful for the recipe. No one’s recipes from hundreds of years ago are the same anymore..some recipes from long ago got tweaked and taste much better. We’re not in history class….it’s recipes I’m after.
I totally agree with you! I almost spit out my coffee when I read that! I am trying to reconnect with my Ukrainian roots in light of recent events in Europe and so I’m very grateful for this recipe. Am making today!
The amazing thing about my ancestors both Italian and Ukrainian was their ability to adapt to the ingredients available to them. If adaptability is what you mean by the Americanization of recipes then I suppose you are correct. It should be noted though that Anna is Canadian.
ok Karen
This is the BEST dough recipe! So simple and was the easiest I have ever worked with. Thank you so much!
Thank you for the walk down memory lane! I really miss pierogies and the other yummy goodies – wheat gives me wicked vertigo so I haven’t had these in years. (I saw your comment about finding some GF recipes online – I’ll have to do that.)
I’m half Slovak and Granny used to make these when she came to visit. Hers were the best. Mom’s were really good but not quite as good as Granny’s (shhh – don’t tell Mom!). The potato/cottage cheese or sauerkraut ones were standard in our house.
Pierogies, sauerkraut, and kielbassa are “soul food” to me! I strongly dislike beets but can eat Ukrainian borscht all day long.
Thanks again for the memories!!
I’m part Slovak too. My grandpa was Slovak. I am all about the Ukrainian “soul food” as that’s mine too! And while I don’t dislike beets, by far my favourite way to enjoy them is either pickled or in borscht:)
Your dough recipe tasted just like my Mom’s who passed 20 years ago. Thank you! When I made perogies as a child with my Mom, we always boiled all the perogies after making them – even those that were to go into the freezer. I’m remembering my Mom saying that they dry out if you didn’t cook them and drizzle them with butter before freezing. But times change. Can the perogies be frozen without being boiled – then boiled from frozen as with commercially sold perogies? Many thanks!
Hi Connie,
I never cook them before I freeze them. Just flash freeze them by laying them (uncooked) on a tray lined with parchment paper until they’re frozen, then transfer them to a freezer bag! Cook from frozen whenever you’re ready. They tend to last well up to 3 months in the freezer, but in all honesty I’ve kept them up to 6 months and cooked them and they’ve been just fine:)
Connie MacKinnon— Yes! Absolutely! Took years for my friend to convince to to cook before freezing. Only way I do them now. Tomorrow my sister and I will be making them for Christmas/ New Years.
My church where they made them, par-boiled the perogies for a couple of minutes, then tossed them in butter/oil onions. Then they trayed them on styrofoam.
But I’m gonna try freezing some plain uncooked and see what the difference is.
My first time making perogies, as my baba and then my mom always made them. i found a great local place that made like homemade and bought them there. But I didn’t have time this year, so I’m gonna tackle my first batch in time for Easter.
Thank you so much for this recipe:) The traditional simple dough recipe was exactly what I was looking for, and my pierogis turned out so amazing. Best batch I’ve ever made!! Just like Baba’s. My husband said they are hands down the most delicious pierogis he’s ever eaten.
After mixing the potatoes and onions, I divided the filling into four bowls and did four varieties…cheddar, sauerkraut mushroom, cottage cheese green onion, and jalapeño cream cheese cheddar:) Great way to spend a day during this Covid lockdown! Thanks again!!
Hi Anna,
Thank you so much for this recipe! My German/Russian Mennonite grandmother used to make these and we had her recipe recorded, but it was lost. I have been searching for a long time for a perogie recipe that looked right and this is the first recipe I’ve come across that really sounds like the way she used to make them. I’m so excited and can’t wait to try it out!
How much of the different fillings did you use in each variation? I’d like to try all four!
This recipe is damn near spot on to my Babas. I made these last night and talk about a home run. I would love to see any of youre other Ukranian recipes like borscht and cabbage rolls.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! This is the exact recipe my Baba (my GREAT grandma) used to use. I’m not sure what her mother used before coming to Canada as they probably wouldn’t have had access to cheddar cheese back then! I’m thinking the filling was probably a mixture of potatoes and cottage cheese. I’m so glad you enjoyed and will definitely be adding more Ukrainian family recipes in the future!
I loved this read, it brought me back to a simpler time filled with lots of warm memories. Thank you for sharing, My Baba passed 15 years ago and with her passing so did alot of things. I never had the privilege of learning how to cook traditional Ukrainian food so im winging it now. If they taste half as good as the pics posted i cant wait to grab a spoonful of sour cream!
These is VARENYKY!!! Traditional ukrainian food.
Yes, varenyky and perogies (or pierogis) are the same thing, just by different names. Most everyone in my family and our local Ukrainian community calls them perogies, which is what they’re commonly known as and searched for in Internet searches for this recipe (hence why I also refer to them as perogies:)
I have always wanted to make Perogies but have always been intimidate do it. My family loves them and cabbage rolls, so I have been searching the web for simple recipes for both, and your website with your family tradition is what caught my eye. I love that you do it all together as a family, so I am going to try your recipe and get my children to help me, and who knows, maybe we will start a tradition of our own? I hope so, anyway, I just wanted to say Thank You for sharing your wonderful tradition and recipe with us.
Hi Leah,
I’m so glad you found this recipe because it truly is really simple. Plus many hands make light work (and make any sort of kitchen prep more fun!) so if you can get your family on board, all the better:)
Just curious how many perogies this makes? I’m having a perogy making day with my friends and want to plan so we all have enough to take home a few doz.
Thanks so much! I’m going to definitely use this recipe for our day!
Krista
Hey Krista!
I actually had to call up my aunt and ask her. This is her recipe! So depending on how large you make the rounds and how full you fill them, etc. you should get about 150-200 perogies out of this batch. Sometimes I find I have extra dough leftover, sometimes extra potatoes. It’s sort of a rough science! But you’ll definitely get quite a few dozen:)
This is such a beautiful tradition that you have!
We make pierogies every November, so your recipe and blog post caught my eye.
Thank you for so carefully writing out your recipe and taking pictures.
All the best to you and yours!
I have many fond memories of making these with my polish friend and family. They would make around 600 at a time. After the first time working with them doing one at a time I had a plan for the next cooking session. I bought her mom a metal ravioli maker. I told her we were making Italian style ones. She was sold when 12 at once could be done. A few years afterward I notice they do make pierogi shaped mold too, but we all got to like the square ones. Her daughter likes to pass the dough through a pasta maker gadget on her stand mixture a few times before hand rolling which helps as well to get that dough to spread out more and faster. My best friend passed away a couple years ago and I finally worked up courage last winter to do up some by myself. I missed having her in the kitchen with me but it was wonderful to enjoy some homemade pierogi again. Great recipe even for an Italian.
Love your blog and newsletters since I am a homesteader at heart yet live in the suburbs. I always make everything from scratch due to food allergies. Do you know if these can be made with a gluten free flour blend? Nothing beats old fashioned flour and bread recipes but it makes my family sick. So sad. Anyway, I browse your site and think of ways to make your recipes work for us with our substitutions and just wondered if you had any experience with subing ingredients in your recipes. Again, love your posts. Looking forward to more. And thank you for sharing.
Hi Stacy! That’s so nice of you to say. I honestly haven’t tried them with a gluten-free substitute, so I can’t speak from personal experience. However I just did a quick Google search and found a bunch of different recipes with gluten free dough options. You could certainly do a search and decide on a dough option that works best for you and use the same filling recipe from these perogies. I do need to branch out and try out some gluten-free options! We don’t seem to have any sensitivities to gluten in our family so we usually stick with the standard. However you can look forward to many naturally gluten-free recipes coming up as I embark on the Keto diet next month. I’ll be talking more about that in next week’s newsletter so be sure to keep an eye out! All the best. Anna