Grandma’s Homemade Pierogi (Potato and Cheese)

Potato Cheese Pierogi

This is hands-down the best pierogi dough recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve tried several pierogi recipes over the last few years.

The homemade dough is easy to work with, and the cheesy filling is loaded with flavor. If you want to make homemade potato cheese pierogi – pierogi ruskie – this is the recipe for you!

I got this authentic recipe for pierogi from my grandma, who got if from her mother, and so on up the family tree. Baba would come over every Christmas Eve, and my mom and I would spend all morning helping her make these cheesy potato dumplings to eat for Holy Supper — Wigilia — that evening, along with nut rolls and haluski and plenty of fish!

My family is a mix of Ukrainian – Ruthenian (Rusyn)- Polish – Russian – Slovak heritage, but these pierogi, or pedaheh as Dad used to call them, are from my grandma’s Ukrainian side. My Polish relatives filled their Polish dumplings with a mix of farmer’s cheese — twarog — and mashed potatoes, but Grandma always filled hers with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes.

Since Baba lived in Pittsburgh, you could even call these Pittsburgh pierogi. For more Eastern European recipes, try my halupki recipe, Easter cheese recipe and Easter lamb cake recipe.

Ingredient Notes

You only need a few simple ingredients for cheddar potato pierogi. Here’s a quick overview — full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.

• Flour — all purpose flour. I swear by Bob’s Red Mill, but any brand will work.
• Potatoes — Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes work best
• Potato water — Save some cooking water for the dough
• Eggs
• Milk — for the dough and a splash for the cheesy potato filling
• Butter — room temperature butter for the dough and for frying perogi
• Salt and black pepper
• Onion — for frying pierogi

How to Make Pierogi

This homemade pirogi dough recipe uses potato water left over from boiling the potatoes for the filling.

So, cooking the spuds is the first step in this potato pierogi recipe. I use Yukon Gold, and I leave the skins on while boiling them. It’s a cinch to peel while they’re warm!

Just cut them into smaller pieces. I usually quarter them. Then cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until fork tender.

Reserve 1 cup of the water and set aside. Drain the potatoes, and allow to cool slightly. Place them back into the pot or in a large bowl.

Then, remove the skins, and mash potatoes with the cheddar cheese using a potato masher in a large bowl. You can add a splash of milk to make the filling a little creamier. But the filling is best when it’s firmer. Then, refrigerate the filling until you are ready to assemble the pirogi.

Roll and Fill

Cut the ball into 4 sections. Place 1 section at a time on a lightly floured surface. Cover the other sections with a clean kitchen towel.Then, roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.Use a drinking glass about 3 inches wide or cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out some of the filling, and place a spoonful in the center of the circle.

Next, you fold one edge of the circle over the filling so that the edges of the dough meet. Dip your fingers in a little cold water. Then, pinch, pinch, pinch the edge so that it’s completely closed. Place pierogi on a lightly greased baking sheet lined with foil. Keep them covered until you’re ready to cook them.

One of my girls made up a little song and dance about pinching the pierogi dough when she was younger. Good times! Seriously though, letting kids help with this tradition is a great way for kids to get involved in the kitchen!

Boil and Pan Fry

Next, you cook the pierogi in a large pot of salted water. Bring water to a gentle boil, and add a few pierogi at a time. Gently stir so that they don’t stick.

When they rise to the top, after 3-5 minutes, they’re done. You could stop at this point, since they’re technically cooked. But, you really, really, should take it a step further. We like to pan fry the pierogi in a large skillet filled with melted butter and caramelized onions until golden brown, which really makes the pierogi taste incredibly delicious! 

Start cooking the onions in 1-3 tablespoons butter over medium heat while the potato dumplings boil. Then, use a slotted spoon to scoop the pierogi out of the water into the frying pan. I prefer my pierogi a little soft in the center, while the Hubs prefers his crispy. So, I make them both ways, and everybody is happy.