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My grandma’s homemade pierogi recipe with potato and cheddar cheese filling makes the BEST pierogi you will ever eat. Make them for Christmas, Lent or anytime you’re craving these cheesy potato dumplings!
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.
Table of Contents
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
Note that there is no sour cream in this recipe. The potato water and milk give the homemade dough a wonderful texture.
Making pierogies isn’t hard — You’re basically making a simple filled pasta. But, it takes a lot of time and energy to complete the whole process, and it’s easier if you have as much help as possible. For us, it’s definitely a family project, but I’m beyond thrilled that I can hand this recipe down to my own kids. And honestly, we have a lot of fun in the process!
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.
How to Make Pierogi Dough
You can make pierogi dough by hand or use a stand mixer or food processor. The stand mixer is much easier! It’s actually life saver during the holidays!
Add the flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Then, add the salt, and use a fork to mix together. Add the butter, milk and eggs, and mix on medium speed. Gradually add enough potato water for a dough ball to form.
When the dough is no longer sticky, take it out of the mixer.
Let Dough Rest
Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. It’s important to let rest for at least 20 minutes after you’re done kneading it. This step will make it very easy to roll out!
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.
If you haven’t guessed by now, this is not a low-fat recipe! But, don’t let that stop you from making and eating this delicious comfort food. It’s definitely a treat!
Tips for Making Homemade Pierogies
Use Yukon Golds for the filling, and cook with the skin on for easy pealing.
Reserve 1 cup of cooking water for the dough. You may not use all of it.
Knead until it’s no longer sticky, and your hands are clean after handling.
Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before rolling.
Divide into 4 sections, and work with 1 section at a time.
Use an assembly line system for quicker pierogi making.
Keep dough covered with clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out.
Dip fingers in water to help seal the edges while forming the pierogi.
If you’re frying large batches of pierogi, place them in a buttered baking dish, and keep in a warm oven until you finish frying them.
Variations
You can use any filling with this homemade pierogi dough. Substitute warm water for the potato water. My grandma would also make sauerkraut filling and prune filling – lekvar . You can also use leftover mashed potatoes.
Love spice? Add 1 chopped and seeded jalapeño pepper to the cheesy filling. So good!
Instead of cheddar cheese, you can use cottage cheese, cream cheese or farmer’s cheese for a more old world flavor.
Grandma used to cut strips of dough into rectangles instead of circles. This way, you have very little scraps of dough left over.
How to Freeze and Store
You can freeze pierogi either right after you make them or after you boil them. To freeze uncooked pierogi, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. No need to thaw frozen pierogi — just drop them in boiling water to cook!
To freeze boiled pierogi, allow to cool completely in a single layer. Then, place in a freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
You can store leftovers in your refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container, if you happen to have leftovers!
Grandma’s Homemade Pierogi
Ingredients
For the Pierogi Dough
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 cup lukewarm potato water
- ½ cup milk
For the Filling
- 5 Yukon Gold potatoes about 2 pounds
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup milk (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Filling
- Add potatoes to a large pot, add enough cold water to completely cover them, and boil in salted water until fork tender
- Reserve 1 cup of water, drain, peel potatoes, add cheese, salt and pepper, and mash with fork or potato masher until blended. Add the milk to make filling creamier, if needed. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed
- Set aside
For the Dough
- In a large bowl, stir the flour and sea salt together, and push aside to form a well in the bowl. Or, use a stand mixer with dough hook
- Add eggs in the center, then the butter and milk, and start mixing dough with fork or dough hook in mixer
- Gradually add the potato water, and mix until dough starts to form. Add enough water to form a ball, and knead until no longer sticky. You may not need to use all the water. Add more water if too dry or more flour if dough is still too sticky
- Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to rest
- Divide dough into 4 separate pieces, and keep covered to prevent drying out
- Roll out one piece at a time on a floured surface about ⅙ inch thick, and cut out circular shapes with a drinking glass or round cookie/biscuit cutter about 3 inches in diameter
- Place a tablespoon full of filling in center of dough, fold ends over, and pinch together. Dip fingers in a bowl of water to help seal edges
- Place pierogi on lightly greased cookie sheet until dough is used up, and keep covered until ready to cook
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil, and cook pierogi, a few at a time, stirring once or twice so they don't stick, until they float to surface
- Remove with slotted spoon, and serve. Or, sauté chopped onion in butter over medium heat until golden brown. Then, fry pierogi with butter and onions until golden brown and onions are caramelized before serving. Add more butter as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Happy Cooking,
I am going to make these for the second time. So delicious! The dough was wonderful to work with, nothing like the other dough recipes I have made. Can I make the dough a day ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator? And if I can, should I let the dough come to room temp before rolling it or keep cold?
Thank you for your answer and for sharing this great recipe ♥️
Gailkuz
Thank you so much for the wonderful review — glad you enjoyed the pierogi! Yes, you can make pierogi dough ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. You can roll the dough out right from the fridge. Hope this helps. 🙂
I made these pierogies for the first time this week and couldn’t believe how easy it was. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong and they would be awful. I froze them and just did two dozen for supper tonight. Yummmm. I do think that next time I will either not put as much cheese in my potatoes or make them a little creamier but they are definitely a keeper. Thank you so very much for the recipe
Thanks for the wonderful review! I am so glad you enjoyed the pierogi!
I’m elderly (very, very elderly) and reading your Polish references brought back so many pleasant memories. My mom was Polish/Russian/Lithuanian and although she incorporated Polish traditions and prepared many Polish dishes (a favorite was Mazurek at Easter time), she never made pierogi – maybe because she had 5 children and just didn’t have the time or maybe it was because my dad was English/Irish/French/Cherokee and she thought he might not like them. However, her sister, my Aunt, made them for Christmas Eve dinner – she would gather my three cousins and they all would make them together – I was a little jealous – I had always wished to be a part of their tradition.
Just located your site but it is already saved and am looking forward to your other comments and recipes.
Thank you for the wonderful article and recipe, dear. May you, and all of those dear to you, enjoy every blessing.
Thank you so much for your very sweet wishes, Carolyn. Food truly does bring people together. 🙂