Tender pockets of dough are stuffed with a mix of hearty mashed potatoes and sweet caramelized onions, then pan-fried until golden to make these comforting vegan pierogies.
Pierogies have a special place in my heart. I didn't discover these things until after going vegetarian back at the age of thirteen. I think mom bought a box of frozen pierogies thinking they'd be a good meatless main dish for me and once I tasted them I was appalled that I hadn't had one before. I'd been missing out. But whatever, I just found my new favorite thing ever.
I have come across store-bought vegan pierogies in plain old potato or potato and onion flavor. And they're good. But I think I got spoiled by the cheesy ones I ate when I was younger.
So I decided it was time to create a killer vegan pierogie recipe. Mission accomplished!
The filling for these guys is tasty enough to eat on its own. I seasoned up the mashed potatoes with just a touch of nooch and some white wine vinegar to mimic the cheesy flavor I'd been missing. And then I took things a step further and added caramelized onions, for extra savory flavor with just a touch of sweetness. So good!
My pierogies aren't winning any beauty pageants, but I really don't care because they were incredibly tasty.
One word of caution: seal yours tight! I had one split open during boiling. Press the edges super tight together — tighter than you think you need to, and if you have any trouble try applying some water to the edges of your dough before sealing.
These are a bit of work, so I recommend making a big batch. Boil them all now, then seal up and freeze any that you won't be eating right away. When you're ready for them, just thaw and cook them in some vegan butter.
Caramelized Onion & Potato Vegan Pierogies
Tender pockets of dough are stuffed with a mix of hearty mashed potatoes and sweet caramelized onions, then pan-fried until golden to make these comforting vegan pierogies.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
For the Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound yellow onions, diced (about 2 medium)
- 1 large (about 1 pound) russet potato, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
For Frying
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
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To make the dough, stir the flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the water and butter to form a dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Allow it to rest for 1 hour.
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While the dough rests, caramelize the onions. Place the onions and oil into a medium skillet and stir a few times to coat the onions with oil. Set the skillet over medium-low heat. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become very soft and light brown, about 45 minutes.
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While the dough rests and the onions caramelize, place the potato into a medium pot and cover with water. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Allow to cook until the potato is fork tender, about 15 minutes. Don't overcook it.
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Drain the potato into a colander and return it to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and stir in the milk, nutritional yeast flakes, white wine vinegar, garlic and salt. When the onions are finished cooking, stir them into the potato mixture.
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When the dough has sat for 1 hour, split it into 2 halves. Transfer one of halves to a lightly floured surface and roll to a square of about 14 x 14 inches. Cut 3-inch circles using a drinking glass or pastry cutter. Reroll the dough as needed, and repeat with the other half. You should get about 24 circles.
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Place about 1 tablespoon of the potato mixture onto each dough round, then fold in half and seal tightly to form a pierogie. Apply a bit of water if you have trouble sealing the dough.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pierogies (work in batches if it gets too crowded). Cook the pierogies for 3-4 minutes, until they float, removing each one with a slotted spoon and transferring to a plate as it begins to float.
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To fry the pierogies, melt the butter in a large skillet, then add as many pierogies as will fit without crowding. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Transfer the pierogies to a paper towel-lined plate. Add butter to the skillet between batches as needed.
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Serve with sauerkraut, dill, chives, applesauce, and/or vegan yogurt or cashew cream.
Made these with vegan eggroll wrappers in place of the dough. Caramelized the onions yesterday and did the rest of the filling/assembly/cooking today. So good! The flavors take me back to my childhood and my grandmother making huge batches for family gatherings. I didn't appreciate then how much love went into her pierogis, but am glad to have tried this. Thanks for sharing!