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
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 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
- 1/4 cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 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.
When do we add cup water to pierogi dough? :)
With the butter. Thanks for catching that!
Any type of dough that is stuffed and then fried is a BIG winner to me! this sounds incredible
Haha! Right? Thanks Albert!
This is a keeper Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Louise!
Instead of frying, could these be baked in the oven? if so, what temperature would you suggest & how long? Your best guess is all I ask for, just a place to start. Thank you!
I’m not sure, but my best guess would be 400 degrees for 10 minutes per side. I’d also make sure to use parchment paper so they don’t stick. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try!
I’d love to know if these can be baked as well. I cook without oil so frying would not be an option for me.
I think that would work, but I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure! If you do I’d use parchment paper so there’s no sticking. You could also try just boiling them and skipping the frying.
A little late on my comment here but I think I’m going to try air-frying them sometime this weekend. We air-fry the ones from the Polish market and they are sooo good! These look incredible!!
I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I’ve been following you for awhile now and I’m thoroughly enjoying the great vegan recipes you’ve been sharing. I use to love peirogies & your recipe sounds wonderful. What I’m worried about is all the calories first and is there a way to cut them way down. Then my next is what is 1 serving? No one seems to clarify the number per a single serving. They say how many it will feed, but not how many it makes so you can tell ahead of prep the calorie content of the portion so you know what to pair it with. Either way, I love them and can’t wait to try them. Sorry for the super odd questions. THANKS!
No worries! This recipe makes 24 pierogies, with 4 per serving – I just added those numbers to the recipe! As far as the calories, you might be able to get away with boiling then and skipping the frying – I know some people prepare pierogies that way, but I fried all of mine so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out! You could also try to cut back on the amount of vegan butter and fry them in a really good nonstick pan. I hope that helps! Please let me know how it works out if you try either option!
The nutrition facts say there are 4 / serving and the recipe says that it serves 6. Does this mean you made 24?
That’s correct. :)
Do you boil them and then fry them? Or is frying a different option than boiling?
Boil and then fry! I’ve heard of people just boiling pierogies, so I think you could skip the frying if you aren’t into it. :)
Perfect timing! I was just thinking about making some vegan pierogies but I wanted a new recipe. These look delicious! Your recipes are always a big hit in my house.
Awesome!! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I hope you like this one!
I just made these (a big double batch!) and they are SO GOOD! That’s the best tasting pierogi filling I’ve ever had. My Polish/Ukrainian husband agrees! I’m pretty sure pierogi dough is the devil, though. The devil incarnate. Rolling it out qualifies as an upper body workout.
YAY!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed them!! I’m not a fan of the rolling either – ha! So worth it though. :) Thanks Jenny!
Try using 2 1/2 cups flour with 1/2 cup potato flakes, also use the water from boiling the potatoes. The added starch will give more elasticity and improves sealing the dough. This is from my Mom’s traditional recipe, so I cannot comment on calories or vegan qualities.
Interesting! I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks for the tip!
Very nice recipe! I’m Polish so I know a thing or two about pierogis. Polish vegans usually mimick the traditonal ruskie pierogi with just potatoes and smoked tofu(and some onion if you want to) -it tastes exactly the same, you can get anyone to think they’re the real ones. Plus the dough is usually just water and flour plus some salt-but I think if you just fry them (instead of cooking) butter is a good option. I will try making this recipe
Oh, that sounds delicious!! I’ve never had a pierogie with meat, so I just went with potatoes for this version, but now I’m itching to try them with some smoked tofu! Thanks Ewa!
A carb wrapped around a carb is always a good thing. I’m glad you posted this, because I never tried my hand at the dough before. I just took the lazy route before and used vegan wonton wrappers.
WHAT?! I have a freezer full of wonton wrappers and I’m DEFINITELY trying that!
These were really good! I did break it up into 2 days though – made the filling one evening and did the rest the next day. As I was eating them, was thinking of all the different things you could fill them with. Thanks for another great recipe!
Yes! You can definitely switch up the fillings! So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Erin!
Can you substitute a different flour, say spelt?
I haven’t tried so I can’t be 100% sure, but I think spelt or whole wheat pastry would be good bets. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try!
Wow! I made these tonight and they were awesome. My first time making homemade pierogies and definitely worth the amount of effort it takes to make them. I ended up adding some Daiya cheddar cheese shreds and having the onions on the side, for a cheddar potato variety. The flavor was amazing! Can’t wait to share the batch with friends.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Sounds like the Daiya went well. Love it!
Can’t wait to try these!
Enjoy!
Gluten free?… And sweet potato – healthier
Hi! Is it necessary to use the vinager? Anything I can substitute for that?
The vinegar helps balance the flavor, but lemon juice might work as a substitue. :)
Do you think you could prepare these ahead of time and then cook them when you’re ready to eat them (ie prepare them the day before) or do you think they would dry out?
I think they’d be fine as long as you keep them in a tightly sealed container. Enjoy!
Do the boiling step to cook the exterior dough. If they stick together while the dough is raw they will rip apart an all that work is wasted. Then you may store as you wish and reheat them by oven of fry.
Thanks Robyn!
Made these and they are super tasty! Thanks!
I’m so glad you think so! Thanks Grace!
As someone who is WFPBNO but still new to it and not very experienced in the kitchen… I’m wondering if I can eliminate the vegan butter in the dough recipe. Or substitute it for something more “whole food”/less-processed/non-oil. Any thoughts?
I already plan on eliminating the oil from the filling and modifying cooking method to avoid the vegan butter. Will also use whole wheat pastry flour.
You might be able to leave it out, but no promises as I haven’t tried the recipe without it. If the dough seems a little dry, try adding a couple of tablespoons of water or non-dairy milk. :)
OMG! Just finished these for dinner. Sooooo good. I’m not vegan but my husband is so I cook vegan at home. These are work but so good. Another dinners worth in the freezer. Great recipe, thanks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks Amy!
Any luck freezing batches of these? Before or after boiling?
Yup! Either works. :)
Thank you so much❤️ You’re a life saver.
Very welcome! Enjoy!
When the dough is resting should it be put in the refrigerator?
No need. Room temperature is just fine! :)
Made these for our Polish Christmas Eve this year for myself (vegan) and my entire non-vegan family, die-hard carnivores. Fantastic recipe, no one could tell the difference between these and tradional pierogies. Keep those great recipes coming! Thanks!😁
That’s awesome! I’m so glad they were a hit!
I am wondering if these could be made and frozen for an easy week night meal? Has anyone tried it? At what point would be best to freeze? Before cooking? Or cook first?
You can freeze them before or after boiling. For meal prep I’d say boil then freeze, and then thaw and fry on the day of serving. Enjoy!!
These were PHENOMENAL. Boiled pierogies with mushroom gravy were a childhood favorite of mine, and since giving up dairy, I have been missing pierogies so much. Added a little salt after frying them and ate them like finger food. Omg, don’t even miss store bought after these. Thanks for posting!
Awesome!! I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! Thanks so much Gabi!
Pretty good. It’s mostly about the sauce you put on them. Dedicate a lot of time to preparing these. Thank goodness I have lots leftover.
Glad you like them!
I just made those tonight and they were delicious! My husband loooooved them too. I made cashew sour cream and served them with kimchi sauerkraut and roasted brussel sprouts. Yummmmy
That sounds like a delicious meal! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Sandra!
Can’t wait to try these. Frying in batches in a little oil to lightly brown them then finishing off by adding a small amount of water to poach (with a lid on) works well also.
I hope you enjoy them!!
Excellent pierogie recipe! I made them today and they taste just as good as any homemade pierogie I have ever had! I quadrupled the recipe. I am so glad to finally have an excellent vegan pierogie recipe, as I have missed pierogies since I became vegan. Serving them with vegan Tofutti sour cream and a side of caramelized onions.
Great to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Lisa!
Are these freezable?
Yup! I like to freeze them after boiling, then thaw and fry before serving.
Wow, these are amazing! I had some hiccups the first time I tried them, and they took so long and were so much work, that I figured I’d never make them again. Well, that didn’t last more than a couple of months – they’re too good (plus, quarantine)! So I made my second batch yesterday and am happy to say it was a smoother process (still long though) and they’re just as delicious as I remembered. They’re totally worth the effort. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Ok it’s called Pierogi not pierogies. Pierogi is a plural and one is called pierog just an FYI this is highly triggering for polish ppl. Pierogi are boiled first, once u boil them you can freeze them or u can just freeze them without cooking it just means u need to complete defrost them later before boiling.
Fried pierogi are a supper meal or late obiad (polish equivalent of dinner usually eaten around 2pm) and early supper combo called obiadokolacja. It is also a great comfort food for winter season. However I guess it don’t really matter have them for breakfast if u fancy ;)
In summer we make pierogi with fruit usually blueberries or strawberries or cherries that get topped with some cream mixed with sugar but I guess vanilla yogurt would do as well.
Just a little tip for the dough as on the pictures it doesn’t look properly closed. It is very important to fully close up the pierog or the stuffing will fall out during cooking. They have made dumpling forms now that u could use if you struggle with correctly closing the dough. Also lightly watering one edge of the dough would help with that as well (not sure if that was mentioned)
Saying all that I will be trying as I am on a hunt for vegan pierogi since as a polish person this always was a staple in my house :)
Can I freeze these before boiling them?
Yup!