Name: Vareniki / Pierogi: Ukrainian Dumplings with Potato Filling
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 5 cups flour *See Note 1; 3 eggs; 1 1/2 cups milk; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 stick butter; 5-pound bag of potatoes (any kind will do); 2 big blocks of extra sharp cheese; 3 large onions (I used Vidalia, reserve one for topping); Dill, dill, and more dill; Sour cream; Reserved sauteed onion

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Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

This recipe for Vareniki/Pierogi Ukrainian Dumplings came from my podcast guest, Lydia Cottrell. Make sure you listen to her powerful episode I am Piortr's Granddaughter while you make her Potato Vareniki recipe!

Gorgeous overhead shot of plates and platters of Ukrainian Varynyky covered with onions. Scene is entirely in shades of brown and gold.

Ukrainian cuisine is rich with tradition and one of its most beloved dishes is traditional Ukrainian dumplings, called Pierogi - or, in Russian, Vareniki (Varynyky). There are dozens of dumplings under different names across other Eastern European countries. This recipe from Lydia has its own combination of fillings and preparation methods.

Lydia's Vareniki recipe is filled with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes, loads of perfectly caramelized onions, and topped with dill, sour cream, and more caramelized onions.

Once you've perfected Lydia's pierogi dough recipe, feel free to try out different types of filling to create a perfect Vareniki to your liking.

Shot features plate of a dozen Ukrainian Vareniki, styled to match the Ukrainian flag of gold and blue.

P.S. Looking for other Ukrainian dishes to try out? Try my podcast guest's recipes for Ukrainian Roll-ups, and Mariupol Red Fish in Tomato Sauce.

closeup shot of uncooked ukrainian dumpling, ready to be fried. on soft cutting board with dusting of flour around

Lydia's Memories of Varynyky

When Lydia ventured back to Ukraine to work and live and follow in her beloved grandfather's footsteps, she went into a small village to a house where her relatives still lived, she turned around and saw a feast on the table - the same feasts she grew up eating in her Ukrainian American home. It was this very recipe, the Varynyky, that connected Lydia to her long-lost family.

overhead shot of two hands rolling out dough for vareniki

Top Tip

During my first batch attempt, I rolled the dough very thin, so thin the dough was almost translucent. That method worked because the eggs caused the dough to puff up a bit when boiled, however, Lydia told me although my approach was "not incorrect" she usually rolls hers a little thicker. The next time did it her way, and the Pierogi was delicious. This is a forgiving recipe but roll the dough a bit thicker!

closeup overhead shot of butter drenched Vareniki smothered in golden onions on plates of blue and white in blue kitchen

Different Spellings? Ukrainian or Russian?

Both Varenyky and Pierogi are dumplings made in half-moon shapes. The dough is soft, the dumpling is boiled, and the filling can be sweet or savory.

The explanation for the different names is simple: they are different languages. Varynyky comes from the Russian language. The dumplings tend to be called Varynyky in the east. Meanwhile, in the Western part of Ukraine, the dumplings are more often called “pirohy”, like those of their Polish neighbor. Ukrainians don’t have a “g” sound in their language.

I use the two words "Pierogi" and "Varenyky" interchangeably in this post, and I also use the spelling Lydia gave me - "Varynyky". Since both words are transliterations of a Slavi language, neither spelling is more correct than the other.

Spelling variations (I will use all of these interchangeably in this post as well as Pierogi)

Vareniki
Varenyky
Varynyky

piles of potatoes and onions along with sour cream and eggs, photographed right before making ukrainian pierogies

Ingredients

Dough

Flour - According to Food52, the best flour to use for making Pierogi traditionally Polish is using Maka Puszysta, a super fine flour. If you don't live near a Polish/Eastern European grocery store, they suggest finding super fine flour like Italian "00" flour. In all honesty, I think you can use all purpose flour and your recipe will be just fine.
Eggs
Milk
Butter

Filling

Potatoes - You can use any kind of potato you prefer
Cheese - Admittedly, the optional cheddar makes this an Americanized version BUT check out the Variations section to see how other cheese is completely authentic.
Onions

Optional toppings

Sour cream - This is different from American sour cream. It is known as Smetana and is lower in fat content and more sour. This recipe from Peter's Food Adventures provides four different methods for making homemade Smetana.
Fresh dill
Onion
Bacon bits

dark and moody picture of woman pouring water to clean potatoes

Instructions

Place butter into milk and heat until butter is melted. Mix all together with other ingredients to roll and cut dough into circles about the size of the palm of your hand, you can also use a biscuit cutter for a more uniform size.
Cook potatoes, grate cheese, dice onions, and saute in butter or oil.
Mash potatoes with all the other ingredients.
On a lightly floured surface, roll and cut the dough into circles and place the filling in the middle of each circle.
Pinch a piece of dough around to make a half-moon shape and pinch closed. Lay on a damp towel and cover while making the others.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Drop Vareneky into simmering water 4 at a time, so as not to crowd them.
When they float they are ready for an ice bath (clean, large bowl in the sink filled with ice water) remove them, and place them on a buttered baking sheet.
Fry them with butter and serve your potato Vareniki with more caramelised onions, sour cream, and dill.

Variations on Recipe

These dumplings are a staple in Ukrainian kitchens, offering a variety of flavors that range from savory to sweet, making them a versatile and cherished part of Ukrainian culinary heritage.

Ukrainian recipes feature a variety of different fillings that can be used in these little dumplings. From savory options to sweet dumplings, I've compiled some examples of the delicious possibilities below.

Sweet

Sweet Varynyky includes fruit fillings such as fresh berries, cherries, or sweet cheese

Sweet Ukrainian Varynyky like this recipe for Blueberry Varenyky from The Spruce Eats
Or this recipe from Little Broken for Cherry Vareniki (if you don't want to use sweet cherries, swap them out for sour cherries for a little bit of added tartness)

sunny scene of bowls and platters of dimpled varynyky in blue kitchen with gold accents

Savory

The list below highlights examples of savory dumplings typically still with potato fillings combined in different ways with a variety of ingredients, such as cheese filling, meat filling, or sauerkraut

Lenivie vareniki

Also known as tvorog, and are dumplings made with cheese fillings, specifically, Farmers's Cheese. Check out this recipe from The New Baguette
Farmer's Cheese is similar to Italian ricotta cheese
This is labor intensive, but if you want to make homemade Farmers Cheese, this recipe from Natasha's Kitchen shows you how

Dry cottage cheese

This vareniki filling provided by From Alana is different than regular cottage cheese. As the name states, dry cottage cheese has less water so you will still achieve the perfect consistency of your Varynyky without it becoming soggy

Potato, Bacon, and Onion Vareniki

This recipe from Vikalinka actually puts the bacon with the potato filling in the dough pockets before boiling instead of adding bacon pieces on top.

Sauerkraut and Mushroom Vareniki

This recipe is also from Vikalinka and is a Ukrainian version of a traditional Polish Pierogi.

golden wheat in scene of flour, sour cream, milk, eggs, all on a vintage tablecloth for making pierogies

Difference Between Varynyky vs Dumplings vs Ravioli vs Pelmeni

Varenyky

Ukrainian dumplings that can have a variety of fillings with homemade dough
Salty or sweet filling
In the Polissia region, they fill their Varenyky with crushed beans
The Zakarpattia region fills theirs with cheese
The Chernihiv region adds bacon crisps to their Varenyky dishes

source: Authentic Ukraine

Dumplings

The hardest to define simply because of how broad the category is
Usually it is a dough wrapped around a filling that is then cooked by boiling, frying, or steaming
Look at this page on Wikipedia that shows the different varieties of dumplings around the world

source: Wikipedia

Ravioli

Italian stuffed egg pasta that is either filled with meat, vegetables, or cheese
Traditionally served with a light sauce or broth (al brodo)
Many different varieties across the country

source: Pasta Evangelists

Pelmeni

These are a Russian cuisine that are meat-filled dumplings
Always made with ground meat
Traditionally served with sour cream and dill
The most famous variety is the Siberian Pelmeni

source: Gastro Senses

still life of pierogis being assembled on floured surface. Rounds are dotted with mashed potatoes and other dumplings are already pinched shut.

Is This Varenyky Recipe Authentic?

These classic Ukrainian dumplings are exactly the way Lydia and her mom have made them for 50 years. So in that sense, yes. Stuffed with cheddar cheese, are these Pierogi authentic to the small Western village from which Lydia's grandfather came? Probably not. You choose what to put into them.

Are Vareniki Fried?

Not always. Lydia calls for frying the pierogi for extra crispiness. I loved them that way and would probably always take the time to fry the dumplings.

shot of cheesy potato filling for ukrainian dumplings in vintage blue dish.

How Much Does This Recipe Make?

This makes a HUGE batch.

The first time I made this, I split it into 1/3. (The recipe calls for 3 eggs, so 1/3 seemed like the logical way to split the recipe.) That night, my family of 6 ate Varynyky as a side dish to our meal. The third of the recipe was adequate for us. Obviously, you'd want more if you're eating these as the main dish for your meal. And you would want the whole recipe if you were making these for a Ukrainian Christmas Feast!

Equipment

Large pot
Large slotted spoon
Skillet/frying pan
Rolling pin
Baking sheet
Biscuit cutter/round cookie cutter (optional)

Two perfectly formed Ukrainian varynyky covered with onions and sour cream sit on a wooden plate in rustic, warm brown kitchen.

Storage

Storing uncooked Varenyky

Lightly dust them with flour so they don't stick together
If stacking in freezer bags or an airtight container, place parchment paper/wax paper between the layers
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days

Storing cooked Varenyky

Make sure that the Varenyky are cooled down to room temperature by placing a single layer (not overlapping) of the leftover Vareniki on a wire rack to cool
If storing in the fridge, store for up to 3-5 days
If freezing, they will last up to 3 months
When thawing, place in the refrigerator before reheating
To reheat, place in salted boiling water and simmer until they float to the top and then wait an additional 90 seconds before taking them out

source: Veselka

Two blue plates of Ukrainian vareniki topped with sour cream, sautéd onions and fresh dill

Hear Lydia's Varenyky Story Now

One hundred years ago, a 12 year old boy left a tiny village in Ukraine. His mother fastened a small bag of coins around his neck and buttoned his coat. Stalin's Holodomor followed. As millions starved in Ukraine, the country was isolated, cut off from communication with the outside world, particularly the West. That boy name Piotr moved to America and found difficult and deadly work in a coal mine. In the meantime, he had children and grandchildren, and his work gave them a better life; a life with choices. One of his grandchildren was Lydia, my guest on the podcast. Piotr never saw his family again.

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall came down, Lydia jumped at the opportunity to live and work in Ukraine, the country she had always held dear out of respect and affection for her grandfather. One weekend, she took a pilgrimage to a small village marked by wagon wheels, walked into a simple home without running water, and found her family.

She turned around and saw a feast on the table - the same feasts she grew up eating in her Ukrainian American home. In fact, it was this very recipe, the Varynyky, that connected Lydia to her long lost family.

Vareniki / Pierogi: Ukrainian Dumplings with Potato Filling