Basic Pierogi Dough

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/19/22
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Filled pierogi and dough circle on a floured wooden board with a rolling pin

The Spruce Eats

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Rest Time: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 18 to 20 pierogi
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
123 Calories
1g Fat
24g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 123
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 88mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 42mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Pierogi are Polish dumplings that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings like minced meat, sauerkraut, mushrooms, or even blueberries and strawberries. Potato or potato and cheese is always a classic. The dumplings are often served with caramelized onions, sour cream, or crispy pork like bacon.

This recipe is a simple combination of flour, eggs, water, and salt. You might need to add a little more water or a little more flour based on the humidity of the day, the weight of the flour, and other factors. The dough should not be so dry it is crumbly or so wet it is sticky.

Get the kids involved in this easy project by breaking it down into steps—make the dough one day, roll and fill another day, and cook yet another day. Filling and sealing the pierogi takes a little practice, but small hands can certainly mix, roll, and cut the dough. The younger you start them on their pierogi-making journey, the more adept they'll be at making them by the time they develop voracious teenage appetites.

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Click Play to See These Delicious Basic Pierogies Come Together

"This was a very easy dough to prepare, with only 3 basic ingredients plus water. I used about 9 1/2 ounces of flour, then a little more for mixing and rolling. The total dough weight was 15 ounces." —Diana Rattray

Basic Pierogi Dough Tester Image
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Ingredients

  • 2 large room temperature eggs, beaten

  • 1/3 cup lukewarm water, more as needed

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Ingredients for pierogi dough recipe gathered

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  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and salt.

    Eggs, water, and salt being mixed with a metal whisk in a large glass bowl

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  3. Add the flour all at once and mix with a wooden spoon until well moistened.

    Flour and eggs being stirred to an evenly moistened mixture with a wooden spoon

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  4. Knead the dough in the bowl until it is firm and well mixed.

    Dough being kneaded smooth by hand in a large glass bowl

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  5. Cover with an overturned bowl or loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes to 1 hour. This will allow the gluten you've developed in the mixing process to relax and make rolling the dough out much easier.

    Smooth pierogi dough ball resting in floured glass bowl

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  6. Or you can wrap the dough in plastic, refrigerate it, and work with it another day. Pierogi dough will last up to three days in the fridge. Make sure you let it come to room temperature before you start to roll it.

    Pierogi dough ball tightly wrapped in cling film

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  7. If using the dough immediately, divide it in half, wrap the other half in plastic, and set it aside. The next steps are to roll, cut, fill, and cook the pierogi.

    Filled pierogies, rolled out dough, and unfilled dough circles on a floured wooden board

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Tips

  • Pierogi dough can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a few months. Let the dough sit on the counter for several minutes before rolling out.
  • Polish dumplings can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Traditional fillings include minced cooked meat, sauerkraut with mushrooms, potatoes, seasonal fruits like blueberries and strawberries, buckwheat or millet, savory or sweet curd cheese, and a potato-onion-cheese mixture known as pierogi ruskie. 
  • There's really no right or wrong in how you choose to fill your pierogi. These days, at the Kraków (Poland) Pierogi Festival, you'll see nontraditional things being stuffed into tender pockets of dough—everything from spinach to seafood to gourmet cheeses.
  • Filled pierogi, raw or boiled, can also be frozen. Freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a few hours before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container.
  • Use leftover pierogi dough to make Pennsylvania Dutch style chicken and dumplings.

What to Serve With Pierogi

Sautéed apples

Broiled tomatoes

Sour cream

Polish sausage

Roasted vegetables

Boiled cabbage with bacon


Why Is My Pierogi Dough Tough?

A number of factors can affect the texture of your dough. Make sure you let the dough rest before rolling it out since that should help relax the gluten and make it more pliable. If your dough is still tough, it might need a little more water.