Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (2024)

Although Polish sauerkraut pierogi recipe is being used all year round, it’s definitely getting popular during Christmas time. For many families, dumplings with sauerkraut are the most important dish on Christmas Eve’s table.

The main reason why is that it is vegetarian food. Traditionally, you are not supposed to eat meat on December, 24th.

Pierogi with sauerkraut and pierogi ruskie are two main dishes served during Wieczerza Wigilijna. Keep on reading to discover my grandma’s authentic sauerkraut pierogi recipe!

Tips For Cooking Pierogi With Sauerkraut

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (1)

1. Skip mushrooms if you don’t have (or don’t like) them.

Although adding dried mushrooms is the typical way of making the sauerkraut pierogi filling, you may easily skip them.

Eating mushrooms is not recommended for kids or people with digestive problems, so this ingredient is not necessary.

2. Be sure to cook sauerkraut pierogi in boiling hot water!

Otherwise, they will fall apart. Putting them in the cold water is the biggest mistake you can make.

3. When cooked, don’t put pierogi too close together.

After pierogi are cooked and ready, you can either:

  • put the butter on top of them and eat them
  • carefully put them one by one on a plate/cutting board

If they will be too close, they will stick together. Wait until they cool off, then put them into the bowl. Pour the melted butter on them, then shake gently. Now, they can be either stored in the fridge or freezer.

Best Add-ons For Pierogi With Sauerkraut

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (2)

Melted butter

As simple as that. It’s one of the most popular ways of having sauerkraut pierogi.

Fried onion

Pierogi taste delicious with carmelized or fried onion.

Skwarki (greaves)

It’s basically what’s left from making homemade lard.

Maggi seasoning sauce

Some people in Poland like having pierogi with the Maggi sauce.

How To Serve Sauerkraut Pierogi?

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (3)

Serve them right after cooking, when they are warm, with the add-ons of your choice.

Alternatively, you can fry them with butter until they are crispy, with the brownish color.

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (4)

Although Polish sauerkraut pierogi recipe is being used all year round, it's definitely getting popular during Christmas time. For many families, dumplings with sauerkraut are the most important dish on Christmas Eve's table.

The main reason why is that it is vegetarian food. Traditionally, you are not supposed to eat meat on December, 24th.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Dough for sauerkraut pierogi

  • 5 cups (600g) of all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1cups of warm water
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • 4-5 tablespoons of oil

Sauerkraut filling

  • 2 lbs of sauerkraut
  • 1 big or 2 small onions
  • 3 oz of dried mushrooms (optionally)
  • salt, pepper, oil

Instructions

How To Make Dough For Pierogi With Sauerkraut?

  1. Put flour, egg, oil, and salt into the bowl. Whisk it together with hand or dough hook attachment.
  2. Start adding the water slowly, letting it incorporate before adding more.
  3. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated and there are no lumps.

How To Make Sauerkraut Filling?

  1. If you decided to add dried mushrooms, wash them carefully, then cover them with cold water and leave for at least a few hours (ideally overnight).
  2. In the morning, drain the mushrooms and cook them until soft.
  3. Drain the sauerkraut by squeezing it carefully. Then chop it finely. Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (5)
  4. Boil the sauerkraut in water until it's soft (it will take about 1 hour). Next, drain it again. Make sure there is no water left.
  5. In the meantime, finely chop an onion and mushrooms. Fry them with a bit of butter (or oil) on low heat, until they are soft.
  6. Mix all the ingredients for the filling together, season with salt and pepper.


How To Mold Sauerkraut Pierogi?

  1. Divide the dough into the 2 or 3 pieces.
  2. Thinly roll each piece out onto a floured surface to just under 1/16 - 1/8” thickness.
  3. Use a round cookie cutter to cut the circles from the dough.
  4. Put the sauerkraut filling in the center of each circle. The more filling, the better, however, you need to be sure it stays inside pierogi. When the filling will get between the dough when sealing, pierogi may fall apart during the cooking.
  5. Pull the edges of each circle together to form pierogi. Make sure the seal is continuous and intact. You can't leave any free space, as pierogi will fall apart during the cooking. Pinch tightly. Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (6)
  6. Collect the remaining dough scraps and put them to the other 2 dough pieces. Repeat the process until the entire dough and all the filling is used.


How To Cook Pierogi With Sauerkraut?

  1. Pour the water into the big pot. Add 2 pinches of salt. Boil.
  2. Gently throw pierogi, one by one into the boiling water.
  3. When they start floating, wait for a minute and take them out with the slotted spoon.
  4. Pour the melted butter or lard on top.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 333Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 869mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 8g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

See also my other recipes for pierogi!

  • pierogi with spinach
  • pierogi with meat
  • pierogi with strawberries
  • pierogi ruskie
  • pierogi with blueberries
  • pierogi with cherries
  • pierogi with sweet cheese
  • pierogi with poppy seeds

Pin For Later:

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (19)

Did you like this Polish pierogi with sauerkraut recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

11 Responses

  1. Sigh, I just know you are about to cringe and may not even answer, but I have a question to ask. If I were to purchase ready made dough from the local store, which would be closest to real pierogi dough? Pizza dough, pie crust dough or even wonton ready made rounds?
    Thank you for even considering this.

    Laney

    Reply

    1. None would be the real pierogi dough but wonton ready made rounds would be the closest.

      Reply

  2. 1 egg to 5 cups of flour? Isn’t that too few?

    Reply

    1. In fact, you don’t have to add egg at all, it’s optional 🙂

      Reply

  3. My Momma used to make chicken soup with chicken feet. Do you have a recipe for that .

    Reply

    1. I do!
      Here it is. You may add chicken feet as well:
      https://polishfoodies.com/polish-chicken-soup-rosol-recipe/

      Reply

  4. I haven’t made your dough yet but I am wondering if it can be rolled out in a pasta roller attachment for my stand mixer or if it would be too sticky for that?

    Reply

    1. You can use the pasta roller, the pierogi dough is not sticky.

      Reply

  5. For my dough recipe I use 2/3 cup warm water, 1 room temp egg, 3 cups flour, 1/4 cup sour cream, 3/4 teaspoon salt. Throw it in your bread machine if you have one and put it on dough setting. I’ve been making pierogi for about 50 years now and this dough recipe is very good.

    Reply

  6. A tip for freezing pierogi is place them one layer on a baking pan and freeze for about a half hour. Then you can just put them in a ziplock bag and throw in the freezer. They won’t stick to each other. Also, I never cook my sauerkraut. I tried following a recipe last year and did boil the sauerkraut. Came out flavorless. I like the tartness of sauerkraut. I also add sauteed onions and a bit of sour cream to the filling. Important to drain and rinse the sauerkraut well, and then squeeze the water out really hard. I also mince the sauerkraut. I’ve been making them for 50 years, learning from my mother that made the best pierogi in the world.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your comment! I freeze pierogi the same way.
      When it comes to the filling, that depends how sour is your sauerkraut. Kapusta kiszona in Poland is usually really sour and salty, so you need to cook it first.

      Reply

Authentic Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi Recipe That Tastes Like Christmas! (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular pierogi in Poland? ›

Ruskie pierogi are probably the most popular kind of pierogi in North America and Poland. The other popular pierogi in Poland are filled with ground meat, mushrooms and cabbage, or for dessert an assortment of fruits (berries, with strawberries or blueberries the most common).

What is a pierogi in Polish Christmas traditions? ›

Poland's Christmas Eve/Wigilia tradition wouldn't be complete without the world-famous pierogi! The half-circular Polish dumplings make an appearance on Wigilia tables in every Polish household and for many, they are the favorite of the 12 courses served during the traditional dinner.

Are perogies Ukrainian or Polish? ›

The perogy has roots in Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine, with slight differences between each country on the names and fillings. Ukrainian perogies, known as varenyky, can be stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings.

How to make pierogies taste good? ›

In a large NON-STICK fry pan, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add onion and drained pierogies and season to taste with salt and pepper or House Seasoning. Cook over high heat until the onion is soft and browned and pierogies are nicely browned. The pasta shell will get a little crunchy - it's delish!

What is the number one food in Poland? ›

Pierogi. Pierogi are filled dumplings containing either meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Pierogi is undoubtedly Poland's most famous and simple comfort food.

What do Polish people call pierogi? ›

The English word "pierogi" comes from Polish pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔgʲi], which is the plural form of pieróg [ˈpʲɛruk], a generic term for one filled dumpling.

What is Polish Christmas called? ›

Christmas in Poland is called "Boże Narodzenie", which translates to 'God's Birth'. Christmas in Poland. Nativity scene (szopka) by Bronisław Pięcik, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Christmas Eve Supper.

What do Polish people traditionally eat at Christmas? ›

Some eat mushroom soup, some eat barshcht (beetroot soup) with pierogi with mushroom filling, but mostly one of these soup will appear on table. Main celebratory meal in Poland happens on Christmas Eve and that's still by Christian tradition in the feasting period. So no meats are allowed.

What is the Polish dinner on Christmas Eve called? ›

Wigilia (Polish pronunciation: [viˈɡilʲa]) is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland. People are convinced in the fact that in the way they spend Christmas Eve the whole year will pass. Therefore, they try to make this day really fabulous and warm.

What do Polish people eat with pierogies? ›

The most popular toppings for pierogi include skwarki (crunchy golden-brown nuggets of fried pork fatback), sauteed onions, and just melted butter for savory pierogi and sweetened cream for sweet pierogi.

What state eats the most perogies? ›

T's Pierogies, the "Pierogy Pocket of America," is an area including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, Detroit, parts of the northern Midwest and southern New England which accounts for 68% of annual U.S. pierogi consumption.

Is it better to boil or saute pierogies? ›

Boiling Pierogi is the most popular method of cooking Pierogi because it adds no additional calories to your meal. It also offers a soft, delicate texture which is the more traditional way of eating Polish pierogi.

Is it better to fry pierogies in butter or oil? ›

Heat some oil in a pan and add your boiled pierogies. Sauté until golden brown on both sides. You can add whatever you like to jazz things up a little. Traditional pierogies are simply sautéed in butter and onions.

What spices to put on pierogies? ›

Sprinkles with salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Spoon the caramelized onions from the pan (along with any butter in in the pan) all over the pierogies. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping the pierogies once in between. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve immediately with the chipotle sour cream.

What is the most traditional pierogi? ›

Let's start with the most obvious and traditional pierogi of all – pierogi Ruskie. Try not to be fooled by its name – this is Polish pierogi, of course, not Russian.

How are pierogies served in Poland? ›

Traditionally pierogi are served with simple toppings such as fried onions, lardons, melted butter, sour cream or pork rinds. But not everything needs to be savoury! Poles also love sweet pierogi. In the summer, a sweet version of pierogi are popular as a main course.

What country is famous for pierogies? ›

In Slovakia, they're known as pirohy. In Ukraine, they're called varenyky. But to Poland, and most of the rest of the world, they're pierogi.

What is the Russian equivalent of pierogi? ›

Pelmeni, Vereniki, and Pierogi are all types of dumplings that are found in either Russia (pelmeni and vareniki), or Central and Eastern Europe (pierogi).

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