Gluten-Free Pierogi

over head view of pierogis in cast iron pan with bacon, scallions on a white counter

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These gluten-free pierogi, made with tender dough and a rich potato, onion, and cheese filling, are a rewarding weekend project perfect for a group cooking session. The result is a plate of golden, flavorful dumplings that make the effort well worth it.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Total Time2

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Snack

Cuisine: Polish

Keyword: dairy-free pierogi

Servings: dumplings

Author: Cheryl Johnson

Equipment

1 large pot
1 large skillet

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups gluten free and dairy free flour approximately 445 grams depending on the type and brand of flour you use
3 large eggs room temperature
½ cup water room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling

¾ pound potatoes peeled and cut into 2” cubes (I prefer russet potatoes for this recipe)
¾ cup diced yellow onion
4 tablespoons vegan butter divided
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shredded
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons soy milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dough

In a medium bowl, combine all dough ingredients (flour, eggs, water, and salt) and mix on low speed with a dough hook attachment until the dough starts to come together. The dough should be a thick play dough type consistency. If the dough is too crumbly, add a touch more water. If the dough is too wet and sticky to handle, add a dash more flour to get it to the right consistency.
Sprinkle your work surface or a silicone baking mat lightly with extra flour, and place the dough onto that floured surface. Knead the dough gently with your hands until smooth. Do not use too much flour on your work surface; you don’t want to knead too much extra flour into the dough, which will leave you with dry, crumbly dough.
Flatten the dough into a disc shape, cover the dough well with food-safe plastic wrap and place the dough into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling

Add the onions, garlic and 1 tablespoon of butter to a small frying pan and sauté over medium heat until the onions are softened and just starting to turn clear. Remove that pan from the stovetop and set aside for now.
Place the potatoes in a medium-sized pot and add enough water so that they are covered.
Place that pot on the stovetop and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cook potatoes until they have softened (when you can easily pierce them with a fork).
Drain the water from the pot and place the strained potatoes back into that pot.
Add the shredded cheese, 1 tablespoon of butter, salt, and pepper to the hot potatoes and mash well until the cheese has melted and the potatoes are thoroughly mashed (no large chunks remaining).
Add the soy milk to the potatoes and mash together until smooth. If you have troubles mashing it smooth enough with a potato masher, you can use electric beaters to blend this mixture together.
Stir the cooked onion mixture into the potato mixture until well combined.

Assembling

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Lightly flour your work surface or silicone baking mat.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and place on the lightly floured surface. Separate the dough into two equal sized pieces.
Roll the first half of the dough out between 1/8” to 1/6” inches.
Use a 3” to 4” round cookie cutter to cut out circles in the dough. Place the extra dough to the side for now.
Place the filling and a small bowl of water near your work surface.
Using a small spoon, place about 1 teaspoon of filling into the middle of a dough circle.
Working with one at a time, use your finger to lightly place water around the edge of the dough circle then close the dough circle over the filling. Use your fingers to pinch the dough circle (now a semi circle filled pocket) closed. The wet rim around the outside of the dough will help the two sides stick together and close the edges together.
Use a fork to seal the edges together. Press down gently so the fork only goes about halfway through the dough.
If the filling is leaking out the side, you’ve added too much filling.
Place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat these steps with the remaining dough and filling until you’ve run out of dough.

Cooking

Bring an extra large pot of water to a boil.
Once the water has come to a full rolling boil, gently add about 4 to 5 dumplings to the boiling water. You don’t want them touching so only add as many as you can without the pierogi touching each other.
After about 30 to 60 seconds, they will start floating. Once they’ve started floating, set a timer for 5 minutes. You want them to float in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and set aside. I usually line a second baking sheet with parchment paper for this step. If you accidentally scoop water out as well, lightly dab the pierogi with a dry paper towel to remove the excess moisture.
Repeat these steps until all of the pierogi have been boiled.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter to a large frying pan and melt over low-medium heat.
Add a few of the dumplings to the frying pan (again, you don’t want them touching or they’ll stick together) and heat on both sides until lightly crispy/browned.
Repeat the steps with the remaining pierogi until all have been crisped in the frying pan. Add additional vegan butter to the frying pan as needed.

Notes

Always check your ingredients for those with allergies to ensure they are gluten- and dairy-free. Don’t forget to read the cross-contamination warnings on packages as well.
If you switch to a different type of flour, you may need to adjust the water to get the dough just right. When mixing with a dough hook, aim for a thick, play-dough-like consistency—firm enough to hold together without being wet or sticky. If the dough is sticky, it has too much water; if it’s crumbly, add more water until it comes together smoothly.
I rolled the dough out to ⅙” thickness and used a 3” round cookie cutter. This will yield around 30 dumplings. If the dough is any thicker, they will be too doughy.
Use water on your fingertip to seal any cracks that appear when sealing the edges. If you feel the dough has dried out too much, knead additional water into it before rolling it out again.
Don’t overstuff the dough. I like to use an actual tsp measuring spoon to get the perfect amount of filling in.
Pierogi can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat them in a pan with some vegan butter to re-crisp the dough.
To freeze raw, place them in a single layer on parchment paper and freeze until solid. Then, transfer to a sealed container, layering parchment paper between them to prevent sticking, and store for up to 3 months.
If freezing after cooking, let them cool completely, transfer to a sealed container with parchment paper between layers, and freeze for up to 3 months.

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