Best Pierogi Dough [And it’s Vegan-Friendly]

Pierogi, a popular Polish dish, is beloved for its delicious filling encased in a tender, doughy exterior. While the filling may steal the show, the dough is just as crucial to creating the perfect pierogi.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to make the best pierogi dough that will work well for both sweet and savory pierogi. As a bonus, this dough is vegan, so you can use it when making all sorts of vegan pierogi, too.

There are dozens of pierogi dough recipes available. Plus, many pierogi recipes come with their own unique recipe for the dough, but fortunately, that’s not necessary. All you need is a single master recipe that works well with any filling.

That’s where this recipe comes in.

I use this dough for all sorts of pierogi, and I link to this recipe from all of my pierogi recipes.

(Of course, lazy pierogi are the exception, but those dumplings aren’t “real” pierogi.)

If you’re making this pierogi dough for the first time, read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re a veteran, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

• Flour. Use all-purpose flour. If you use something like bread flour or whole wheat flour, you will need noticeably more liquid to achieve the right dough texture.
• Oil. Use a neutral-flavored oil, such as your regular cooking oil. Avoid olive oil as it can be bitter, which may affect the dough’s flavor.
• Salt. Use fine-grained salt for best results.
• Water. Plain boiled water is all you need; no need to be fancy here.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Boil a pot of water.
2. Sift flour into a large bowl. Sifting probably isn’t necessary, but I recommend it anyways. Plus, it’s something you can do while waiting for the water to boil.

3. Add salt and mix. Just a quick stir to spread the salt.
4. Add oil and boiled water.

5. Mix. Mix the ingredients by stirring with a regular tablespoon or a large wooden spoon. Be careful not to burn yourself, as you will be working with water that was boiling just a few moments ago. Stir until you reach the point where there is no visible water in the bowl, then switch to using your hands.

6. Knead. Start slowly and make sure the dough isn’t too hot to handle. Knead until you have incorporated all the flour into a homogeneous dough ball, which usually takes 4 to 8 minutes.

7. Wrap and rest. Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes before continuing. This will allow the dough to relax and become easier to work with.

8. Make pierogi. Once that half an hour of waiting is over, the dough is ready for rolling and making pierogi.

Storage

If you run out of filling and don’t want to discard the dough, you can refrigerate it (well-wrapped) for 2 to 3 days. If you don’t wrap it tight, it will dry out and be useless the next day.

Alternatively, you can freeze leftover pierogi dough, as explained in the “How to Freeze Pierogi” article.

Usage

Use this dough to make:

• Meat pierogi

Best Pierogi Dough

Here's a simple recipe for pierogi dough that you can use to make both sweet and savory pierogi. The dough is vegan, so it works if you want to make vegan pierogi.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 mins

Resting time:30 mins

Total Time:45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour ~250g
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp oil
• ½ cup boiling water ~120ml

Instructions

• Boil a pot of water.
• Sift flour into a large bowl.
• Add salt and mix.
• Add oil and boiled water.
• Mix the ingredients by stirring with a spoon. Be careful not to burn yourself. Once there is no visible water in the bowl, use your hands to knead the dough until it is a homogeneous ball.
• Wrap and rest. Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes before continuing.
• Make pierogi. Once the wait is over, the dough is ready for rolling and making pierogi.

Notes

• Double the dough. Since making pierogi takes quite a long time, I recommend doubling both the dough and filling to make a big batch that will be enough for at least two meals. You can freeze any leftover pierogi and have them ready when you are.
• If you’ve been kneading the dough for a couple of minutes already and it’s super dry and doesn’t seem to take in any more flour, add a tablespoon or two of warm water.
• This recipe is adapted from a popular polish recipe website: AniaGotuje.pl. Here’s the direct link to the recipe.

Servings: 15 to 25 pierogi