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There are many ways to make pierogi, and everyone seems to have their favorite. This is my favorite recipe for gluten free potato pierogi, as the dough is made with both milk and sour cream.
There's no way around it. Pierogi takes some time to prep. I promise that this dough will work – just read the recipe all the way through before you roll up your sleeves and get to work. And let all the step by step pictures mesmerize you for a bit, too.
Semi-Pro Tip #1: Rather than struggling to roll out the dough as thin as 1/8 inch before cutting rounds, roll it out 1/4 inch thick. Then, reroll each round into an oval that is closer to 1/8 inch thick.
This way, you're much less likely to have a dough of uneven thickness (which might cause some of them to break during boiling), and an oval shape is easier to form into half-moons.
Be careful as you select your gluten-free flour blend for this task, too. Anything that is too high in starch, like Trader Joe's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, is going to be difficult to roll out smooth as it will absorb too much moisture in the dough.
This is a different dough than, for example, gluten free pie crust, which is flaky as any proper pastry would be that is meant to be baked in a hot oven. Pierogi dough has more chew, and is less fragile by nature.
Just be sure to serve these to someone special. Pierogies bring to mind Easter for me, which may or may not be strange. But one thing's for sure – if you're going to make them for a big group, pay special attention to the Make-Ahead Option in the printable recipe below. Now … how do you say “EAT!” in Polish?
How to make homemade gluten free pierogi, step by step
Gluten Free Pierogi Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup (112 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (170 g) milk, at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups (350 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used my Better Than Cup4Cup Blend; please click through for appropriate flour blends), plus more for kneading
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
For the filling
- 1 pound potatoes, about 8 small red skin potatoes or 1 large potato
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) clarified butter or ghee, can substitute olive oil
- ½ cup (112 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup (2 ounces) shredded semi-hard cheese, (I used a blend of Monterey jack and cheddar)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For finishing
- 1 egg (any size), beaten
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) ghee or clarified butter, can substitute olive oil
Instructions
Make the dough.
- In a large bowl, place the sour cream, milk, beaten egg and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the flour and xanthan gum in three parts, mixing well to combine after each addition.
- The dough will come together and be relatively smooth but still a bit sticky. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and, with floured hands, knead the dough until it becomes easier to handle (it will not be completely smooth).
- Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside to rest.
Make the filling.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the potatoes and reduce the boil to a simmer. Boil the potatoes, covered, until they are just fork tender (about 15 minutes).
- Drain the water from the pot of potatoes and cover the pot with a tea towel. Allow the potatoes to steam beneath the towel until the are softened (about another 10 minutes).
- While the potatoes are cooking, place the diced onion and clarified butter in a small skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent (about 6 minutes).
- Once the potatoes are softened, peel the skin off (it should come off easily) and mash the potatoes in the pot. Add the cooked onions, then the sour cream, shredded cheese and the salt and pepper to taste. Set the filling aside.
Roll out the dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a round about 1/4 inch thick, and moving the dough frequently and dusting lightly with flour to prevent sticking as you roll.
- Cut out rounds 4 inches in diameter from the dough. Gather and reroll scraps. Roll each round into an oval that is closer to 1/8 inch thick (the thickness of a nickel).
Assemble the pierogies.
- Paint the edges of each oval with the beaten egg, then place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each.
- Fold the dough over on itself, matching the edges, and pinch the edges together to form a tight seal.
Boil the pierogies (See Recipe Notes).
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, place the pierogies, about 6 at a time, until they float to the surface of the water (about 3 minutes).
- Place the boiled pierogies on a paper towel to drain, then blot them dry.
Finishing.
- Sauté the towel-dried pierogies in ghee in a large skillet until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were AMAZING! It was one of my first times making pierogi at all and my first time trying gluten free (at Christmas!), so I was not holding out too much hope of getting it right. But they came out perfect! Thanks for this recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Jo-Anne. I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! Thank you for sharing your experience.
These were so good! I used Namaste cup for cup blend and mexican style sour cream and they rolled out very nicely! I’ll definitely be making them again.
This makes me so happy. I’m Ukrainian and grew up eating these for Easter every year.
I can again thanks to you Nicole.
That’s really lovely, Nicole. I’m so happy to hear that you feel that sense of possibility. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the recipe! This isn’t something I eat, but I think the dough would work perfectly for jaozi (Chinese dumplings)! I have been missing making them for Chinese New Year. Would better Batter work for this or should we make your flour blend?
OMG! Where have you been my whole life? I have been gluten free for over eight years now, since before it was an acceptable diet to be on. I had stopped looking for cook books and recipes many years ago, because they just weren’t worth the time or money and had perfected some of my own. However, I had not been able to get cinnamon rolls or perogies right and stumbled across your blog in pursue of recipe inspiration. I am totally hooked! You have mastered so many recipes the gluten free community has yet to get right! Thank you!
Rachel
P.S. am going to buy your cookbooks right now!
di yeasta (in Ukrainian)
Nicole. Seriously. This is AWESOME! My husband is Polish and his grandmother is like a professional pierogie maker. We all used to gobble them up whenever we could – including ones with sweetened farmer’s cheese and another with blueberries – but ever since celiac, we have been pierogie-less. Which is very sad, especially when surrounded by pierogie eaters. If I can wrangle some time to make these for Easter, I totally will, but regardless of when, it will happen at some point thanks to you :)
-Dana
No pierogies = no happiness, especially in the company of a pioerogi-making grandmother machine. Oh the humanity! That is second only to leaving Christmas dinner before dessert. Never again, Dana! Never again! ;)
xoxo Nicole