Vareniki – Ukrainian-Russian Potato Dumplings

4 from 35 votes
A white decorative plate filled with pierogies topped with caramelized onions and a light sauce. The plate has delicate floral patterns and a gold-trimmed edge. The pierogies appear soft, stuffed, and evenly coated with the golden-brown onions.

Vareniki or varenyky are traditional Russian and Ukrainian dumplings. There are many different types of vareniki; potato vareniki, cheese vareniki, cherry vareniki and more. This dish is also very common in Poland, they call it pierogi and they make it pretty much the same. Vareniki are usually served with sour cream and fried onions. This recipe is the classic version of homemade vareniki and they are perfect for weekend breakfast or brunch.

A white decorative plate filled with pierogies topped with caramelized onions and a light sauce. The plate has delicate floral patterns and a gold-trimmed edge. The pierogies appear soft, stuffed, and evenly coated with the golden-brown onions.

Vareniki – Ukrainian-Russian Potato Dumplings

4 from 35 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
WORK TIME 20 minutes
DIFFICULTY Medium
Cuisine Russian
Servings 6 yields

Ingredients
 

For the dough:

  • 160ml Warm water
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 2 cups 250g Flour
  • 2 tablespoons Oil

For the filling:

  • 400 g Potatoes peeled
  • 2 Onions chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

For serving:

  • Sour cream

Instructions
 

  • DIRECTIONS
    1. Make the dough: In a small bowl, mix warm water, salt and oil. In a separate large bowl, place flour, make a well in the middle, then pour the wet mixture into the well. Mix until smooth dough is formed.
    2. Set aside to rest while making the filling.
    3. Make the filling: fill a medium-large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, add potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil until tender.
    4. Place boiled potatoes in a large bowl and mash.
    5. In a medium sized pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add chopped onions and cook until golden.
    6. Add 3/4 of the onions to the mashed potatoes, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
    7. Assembly: divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/8cm thick. using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut 6-7cm circles. Fill each circle with 1 teaspoon of filling. Seal the dough and repeat with the rest of the dough.
    8. Cook the vareniki: boil a large pot of salted water. Add the vareniki the boiling water and boil until floats. Drain.
    9. Serve with the rest of the fried onions and with sour cream.
    Notes:
    HOW TO STORE VARENIKI?
    Vareniki are at its best when they are hot straight from the boiling water. It is not recommended not eat them cold, but you also can fry leftover vareniki and get crispy vareniki.
    CAN WE FREEZE VARENIKI?
    Yes, you easily can freeze vareniki before cooking them in boiling water. Keep the varniki in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 months. When ready to serve, cook them in boiling water until floats plus 2 minutes.

Video

YouTube video
Nutrition information is automatically generated and thus we can not guarantee it is 100% accurate.

9 Comments

  1. Natalka Kuznetsova says:

    Varenyky not vareniki are a Ukrainian dumpling, they have nothing to do with Russian cuisine and are certainly not ‘russian dumplings’.
    In-fact Gogol writes of how Russian solders in Ukrainian villages in the 1800s did not know the word ‘varenyky’ when asking local Ukrainian women to prepare them, and thus the women pretended not to understand them to avoid feeding them.
    Thus it is a symbol of Ukrainian and Russian difference not similarity.
    Varenyky became proliferated during the Soviet Era wh

    July 31, 2022
  2. Natalka Kuznetsova says:

    Varenyky not vareniki are not ‘Russian dumplings’ they are Ukrainian, pelmeni are Russian dumplings.
    Gogol writes of how Russian soldiers in the 1800s asked Ukrainian women to prepare them but did not know their name, and the Ukrainian women pretended not to understand them to avoid feeding them.
    Thus varenyky became a symbol of Ukrainian and Russian difference not similarity as you have erroneously suggested here.
    Varenyky have nothing to do with Russian cuisine and only became proliferated dur

    July 31, 2022
  3. Clifford Turner says:

    I’m Sure you have no clue what happened in the 1800s cause you were not born. No cares about Russian Varenyky cause they are sanctioned by the UN and rest of the world. We don’t hold this against you cause your country can’t take over a 3 world power.

    September 21, 2022
    1. Don’t be rude, rude behavior is never called for. I found the explanation interesting and don’t assume you speak for everyone. I feel sorry for you, perhaps if you were kinder, others would treat you better.

      February 27, 2023
  4. Ehhhh why in the world vareniki became russian food? Recipe writer, educate yourself, there are other countries than russia.

    November 9, 2022
    1. Irene Rolles says:

      Yes, like Poland and parts of Germany.

      January 24, 2023
  5. I’m sorry, but any recipe that calls for potatoes and does not specify which kind of potato is a bit useless. There is a great deal of difference between waxy red potatoes for example, and starchy russet potatoes.

    February 19, 2023
  6. Thank you so much , but … they are not Russian

    May 17, 2023
  7. How many does 6 yields make?

    February 6, 2024
4 from 35 votes (35 ratings without comment)

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