Gluten Free Pierogies Recipe

Over the holiday season one of my Facebook friends asked me for a gluten free pierogies recipe, which is a polish recipe. I had created a recipe quite some time ago for someone else, but never had a chance to try it myself. She made the the gluten free pierogies for her family and I heard back from her stating.

Reader’s feedback,

“The Pierogies were a hit. My son was very happy and wants me to make more. Thank you for helping me keep our Christmas tradition.”

Pierogies are similar to Italian ravioli, but with a different filling. The typical filling is potato, onion, and cheddar cheese. You can fill pierogies with any filling that you wish.  Some even use fruit. In this pierogi recipe, I use potato, onion and cheddar cheese (any cheese will do). You may use the dough recipe to make homemade gluten-free ravioli or potstickers, as well. Enjoy!

UPDATE Nov. 23, 2011: I am now using egg in this recipe, have lessened the amount of tapioca starch and increased the white rice flour. The recipe below reflects these changes. They taste good both ways, just a little less starchy than before.

Gluten Free Pierogies Recipe

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Yield: Makes about 26 3-1/2-inch perogies.

Gluten Free Pierogies Recipe

Gluten free pierogies, perhaps a bit thicker than you're used to, but just as delicious!

Ingredients:

    For the Dough
  • 2 cups tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch (or more potato starch)
  • 3/4 cup white rice flour
  • 3/4 cup potato starch (or cornstarch)
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • extra cornstarch and rice flour (explained below)
  • Approximately 1-1/4 cup water (you can substitute some of the water with a little gluten-free sour cream or Greek yogurt)
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs, beaten (optional for egg-free)
  • For the Filling
  • 5 medium potatoes
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
  • butter or (enough to saute onions) (I use extra virgin olive oil when I use left over mashed potatoes)
  • 1/2 cup cheese of your choice, shredded

Instructions:

    To Make the Filling:
  1. Peel, cut up into bite size pieces, and boil potatoes until tender.
  2. Saute onion in butter until translucent.
  3. In a food processor or with a mixer, mash potatoes and onions together.
  4. Stir in cheese.
  5. To Make the Dough:
  6. Whisk together all dry dough ingredients thoroughly.
  7. Add oil, egg and water; and mix thoroughly to form a stretchy type of dough, the consistency of raw biscuit dough.
  8. Add a little cornstarch, enough to allow you to handle without sticking to your hands. If the dough is too dry you can always add a little water; or if too wet add more cornstarch and tapioca flour.
  9. Sprinkle a smooth surface generously with tapioca flour. Flour your hands and rolling pin, too. Turn the dough adding additional flour to surface, as needed. Roll out thin, but not as thin as possible, as this will cause the dough to stick to the surface and tear while filling.
  10. Roll enough dough out so that you will be able to cut out 3 1/2 - 4” circles.
  11. To each circle add about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling and close to form a half circle.
  12. Pinch each pierogi closed.
  13. Boil water in a large pot. Cook until the pierogies float to the top.
  14. If you desire, you may sauté them in butter after boiling them. If serving plain, fry them until golden brown. If serving with sauce, just sauté them long enough to remove the sticky texture after boiling. I like mine with a cream sauce.

Tips

It is best to roll out half of the dough and store the other half in a ziplock bag while making the first batch. Otherwise the dough tends to stick to the surface and dry out. When the dough dries out it makes it more difficult to pinch the dough closed. If this does occur, with a pastry brush, add a little water where the two doughs meet and seal normally.

If you use left over mashed potatoes, you will need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups, depending upon if you use all the scraps of the dough or toss them.

If you are short on one of the starches you can substitute with others. This recipe is very forgiving. I've run out of corn starch and used more tapioca starch and the dough still worked out very well.

39 Replies to “Gluten Free Pierogies Recipe”

  1. Our traditional pierogi’s are usually made with Farmer’s cheese or cabbage and sauekraut. Would this recipe still work for that? I have been gluten free for or at least 2 years and did not have them last year, but would love to at least try them with a different version or without the wheat, preferably. Have you tried any other flours or do you think this works best for what you have done. Well I will try it this year – thanks. Nancy Jane

  2. Hi

    Thank you for sharing your recipes. I have tried to make the above perogies but can’t get it to work. What can I substitute for xatham gum that isn’t a gum. I am sensitive to it. I substituted flax for eggs, could I still substitute flax again for xantham? I have tried the above twice and can’t get it to work any suggestions would be appreciated. :) Thank You!! Trina

  3. Hi, I will exclude eggs, and if I understood correctly I can also exclude potato starch (which I must get rid off) and use instead corn starch in the same quantity, correct? thx

  4. I grew up on my mom’s homemade perogies & they were a family favorite so it was pretty devasting when we found out our daughters couldn’t have gluten, egg & dairy almost 2 yrs ago. Gluten free flour is so difficult to work with & we’ve had so many fails, that I just never thought a gluten free perogie recipe would even be possible. So imagine our shock & delight when these turned out SO good!! A thousand thank you’s for bringing these back to our family dinner table!

  5. Can i just say, as I am Polish, traditional polish pierogi are with cottage cheese. You will buy them everywhere in more less every restaurant. The less popular version (not a lot of polish people know about it) of this dish is pierogi legnickie, from town in Poland (which I originally come from ;p) and this version is with cheddar cheese instead of cottage :-) just thought it might be interesting fact to know for you :-)

    You should also try pierogi filled with wild mushrooms and sauerkraut. They are my personal favourite and in some regions in Poland are traditional Christmas dish (more tradionionally xmassy than the ones you’ve posted. Still gluten free :-))

  6. You edited your recipe to make it now contain egg; any chance you could re-post (or email me) your egg-free version? My wife is gluten and egg-free, and we’d really like to try the version you originally put up. Thanks!

  7. I just printed this recipe. I can’t wait to have these again!! My father is Polish and we always loved them. thank you

  8. My hubby is 100% Polish & I’m 100% Irish. Tried to make his mother’s recipe for authentic perogies years ago and failed hugely. They would have made good road pot hole fillers! Now trying to avoid gluten, I tried your recipe. Even my husband liked them! That was the total ‘proof of the pudding’ for me! The dough handled very nicely, but it does result in a chewier texture. Hubby noticed but still enjoyed them! YEAH! Thank you so very much for this recipe. Now we don’t have to drive nearly 40 miles one way into Chicago for the frozen perogies (that still don’t measure up his mother’s).

    1. Heather,

      I am afraid I cannot answer that question from my own experience, as I have only cooked them when they were defrosted, however i assume that it should just fine. I was afraid they may become soggy. So I opted to defrost first. Let me know how they turn out if you do boil them frozen.

      Carla

      1. I freeze pierogi after boiling them. You need to place them on a wire cookie rack to drain and cool. I place them in a freezer zip lock bag on a flat surface keeping them side by side. Usually around 15 -20 pierogi will fit in a large zip lock bag. It depends on their size. After pushing excess air out and zipping shut place flat in freezer. it is important to lay flat till frozen otherwise they will stick to each other and tear when taking them out. I pan fry on low heat in butter till golden brown. The pierogi can be frozen or defrosted. Add sour cream to garnish.

        1. I agree! Boil fresh made perogies, let drain on wire rack, chill in fridge, place on a styrofoam tray, not touching each other, wax paper dusted with a bit of corn starch or tapioca flour between layers, ziplock freezer bag or Vac and Seal bag, then freeze. Let thaw before further steaming or heating in butter (clarified is best). We steam and then make a butter/bread crumb mix to garnish. Or we steam and float in beet borscht. If not thawed, they tend to stick to the steamer rack.

  9. I made these today to freeze ahead as a surprise for my daughters birthday meal. I have not attempted to make these since I found I was gluten intolerant and thought I would never enjoy them again.
    This recipe is awesome, the dough rolled out like a dream and even though a little thicker than the ones I used to make, the flavor and texture is excellent!! We had to force ourselves to stop so my daughter could have them on her birthday! Thank you.

    1. I usually use tapioca starch to substitute cornstarch. I recently read that you can replace 3 parts cornstarch with 2 parts arrowroot flour.

      I’m so glad my gluten free recipes are being used and appreciated, Moe!

      Carla

  10. I’m so excited about finding this recipe. Pierogis have been a life long Good Friday Dish and my sister and I spend the day making them for our families. I was diagnosed in June 2011 with Celiac and one of the first things we were worried about missing was our Pierogis. I will try this recipe soon on a trial run and let you know how it goes! THANK YOU!!!!

  11. Your GF perogie recipe calls for Tapioca flour, what can i use as substitution? We have tapioca allergy so flour and starch need substitution. Please recommend a good bread recipe that I can use eliminating tapioca.

    thanks!!!

    1. Hi Sandy,

      Cornstarch should work nicely. I don’t have any bread recipes that do not contain tapioca flour. I would also substitute the tapioca flour for cornstarch in any of my bread recipes. You can find all of my bread recipes at http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-recipes/bread . I particularly enjoy http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/udis-gluten-free-bread-whole-grain, http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/udis-style-gluten-free-white-bread-recipe, and http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-oat-flaxseed-sandwich-bread You can also substitute the oat flour in the last recipe for sorghum flour. You may also watch the video on the making this bread at http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-bread-recipe-oat-sorghum> I hope this helps.

      Carla

  12. This was another great Christmas with Perogies. I made Prune, Potatoe, and Sour Kraut. My son just loves the Prune. The dough is so easy to roll and much easier to make than the traditional kind. I just made 5 doz. more and froze them so my son can have them when he wants. You are a life savor. :)

  13. Thanks for the recipe…my pierogies turned out great! Love the tip about steaming with the broth; will have to try that next time.

  14. Thank you! I am Polish as well, so I will have to make these for my mom (100% Polish) and let her be amazed! I may have to freeze them and send them to my babcie (grandma) back East! I was on here looking for the potsticker recipe, but came across this!

    1. I use the same dough recipe for this as I do the potstickers. I like it with potstickers more. I now suggest frying the pierogies, adding a little chicken broth once fried and then covering to steam. They came out much better that way!

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